Sports
Norman, Evert tie the knot
Afp, Los Angeles

American tennis great Chris Evert (L) talks with Australian golfing legend Greg Norman before his tee off at the BMW Asian Open Golf Championship in Shanghai on April 24. PHOTO: AFP FILE Sports legends Greg Norman and Chris Evert have married in the Bahamas, the weekly People reported on their website Sunday.The couple, both 53, wed at sunset on front of 140 guests on Saturday evening, the report said. The pair announced their engagement last December.Evert's youngest son Colton, 12, served as ring bearer, and sons Nicky, 14, and Alex, 16, walked her down the aisle. Also present were Norman's daughter Morgan, 23, and son Gregory Jr., 21, who served as best man.Golfer Norman has won two British Open titles among scores of other tournaments, and former tennis world number one Evert won 18 Grand Slam titles.Norman and his first wife Laura announced last year that they had reached an agreement on dividing an estimated 500-million-dollar fortune amassed by the former world number one during his golf and business career.Evert has been married twice, to tennis player John Lloyd and skier Andy Mill.

Sports
Football
UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland
In shadows no more
Afp, Vienna

Spanish forwards Fernando Torres (L) and David Villa hold up a national flag after they won the Euro 2008 final against Germany on Sunday at Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna. Photo: AFPFernando Torres showed that anything his fellow striker David Villa can do he can do too with the precious goal that gave Spain victory over Germany in Sunday's Euro 2008 final.Villa had stolen most of the limelight away from the Liverpool forward at Euro 2008 up to Sunday night with his four goal harvest making him the competition's leading scorer.But injury in the first half of the Spaniard's semifinal success over Russia left the big stage clear for the Premier League star.Torres was deployed by coach Luis Aragones as a lone striker served by a five man midfield featuring his Premier League rival Cesc Fabregas.And after a hesitant start he made himself known to the German defence in the 20th minute with a looping header which went high.Two minutes later he had the best chance of the opening exchanges, his downward header hitting Jens Lehmann's far post.Then on 33 minutes his moment of glory came.Xavi was the instigator of the move that will have set the hearts of 44 million Spaniards beating at 100 miles an hour.The Barcelona midfielder slid a perfect pass through to Torres who used his muscle and skill to see off German defender Phillip Lahm, lifting his shot over Lehmann and into the far corner."For me, it's a dream come true," said Torres."Victory in a Euro, is almost as big as a World Cup. I think that we have played very good football throughout the tournament and it was justice done when we won the final."His 74th minute booking for a foul on Christoph Metzelder will hardly have ruined his evening and he was eventually replaced by Dani Guiza four minutes later, his work done.The blonde-haired forward who had a sensational debut season at Liverpool with 33 goals opened his account at this Euro against Sweden in the second match, but had up to now been largely overshadowed by Villa.Torres, for whom this was his 17 international goals in his 53rd cap, had developed a forceful partnership with Villa -- a major factor in Spain's waltz through the group stages.Villa paid tribute to his strike partner after his opening hat-trick against Russia, saying: "People don't really notice the work he does in terms of creating chances."Two of my goals were due entirely to his huge amount of work in the lead up to them."Torres won best player and top scorer prizes at the Under-16 and Under-19 world championships in 2001 and 2002, and scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup in which Spain went out in the second round.Quick and lethal in front of goal Torres, who joined Liverpool for a reported 30 million Euro fee, was given the nickname 'El Nino' when appointed Atletico Madrid captain at 19. Now aged 24 'the kid' showed flashes of brilliance in last Thursday's semifinal and put in a man's performance here Sunday.It's not hard to see why Liverpool have put a 'not for sale at any price' sign on his head after rumours that Chelsea are about to mount a bid.

Sports
Football
UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland
Ballack's miseries on
Afp, Berlin

German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (front) and captain Michael Ballack lie on the pitch after their defeat to Spain in Sunday's Euro 2008 final at Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna. Photo: AFPHaving lost May's Champions League final with Chelsea, Michael Ballack again suffered silverware heartbreak on Sunday as Germany lost the Euro 2008 final 1-0 to Spain.After the Blues missed out to Manchester United in Moscow, Germany captain Ballack tasted bitter defeat for the second time in as many months in Vienna as a first-half strike by Liverpool's Fernando Torres broke German hearts."It is very sad to lose when one has come such a long way," said the 31-year-old."All the team battled away. This tournament has come at the end of the season and physically it has been tough. However, we have made too many errors."Losing in a final is a feeling the Chelsea midfielder is intimately acquainted with, having lost May's Champions League final to Manchester United and February's League Cup decider to Tottenham Hotspur.And nor it is the first time that defeat for the him has been at the hands of the Spanish, having lost to Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final when he played for Bayer Leverkusen.For the 2002 World Cup final defeat to Brazil he was suspended.He had missed ten games for his country due to injury as his side became the first to qualify for Euro 2008 without him, but he made up for it in the tournament's finals playing a key role in getting Germany to the Vienna final.He showed how little his calf muscle was bothering him as early as the eighth minute when he out-stripped the Spanish defence, but no one was there to meet his cross and had a shot at goal blocked on 25 minutes.When his side's defence was broken by Torres' first-half goal, Ballack was left bloodied and needed stitches for an eye gash just after the half hour mark and picked up a yellow card for a heavy challenge on Cesc Fabregas.He had Germany's best chance of the game when his shot grazed Casillas' near post.This could be Ballack's last chance to win a major international tournament, but there has been no talk from the big man with his Chelsea contract set to expire in June 2009."Of course we are disappointed after coming so far, after so many weeks of hard work, and the qualification too," Ballack said. "And then to get to the final and to lose, that is always bitter to lose a final, for sure."He also said that Germany's strong performance in Euro 2008 -- notably their emphatic 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Portugal -- was in large part down to the huge numbers of fans that travelled to Austria and Switzerland to cheer them on."For practically every game the home supporters were always in the majority. And that is important for our team," he said."It is still a young team and it is very, very important that particularly in difficult phases of the game to have the support, and in many, many games that was fantastic."Coach Joachim Loew, meanwhile, predicted on Monday next time they will beat the Spanish as he and the team were given a heroes' welcome in Berlin."The Spanish were a very good team all through the championship. We have to recognise their quality ... Should the Spanish come up again in a championship we will beat them," Loew said to cheers from a crowd of 100,000 people gathered around the Brandenburg Gate."Yesterday we were crazy with disappointment and sadness, but I think that coming second was a great achievement for us. The team has performed amazingly in the last two years and we can all be proud that we were in the final," he said.Loew, 48, also confidently predicted that Germany would qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa."I said to the players they must not let their head hang," said Loew. "We made it to the final, that is something really special."The defeat is a stimulus to work hard in the coming two years, to take things forward and improve."We start qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa this September, we want to play just as good a role there as we did at Euro 2008."We will analyse things in peace once the dust has settled and look at where we need to improve."We did not always play with the same high quality in the final tournament which we had shown in the previous two years."
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's

Sports
Football
No place for Ronaldo
Afp, Reuters, ViennaUEFA Euro 2008

Austria-SwitzerlandXavi Player-Of-The-Meet

XAVI Victorious Spain's open, attacking play at Euro 2008 was hailed by UEFA on Monday with midfielder Xavi reserved for special praise.Xavi was named player of the tournament while technically gifted Spain had nine players in the squad of the tournament selected by European soccer's governing body."We have chosen Xavi because we think he epitomises the Spanish style of play," said Andy Roxburgh, the head of UEFA's technical delegation."He was extremely influential in the whole possession, passing, penetrating kind of game that Spain played."The 28-year-old Barcelona dynamo who has scored eight goals in 63 internationals -- was judged to be at the heart of Spain's triumphant campaign. Xavi scored once in the tournament and also created the goal for Fernando Torres in the final.However, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on making UEFA's squad of the Euro 2008 tournament.Nine Spaniards make the 23-player squad but UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh insisted nothing should be read into the absence of Ronaldo from the list and it had nothing to do with his reputation as a prima donna."If Portugal had gone further (they lost 3-2 to Germany in the quarterfinals), he (Ronaldo) and Deco would have been in our squad," said the former Scotland coach."We don't pick them on reputation. He is a fantastic player. In any case one of the better matches I saw was between the Portugal A and Portugal B sides."Two of Ronaldo's teammates did make it in defenders Jose Bosingwa and Pepe.Roxburgh said that the selection of the best player had been a close run thing."(Iker) Casillas, the Spanish goalkeeper, came very close in the voting (which is decided on by 9 technical experts)," he said."Obviously the winning team provides the best players.""The Spanish team haven't tried to be someone else. They have maintained their philosophy. They can keep the ball under immense pressure," Roxburgh added."To sum up Spanish football -- they carry the ball close to their hearts. They love the ball, they love working with the basics. Because they love the ball they don't like to give it away. They have personal talent and collective ability."Luis Aragones's side dominated UEFA's squad of the tournament and Roxburgh said his delegation could have named more Spaniards.Clearly, there was a number of players that were outstanding," he added, naming Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas and defender Carles Puyol as especially impressive."The first comment our group made was that we should just pick the Spanish team. We could almost have put 13 or 14 Spanish players in here and not have blinked."EURO 2008 SQUADGoalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Edwin van der Sar (Holland).Defenders: Jose Bosingwa (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Carlos Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Carles Puyol (Spain), Yuri Zhirkov (Russia).Midfielders: Hamit Altintop (Turkey), Luka Modric (Croatia), Marcos Senna (Spain), Xavi (Spain), Konstantin Zyryanov (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Holland).Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain).

Cricket
Star Cricket Asia Cup
Better be disciplined
Sports Reporter

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CENTURY: Star Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara follows through on an off-drive during the Asia Cup Super League match against Bangladesh at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. Photo: AFPWhen birthday boy Sanath Jayasuriya decided to make it his day, a score in excess of 300, something that the Tigers have conceded four times in their last nine games, was only a matter of time.While all credit goes to the little Lankan dynamo who cut and pulled his way to the 26th ODI hundred of his career and fourth in 20 matches against Bangladesh, it was disheartening to see how the Tigers went about their business in the field.Some might say that it is never easy to recover after several matches in such a short tournament and a few in Karachi would point out the oppressive heat and one would be compelled to consider the depleted attack, but the underlining factor remains attitude, which sadly, was hard to find.Spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza lacked inspiration and Shahadat Hossain remained all bluster but no substance. Jayasuriya got at least three opportunities to cut and pull every over and when that happens, wicket-taking deliveries are hard to manufacture. Captain Mohammad Ashraful had very few options available and had his hands tied to continue with the two fast bowlers for eleven overs.Changes were made but the luck of the Tigers remained unchanged. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak conceded 32 in his first three overs and Forhad Reza was too predictable. Alok Kapali, nowadays a part-time leggie than anything else, struggled to locate his spot but was a lucky change for Ashraful as he brought the first wicket.Jayasuriya's subdued partner in the 202-run stand -- Kumar Sangakkara did not even flinch as he too moved to a hundred but the Tigers were lucky that the Lankans never made it past 332 as it was almost a given when Jayasuriya was flying in the powerplays.Even though most attention involving the Tigers goes to the batting and batsmen, the Tigers do have a bowling coach and one can raise questions with his role. Clearly, there is something missing in strategies while working with the bowlers and maybe, something is there to be done about it.Sarwar Imran has been with the Tigers for a long period now and off late, the bowling performance has come under fire from a few quarters including coach Jamie Siddons. The Australian coach was not pleased with the bowlers during the Kitply Cup but those comments got lost under the Tigers' misfiring batting. But now the problem seems to have been highlighted even more with the batsmen pulling their weight in the Asia Cup.The absence of Shakib Al Hasan and to some extent Syed Rasel can be reasons of the decline. But when resources are low, managing them and bringing the best out of the limited resources shows the true colours of the management.

Sports
Tennis
The Championships Wimbledon
Tamarine makes a mark
Afp, London

Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn clenches her fist after beating Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the pre-quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in London yesterday. Photo: AFPTamarine Tanasugarn became the first Thai to reach a Grand Slam quar-terfinal as she sent Serb second seed Jelena Jankovic crashing out of Wimbledon on Monday.Tamarine, ranked 60, took advantage of Jankovic's struggles with a knee injury to overpower the world number three and claim an historic 6-3, 6-2 fourth round victory.The 31-year-old, who had appeared in the last 16 of Grand Slam eight times without success, will now face defending champion Venus Williams in the last eight.Venus survived her trip to Wimbledon's notorious court number two.But the defending champion emerged from the famous 'graveyard of champions' fuming over Wimbledon organisers' decision to banish her from the tournament's major show courts, which she clearly regarded as a major snub for a player gunning for her fifth singles title at the All England Club.Venus moved a step closer to that objective by beating fast-rising Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-4, 6-3, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn, who upset Serbian second seed Jankovic.Two-time champion Serena Williams has beaten Bethany Mattekto to advance to the quarterfinals.Serena swept past her fellow American 6-3, 6-3, immediately after her sister Venus was also triumphant.Zheng Jie reached her first quarterfinal as the Chinese wildcard's Wimbledon fairytale continued with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory over Hungarian 15th seed Agnes Szavay.Zheng had stunned top seed Ana Ivanovic in the last round and the world number 133 showed that was no fluke by demolishing Szavay in an hour and 21 minutes in the fourth round.Meanwhile, Roger Federer shattered father-to-be Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon hopes with a 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory which took the five-time champion into the quarterfinals.Federer, bidding to become the first man to win six successive titles, racked up his 63rd successive grasscourt victory and will take Croatia's Mario Ancic for a semifinal place.Unseeded Croatian Ancic came back from two sets down to beat Spanish 22nd seed Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11 to reach the
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Sports
Football
UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland
Spain's new era
Afp, Vienna

JOY KNOWS NO BOUNDS: Spanish supporters party in Madrid deep into Sunday night after their country beat Germany to clinch the Euro 2008 football championship title. Photo: AFPAfter just over three weeks of drama, shocks, comebacks and capitulations, Spain emerged triumphant from Euro 2008 to end decades of consistent failure and launch perhaps a new dawn in international football.No longer can the term perennial underachievers be used to describe that country's football team as 44 years after they last won their continental championship, Spain are sitting pretty on the throne of Europe once again.As ever they had begun proceedings among the favourites but Spain had the luxury of taking something of a backseat as there was much talk of Germany's credentials and all the fireworks were expected to be set off in the so-called 'Group of Death'.World champions Italy and their beaten foes from the final in Germany two years ago France headed that group, which also included the young and talented Netherlands and a Romania team that was considered a realistic dark horse for overall victory.Group C -- to give it its official name -- did produce the fireworks hoped for but not as expected.The Netherlands launched their campaign with a stunning 3-0 destruction of Italy, a result that all but ended Italy coach Roberto Donadoni's two year reign.The young, fluid Dutch team backed that up with a 4-1 demolition of France and even after making a swathe of changes for their final group game - having already won the group - they still beat Romania 2-0.France and Italy met in an all or nothing clash in their final group game and a rash challenge from Eric Abidal on Luca Toni in the box gave the world champions a penalty and a man advantage.Andrea Pirlo duly gave them the lead from 12 yards and Italy went on to beat the 10 men 2-0 and avoid the humiliation of early elimination.For France there was the realisation, two years too late, that this side had come to the end of the road and needed an overhaul - on both the playing and coaching side.Elsewhere holders Greece demonstrated that their unlikely victory four years ago really was an anomaly and lost all three of their group games.Portugal proved tantalising and entertaining in their first two matches, winning both and their group before resting almost all their first choice starters for their final match, allowing co-hosts Switzerland the satisfaction of a victory.Turkey proved unshakeable, coming back from 1-0 down to beat Switzerland 2-1 and 2-0 down to topple the Czech Republic 3-2 and make the last eight.Germany were upset by Croatia but still made it into the knock-out stages where they exposed Portugal's frailties in defence and under pressure. Like Spain, Portugal have also developed a reputation for crashing out earlier than the talent at their disposal should do.Turkey produced their most miraculous come-back of all in the quarterfinals, conceding a last minute goal in extra-time against Croatia only to score a leveller with the final kick of the match before winning the penalty shootout.Italy's win over France proved a false dawn as they lost on penalties to Spain, who banished two hoodoos in beating the Italians for the first time in a major international tournament and progressing beyond the last eight for the first time in 24 years.The Netherlands lost their swagger and were overrun by the energy of a tireless Russia, but they were found out by Spain in the semifinals.Quality proved the better substance as the Spaniards won 3-0 having already defeated the Eastern Europeans 4-1 in the group stages.The fires of Turkey's charmed life were extinguished by Germany who proved they too can fight to the bitter end, scoring a last minute winner after a thrilling match that ended 3-2.And so to the final between Spain and Germany and once again class told as the talented pass masters from the Iberian peninsular controlled their opponents and finally buried the demons of their past failures with a 1-0 victory thanks to a sublime finish from Fernando Torres.No one could deny Spain were worthy winners with even Germany coach Joachim Loew admitting they had deserved it.And now it is on to World Cup qualifying with a certain changing of the guard taking place in the sport.Exciting times are surely ahead, not least for Spain, although it remains to be seen if new boss Vicente Del Bosque can instil the self-belief in the team that Luis Aragones harvested.And the other question on everyone's lips is: under Fabio Capello can football's new perennial underachievers England finally end their 44-year trophy hurt.
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR

Ben McFarland

Monday June 30, 2008
Article history

Adebayor is being taken to the Bridge. Not by James Brown though. Photograph: Sang Tan/AP
"It's magic if you come from Madrid, it's beautiful if you come from Barcelona, it's a vindication if you come from Valencia or Villarreal and it's lovely if you come from Liverpool."
John Motson there, rocking the Mic for the last time. It's sad, folks, but life - like Motty - goes on. And on. And on some more. No time for nostalgia as there are only 40 days until the start of the season. So while Spain has one "El of a Party" (Daily Mirror) involving Oles, sangria, Tapas, donkey-pushing, the building of human pyramids for no apparent reason and the flamboyant winding up of bulls, let's get mongering without further ado.
A cane-fingering, moustache-twiddling plan, unprecedented in its skulduggery, is being hatched by Peter Kenyon. The Chelsea chief executive is plotting the downfall of Manchester United and Arsenal. The signing of Robinho for £25m from Real Madrid will facilitate the move of You Know Who to the Bernabeu while the stick being poked into Arsenal's spokes comes in the Togolese shape of Emmanuel Adebayor and his £30m, £120,000 a week move to Stamford Bridge if you believe the papers which, if experience is anything to go by, you probably shouldn't.
Big bald Pete doesn't need to scupper Liverpool's plans as Rafa Benítez seems to be doing that all by himself. He wants Robbie Keane and is willing to hand over Peter Crouch and a bag of cash to get him.
Will a certain Aston Villa midfielder be there to welcome the Irishman? Well, according to the Daily Star, Martin O'Neill is "going to make Gareth Barry" sweat. Not by dressing him in a Velour tracksuit and locking him in a sauna but by sticking his fingers in his ears and going la-la-la-la-la every time Gareth mentions a transfer to Liverpool. Other newspapers reckon £18m should end the second-most tedious transfer saga of the summer.
Ooops, there are some Arsenal rumours that would be better placed next to the Adebayor speculation above but, due to a slapdash approach, have ended up here. The Gooners may swoop for Obafemi Martins following Newcastle United's realisation that they don't have enough pennies to keep him. But Arsène Wenger doesn't want to pay £15m for him as some of that money has got to be spent on Werder Bremen midfielder Amaury Bischoff who's only 21 and in the same mould as Mathieu Flamini.
Werder Bremen, meanwhile, are set to gazump Hull in their latest attempt to buy a player. Any player. Please. Bernard Mendy, the large French chap once seen hoofing balls towards the head of Kevin Davies at Bolton, is likely to snub the Tigers in favour of the German giants.*
Another giant*, Angers striker Guy Moussi, is off to Nottingham Forest where he'll be joined by Andy 'Andrew' Cole on £25,000 a week. Other stuff you may or may not want to know is that Norwich are giving FSV Mainz around £1m for Macedonian defender Nikole Noveski and Swansea are poised to sign Spanish stopper Albert Sorran from Espanyol for just £70,00.
Ole.
*may not actually be giants

Polak continues recovery

Richmond defender Graham Polak has climbed out of bed and had a shower following waking up from an induced coma where he has been placed since Saturday night when he was struck by a tram in Melbourne.The 24-year-old former Fremantle defender was struck by a tram on Saturday night and suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Alfred Hospital where he was placed in an induced coma by doctors.While doctors were pleased with Polak’s steady improvement, they also said it was too early to know if the 106-game AFL player would suffer permanent brain damage.“Graham is actually out of bed and had a shower and gone to the toilet,” Polak’s manager Paul Connors explained to the Nine Network. “For the family, it's been real filip.”Following the incident Polak’s family was flown over from Perth to join his partner, model Alice Oksuz, to be with the 24-year-old as he attempts to recover from the incident.The Alfred’s Hospital’s trauma director Mark Fitzgerald said that Polak was fortunate that paramedics arrived at the scene quickly and also commented that the former Docker did not have any brain swelling at this stage.“Without going into any great detail, he's had quite a severe blow to the head he was deeply unconscious at the scene, he's got some areas of brain injury on his scan, but he's a young person, he's very fit,” Fitzgerald said in an interview with Fairfax Radio. “We expect him (Polak) to recover over the next few weeks. It'll take some time before we can be absolutely positive of a good outcome, but he's doing very well.”Richmond president Gary March confirmed police would investigate the accident but said the club’s main priority was for Polak to make a full recovery.“The club's main concern is Graham's health and supporting his family and supporting our players, a number of whom were at the scene,” said March.“Graham's been a fantastic young man since he's come down here and we are particularly concerned for Cleve and Jordan (teammates Cleve Hughes and Jordan McMahon) who were at the scene.”“We've got a good support network down here ... experts in the field, obviously it's affected all our staff, not just the playing group.”
Author: Rodney Mouawad
Friday 27 June 2008 - 18:08:05

Need to improve skills - Dyson
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:56 GMT


John Dyson believes Australia are too good a side for West Indies to topple. The West Indies coach made this admission after his side plunged to a seven-wicket defeat on Sunday in the third one-day International against the Aussies and conceded an unbeatable 3-0 series lead. "It should be obvious that we lack some skills," Dyson told reporters. "Compared to the other side, we lack some batting skills, some bowling skills and some fielding skills. "Australia are very good in every department plus they have a very strong squad. They've got great depth. "We're still working on a few skills that we need to develop and we are working on the strength of our squad. It's a tall order to expect a team ranked No. 8 to beat the team ranked No. 1." West Indies entered the match needing to win to keep the five-match series alive, but they were dismissed for 223 in 48 overs, after they appeared to be making steading progress at 160 for two in the 33rd over. Shane Watson then made his maiden ODI hundred to power Australia to a comfortable seven-wicket victory with 57 balls to spare, after they were set 224 to win from their allocation of 50 overs. "It's a disappointing result," Dyson said. "It's been a disappointing ODI series. "The Test series was quite exciting and competitive. This series has been disappointing. We didn't bat well enough. We didn't bowl well enough. We didn't field well enough." Australia won the opening match of the series by 84 runs last Tuesday at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, and the rain-affected second ODI last Friday by 63 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method here. Dyson acknowledged it will be hard to get things right for the last two ODIs which will be contested on Friday and Sunday at Warner Park in the St. Kitts capital of Basseterre. "You need a bit of time to correct these things and they are not the sort of things that you can change overnight," he said. "There's no denying that the guys are good cricketers. They are skilled cricketers, but they are some extra skills that would allow them to compete with the No.1 side in the world that you need. "Throughout the Test series, I think we showed we can be aggressive, and in the Twenty20 we showed we can be aggressive, but in this particular ODI series we have been outplayed. "We are constantly working on things, but whether you can take what you have been working on in the nets and transfer it to the middle in an ODI is not always possible. We talk about things, and we map out the way we can do things, but in the heat of the moment in the middle, it just goes haywire."

Sri Lanka win toss and bat against Bangladesh
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:03 GMT

------------------------------------------------

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and opted to bat in the Asia Cup Super League match against Bangladesh at National Stadium here on Monday.

Titleholders Sri Lanka remained unchanged from the line-up which beat Pakistan by 64 runs on Sunday. If they win this match they will qualify for the final to be held here on July 6.

Bangladesh also remained unchanged from the side which lost to India by seven wickets on Saturday.

Sri Lanka : Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Thushara, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekera

Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Farhad Reza, Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Brian Jerling (RSA)

Tv umpire: Amish Saheba (IND)

Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)

Football
Star SportEuro Special
Of the touchline talismans
Afp, Paris

An AFP file photo shows Turkey's inspirational coach Fatih Terim watching the proceedings of the Euro 2008 semifinal against Germany on June 25 at the St Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel, Switzerland. Photo: AFPThe fates and fortunes of the Euro 2008 coaches:FINALISTSGermany - Joachim LoewThe 48-year-old has come through his first major finals with his reputation enhanced, especially after outwitting Chelsea-bound Luiz Felipe Scolari in the quarterfinal against Portugal, despite having to sit in an executive box having been suspended for a match after an altercation with the fourth official in the group match with Austria, though, he showed his nerves by sneaking a quick cigarette or two during the Portuguese clash. Has shown exactly what Jurgen Klinsmann said of him after the 2006 World Cup finals: 'He was much more than an assistant'.Spain - Luis AragonesThe 69-year-old would well deserve the traditional pipe and slippers of retirement, but whether he ends up at Turkish side Fenerbahce or not he will still figure in the world of football. Many would have their doubts about him as a character, 'eccentric' the most often cited assessments of the 'Wise Man of Hortaleza' but one can't argue with what he has achieved with Spain. Has proved he was right not to stand down after exiting in the second round of the 2006 World Cup having got a talented team into the final after decades of underachieving by the Furia Roja. The raised eyebrows when icon Raul was left out of the squad have been more than lowered, though the injury to David Villa may come back to haunt the sage.SEMIFINALISTSTurkey - Fatih TerimThe 'Emperor' more than lived up to his nickname. The players may have done it on the pitch in coming back from the dead on three occasions but it was down to his motivational powers and animated performances on the sidelines that got them to perform like that. The 54-year-old former Galatasaray handler has said he will stand down but the federation will have none of it. Battle of the wills on its way and having witnessed the way his team played, one wouldn't bet against Terim having his way.Russia - Guus HiddinkThe 'Czar' or 'Golden Guus' once again worked his magic with a team of relative unknowns as he had done with South Korea and Australia in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. To many Russia were quite remarkable having been slaughtered 4-1 in their first match against Spain, producing stellar performances in their next three matches including a dismantling of Hiddink's compatriots Holland in the last eight. All that the European Cup winning handler requires now is to actually reach a final and win it. The 61-year-old deserves it more than anyone and Chelsea may come to regret not taking him instead of Scolari.LAST EIGHTPortugal - Luiz Felipe ScolariHe may be the spitting image of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman but there was nothing award-winning of the 59-year-old Brazilian at Euro 2008. Whether the Chelsea deal affected him or the furore over playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo's future also came into play, he was outfought, out thought and out coached by Loew in the match that mattered, the quarterfinal against Germany. Had got Portugal through their group successfully but wins against a still to be fired up Turkey and a fading Czech Republic side hardly speak volumes for their campaign. Disappointing.Croatia - Slaven BilicPerhaps along with Terim the best coach of the tournament, or certainly the revelation if the two wins over England in qualifying hadn't already alerted people to the engaging 39-year-old's talent. Never calm, patrolling the technical area like a caged tiger, he confirmed that nice guys can produce results, and encapsulated his laid-back reputation by nipping off for a cigarette after the 2-1 group win over Germany. Was also there for his players when they experienced the real trauma of being beaten by Turkey in the penalty shootout after having looked like being the winners, scoring in the final minute of extra-time. He masked his despair and went round each and every one of them embracing them. "This is something we'll never forget - it will haunt us for the rest of our lives. We'll probably weep for a few days but such is life - things like this happen," was his typically philosophical approach to the defeat. Has a contract till 2010 and likely to honour it.Holland - Marco van BastenLooked to have the team to emulate his 1988 Euro-winning exploits as a player but fell short in front of a Russia side that was on fire. However, the 43-year-old showed he had learnt from the 2006 World Cup finals by making them a true attacking force, though the defence are still a shaky-looking bunch. Wasn't helped that Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben were still carrying injuries or showing the effects of them. Despite that, the 3-0 and 4-1 destructions of world champions Italy and 2006 finalists France will live in the memory for a long time. Leaves now for Ajax but whilst not mentioned in icon Johan Cruyff's usual critique of the campaign, he can at least take something positive out of it: "Once again universal admiration for the 'Oranje' has been restored."Italy - Roberto DonadoniTwo years of trying to convince the Italian public and the press that he was worthy of replacing World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi came crashing to earth as Spain eliminated them in the penalty shootout and deservedly so after a truly dire negative display by the Italians. The 44-year-old was a flair player in his day but shorn of playmaker Andrea Pirlo for the quarterfinal his team showed none of that. Fortunate to escape with a draw with Romania and to come up against a France side with even less idea of how to play at this level, making the last eight was by chance more than by quality. He leaves with reportedly more than 500,000 euros in compensation, Italy leave with their reputation as world beaters in tatters.ALSO RANSAustria - Josef HickersbergerFormer Austrian international who was part of the celebrated side that defeated then defending world champions West Germany 3-2 in the 1978 World Cup. However, he was not dealing with the same calibre of player as coach of the co-hosts. In the circumstances the 60-year-old didn't do a bad job, garnering one point and one goal - scored tellingly by Austria's player of the year, a 38-year-old Croat-born midfielder Ivica Vastic. However, he has had enough of his second spell in charge of the national side. "I am stopping ... I feel empty and tired, I need to take a break and recharge the batteries," he said earlier in the week.Switzerland - Jakob KuhnMuch respected and ended with a farewell victory over a second choice Portugal side to give him a merited end to his reign. The 64-year-old - fondly known as 'Kubi' - had also to deal with the trauma of his wife being in hospital during the tournament after she suffered an epileptic fit and was put into an induced coma. While Ottmar Hitzfeld comes with a superior CV to the job, he will have to go some way to replicate the popularity of Kuhn. He had a mountain to climb but Kuhn more than conquered them with a moderate and restricted bunch of players.France - Raymond Domenech.His marriage proposal after the 2-0 defeat to Italy says it all. However, while poll after poll says he should be gone and amidst regrets that he was not treated in the same manner as Donadoni there are some important personalities sticking to him, the 1998 World Cup-winning side are almost at one in wanting Didier Deschamps whilst the younger generation want the 56-year-old to stay.Czech Republic - Karel BrucknerHow cruel life and the sport can be. The 68-year-old was ushered into his retirement in his eyes certainly a match early as the Turks came from 2-0 down to score three times in the final 15 minutes of their final group match and advance at their expense. Having turned the Czechs into one of the most pleasant footballing sides to watch over the past seven years, it was the cruellest of ends. Now he can tend to his gardening on his farm and play his adored game of chess. "This defeat is going to take me long nights to get over. There will be many of those."Romania - Victor PiturcaStaying on after Romania came within a penalty-kick of sending Italy out and pretty much guaranteeing themselves a place in the last eight. In second spell as coach.Poland - Leo BeenhakkerVeteran Dutchman set to stay on....for the moment. The 65-year-old should just be enjoying his favoured large cigars and not worrying about coaching a willing but mediocre international team. Mystifying is the only term to use for their failing to replicate their qualifying performances when they topped a group including Portugal. More mystifying still is that Beenhakker is yet to win a match at a World Cup or Euro finals. Not quite a Hiddink.Greece - Otto Rehhagel'King Otto's crown slipped from the 69-year-old's head all too easily this time round. "Miracles happen only every 30 years," was the venerable German's opinion. Greece simply weren't able to repeat their exploits of 2004, lead striker Angelos Charisteas was all over the place, and to several of the squad so were Rehhagel's tactics. Outdated and everyone had worked out how to play them. However, he is staying on and don't expect too much of a change either in tactics. 'King Otto' is not one for turning.Sweden - Lars LagerbackAlso staying. Did what he could with a tried, trusted, ageing and pretty modest squad. Didn't help that lead striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not fit, still scoring two goals mind you. Says that there are young players coming through to replace the likes of Fredrik Ljungberg but they will have to be of some stature to make themselves genuine contenders for a title. Lagerback is a top class coach but his conservative approach may be the restricting factor on the Swedes

Football
Star SportsEuro Special
Another Ballack near miss?
Afp, Vienna

A file photo taken on June 25 shows Germany captain Michael Ballack grabbing his leg during their Euro 2008 semifinal against Turkey in Basel. Ballack is doubtful for Sunday's Euro 2008 final against Spain after straining his right calf in training on Saturday. Photo: AFPGermany on Saturday rated captain Michael Ballack as doubtful for Sunday's Euro 2008 final against Spain after revealing he had strained his right calf in training.The 31-year-old Chelsea midfielder damaged his calf in Germany's final training session on Friday at their Euro 2008 base in Tenero, Switzerland, and has been receiving treatment for the injury.Although the team flew to Vienna on Saturday afternoon for Sunday's final at the Ernst Happel Stadium, Ballack stayed behind at the team hotel for treatment and a decision on whether he plays will be taken in the count-down to kick-off.A German football Federation statement said that Ballack's "participation in the final is still to be decided. The decision on whether to play him will be taken just before kickoff."At a press conference Saturday evening coach Joachim Loew said he had "not given up all hope of being able to count on Ballack".Loew said: "We are going to wait and see how the injury develops overnight but we are also starting to reflect seriously about what would happen were he not to play."He added that Ballack had been "optimistic" when they spoke earlier in the day.Were Ballack, 38 goals for his country in 86 games, not to make it Loew would likely replace him with Tim Borowski, who has scored just twice in 33 appearances and who has made only brief showings at Euro 2008 against Austria and Portugal.But he added that Bastian Schweinsteiger could also play in the Ballack role.Team manager Oliver Bierhoff had earlier told reporters that "we'll do all we can to ensure Ballack can play."Ballack missed the World Cup final loss to Brazil in 2002 through suspension.He is doubly keen to make Sunday's trophy match after a series of near misses, not least this season with the Champions League final loss to Manchester United, who also beat Chelsea to the Premiership title.Six years ago he was in the Bayer Leverkusen side which finished runners-up in the German league, the Champions League and the German Cup.The German media suggested that the German challenge would be hit hard were he to have to sit out Sunday's action."Germany is trembling. Michael Ballack has a calf injury and his participation in the Euro final against Spain is under threat," reported Bild daily's internet edition, adding Ballack had been complaining of pain since early Friday.

Cricket
STAR CRICKETASIA CUP
Tigers in 'what if' phase
CricInfo, undated

Look At The Ball! Mahmudullah Riyad takes his eyes off the ball to spill a Suresh Raina top-edge at fine leg off Tigers vice-captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in their Asia Cup Super League match in Karachi on Saturday. While Riyad at least made an effort by running back from short fine-leg, the same can't be said of Forhad Reza who dropped a sitter earlier to reprieve Gautam Gambhir. Mashrafe was the luckless bowler on both occasions. Photo: AFPIn a history of Bangladesh's glorious "what ifs" (read: Fatullah, Multan), the Mirpur ODI, where they let India off the hook after having them at 144 for 5 chasing 251, is one of the less documented ones. Bangladesh were at the best of their cricketing form, India at their worst in recent times. A few less-than-prudent captaincy moves and poor fielding lost them a match that they dominated for 80% of the duration. Bangladesh have only gone downhill since, and India have not looked back. The sense of "what if" still haunts from the Mirpur match.Thirteen months later, in another meeting with India, Alok Kapali was their inspiration. Kapali is one in the long list of wasted, but not as celebrated as Mohammad Ashraful or Aftab Ahmed, talents that Bangladesh have had in the last decade. In 2002-03, when West Indies toured Bangladesh, with Sir Viv Richards in attendance, Kapali had scored 89 not out with the tail in the Dhaka ODI. Richards was so impressed he went and patted Kapali's back after the game. He also scored an 85 so impressive that he was adjudged the Man of the Match in the Chittagong Test though Bangladesh lost. And then unimpressive performances followed, and he went out of the reckoning.Out of reckoning he was when Aftab Ahmed broke his finger while fielding at a practice session just before the Kitply Cup. Just like that he was recalled, and just like that he found himself in the middle today when Bangladesh were threatening to waste a good start. Just like that he showed what Richards might have seen six years ago. He batted with the sort of flair - especially in the final overs - that might put Ashraful to shame, but he also batted with a lot of sense. When he slogged, he slogged to the vacant midwicket region. When he played proper shots he inspired awe. The pull on one leg off RP Singh, which took him to 97, was reminiscent of both Gordon Greenidge and Kapil Dev at once. He paced the innings superbly: his second 50 came off 21 balls, and out of the 97 that Bangladesh scored in the last 10 overs, he scored 72.There was a sense of nervous energy to Bangladesh when they came out to field. Three, four, at times five, bodies would converge on every ball that was played short to stop singles. Diving saves were made, and despite a few overthrows the pressure was maintained. But it will remain a shame that all Bangladesh managed to do was add Karachi to their list of "what ifs". What if Farhad Reza had caught Gautam Gambhir when he had got 56 runs, and India's score was 97 for 2? What if Mahmudullah completed what would have been a spectacular catch running backwards when Suresh Raina was 16, and India 104 for 2?The "what if" becomes even more poignant given that the one place the Bangladeshi cricketers are desperate to play in is India. But a Bangladesh tour is just not commercially feasible for the BCCI. So, though Bangladesh have toured every other Test-playing nation - they will be going to Australia for ODIs this year and Tests the next, and also have full tours to the West Indies and South Africa lined up, each one their second tour to those countries - they've yet to play at the venues that get them really excited: a Test at the Eden Gardens or an ODI in Guwahati.As an observer pointed out, Bangladesh will have to force India to change the state of affairs. And that will happen if they can beat India more often. And that could be one of the reasons why Bangladesh, so hopeless against meaningful opposition over the last year - they haven't beaten one for a year now - suddenly came up with an inspirational show on Saturday for about 70 overs. That could be one of the reasons why India are the only Test-playing nation they have beaten twice in ODIs. That could be one of the reasons why the last time they scored close to 250 in a live ODI was against India, more than a year ago in Mirpur.The ICC's Future Tours Programme by the end of which every Test-playing team should have toured each other twice, ends in 2012, and regardless of how well or badly Bangladesh are playing, India will have to invite them twice in the next three years. The BCB, for its part, hasn't really pushed for a tour either. Perhaps India touring Bangladesh is much more advantageous, commercially, for them than vice versa. "We have been playing Test cricket for the last eight years, but haven't toured India," Ashraful, Bangladesh's captain, said. "I think this is very bad for us. I think if we go there and play, it will improve our cricket. It all depends on the boards, though."It depends on the players too - and on Saturday they did their bit.

Cricket
STAR CRICKETASIA CUP
Kumar, Ajanta SL stars
Afp, Karachi

Sri Lanka's batting mainstay Kumar Sangakkara sweeps during their Asia Cup Super League match against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday. Photo: AFPKumar Sangakkara hit a fighting hundred and spinner Ajantha Mendis took four wickets to power Sri Lanka to a 64-run win over Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super League clash here on Sunday.The left-hander scored 112 to lift Sri Lanka to 302-7 after Pakistani paceman Sohail Tanveer notched up career-best figures of 5-48.Mendis, who took 4-47, then unleashed his quality spin to restrict Pakistan to 238-9 in 50 overs on a slow National Stadium pitch.For Pakistan, Misbahul Haq enjoyed a late flurry, smashing four sixes and three fours during his 70-ball 76 but by then the asking rate of 15 an over was beyond Pakistan's reach.Skipper Shoaib Malik also hit a subdued 52 off 79 balls with three boundaries but the Pakistani batsmen could not cope with the accurate Sri Lankan bowling.Sri Lanka, who qualified for the Super League stage with two carry over points, boosted their chances of reaching the July 6 final with the victory. They now have four points and take on Bangladesh on Monday.The defeat left Pakistan all but out of the event. They now have to win both their matches against India (Wednesday) and Bangladesh (Friday) and hope India also lose to Sri Lanka to have a chance of qualifying for the final.India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the first match of the Super League on Saturday.All four teams play each other once to decide the finalists.Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said he was surprised at Malik's decision to put his team in after winning the toss.Pakistan had a disastrous start to their run chase, losing Salman Butt off the first ball of their innings, bowled by paceman Chaminda Vaas for nought.Malik added 72 for the second wicket with Younis Khan (47) but the rest of the batsmen found the going tough as Mendis made life difficult for them with his beguiling action.Mendis removed Mohammad Yousuf lbw for 19, lured Malik out of his crease for a stumping, then trapped debutant Mansoor Amjad in front for five before ending Misbah's fight.Earlier, it was left-hander Sangakkara who set the foundation for Sri Lanka's imposing total after they were sent into bat by Pakistan.The 30-year-old added 93 for the fourth wicket with Chamara Silva (46) and 88 for the third with Chamara Kapugedera (43) to boost Sri Lanka after Tanveer removed Sanath Jayasuriya (eight) and Jayawardene (29).Sangakkara, who hit 101 against Bangladesh in the first round in Lahore, took 56 balls to reach his half-century and then opened up, hitting debutant leg-spinner Amjad for a six on his way to his ninth one-day hundred.

Tennis
The Championships Wimbledon
Venus, Jelena move on
Afp, London

Jelena Jank-ovic avoided a black day in Wimbledon women's his-tory on Satur-day while four-time champion Venus Williams joined the Serbian world number two in the last 16.Second seed Jankovic came from behind to beat Danish 30th seed, and 2006 junior champion, Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to make the fourth round for the third successive year.Had she lost, it would have been the first time in Wimbledon history that all three women's top seeds had been knocked out before the end of the first week.She avoided the fate suffered by Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova, but her third round win came at a cost with the 23-year-old picking up a left knee injury which puts a question mark over her fourth round match with Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn."I slipped and my leg went straight. I started to feel some pain. It was a struggle so I needed treatment," said Jankovic.Williams moved closer to a fifth Wimbledon title and joined sister Serena in the last 16 with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Maria Jose Martinez.The reigning champion and seventh seed will face Russian Wimbledon debutant Alisa Kleybanova, who put out Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-4 for a place in the quarterfinals.Williams reeled off the first five games in just 17 minutes before her Spanish opponent rallied but then closed out the match with a 127 mph serve which equalled her record best.Tamarine, 31, staged a superb fightback to reach the fourth round for the seventh time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over New Zealand's Marina Erakovic.The Thai, who won the warm-up event at 's-Hertogenbosch last week after coming through qualifying, shocked Vera Zvonareva, the Russian 13th seed, in the last round.Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva, the world 154 who put out Sharapova, reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win over China's Peng Shuai and faces compatriot Nadia Petrova next.Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva also went into the last 16 with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko.Meanwhile, Germany's Rainer Schuettler, the oldest man left in the men's draw at 32, reached the fourth round for the first time since 2003 with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.Schuettler, now 94 in the world after reaching a career high of five in 2004, will face Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia for a place in the quarter-final.Tipsarevic, who put out sixth seed Andy Roddick in the last round, defeated Russia's 25th seed Dmitry Tursunov 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.Second seed Rafael Nadal has a chance to rescue Spanish pride against a German opponent on the eve of the Euro 2008 football final when he meets Nicolas Kiefer in his third round match later Saturday.Britain's Andy Murray, the 12th seed, faces Germany's Tommy Haas in a bid to keep home hopes alive.

Football
UEFA Euro 2008 Austria-SwitzerlandGermany V Spain Final
Life at a standstill
Reuters, Berlin/Madrid

Choose Your One: A sales girl in a merchandise shop displays red and white caps that symbolises the shirts of the two finalists of the Euro 2008 Spain and German in Vienna on Friday. The Austrian capital will host the final today. Photo: AFPLife in Germany and Spain is expected to come to a virtual standstill on Sunday when most of the combined population of 128 million in the two countries turn their attention to the Euro 2008 final.Aside from the occasional eruptions of joy and exploding fireworks when goals are scored, there will be precious little going on in either Germany or Spain for the 90 minutes.No single event in recent memory will draw as many people to their television sets -- or to the increasingly popular fan miles -- than the final in Vienna. It caps a thrilling tournament that has already brought record-breaking TV ratings.Sunday evening will be pure stress for the public water works in both countries as they brace for those famous surges of flushing right after the halftime and final whistles.Main avenues in Berlin and Madrid have already appeared virtually deserted when matches leading to Sunday's final at the Ernst Happel stadium were being played. Any pub or restaurant without a big screen showing the games was almost as empty. On Sunday, Germany and Spain will feel even emptier for anyone not near a TV set. The political leaders of both countries will all be in Vienna as well.Many factory assembly lines were shut down for last week's semi-finals and many of those who have to work on Sunday -- from police to firefighters and hospital staff -- have been setting up TV viewing corners to try to keep up with the score.Germany coach Joachim Loew and many of the players have repeatedly said the images of the frenzied fans back home have given the team an important long-distance lift."Thanks!" Loew wrote to fans on page one of the Bild newspaper on Saturday. "You've carried us up the mountain with your unbridled enthusiasm. Now there's only one step left and we're going to take that together on Sunday."Another capacity crowd of 500,000 -- the biggest gathering in Europe -- is expected to jam the central "fan mile" in Berlin set up on a closed off boulevard between the Brandenburg Gate and the "Victory Column" that lies two miles to the west.Hamburg (42,000), Frankfurt (35,000), Cologne (40,000) and Munich (30,000) have also set up central fanzones with giant TV screens that give supporters a collective stadium-like feeling.TV figures in Spain for Thursday's semi-final win over Russia touched a record 17 million -- 84 percent market share.There were 29.4 million German TV households tuned in to watch the win over Turkey -- an 82 percent share. Opinion polls have found that 95 percent of Germans plan to watch the final.In Spain giant TV screens will be set up in Coruna, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Zaragoza, Huelva and Santiago de Compostela.Madrid-based brewers Mahou estimated beer sales would be up to 15 percent higher than normal as Spaniards try to forget their deepening economic woes and ride a wave of euphoria at the national team's first major final in 24 years.Shops in Madrid were running out of stocks of replica Spain shirts while stores in Germany also reported booming business.Many of the 6,600 Spaniards who live in Berlin will watch the match at a restaurant near the Spanish embassy.Both countries are also planning huge public receptions for their teams -- no matter who wins.

Cricket
STAR CRICKETASIA CUP
Alok stamps his class, at last
Sports Reporter

First Of Five: Tigers batsman Alok Kapali slog-sweeps Pragyan Ojha for his first six during his fantastic 115 against India during their Asia Cup match in Karachi yesterday. Photo: AFPIt may have taken a long time but Alok Kapali on Saturday reminded everybody about his class with a magnificent hundred against India in the Asia Cup Super League match at the Karachi National Stadium.For any cricket lover in the country it was hard to forget his outstanding unbeaten 89-run knock against West Indies at the Bangabandhu National Stadium long ago in December 2002. Since then the wristy right-hander's erratic form threw him out of the national team.The elegant batsman however made his way back into the senior side rather by default for this particular tournament following the injury of Aftab Ahmed.His performance in the last four games hardly gave any indication about his abilities as a batsman capable of scoring big runs. Rather it enhanced his critics' notion that he is a decent leg-spinner capable of contributing 30 odd runs batting down the order.But the soft-spoken cricketer from Sylhet finally justified his talent. His 115 against a quality Indian bowling came in his sixtieth one-day appearance and undoubtedly it has come in an emphatic fashion.His maiden ton off 88 balls was also the fastest by a Bangladeshi and it was also the first hundred against India by any Bangladeshi batsman. But there were more than only the statistics to cheer the innings.His innings marked with eye-pleasing shots on both sides of the wicket and featured ten sweetly timed boundaries and five astutely hit sixes. Anybody who has the misfortune of missing it perhaps missed arguably the best one-day knock by a Bangladeshi in the one-day version of the game.It was fantastic to watch the way a front-footed down-the-track shot against left-arm pacer RP Singh disappeared to wide long-on, a late cut by the 24-year-old racing down to the point boundary, a deft roll of the wrist that turned into a four down to mid-wicket when the experts thought it could bring only a single. Then the imperious slog sweep that saw the ball hoisted to the gallery on several occasions.Kapali reached his fifty also by hitting the massive slog sweep against spinner Yusuf Pathan.He reached his hundred with a single off Ishant Sharma to third man. Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful had the previous best of 100 in 100 balls against Australia at Cardiff in 2005.The stunning innings came to an end with just one ball remaining in the Bangladesh innings and it needed an outstanding catch by Pragyan Ojha off Manpreet Gony at deep midwicket. But by that time Kapali had made sure that it would not be another meek surrender against the high-flying Indians.

Raina's hundred sparks India win
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:15 GMT

Left-hander Suresh Raina continued his rich vein of form, notching a hundred to steer India to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in an Asia Cup Super League match here Saturday. Raina followed his maiden hundred against Hong Kong and 84 against Pakistan with an unbeaten 116 to help India overhaul Bangladesh's 283-6 with 6.4 overs to spare at the National Stadium. For Bangladesh, Alok Kapali hit a maiden century but his brilliant work was spoiled by shoddy fielding, with three vital catches going down. The 21-year-old Raina, dropped by Mashrafe Mortaza off Mahmudullah Riyad when on 16, took full advantage of the lapse, adding 139 runs for the second wicket with Gautum Gambhir (90) and then another 89 for the unbroken fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh, who made 36 not out. Gambhir, dropped on 56 by Farhad Reza off Mortaza, also punished the sloppy Bangladeshis with aggressive strokeplay. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised his team for another clinical win. "Most of the time we are chasing and it's good that we have done it again. The wicket was flat once again," said Dhoni. "We must keep up the good work and play every game with this rhythm because it's never easy." Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful blamed his fielders for the defeat. "It (dropping catches) is part and parcel of the game but had we taken those catches we would have been in a better position. Raina and Gambhir played well." The win boosted India's chances of qualifying for the July 6 final. They now have four points after carrying over two points from the first round. Sri Lanka meet Pakistan in the second match of the Super League on Sunday. The four remaining teams in the Asia Cup all play each other once at the Super League stage to decide the finalists. Raina and Gambhir came together after Bangladesh paceman Shahadat Hossain dismissed Robin Uthappa (2) and Rohit Sharman (22) and they took the attack to the Bangladeshi bowlers. Gambhir hit Mahmudullah over long-on for a six to reach his fifty off just 36 balls. He looked set for his hundred before miscuing a drive off Farhad Reza and was caught at mid-wicket. Raina took 93 balls for his second one-day hundred. In all he hit eleven boundaries and three sixes during his 107-ball knock. Earlier, Kapali lifted Bangladesh following a sluggish start after they had won the toss, putting on 112 runs for the sixth wicket with Mahmudullah (26 not out). Opener Tamim Iqbal, with 55, made an early impression in an otherwise unimpressive start in which Bangladesh lost Nazimuddin (six) and Ashraful (20). Iqbal kept one end intact and hit seven boundaries during his 67-ball knock, leaving the rest of the work to Kapali. Kapali added 49 runs for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim (22) and then lifted the innings during his 96-ball stand with Mahmudullah. The 24-year-old Kapali, recalled after a gap of two years earlier this month, smashed Manpreet Gony for two sixes before taking a single to bring up his hundred off just 86 balls. He smashed ten boundaries and five sixes during his entertaining 96-ball knock before he was caught in the final over. His previous best one-day score of 89 not out came against the West Indies at Dhaka in 2002. This was Bangladesh's highest score against India in all one-day matches, beating the previous best of 257-9 at Dhaka in 2004.

Jayasuriya making no plans for retirement
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 08:53 GMT

KARACHI (Reuters) - Swashbuckling Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya celebrates his 39th birthday on Monday with no retirement plans in sight. Sri Lanka's highest test scorer and the second most capped player in one-day internationals, Jayasuriya demonstrated he had lost none of his flair by smashing 72 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup on Wednesday. "I don't think about my future plans," he told reporters. "As long as I am fit I will keep on going." The stocky left-hander retired from test cricket last December but continues to play in one-dayers, a form of the game that made him a hero in his country and a feared opponent. His explosive style of batting helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup and changed the way many batsmen approached one-day matches. "I don't think age is a factor with Sanath," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene told Reuters. "As long as he is hungry to perform, I am sure he will keep on going." Jayasuriya was axed from Sri Lanka's one-day squad for the tour of the West Indies in April before being recalled for the six-nation Asia Cup. "Sanath went through a bit of a rough period last year or so after the World Cup," said Jayawardene. "People asked questions about him but I thought he worked really very hard. I think he needed to prove something and he proved it." With 12,382 runs and 309 wickets in 412 one-day internationals and having retired after 110 tests with 6,973 runs many feel, the all-rounder has nothing more to prove. "I love this game and I still feel great after a good performance or seeing the team win," Jayasuriya said. Sri Lanka's former skipper quit the national side in 2006 because of differences between the board and selectors but was quickly persuaded to return. "I think he is the only guy who knows the answer how long he will keep on going," said Jayawardene. "But I think he is amazing and it is good to have him in the team. He can still change the game pretty soon."

England win toss and field against New Zealand
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:45 GMT

England captain Kevin Pietersen won the toss and elected to field against New Zealand in the fifth and final one-day international at Lord's here Saturday. Pietersen was leading England for the first time as regular one-day captain Paul Collingwood began a four-match ban following his side's slow over-rate during their defeat at The Oval on Wednesday. England recalled opener Alastair Cook in place of all-rounder Collingwood with Luke Wright, normally a one-day opener, now listed to come in at No 6. This was 22-year-old Essex left-hander Cook's first appearance of the series. The last of his previous 21 ODIs came during a 34-run defeat against New Zealand in Christchurch in February. New Zealand were unchanged from the team that won by one wicket off the last ball at The Oval. All-rounder Grant Elliott was passed fit after sustaining a thigh injury during a collision with Ryan Sidebottom which led to his controversial run-out on Wednesday. And fast bowler Kyle Mills, who took two wickets and made a vital 25 not out in that match, was also given the all-clear after suffering a back spasm during batting practice on Friday. New Zealand have an unbeatable 2-1 lead in this series, with one no result. England: Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Luke Wright, Tim Ambrose (wkt), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson New Zealand: Jamie How, Brendon McCullum (wkt), Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Daniel Flynn, Grant Elliott, Daniel Vettori (capt), Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Mark Gillespie Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG) TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

Bangladesh win toss and bat against India
Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:20 GMT

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and elected to bat in the Super League Asia Cup match against India at the National Stadium here on Saturday. India, who won both their matches in the first round, rested fast bowler Praveen Kumar, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and opener Virendar Sehwag and brought in Robin Uthappa, Manpreet Gony and Pragyan Ojha. The 21-year old Ojha, a left-arm spinner, is making his one-day debut. Bangladesh, who lost to Sri Lanka but won against the United Arab Emirates in round one, brought in allrounder Farhad Reza in place of Dolar Mahmud as the only change from the line-up of their last match. India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Manpreet Gony, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafe Mortaza, Nazimuddin, Mahmudullah Riyad, Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Alok Kapali Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Brian Jerling (RSA) Tv umpire: Gamini Silva (SRI) Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)

INDIA VS BANGLADESH LIVE CRICKET UPDATE

Bangladesh: 161/4 (33.0 Ovs)
Mushfiqur Rahim *
20(29)
Alok Kapali
27(38)
India
Yusuf Pathan
5-0-18-0
Pragyan Ojha *
8-0-37-1
Run Rate : 4.88 Current Partnership: 41(58)
Last Wicket: Raqibul Hasan b Ojha 25(34) - 120/4 in 23.2 ov.
Previous Overs: . 4 . . 2 2 . . 1 . 1 . . 6 . . 1 . . . . . 2 .

Spain show impresses Low

Friday Jun 27 2008 12:48Germany coach Joachim Low has admitted Spain are 'hard to work out' ahead of Sunday's Euro 2008 final meeting of the two sides.
Spain booked their place in the Vienna showpiece with a 3-0 win over Russia and Low was impressed by the continued heights they have achieved in the tournament.
"The Spaniards put in an impressive performance," he told the German football federation's official website.
"They have played the whole tournament at the highest level and have been technically very good.
"They proved in impressive fashion that they were the better team against the Russians and they have a more varied game than the Portuguese.
"Their midfielders constantly change positions and keep getting forward, all of which makes them hard to work out."

Bangladesh v India, Asia Cup, Karachi
India likely to test bench strength
The Preview by Nishi Narayanan
June 27, 2008

Match factsSaturday, June 28, 2008Start time 16.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag average 51.93 per partnership in the 15 ODIs innings in which they have opened together © AFP

Big PictureSince beating India and South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, Bangladesh have failed to carry the momentum forward and have lost to every major opposition in one-dayers. India, on the other hand, used their World Cup exit to get their act together, winning more than they have lost, and reversed their fortunes with a CB Series victory earlier this year.
In the Asia Cup so far, Bangladesh beat UAE comfortably but lost to Sri Lanka by a huge margin while India won both their matches - against Hong Kong and Pakistan - convincingly. Now that minnows UAE and Hong Kong have made their exits, Bangladesh need to win against at least one of the stronger sides if they are to have any hope of reaching the final. With India and Sri Lanka carrying forward two points each from the league stage, Bangladesh and Pakistan already have some catching up to do.
Form guide(Last 5 completed ODIs; most recent first)India WWLWWBangladesh LWLLL
Watch out for ...India's openers - Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag - who have been in top form since the IPL. The two average 51.93 from 15 innings in which they have opened together.
Raqibul Hasan, the 20-year old batsman, scored a half-century against India in the Kitply Cup and Bangladesh will hope he can repeat his performance against them in the Asia Cup as well.
Team newsGary Kirsten, the India coach, said players on the bench would be given chances to perform and since India have two bonus points from the group stage, they may give Manpreet Gony a chance over Ishant Sharma in this game. Gony went wicketless against Hong Kong in the only international he has played. Pragyan Ojha, who was also in the squad for the Kitply Cup, could get a turn in place of Piyush Chawla. Though Rohit Sharma is yet to fire, he is likely to keep his place since Irfan Pathan is still recovering from his side strain.
India 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Yusuf Pathan 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 RP Singh, 11 Manpreet Gony.
All the Bangladesh bowlers leaked runs against Sri Lanka even though most of them got a wicket for their efforts. Mohammad Ashraful has shuffled around with the batting order - bringing Mushfiqur Rahim up to No. 5 from No. 8 in the match against Sri Lanka - but retained the same XI for the two games. However the 131-run defeat to Sri Lanka may prompt Ashraful to drop Shahadat Hossain, who went for 62 runs in seven overs, for medium-pacer Farhad Reza. Hossain has taken only seven wickets in seven games this year at an average of 49.14.
Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Nazimuddin, 3 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Alok Kapali, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Dolar Mahmud, 11 Farhad Reza.
Stats and trivia
India have scored 144 against Hong Kong and 151 against Pakistan in the Powerplay overs in the Asia Cup.
India have hit 26 sixes in their two matches so far, while Sri Lanka hit five and Pakistan and Bangladesh three each.
Quotes"Cricket is a cruel game and you can't afford to relax any day. We are here like the others to try to win this tournament as it is a big one from the Asian point of view."Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, is focussed on the prize
"We are actually thinking of how we can bring our best game tomorrow rather than dwelling on what Indian batsman can do. We are more focused on following the team rule in batting and getting the bowlers to correct the mistakes they made in Lahore."Mohammad Ashraful wants his team to stick to the game plan.

- Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at Cricinfo

West Indies v Australia, 2nd ODI, Grenada
Australia hammer undisciplined Windies
The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale
June 27, 2008

Australia 213 for 5 (Hussey 62, Clarke 56) beat West Indies 140 for 8 (Chanderpaul 45*, Clarke 3-26) by 63 runs (by D/L method)
Batting was not easy for Michael Clarke but he worked hard for his 56 © AFP

Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke showed West Indies how to apply themselves on a difficult pitch but their hosts ignored the lesson and threw away wickets when the going got tough, handing Australia a comprehensive 63-run Duckworth/Lewis win. When the rain came after 26 overs West Indies' hopes were already dashed and at the resumption they needed a ridiculous 146 more off 14 overs, ensuring Australia took a 2-0 series lead.
The victory came because of two men. On a surface that was sluggish and offered tricky seam movement, Hussey and Clarke compiled a restrained and at times soporific century partnership that allowed Australia to reach 213 for 5 after they had wobbled to 35 for 3. West Indies fell to an almost identical 41 for 3 in the chase but whereas Hussey and Clarke went into Test mode and focused on batting out the overs, West Indies' middle order showed as much patience as a hand grenade.
Australia's attack adopted a stump-to-stump style that suited the conditions and while Shivnarine Chanderpaul displayed his customary resolve, his partners exhibited no such commonsense. Dwayne Bravo had 3 from 21 deliveries when he was frustrated into lofting Shane Watson's slower ball to Hussey at deep midwicket and West Indies were 49 for 4.
Patrick Browne was equally unable to find the gaps and with 1 from 18 balls he edged Clarke to first slip, where Cameron White took a superb diving chance on the second grab. If the situation was not dire enough, Kieron Pollard came in and from his second ball played the worst shot of the lot. In a situation that required a slow and steady consolidation, Pollard went over the top and lobbed Clarke straight down the throat of Watson at long off, much to the frustration of his older, wiser partner.
At the time Chanderpaul had worked hard for 13 from 42 deliveries and when rain halted play one over later, it at least delayed the embarrassment for West Indies. Their revised target, 204 runs from 41 overs, was unattainable and Chanderpaul finished unbeaten on 45 while Clarke ended up with 3 for 26. If little went right for West Indies in the first ODI in St Vincent, there were even fewer positives in Grenada.
Their chase got away to the worst possible start when Brett Lee found Xavier Marshall's edge from the first delivery of the innings. The ball flew low and to the right of Luke Ronchi, who made a good take to give him the perfect introduction behind the stumps in his first ODI. Lee was once again in fine form, seaming the ball effectively and often beating the bat of both Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle.
A watchful Gayle did not get off the mark until his 13th ball and although a calm and composed innings was required, the captain set a poor example for his troops by miscuing an attempted pull off Mitchell Johnson to Ricky Ponting at mid off. It was a disappointing shot selection, though not as bad as that of Fletcher, who tried to pull a James Hopes delivery that was far too full, and lost his off stump.
The difference between their approach and that of Australia could not have been more stark. Clarke and Hussey knew that after a shaky start - Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell jagged the ball around early and picked up three handy wickets - runs were not their immediate concern. Accordingly, they added only eight runs in the first ten overs of their partnership. Until Clarke drove Darren Sammy back down the ground in the 26th over, there had been no boundaries for 104 deliveries. But Clarke and Hussey are both smart runners between the wickets and they were largely responsible for the fact that 94 of Australia's 213 runs came in singles.
Plenty of comfortable ones and twos were on offer when the spinners operated and if runs weren't exactly leaking there was at least a nagging drip that Gayle needed to deal with. He was not helped by his fielders, who seemed to switch off after the early enthusiasm. Browne was sloppy behind the stumps and Bravo made a meal of what should have been a catch at first slip when Clarke was on 30 and facing Sulieman Benn. Bravo inexplicably moved right, trying to anticipate the cut shot rather than watching the ball, and he failed to get a hand on one that would have gone straight to him had he stayed still.
It was a costly mistake as Clarke went on to sweep and cut a few boundaries in his half-century, which came off 87 deliveries. He eventually fell for 56, struck in line by a straighter Benn ball that he was trying to work through midwicket as Australia gradually tried to lift their rate. Hussey picked up the pace with a six swept over midwicket off Benn and, appropriately given the hard grind for most of his innings, brought up his half-century with a thick edge that flew away for four to third man.
When Hussey holed out to long on for 62 from 105 deliveries his job was done. He had set a solid platform so the lower order could attack and White finished unbeaten on 40 from 39 balls while Hopes added a run-a-ball 17. The allrounders, who might have been under undue pressure had they come in earlier, had an easy task after the Clarke and Hussey partnership, which was worth 100 off 29 overs.
It also gave Ponting, in his 300th ODI, some justification after choosing to bat on a pitch with some moisture. His run of big milestone innings ended when he chipped a catch to short midwicket for 13, out to Taylor for the fifth time in his past six international innings. Australia had already lost Shaun Marsh and Watson, who waited 15 minutes for the first over due to yet another tedious sightscreen fault that did little for West Indies' image after a similar ridiculously long wait in Barbados. In the end it was a batting malfunction that really damaged West Indies' reputation.
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo
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