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Bangladesh open their tour of Sri Lanka on Wednesday with the first of three one-day internationals amid hopes the fledging cricket nation will build on
   their greatest success two months ago.
   The five-wicket win over world champions Australia in Cardiff on June 18 - the biggest one-day upset in history - would have buoyed Bangladesh’s confidence, but the challenge they face over the next four weeks is daunting against the competitive Sri Lankans.
   Bangladesh, led by Habibul Bashar, are also scheduled to play two Test matches against Marvan Atapattu’s men after the one-day series.
   Bangladesh have lost 33 of their 38 Test matches since being granted Test status in 2000, their lone win coming against a depleted Zimbabwe at home
   last year. Four matches were drawn.
   Out of 112 one-day internationals, they have won only 10 and are the lowest ranked side in international cricket in both forms of the game.
   Coach Dav Whatmore, however, prefers to look at the positives.
   ‘There have been definite improvements and one of them is to fight it out harder,’ said the former Australian batsman who coached Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1996.
   ‘From getting bowled out for 130s and 140s we have made sure that we go on and score above 200 consistently. That’s a definite improvement.
   ‘The strength of a nation is always measured by the success of their international team. But the fact is that Bangladesh have got some very good development squads.
   ‘The youth teams have put up some very impressive performances,’ said Whatmore, alluding to two wins in a row by Bangladesh’s under-17 team against Sri Lanka’s under-17 in Malaysia last week.
   While Bangladesh have improved their one-day cricket, its their patchy form and disappointing results in Test matches that is a cause for worry.
   On their recent tour of England, Bangladesh crashed to heavy innings defeats inside three days in both Tests.
   The conditions in Sri Lanka, however, will suit the visitors more than in England, but they need to put up a disciplined effort against the hosts to silence the ever growing number of critics.
   The tourists crashed to an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against a second-string Sri Lankan side on Sunday.
   Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have named strong squads for both the one-day and Test series as new coach Tom Moody builds towards the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
   Sri Lanka began the new season by winning the tri-series featuring India and the West Indies at home earlier this month and are currently ranked second behind Australia in the International Cricket Council’s one-day ratings.
   All matches on the tour will be played in the capital Colombo.
   The first one-day international will be played at the Sinhalese sports club on Wednesday, followed by two matches at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday and Sunday.
   The first Test will be held at the Premadasa stadium from September 12 and the second at the Saravanamuttu Stadium from September 20.

England survived a mesmeric spell of bowling from Shane Warne and a clutch of Brett Lee thunderbolts to steal a nerve-racking win over Australia in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday.
   The three-wicket victory left the hosts 2-1 up in the series with one game left. Australia will retain the Ashes they have held since 1989 if they can win at The Oval.
   Leg-spinner Warne took three wickets for seven runs in 29 balls as the home side, chasing 129 to win on a blameless pitch, stumbled to a nervy 57 for four.
   Strike bowler Lee then tore out the middle-order to make it 111 for six and keep the 16,000 capacity crowd on tenterhooks.
   Warne added a fourth wicket and his eighth of the match with 13 still needed for an England victory but Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard clung on to spark scenes of jubilation around the ground.
   Warne, who took four wickets in the first innings and made 45 off 42 balls earlier in the day, ended with four for 31 off 13.5 overs. Lee took three for 51.
   Australia have won the last eight Ashes series dating back to 1989. The fifth Test starts on September 8.
   Earlier Australia, having been forced to follow on for the first time in 17 years on Saturday, battled hard through the opening two sessions to wipe out their 259-run deficit before being dismissed for 387.
   The nail-biting finale followed two equally enthralling Tests at Edgbaston, where England won by two runs to level the series, and Old Trafford where the Australians clung on for a draw with one second-innings wicket standing.
   Australia’s one chance of completing an extraordinary escape seemed to depend on rattling English nerves with Warne the most likely architect and he came on as early as the sixth over.
   By then the target had been reduced to under-100 after Marcus Trescothick had smacked Michael Kasprowicz out of the attack with a series of drives, cuts and carves.
   Warne, though, struck with the first ball of his first two overs to get rid of the left-handed Trescothick and the right-handed Michael Vaughan.
   Trescothick pushed forward and pad-batted the ball to Ricky Ponting at silly point after his 22-ball 27.
   Moments later it was 36 for two as Warne spun a delivery sharply out of the rough. Vaughan, yet to score and looking to flick to leg, edged into Matthew Hayden’s waiting hands at slip.
   Andrew Strauss, joined by Ian Bell, countered with a slash for four off Brett Lee and a cut to the boundary off Warne.
   Back came Warne and Lee as two wickets fell in three balls and the pressure mounted again.
   Strauss, on 23, glanced Warne straight to leg slip. Bell then needlessly hooked at Lee and top-edged the ball straight to Michael Kasprowicz at fine-leg.
   Pietersen and Flintoff, though, put on 46, the major stand of the innings before Pietersen edged the returning Lee behind to make it 103 for five. Eight runs later the strike bowler produced a stunning delivery which cut back inside Flintoff’s bat to clip the top of the off stump.
   When Geraint Jones slogged at Warne and was caught at deep extra cover it was 116 for seven and the unlikeliest of upsets seemed on the cards.
   Lee at last got it wrong, however, and Hoggard flailed a full toss through extra cover to put England within one shot of victory.
   When Warne got his hands back on the ball, England needed one to tie and two to win with the shadows lengthening. Giles finally ended the drama with a flick towards the mid-wicket boundary.
   The final pair put on 13 runs. Steve Harmison was due in next, with Simon Jones – in a surgical boot at the start of play after injuring his right ankle – the last man.

Fakirerpool 2 Sheikh Russell 2
   Fakirerpool held Sheikh Russell to a 2-2 draw in the Premier Division Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
   Sheikh Russell showed their character as they came back from behind on two occasions.
   Fakirerpool had the first chance in the 6th minute as Rajon’s header off a Baten corner beat Sheikh Russell custodian Biplob but Yusuf headed the ball to safety from the goal line.
   Sheikh Russell started counter-attacking and in the 22nd minute Bulbul got the rebounder from custodian Shiplu as he fumbled to hold a Sharif shot but his weak placing shot was cleared by defender Ariful.
   But in the 33rd minute Fakirerpool were celebrating Robin’s goal when he broke free in the right flank taking a Baten through pass and beat an onrushing Biplob chipping the ball over his head.
   Moroccan Majid Burzuga restored parity in the 47th minute as he cracked a Tanvir cross that gave Shiplu no chance.
   But midfielder Ripon Khan put Fakirerpool ahead in the 60th minute again with a sudden blistering shot.
   Majid Burzuga spared Sheikh Russell blushes scoring again from a Hanif Pradhan pass in the 79th minute.
   Sheikh Russell stand fifth in the point table with 23 points while relegation-bound Fakirerpool have 13 from their 16 matches.

'Nail-biting victory' (The Independent), 'Ecstasy after the agony' (The Guardian), 'Another test, another drama' (Daily Telegraph): relief was the main feeling on the front pages of the newspapers in London on Monday, after another epic test between England and Australia for the Ashes.
   'England shred a nation's nerves', said the Daily Telegraph, describing England's second innings on Sunday as 'a 168-minute dramatic episode with a happy ending'.
   But 'Lazarus is alive, even if Vaughan's men fell over the line on a day of drama', wrote the Telegraph, and 'Radiant England bask in glory'.
   As a matter of fact, England and Wales have never been so close to claiming the Ashes back.
   England now have a 2-1 lead in the series and if they avoid defeat in the final Test at The Oval next month, then England will win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.
   But this fourth test victory wasn't easy.
   With Australian master spinner Shane Warne taking four wickets and quick Brett Lee grabbing three victims, 'what looked at one stage like a walk in the Park became a journey of hard and bitter agonies', said Simon Barnes in The Times.
   'But they did it, somehow stumbling over the line to beat Australia by three wickets after being set only 129 to win'.
   'England simply cannot believe in their own superiority over their old enemy', said the chief sports writer of The Times: 'England had Australia down and defeated before play began, but neither side was prepared to accept that obvious fact, especially not England'.
   'England do it the hard way', said the Guardian on Monday. 'But Giles held his nerve after Warne wroke havoc', wrote Mike Selvey, as seven dramatic pictures showed the 'seven wickets that made England tremble'.
   'Phew! What a torture', said The Sun, describing this 'heart-stopping' test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, under the optimistic headline: 'Ashes are coming home'.
   Same feeling again for the Daily Express: 'England won, but they didn't make it easy for themselves (or us)'. Hailing Michael Vaughan's 'Glory Boys', the Express was pretty sure that 'England are now within touching distance of the Ashes': 'Freddie (Flintoff) and the dreamers are No 1' and 'Vaughan can build empire'.
   But let's face it, warned the tabloid: 'Warne proves Aussies aren't dead just yet'.
   Describing the 'brilliant Australian comeback', The Independent also warned England against any complacency before the fifth test in September at The Oval, in London: 'Champions refuse to go quietly'.
   If cricket is usually far behind football and the Premiership in England's hearts, Michael Vaughan's team has now been on the front pages for days. And even the very serious Financial Times had Flintoff, Jones and Pietersen on the front page on Monday, under the title: 'Victory dance'.

The Pran Cola School Football Tournament 2005 got under way by a colourful opening ceremony followed by a friendly match between last year's champions Dholaikhal School and runners-up Residential Model High School at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.
    Dholaikhal won the match by 1-0 goal.
   All the 60 teams from the Dhaka Metropolitan area participated in a march-past and received their sports gears
   from the education minister
   Dr Osman Farruk, who inaugurated the tournament as chief guest.
   The tournament is being held under 'Vision Bangladesh' - a development programme of the Asian Football Federation, informed BFF president SA Sultan, MP at a news conference on Sunday at BFF Bhaban.
   The organisers informed they will pick the talented players from the tournament and arrange a coaching camp for them in January.
   The 60 school teams splitting into five groups of 12 will play at five city venues - Uttara Armed Police Battalion ground, Dhanmondi Club ground, Mirpur National Bangla High School ground, Brothers Union Club ground and Kamalapur stadium. The zonal matches will be played on round robin league basis and the two top finishers from each zone will advance to the final round.
   The total budget of the tournament is Tk 8 lakh and the sponsor Pran Group will provide Tk 4 lakh. BFF will provide the rest of the money.
   Chairman of Pran Group Lt Colonel Mahtabuddin Ahmed (Retd), BFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal, tournament committee chairman Munir Ahmed Chowdhury and secretary Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Chunnu were present at opening ceremony.

Golam Rasul Mollah, a newly-elected vice president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has been declared ‘persona non grata’ in the cricket arena by a group of club officials for his alleged involvement in unethical activities during
   the BCB election, held on Saturday.
   The club officials alleged that Mollah, also the president of the district and divisional sports organisers’ forum that controlled 68 votes in the election, campaigned only for himself despite being a nominee of the pro-establishment panel.
   They also accused Mollah of taking bribes from many candidates promising them full support of the forum.
   ‘We strongly condemn the attitude of the forum that in exchange of money helped many people to be elected in the BCB, who had no credentials.
   ‘These moneyed men have come to cricket only to improve their social status,’ the club officials said in a statement.
   The statement was read out at a press conference held at the conference room of the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
   Golam Faruque (Surjo Tarun), Tariqul Islam (Mohammedans), Ziaur Rahman (Bangladesh Boys), Adnan Rahman (Lalmatia), Hasib Uddin (Victoria SC) were, among others, present at the press conference.
   The allegation of taking money in the name of forum during the election became
   visible when the organisation itself suspended its office secretary Samsul Arefin, who according to them vandalised their image by being involved in the act.
   Forum also condemned the persons who purveyed a huge money to be elected in the BCB, though did not name anyone.

Seamers Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar ripped through Zimbabwe’s batsmen to bowl India to a massive 161-run victory in the third triangular series match on Monday.
   India totalled a mediocre 226 for six, including half-centuries by MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, but that proved more than enough when they dismissed the hapless Zimbabweans for 65 in 24.3 overs.
   Pathan took a career best five for 27 with his swinging left-arm deliveries and Agarkar also swung the ball appreciably to complete figures of four for 18.
   Among Zimbabwe’s batsmen only Heath Streak, who scored 18 not out, and Prosper Utseya, who made 11, reached double figures and four players were dismissed without scoring.
   Extras, which totalled nine, was the joint-third top score and the biggest partnership was the 22 runs added by Streak and Utseya for the last wicket.

Ricky Ponting admitted that his misfiring Australian team have work to do if they are to hang on to the Ashes after suffering a three-wicket defeat in another epic Test match on Sunday.
   England clinched victory with a day to spare after a nailbiting finish to the fourth Test at Trent Bridge which saw them scrape home despite chasing a meagre 129 to win.
   Master spinner Shane Warne took four wickets with quick Brett Lee grabbing three victims.
   England now have a 2-1 lead in the series and if they avoid defeat in the final Test at The Oval next month, then England will win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.
   ‘The last three matches have been incredible,’ said Ponting.
   ‘England played a very good Test and we have a lot of work to do before the next match. We must improve our batting because all we are doing is just staying in the game at the moment.
   ‘We have to rectify that next time.’
   England were indebted to tailenders Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard for seeing them home in another nailbiting match in a series which has gripped a country normally obsessed by football.
   After Australia comfortably won the first Test, England took the second by two runs before Australia mounted a terrific rearguard action to draw the third Test.
   ‘We had our backs to the wall here,’ added Ponting.
   ‘England had the right approach and we just couldn’t get the wickets we needed.
   ‘But Warne loves this sort of occasion and Brett bowled his heart out. We were a couple of wickets short but I am proud of the way we stuck at it.
   ‘It’s hard to lose a Test match but we cannot afford to give them a head start and that is what we have done in the last two matches.’
   England skipper Michael Vaughan refused to celebrate winning the Ashes just yet despite the prize being tantalisingly close.
   ‘There were plenty of nerves in the dressing room,’ said Vaughan who was dismissed for a duck by Warne.
   ‘It was another epic match and it shows what this series has been about. All credit to the Australians, they make it very hard to beat them but all credit to us too because there have been outstanding performances.
   ‘We managed to get over the finish line and now we have to make sure we go to The Oval in our best form.
   ‘I’m sure that, like the three previous matches, it will be a nailbiting affair.’

James Blake capped a remarkable run with a fairy-tale ending, capturing his first ATP title in three years here Sunday by beating Spain’s Feliciano Lopez at the final US Open tuneup event.
   The 25-year-old American, unseeded at this 675,000-dollar hardcourt event, crawled back into the match for a dramatic 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 triumph over the fifth-seeded Spaniard in a contest interrupted by rain.
   Blake’s only prior ATP title came at Washington in 2002. He missed most of last season with a condition called Zoster that affected his vision and hearing and temporarily paralyzed one side of his face.
   Blake reached his first ATP final since the illness earlier this month, losing to compatriot Andy Roddick in the Washington final, but celebrated in style before adoring fans in his home state.
   ‘It’s unbelievable. The best feeling was going to go and hug my mom,’ Blake said. ‘I could not have dreamed of a better ending - winning in my home state before hundreds of my friends and family members.’
   Lopez, 23, was a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon. He was vying for his second ATP career title after capturing the Vienna crown in 2004.

England have outplayed and out-thought Australia in emphatic fashion for most of the Ashes series, according to their coach Duncan Fletcher.
   He added, however, that it was still too early to say whether England have displaced their opponents as the world’s best side.
   ‘We aren’t looking at a changing of the guard at the moment,’ the England coach told a news conference on Monday, a day after his side beat the world champions by three wickets in the fourth Test to go 2-1 in the series with one game remaining.
   ‘You have to put that aside. After (the final Test at) The Oval we’ll look back and reflect where we stand in the world ratings.’
   Australia have dominated world cricket since the mid 1990s, winning the last eight Ashes series since 1989. England went into this series ranked number two in the world, having won 14 of their previous 18 Tests.
   ‘A lot of people thought before (the Ashes) that we hadn’t played against strong opposition,’ Fletcher added. ‘We have had to prove it.’
   He said England had proved their critics wrong after playing poorly to lose the first Test by 239 runs at Lord’s.
   ‘We have shown we can compete with the best in the world, Australia, and outplay them,’ Fletcher said. ‘The most pleasing thing is that we have put together lots of sessions of good cricket.
   ‘Ever since Lord’s we have dominated lots of sessions, if not nearly all of them.’
   England’s two wins have been narrow, they triumphed by two runs at Edgbaston, and they were one wicket away from victory at Old Trafford before the third Test was drawn. In all those matches, Australia battled back from near-hopeless positions.
   Fletcher said he could not assess his own contribution to England’s improvement.
   ‘You will have to ask the players that,’ he said, adding that the home team had shown the way forward with their use of specialist coaches.
   ‘There are a few areas where we do believe we have started our own initiatives,’ he said, when asked to comment on Australia’s lack of a bowling coach on tour.
   ‘We have made sure we have a good bowling coach (Australian Troy Cooley) and batting coach. The key is that you have to get the right guys in and I think we have got the right guys in.’
   Fletcher also dismissed Australian complaints that they had had the worst of the umpiring decisions at Trent Bridge. Australia captain Ricky Ponting and batsman Simon Katich were fined for showing dissent following their second-innings dismissals at Trent Bridge.
   ‘We are not looking at that,’ Fletcher said. ‘There are always series when you feel fortune goes against you. It’s swings and roundabouts. We are not really interested in that. They have to look at themselves.’

Injured fast bowler Simon Jones is a serious doubt for England’s fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia next week.
   ‘I’m not confident he will play,’ England coach Duncan Fletcher told a news conference on Monday. It would be a big loss. He seems to have one over the (Australia) batsmen.’
   Jones hurt his right ankle on Saturday during the fourth Test at Trent Bridge which England won by three wickets.
   The Glamorgan paceman is suffering from swelling which has been caused by the start of a bone spur.
   He will undergo intensive treatment before the start of the deciding match at The Oval on September 8. England lead the series 2-1.
   Jones, a leading exponent of reverse swing, took five wickets in Australia’s first innings at Trent Bridge but missed most of the second after undergoing scans in hospital.
   He also took six wickets in an innings in the third Test. Fletcher refused to rule Jones out entirely.
   ‘It would be nice to go through the series with 11 players playing all the games,’ he said. ‘The crucial part (in England’s success) is that somewhere along the way every one of those 11 players has put his hand up at some stage.’

India have accepted Pakistan’s proposal to play a Test match in the volatile southern city of Karachi early next year.
   ‘They have accepted our proposed itinerary which includes a Test and one-dayer in Karachi. They are now waiting approval from their government to give us a formal yes,’ Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan told Reuters on Monday.
   India are scheduled to make their second Test tour of Pakistan in two years starting in January. They are scheduled to play three Tests and five one-day internationals.
   They did not play a Test in Pakistan’s biggest city on their last tour in 2004 because of security and safety concerns. ‘The good news is that the Indian board has no objections to the itinerary we have sent them. We are hoping their government will also allow them to play in Karachi,’ Khan said.
   The Pakistan board has struggled to convince visiting teams to play a Test in the port city of Karachi which has been hit by sectarian violence and terrorist attacks in the last few years.
   England, who are due to tour Pakistan from Oct 26, have refused to play a Test in Karachi for security reasons but have agreed to a one-dayer.

Ailing Australia must make bold selection decisions and axe out-of-form opener Matthew Hayden for the make-or-break fifth Test in order to retain the Ashes, newspapers said Monday.
   The Australian press honed in on one of the key players in Australia’s golden era of cricket and called for Hayden to be dropped for The Oval Test—which Australia must win to avoid relinquishing the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.
   England clinched victory by three wickets in the fourth Trent Bridge Test Sunday with a day to spare and now have a 2-1 lead in the series heading into the final Test starting on September 8.
   Australian media were unanimous in calling for the sacking of 33-year-old Hayden, who has averaged just 22.50 in a mediocre return of 180 runs from eight innings in the series and dropped several crucial catches.
   Newspapers called for selectors to go outside the touring squad and chose Michael Hussey to open the innings with Justin Langer to revitalise the hesitant batting.
   There were also calls for another long-term incumbent batsman Damien Martyn (168 runs at 21) to be dropped, and a push for the inclusion of bowling all-rounder Shane Watson and for Stuart MacGill to partner Shane Warne in a twin leg-spin attack.
   ‘Harsh assessments need to be made, and players who have not contributed must make way,’ The Australian said.
   ‘Opener Matthew Hayden... is so badly bereft of form and confidence that he has to be replaced at the top of the order and his inability to change his method of batting has cost his team,’ the paper’s Andrew Ramsey said.
   The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Roebuck wrote, ‘Hayden looks out of sorts. Alas, the time has come to withdraw him from the firing line. Michael Hussey is the man to take his place. Hussey has been in fine form and will improve the fielding. Never mind that he is not in the squad. Are the Ashes to be lost over trifles?’
   Hussey starred in the one-day matches before the Tests and has been in great form for Durham in the English county championship.
   Roebuck said MacGill must also play. ‘Since pace is not working, the time has come to try spin. Warne has been forced to bowl long spells and might appreciate the support. MacGill’s selection upsets the balance of the side, but Shane Watson has made a fine impression at Hampshire.’
   Ramsey said Australia must summon Watson for the fifth Test. This would allow them to play MacGill on a pitch which experts believe will offer pace and bounce to the spinners. ‘Watson is not in (England all-rounder Andrew) Flintoff’s class, and there are voices within the Australian dressing room who support the inclusion of one-day all-rounder Andrew Symonds for the final match.
   ‘But Watson offers a seam option which will give the bowling attack—presuming McGrath, Shane Warne and Brett Lee are all fit—a balanced look and sufficient variation,’ Ramsey said.
   News Limited’s Robert Craddock said skipper Ricky Ponting’s blow-up over England’s use of substitute fieldsmen said much about his frustration at seeing the Ashes slipping away and being run out.

Mike Gatting says England should draft in Paul Collingwood if Simon Jones fails to prove his fitness for the final Ashes Test.
   Chris Tremlett could be in line for a debut but Gatting, the last England captain to lift the Ashes, feels the Durham all-rounder is the safer option.
   ‘I think I’d go for Paul Collingwood, who can bowl a few overs and bat a bit,’ he told BBC Radio Five Live. ‘It would be difficult to throw Tremlett in.’
   Jones faces an anxious wait to see whether he will be fit after going off with an injured right ankle during the third day’s play in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.
   A scan showed there was no fracture and the problem was diagnosed as an anterior impingement of the soft tissue in the ankle joint.
   He will continue to receive treatment and his condition will be assessed before the squad is named for The Oval.
   But Gatting, who won the Ashes with England during the 1986/87 tour, sees his possible absence as a major blow.
   He added: ‘Simon Jones has been the pivotal point in the team, supporting (Steve) Harmison and (Andrew) Flintoff, and it would be a loss if he was not there.’
   Hampshire’s Tremlett has been in the squad for all four Tests without getting a game, but it would be a gamble to bring him in for his debut with the Ashes at stake.
   Collingwood is almost irreplaceable in the England one-day side, yet has played only two Tests - against Sri Lanka in 2003.
   The 29-year-old grabbed a half-century against Australia in the one-day match at Lord’s on 2 July and had bowling figures of 4-34 at Headingley.
   His medium-paced bowling has been successful in the one-day arena but England’s adherence to a policy of four pacemen balanced by the spin of Ashley Giles has kept him on the Test sidelines.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said his team would head into uncharted territory against England at The Oval next month, needing a win to draw a series.
   Ponting, speaking after England won the fourth Test at Trent Bridge by three wickets to go 2-1 up with one match to play, also said he was not sure whether his leading fast bowler Glenn McGrath would be fit for the final Test.
   ‘We’ve probably never been in this situation before,’ he told a news conference. ‘I can’t remember that for a long time. But it might not be a bad thing for us right now, to tell the truth, just to go out there and play instinctively and play the brand of cricket we’ve played for a long time.
   ‘It’s almost like a little bit of the pressure is off. We can just go out there and play and if all the individuals just lift a little bit and play the way I know that they can, then I am sure and I know the result will be different.’
   Australia have won the last eight Ashes series dating back to 1989. They have been dominated for most of the last three Test matches but managed to turn them all into cliff-hangers.
   England won by two runs at Edgbaston, were held to a draw at Old Trafford needing one wicket for victory, and edged home at Trent Bridge when only needing 129 in their second innings.
   ‘As I have seen over the last two days of this game, a lot of that fight is there but just not for long enough,’ Ponting said. ‘If we want to win Test matches, it has to be over four days.’
   Ponting is unsure about McGrath’s fitness.
   ‘We still have to look at how Glenn is going to come up,’ he said. ‘I am not sure how he is right now or if he’s going to be fit.’
   McGrath was the man of the match in the first Test, passing 500 Test wickets on the way, but missed the second with damaged ankle ligaments.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting was fined 75 per cent of his match fee on Sunday for bringing the game into disrepute following his second-innings dismissal during the fourth Ashes Test.
   His team mate Simon Katich was also fined half his fee for showing serious dissent. Australia’s players earn around 12,500 Australian dollars per game.
   Ponting, who was run out by a specialist substitute fielder on Saturday, approached umpire Aleem Dar, fired angry words at England’s fielders and shouted up at the home side’s balcony.
   Ponting’s anger stemmed from his belief that England have regularly brought on substitutes to give their bowlers a break from play when they should only be used in case of injury.

Fifth seed Marat Safin has withdrawn from the US Open which starts later on Monday because the knee injury which sidelined the Russian for seven weeks earlier this year is still troubling him.
   Safin, 25, admitted two weeks ago that he had returned to the tour against doctors’ advice to try to prepare for the US Open, one of his favourite events. He won his first grand slam title at Flushing Meadows in 2000.
   ‘Although Marat wanted more than anything to play and has tried whatever he could to be ready, as a professional tennis player he has had to admit his body is saying it is too soon,’ said a statement on Safin’s personal website.
   ‘He has made the decision after discussions with all those around him. He is not depressed because he realises this is the right thing to do.’
   The statement said the Australian Open champion would return for treatment in Italy where he previously had keyhole surgery on the knee. It was not clear how long he would be out of action.
   ‘This time he will make sure he does not rush into returning. Marat still wants to play his tennis and he will be back,’ added the statement.
   After winning the Australian Open in January, Safin struggled to regain form and concentration as his knee began to affect him.

New signing Robinho sparked Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory at Cadiz with an electrifying debut in his side’s opening league game of the season on Sunday.
   The 21-year-old Brazilian, who arrived in Madrid on Friday, came on at 1-1 midway through the second half and helped fashion a wonderful winner for Raul with dazzling skill on the edge of the area.
   Last season’s runners-up Real had taken the lead when Ronaldo squeezed a low shot inside the post in the fifth minute, but Cadiz got a deserved equaliser midway through the second half with a Matias Pavoni volley.
   Real, who looked short of ideas until Robinho came on, grabbed victory five minutes from time when Raul poked home into the empty net after the former Santos player and Ronaldo had combined brilliantly to carve open the Cadiz defence.
   Champions Barcelona failed to get their title defence off to a winning start on Saturday when they were held to a 0-0 draw at promoted Alaves after an inspired performance by their former goalkeeper Roberto Bonano.
   Unlike Cadiz, Celta Vigo celebrated their return to the Primera Liga with a 2-0 win at home to Malaga on Sunday.
   Argentine midfielder Gustavo Lopez sent a left-foot rocket into the roof of the net after a quickly taken free-kick in the 10th minute.
   Former Malaga striker Fernando Baiano added the second two minutes into the second half when he finished off a sharp counter-attack with a shot from a tight angle.
   There was an upset in Pamplona where Osasuna snatched a 2-1 win over Champions League side Villarreal thanks to a double from Argentine striker Bernardo Romeo while Bernd Schuster’s Getafe claimed a 2-0 win at Espanyol.
   Athletic Bilbao lead the fledgling table thanks to their comprehensive 3-0 win at home to Basque rivals Real Sociedad on Saturday.
   Cadiz made a confident start on their return to the top flight, taking the game to Real in the opening exchanges, but they found themselves a goal down after five minutes when the visitors hit them on the break.
   Zinedine Zidane angled a pass into Ronaldo lurking on the edge of the area, and the Brazilian made room for himself before firing low into the corner past Armando.
   It was Cadiz who created more danger for the rest of the half, midfielder Enrique catching Real keeper Casillas off guard with a venomous free-kick and a well struck half-volley, and striker Oli going close with a glancing header.
   The Andalucians finally got their reward when Argentine striker Pavoni hooked a volley past Casillas after Oli had sent a header into the area following a corner in the 63rd minute.
   Real coach Wanderley Luxemburgo, who had left the unsettled Michael Owen out of the squad, responded by sending on Robinho in place of defensive midfielder Thomas Gravesen.
   The Brazilian announced his arrival with a neat flick over an opponent’s head with his very first touch of the ball and proceeded to revolutionise the Real attack with his pace and dazzling close control before playing a vital part in his side’s winner.
   Controlling a lofted pass from David Beckham with his head, he swivelled across the edge of the area, left the ball to Ronaldo who burst into the box and unselfishly slipped a pass to Raul to poke home into the empty net.

Manchester United made it three wins out of three in the Premier League when Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy gave them a 2-0 win at St James' Park that left Newcastle United in dire straits on Sunday.
   Newcastle, yet to score in four matches, have collected just one point as the pressure mounts on manager Graeme Souness.
   Earlier on Sunday, Charlton Athletic won 3-0 at Middlesbrough to make it three out of three, their best start in the Premier League.
   Newcastle went into Sunday's match short of confidence after an unimpressive start but responded well with an encouraging opening spell.
   Debutant forward Albert Luque put the ball in the net after 13 minutes after Edwin van der Sar had parried a low Alan Shearer shot but the Spanish striker, who joined from Deportivo Coruna for 9.5 million pounds ($17.17 million) on Friday, was offside.
   United struggled to impose themselves on the game and got the breakthrough with a route one goal in the 66th minute.
   Newcastle defender Jean-Alain Boumsong failed to cut out an Edwin van der Sar punt downfield and the ever-alert Rooney nipped in, showing strength and an assured touch, before lashing the ball past Shay Given.
   Newcastle were unable to hit back and Souness, nervous in the knowledge that United have parted company with their last three managers in August, suffered a final blow when Rooney set up Van Nistelrooy for the second in stoppage time.
   United manager Alex Ferguson said his side had increased the pace after Newcastle worked hard in the first half.
   'We stepped up the passing better and an increased pace, which we needed,' he told Sky Sports TV.
   'Once we got in front I was quite confident. Today wasn't a great performance but the type of determined performance I've seen before. Defensively we played very well, the goalkeeper was excellent, there is a solid look about us there.
   'And with Ruud, Wayne and Cristiano Ronaldo we have guys who can go and win the game for us.'
   Charlton deservedly went ahead at Middlesbrough after 38 minutes when Danish striker Dennis Rommedahl broke on to a Danny Murphy through ball and drove low past Mark Schwarzer.
   Murphy was the provider again for the second in the 81st when his quick free-kick set up Chris Perry for a sharp finish and Darren Bent completed the victory in injury time with his fourth goal of the season.

It took Brazilian forward Robinho a little less than 25 minutes to live up to the hype that had preceded his $30-million move to Real Madrid.
   Arriving in the Spanish capital on Friday, he completed his first training session on Saturday and then captured the hearts of Real Madrid fans with a spectacular match-winning performance in the opening game of the season against Cadiz on Sunday.
   Stepping on to the pitch midway through the second half with the score at 1-1, the 21-year-old's first touch was a 'sombrero'-a cheeky flick over the head of an opposition defender.
   Thereafter, he added pace and dynamism to a Real side whose only previous plan of attack had been to give the ball to Ronaldo and hope.
   Shortly after creating a fine shooting chance for Roberto Carlos, he set up Real's winning goal with a dazzling piece of individual skill.
   Controlling a 30-metre pass from David Beckham with his chest, he swivelled across the edge of the area, left the ball to Ronaldo who burst into the box and unselfishly slipped a pass to Raul to poke into the empty net.
   Two minutes from time he left defenders sprawling in his wake when he unleashed his trademark step-over or 'pedalada' before setting up a great chance for Ivan Helguera who hit the bar with his close-range shot.
   'I'm really happy to have made my debut,' Robinho told reporters. 'Everything went very well and I felt very comfortable on the pitch. It was important to start off with a win.'
   Robinho's new team mates were clearly impressed with what they saw.
   'All I ask is that he is given the ball because he is spectacular when he gets it,' said Helguera. 'The team really noticed it when he came on. He opened up the opposition defence and gave us a lot more options up front.'
   Brazilian full back Roberto Carlos agreed with his fellow defender. 'He's only just arrived and everyone has now seen what he is capable of doing,' he said. 'He's quick, skilful and has proved he has the talent to play at Real Madrid.'
   The Spanish media were no less fulsome in their praise of the former Santos player. 'Robinho, the saviour,' was the headline in sports daily AS, while El Pais said Real had been transformed when he stepped on to the pitch.
   'He took no more than a second to sow panic amongst the opposition defence,' Santiago Segurola said in his match report.
   'Step-overs to the right, step-overs to the left, he gave a ceaseless exhibition of skill and movement for which there was no antidote.'
   Barcelona-based daily Sport simply described the young Brazilian's debut as 'The Robinho Revolution.'

Juventus began the defence of their Serie A title with a scrappy 1-0 home win over Chievo on Sunday.
   French striker David Trezeguet scored the only goal in the 36th minute, rising high to head Gianluca Zambrotta's left-wing cross past Alberto Fontana.
   Juventus toiled away in search of more goals but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third with Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic spurning good opportunities and Fontana making some excellent saves.
   Victory for the reigning Italian champions extended their 100 per cent league record over Chievo to nine matches.
   Trezeguet admitted his team did not play to their full potential.
   'It was a very difficult match but the most important thing was to win,' he said.
   'It was the first game of the season and we tired in the second half, but all that counts is the result.'
   Earlier on Sunday, Adriano scored a hat-trick as Inter Milan crushed Treviso 3-0 at the San Siro.
   The 23-year-old Brazilian striker broke the deadlock with a flashing drive before doubling his tally with a cool finish midway through the second half after good work from Dejan Stankovic.
   Adriano's lethal left foot drilled in a third goal 10 minutes from time to end the contest against the Serie A newcomers.
   AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was fuming at referee Massimo De Santis for not abandoning their match at newly-promoted Ascoli which ended in a 1-1 draw.
   Beaten Champions League finalists last season, AC Milan were unable to play their normally fluent passing game on a waterlogged pitch and asked De Santis to call the match off several times.
   'In certain parts of the pitch the surface was unplayable, especially down the wings,' Ancelotti said.
   'It shouldn't have been allowed to start. I accept the result, but for me it was dictated by the conditions.
   'The ball stopped continuously in puddles and we couldn't play the way we know how. You can't judge Milan on this pitch.'
   Andriy Shevchenko's right-footed drive spared AC Milan's blushes after Mirko Cudini had put Ascoli ahead.
   Udinese, who on Tuesday qualified for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time, won 1-0 at home to Empoli where Sulley Ali Muntari's angled volley separated the sides.
   Roma, the 2001 champions, started their campaign with a resounding 3-0 victory away to Reggina with goals from Amanatino Mancini, Daniele De Rossi and Shabani Nonda.
   Roma's city rivals Lazio also won, Macedonian striker Goran Padev grabbing the only goal at home to Messina in a match marred by racist chanting by Lazio's supporters aimed at Messina's African defender Marco Zoro.
   Elsewhere, Enrico Chiesa scored twice as Siena defeated Cagliari 2-1, while Palermo drew 1-1 away to Parma.
   On Saturday Fiorentina won 2-1 at home to Sampdoria and Livorno won by the same score at home to Lecce.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer is spending a fortune on phone calls to Madrid to try to get England striker Michael Owen to join Newcastle.
   The Real Madrid striker is wanted by former club Liverpool but has said his second choice would be a one-year loan at beleaguered Newcastle.
   Shearer, who played with Owen for England, has been trying to convince Owen to help the Magpies end their current turmoil - they are second-bottom of the Premiership without a league goal in four matches and one point out of a possible 12.
   'It doesn't take a genius to work out who we want,' Shearer told BBC Radio.' We have three days left to try to convince him to come here.
   'We're still in there fighting for him. I know if he came here he would be loved. They love their goalscorers up here and he would be a hero.'
   Shearer joked that he was 'spending a fortune in telephone calls to Madrid' talking to the former Anfield hero.
   'I know better than anyone what reception he would get here.
   I've had several phone conversations with him but I don't have to tell him what passionate supporters we are. In the
   end he'll make his own mind up and will do what is best for himself.'
   Liverpool are thought to be ready to make a bid for Owen, who is anxious for first-team football to make sure of his World Cup place if England make the finals.
   Shearer also took the opportunity to back under-fire Magpies manager Graeme Souness.
   Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit and Sir Bobby Robson were all sacked in August but Shearer believes the Scot will be given time.
   'I think he will and I've known him a long time. He has been through a lot with ill health but he is a real manager and he knows I trust him and he can trust me.
   'It's tough times. I'd be lying if I said confidence was high but I believe we are not far away when we can get our first XI out on the pitch.
   Then we can be a match for everyone.
   'We let seven or eight players go and we didn't have a big enough squad last year.
   ‘That caught us out in the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
   'It was disappointing against United yesterday.
   ‘We matched them for an hour and perhaps could have gone one up but then they put their foot down and moved up a gear and we couldn't handle them.'

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is refusing to allow speculation about his private life to force him to leave the country.
   'I'm sorry to read weekend after weekend rubbish, things that aren't true,' the Swede told reporters on Sunday. 'Obviously someone is out there trying to disturb my job and trying to make me leave the country.
   'If that's the case I can promise those that you won't make me leave the country.'
   Eriksson, England's first foreign coach, said he was happy to accept criticism following poor performances by his team such as this month's 4-1 friendly defeat in Denmark.
   'I think it's fair that the critics are hard when you lose a football game like we lost in Denmark,' he said. I have no problem hiding that I don't expect people to write nice things about that performance even though the positive is the first half was good.
   'Obviously, someone is trying to make life difficult. I don't why there are these true things. I don't know who it is but I couldn't care less.'
   Eriksson's private life has been the focus of tabloid newspaper interest since he took over in 2001. Recently his relationship with a former secretary at the English Football Association, Faria Alam, has been making headlines.
   'I'm not angry but if people are to write about my private life they should at least try to make it right. Is that asking too much to write the truth?
   'I hope I will be judged on football results of course I do. It's a strange country. I couldn't care less and those close to me are prepared and they don't believe anything they read but it's sad.'

Real Madrid vice-president Emilio Butragueno insists new signing Robinho is already a far better player than he ever was.
    Humble Butragueno, regarded as one of Real's modern day greats, told AS, 'Man, I am not Robinho! Let us be serious.
   'I had qualities that I knew how to exploit, but Robinho is much more gifted and of a higher level than I. I cannot be compared.
   'He is a better player and his career rise is very good news for our club. He is a different player, and with that, that is all I'm saying.'

AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko has revealed he's told Roman Abramovich that he doesn't want a move to Chelsea.
   Abramovich has made it a personal mission to bring the Ukraine international to Stamford Bridge, but Shevchenko has left the billionaire in no doubt where he wants to play.
   'Yes, there has been an interest from Abramovich,' said Shevchenko. 'But I have told him of my will to remain with Milan.'

England goalkeeper David James was dropped on Sunday for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Northern Ireland.
   Paul Robinson of Tottenham Hotspur, Robert Green of Norwich City and Chris Kirkland, on loan at West Bromwich Albion from Liverpool, were preferred to James.
   Young Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was called up for the first time. Unsettled Real Madrid striker Michael Owen was also named in the squad.
   Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, Chelsea defender John Terry and Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips were named in the squad despite struggling with injury.

Pierluigi Collina, the famous bald referee who took charge of the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, has called time on his career after quitting the Italian Association of Referees (AIA) on Monday.
   Collina, 45, had been accused by the AIA of a conflict of interest after he accepted an 800,000 euro ($985,900) per year sponsorship deal from carmakers Opel, who also back AC Milan.
   'After 28 years I've decided to hand in my resignation to AIA,' Collina was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA.
   'I can't help it. People must believe in a referee. In the end, we have all lost out,' he told a news conference in his home town of Viareggio.

Rakib 15th,
Razib 17th
IM Abdullah Al Rakib of Bangladesh Biman became 15th and IM Enamul Hossain Razib of Muktijuddha Sangsad Krira Chakra became 17th in the 2nd Dato Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess Championship held in Kuala Lampur. Rakib and Razib both earned 6.5 points each. 70 players from several countries including 13 grandmasters and 20 International Masters participated in the event.
— New Age

BCB picks up 8 for pacer hunt camp
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday picked up eight bowlers for the 3rd phase national pacer search camp, schedule to begin on September 2 at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Savar. The search camp will end on September 8. The selected pacers have been requested to report at BSKP on the opening day at 5pm. The pacers are, Imran Hossain (Khulna), M Abed Ali (Rajshahi), Mahbubul Alam Robin (Faridpur), Sk Robiul Islam (Faridpur), M Mamun (Rajshahi), M Azim (Dhaka), Kamrul Islam (Chittagong) and Shuvashish Roy (Rangpur). Pacers Jahidul Hasan Khan (Gazipur) and Oascorni Ahmed (Comilla), who were to join the camp, have been excluded from the camp as both of them joined to MRF pace Foundation in Chennai, India to receive higher training.
— BD News

22 kabaddi players named for SA Games
Twenty-two players were today primarily selected for the training camp of national Kabaddi team to participate in the coming 10th South Asian Games. The selected players have been requested to report at the Kabaddi Federation office on September 1 at 5pm. The training camp will commence in the first week of September. The selected players are, M Bashir Ahmed, M Mizanur Rahman, M Ziaur Rahman, Abdul Kader, M Mozammel Haque, M Kismat Ali, M Anisuzzaman, M Kamal Hossain and M Al Mamun (Bangladesh Rifles). The other players are: Kazi Yunus Ahmed, M Faruqe Hossain, M Bazlur Rashid, M Zafar Ali, M Abdur Rauf, M Mokhlesur Rahman and Abu Bakar Siddiq (Bangladesh Police). M Anwar Hossain, M Abu Saleh Musa, M Rokunuzzaman, M Razu Ahmed, M Shafiqul Islam and M Enamul Haque (Bangladesh Army).
— UNB

Wins for BDR, Mariners in handball
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Dhaka Mariners Club won their respective matches in the Cute 13th Premier Division Handball League at outer stadium handball-ball court on Monday. In the first match, defending champions BDR registered a massive 36-13 victory over Victoria SC with a first half lead of 17-6. Khairuzzaman scored 19 goals while Saeed netted five goals for the winners. Milon scored seven goals for the losers. In the day’s second match, Dhaka Mariners Club also recorded a huge 35-8 victory over Surjadoy KC after a commanding the first half lead of 14-4.
— BD News

Voller in trouble
Former Germany coach Rudi Voller used to have a reputation for being mild-mannered and softly spoken but his new fiery personality has landed him in trouble with the German Football Federation (DFB).On Saturday Voller, now sporting director at Bayer Leverkusen, raced on to the pitch to confront referee Peter Sippel following Bayer’s 2-1 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg. Voller complained to Sippel and his assistants that Wolfsburg’s Argentine international Andres D’Alessandro playacted to help get Brazilian defender Roque Junior and Croatian winger Marko Babic sent off.
— AFP