Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar warned his players not to be complacent over the inexperience of the Zimbabwe team as he regards the opponents as a formidable side who will try their best to resist the hosts from realising their dream of a series victory.
   The Bangladesh captain has been suffering from light fever and he did not have a full-scale practice at the MA Aziz Stadium on Wednesday morning. The captain was realistic about his chances and the upcoming challenges.
   ‘This is the most important Test match in our career because for the first time everybody expects Bangladesh to win. It is a situation we have never faced before, It’s a kind of pressure also but we are not taking it like that,’ said Bashar.
   ‘We are aware of our complacency also we have talked about the issue. Some quarters say Zimbabwe are not as good as before but I have a different view, we are playing cricket against a Test nation, they are also motivated enough to play good cricket,’ said the Bangladesh captain.
   Asked about the Bangladesh players’ attitude towards the Test, Bashar replied, ‘We all are determined to put up a good show, we just want to play top level cricket. If we think our opponents are weak then achieving the target will become tougher, we have to play the game like we performed against the top-bracketed teams.’
   Bashar thinks the batsmen have to perform well to materialise our dream. ‘If the batsmen fail then the job will be tough. I am hopeful that all my departments – batting, bowling and fielding – will display a class act.’
   The satisfactory performances against India surely boosted the confidence of the Bangladesh players as well as Bashar. ‘After facing two world class pacers of the likes of Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan and two spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, this series should be an easy affair for us, I want everybody to perform to their potential,’ said the skipper.
   Bashar does not want to put the burden on any individual player. ‘Yes, Ashraful played the greatest knock here a few days ago but it is a new day and a new game for Bangladesh, we have to start afresh. Ashraful is a mature guy now, he knows his responsibilities,’ said Bashar.
   Bangladesh have put their other thoughts behind them except the game. ‘We are focused on the Test and not on any incentives and bonuses. The only thing we want to do is to win the match,’ concluded Bashar.

Usha Krira Chakra clinched the title of the Green Delta Premier Hockey League for the first time beating Mohammedan Sporting Club by 2-1 goals at the Moulana Bhasani Stadium on Wednesday.
   Usha ruined the hat-trick title chance of Abahani Limited. Usha still have one game in hand against Abahani but they confirmed the title collecting 33 three points. Abahani,. who are on 26 points, can raise their tally to maximum 32 points if they win their last two encounters against Usha and Ajax Sporting Club.
   Mohammedans are already out of the race with 23 points and they have one match in hand.
   In the day’s crunch match Mohammedans perhaps lost their motivation and it seemed they were not eager to win the match. Their forwards were not interested to bother Usha defence though they controlled the midfield.
   Usha scored their first goal in the 10th minute of the match when captain Mowdudur Rahman’s powerful hit found the net.
   Mohammedans came back in the match nine minutes later through a fine field goal from Zahidul Islam.
   Usha won a crucial penalty stroke after 39 minutes when Mostafizur Rahman of Mohammedans stopped the ball with his leg inside the box. Usha captain scored the match decider from the spot.
   Usha played comparatively better in both halves and also missed at least two good chances. But certainly the man of the mach was Mohammedans custodian Mahbubullah Shakil, who thwarted three sure sitters of Usha during the match.
   Usha supporters celebrated their glorious victory after the match with band party and flowers. They had a good preparation to enjoy the day.

Zimbabwe skipper Tatenda Taibu technically denied that Bangladesh will start the first Test as the favourites saying ‘I am not that big really to tip anybody as the favorites but we just want to play good cricket and I believe the better team will win’.
   Taibu was in his usual confident mood during the pre-match press briefing on Wednesday and he expressed satisfaction over his team’s preparations. Zimbabwe have returned to the Test arena after a six-month sabbatical and Taibu feels there exists the motivation among his players.
   ‘We have returned to play Test cricket and the boys are determined to give a good show at the highest level,’ said the Zimbabwe captain.
   While talking about the pressure on them Taibu was philosophical.
   ‘Pressure lies everywhere in the cricket field when you bowl, bat or field. The main thing is how you handle the pressure and that really counts.’
   He, however, admitted Bangladesh would enjoy some advantages.
   ‘Obviously Bangladesh have the advantage as they are playing on their home soil but we are not looking at that, we have to see what we have in our dressing room,’ said the 21-year-old skipper of Zimbabwe.
   Taibu was gritty while commenting on the potential spin threat of Bangladesh. He said he was not worried about it and also reminded that Zimbabwe also have some surprises up their sleeves.

Australia (568 & 62/1) beat Pakistan (304 & 325) by nine wickets
   Australia strolled to a nine wicket win over Pakistan in the third and final Test on Wednesday to complete a 3-0 series cleansweep.
   The Australians wrapped up victory late on the fourth day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, wiping off the 62 required runs in 9.3 overs.
   The lone casualty was Justin Langer who was bowled by Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria for 34 with victory just four runs away.
   Matthew Hayden finished 23 not out while Australian captain Ricky Ponting drove the only ball he faced to the fence to seal the victory and finish the series with a batting average over 100 after his double-century in the first innings.
   Pakistan began the day on 67 for one in their second innings, needing to make at least 264 to force the Australians to bat again, and were dismissed for 325 shortly after tea.
   Asim Kamal ensured the tourists at least managed to avoid an innings defeat when he propped up the tail with 87 while opener Yasir Hameed made 63 but their lead of 61 was never enough to worry the world champions.
   Shane Warne had been the pick of the Australian bowlers, capturing 4-111 while fellow leg-spinner Stuart MacGill added three scalps to his five from the first innings to win the man of the match award.
   The Australians had comfortably won the two previous Tests in Perth and Melbourne inside four days and it had seemed certain Pakistan would concede an innings defeat after slumping to 164 for four before lunch but Kamal defied the bowlers for more than three hours.
   Despite running out of partners at regular intervals, Kamal kept his own wicket intact then shared a last-wicket partnership of 55 with Test debutant Mohammad Asif, who remained not out 12.
   Hameed had also played strongly at the top of the innings. He began the day on 40 and reached his 50 within the first half an hour of play before his resistance ended when he was trapped lbw by Warne with the total on 104.
   Younis Khan and stand-in captain Yousuf Youhana steadied the innings with a third wicket stand of 60 only to fall in successive deliveries just before lunch.

Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore feels deep in his heart there is a dream and that is a series victory. The coach harbours a hope of winning the series and the mission starts in Chittagong today.
   The Bangladesh coach admitted Bangladesh probably will never start a Test like this one but refused to put Bangladesh on the top.
   ‘Are the Tigers favourites? I have asked the question to myself and found that they are but slightly, both the teams have the desire to win which means the proceedings will be tough.’
   Whatmore said he has tried to ease the pressure on his charges and told them to play as good as they had played before. In Whatmore’s opinion Bangladesh have three advantages that can be reckoned.
   They are playing in home ground and the home conditions are not familiar to the opponents and they are way ahead in experience.
   Whatmore said the visitors have some good players in their fold and Bangladesh respect them.
   Tatenda Taibu is the leader of the pack and the coach hopes Rafique will be the key player to torment Zimbabwe.
   Whatmore said he has not said anything special to the team except telling them to play their natural game.

South Africa (441 & 222/8 dec) lead England (163 & 78/2) by 422 runs at tea, day 4
   South Africa took the key wicket of Andrew Strauss on the fourth afternoon of the third Test against England on Wednesday as they pressed to level the series.
   England, set an improbable 501 to win in just over five sessions, were 78 for two in their second innings at tea.
   Robert Key was 31 not out with captain Michael Vaughan on seven.
   Left-arm spinner Nicky Boje trapped Strauss in front for 39 in the eighth over before tea, although television replays suggested he might have been unlucky.
   The left-hander, the keystone of the England batting, has scored two centuries in the series.
   England, who lead the five-match series 1-0, lost their first wicket without a run on the board when Marcus Trescothick attempted to work the second ball of the innings to leg and sent a leading edge looping to Amla at silly mid-off.
   Boje had taken one for 10 off eight overs at the break, with Shaun Pollock boasting figures of one for 14 off nine.
   South Africa, totally dominating the game after taking a 278-run first-innings lead, had resumed on 183 for four and lost five wickets for 35 runs in a frenetic first hour packed with comic cricket before the declaration.
   Boeta Dippenaar scooped the second ball of the day from all rounder Andrew Flintoff to Michael Vaughan at midwicket to set the tone.
   Dippenaar scored 44, his dismissal ending a stand of 83 with Jacques Kallis.

Shane Warne had some kind words about leg-spin team-mate Stuart MacGill, Pakistani rivals Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneira and even for Ashes enemy England after Australia’s overpowering final Test victory over Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
   Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker increased his world record tally to 566 in 120 Tests after capturing 4-111 off 26 overs to finish the Pakistan series with 14 wickets as the Australians hammered the tourists by nine wickets.
   His spin twin, MacGill captured 3-83 for match figures of 8-170 on his return to Test cricket after nine months in limbo and was named man-of-the-match, but 35-year-old Warne had nothing but praise for his fellow Aussie tweaker.
   ‘Stewie and I get on fine, contrary to what some people think,’ Warne said. ‘The comparisons (with me) are always going to be probably unfair on Stewie.
   ‘If I wasn’t around he would be playing a lot of Test cricket and doing a real good job. (But) that’s not my fault, either.
   ‘If we’re playing spinning conditions and we have someone like MacGill to come in we’re very lucky to have someone like that. When we play together, we both talk about leg-spin and help each other out.’
   Warne didn’t dump on Pakistan, who were injury-hit going into the final Test, with skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Malik all unavailable.
   ‘They made around 650 runs in two hits here. I think they’ve played pretty well. To score 650 runs is to going to win a lot of Test matches,’ he said.
   Warne praised Shoaib, who stayed in the team dressing room when Australia went out to bat in the second innings with a hamstring injury.
   ‘I thought Shoaib gave his heart out as much as he could through the whole series,’ Warne said.
   ‘I think he’s a real trier... he is the fastest bowler in the world, he got a couple of five-fors. He obviously wasn’t as fit as he would have like in this Test or he would have bowled more than 15 overs in 130-140 overs. He was obviously hurting and he gave his best shot.’ Warne also had a few pieces of advice for Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg-spinner with the beguiling wrong’un who finished the series with 15 wickets, including 7-188 in the first innings of the Sydney Test.
   ‘I think Danish Kaneria is a real talented bowler,’ Warne said. ‘I would just like to see him settle down a little bit more rather than rush his bowling so much.
   ‘Maybe just change his line, I think he bowls a little bit too much outside off-stump. That would be my two tips to him now.’
   Warne, preparing for his fourth Ashes tour to England later this year, is expecting Michael Vaughan’s team to offer England’s best chance of beating Australia during his 16 years as a Test player.
   ‘I think England are a very good side. Hopefully, we can really test them and it will be a fascinating series, I suppose it’s one of the more anticipated series,’ said Warne, whose first Ashes series in England was in 1989.
   ‘England are looking forward to it every time we come over there and they think they have the best chance in a while, and I suppose they’ve been saying that for the last few series.
   ‘I think this time they have a real chance. It will probably be my last one, I don’t think I’ll be playing again in an Ashes series in England so I have to make sure I keep myself fit and hopefully bowling well enough to be selected on that tour and upset the Poms.
   ‘I wouldn’t like to lose a series against England in my time.’

Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar was a ‘shadow of himself’ in the final Test loss to Australia, team coach Bob Woolmer said Wednesday.
   The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ had a negligible impact as he bowled just 15 overs for 0-69 in Australia’s first innings of 133.3 overs and did not bowl in Australia’s second innings as the victory target of 62 was easily overhauled.
   Woolmer said Shoaib had been troubled by a right hamstring injury which restricted him during the Sydney Cricket Ground Test.
   ‘He’s complaining of a hamstring injury at the moment. He’s having a scan tomorrow and we’ll see how fit he is after that,’ Woolmer told a post-match press conference.
   ‘Certainly in this Test match, he was a shadow of himself. I thought he bowled well in the first two Test matches.’
   Shoaib, on whom so much depends in the Pakistan bowling attack, took five wickets in the first innings of both the Perth and Melbourne Tests to finish the three-match series with 11 wickets.
   ‘I’ve said on record many times, that if you’re going to run that distance and try and bowl quick in this country, you’ve got to be triathlete fit,’ Woolmer said of 29-year-old Shoaib.
   ‘Either he shortens his run up or he gets triathlete fit if he’s going to produce the sort of performances he did four or five years ago.
   ‘I have to say he was tired. I suppose, in a way, everyone was disappointed with his commitment,’ he said.
   ‘From a team point of view, we understand that he’s given everything in the first two Test matches and it didn’t go for him in this Test.’
   Woolmer was seen on television having animated words with Shoaib in the team pavilion during the tea interval, but would not elaborate on what was said between the pair, just saying: ‘That’s between me and him, sorry.’
   Woolmer had better things to say about leg-spinner Danish kaneria, who finished the series as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with 15.
   ‘Danish Kaneria is without doubt a very exciting Test leg-spinner,’ he said.
   ‘He’ll grow as a bowler. He has all the tricks of the trade - every single delivery there is, probably more than he’s bowling one at a time. He seems to bowl three at a time on occasions.
   ‘He’s got a terrific future as a Test match bowler.’
   Woolmer, who has a task moulding the unpredictable Pakistan team into a Test force, said of the tourists’ performances in Australia: ‘I think it got better as we went along. Lots of room for improvement.
   ‘It was interesting to be tested as we were in a sense to see exactly where our bowlers fit into this type of cricket. It was really good to get young bowlers onto the field and see how they stood up.
   ‘We missed (Shamir Ahmed and Umar Gul) who’re proven Test bowlers, but saying that, it was nice to see what we have got.’
   Woolmer believes England will have to play at their best to beat Australia in this year’s Ashes series in England.
   ‘They’ll have to play very well to beat Australia, assuming the Australian side stays fit and constant. England will find it very tough to beat them,’ the Englishman said.
   ‘With Gilchrist coming in at No.7, it’s just an awesome fact. He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Gary Sobers for a long time. he’s a wonderful player and a genius as a batsman.’

Pakistan off-spinner Shoaib Malik will have his bowling action reassessed to get clearance to play in this month’s triangular one-day cricket series in Australia, team coach Bob Woolmer said Wednesday.
   Allrounder Malik was cited for a suspect topspin action following a one-day series in Sri Lanka in October and has been tested by human movement specialists at the University of Western Australia in Perth.
   But Woolmer said Malik had left for Perth on Wednesday to be retested with a view to getting cleared to bowl in the tri-series against Australia and West Indies, getting under way later this month.
   ‘He went to Perth today,’ Woolmer said after Pakistan’s nine-wicket loss to Australia in the Sydney Test on Wednesday.
   ‘He’s been working on his action. We want to try and get him cleared before the one-day series.
   ‘He’s going for re-testing on Monday. It’ll be interesting. We’ve been working on his action to try and correct it.
   ‘I’ve watched him. And I cannot see any semblance of a throw at all, not one.
   ‘A genuine throw and a bowl with a slightly bent arm are two different things. Hopefully, the university in Perth will clear him.’

Australian Michael Clarke has a foot injury which may keep him out of the triangular one-day cricket series against Pakistan and West Indies, starting next week.
   Clarke did not take the field during the last four sessions of the third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which Australia won by nine wickets on Wednesday.
   Team officials feared the amount of pain he was in pointed to a stress fracture.
   He had a series of scans on Wednesday which cleared him of that, but he remains in a lot of pain with no diagnosis in sight.
   ‘The scans have come back all clear, which is a great thing for him and the team,’ captain Ricky Ponting said.
   ‘But I guess we just have to keep an eye on him over the next few days and see how it comes along.’

Title contenders Carlos Moya of Spain and Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand cruised into the second round of the 400,000-dollar ATP Chennai Open tennis with contrasting victories on Tuesday.
   Defending champion Moya, ranked fifth in the world, defeated qualifier Julian Knowle of Austria in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on the centre court of the Nungambakkam tennis stadium.
   Paradorn, Asia’s flag-bearer who lost to Moya in last year’s final, survived a match point in the second set before putting it across Christophe Rochus of Belgium 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
   A lacklustre Paradorn, who suffered cramps in the legs midway through the match, was down 5-6, 30-40 in the second set but escaped with a deep serve on Rochus’ backhand.
   The Belgian, who has never won a title in eight years on the pro circuit, appeared demoralised in the final set which Paradorn wrapped up conceding just one game.
   ‘It sure was a tough opener but the important thing is that I hung in there and came back,’ Paradorn said.
   ‘I played my last tour match almost two months ago so there was bound to be a bit of rustiness. Hopefully my game will come together as the tournament progresses.’ Moya, who led Spain’s victory over the United States in last month’s Davis Cup final, was relieved after Tuesday’s opening round win.
   ‘One is always nervous playing the first match of the new season,’ said Moya. ‘My opponent had come through the qualifiers so he had more match practice than me.
   ‘But I am happy to have put it out of the way and am looking forward to my next match.’
   Moya takes on Ivo Heuberger of Switzerland in the second round. Fourth-seeded Jonas Bjorkman overcame a hesitant start in which he lost the first three games, to defeat Karan Rastogi of India 6-4, 6-0.
   Bjorkman, whose native Sweden is among the European countries to have suffered the greatest number of deaths in the Asian tsunami disaster, said the tragedy continues to haunt him.
   ‘These have been a tough few days for all of us,’ said Bjorkman, who has already pledged to donate the prize money earned from this tournament for relief work.
   ‘I hope we can bring a little light in the darkness around us. It is our duty to lend all help to those affected and the response I have got from my fellow players has been very positive.’
   In the longest match of the day which lasted three hours, Nicolas Devilder of France overcame Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 6-7 (10/12), 7-6 (7/5).

Red-hot favourites Russia bowed out of contention in the mixed teams Hopman Cup tennis tournament here Wednesday as big-hitting star Marat Safin again failed to fire in their second straight loss.
   The shock 2-1 defeat of the Russians, beaten by both unseeded Germany in their opening tie and now Argentina, was an ominous sign for Safin as he prepares for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on January 17.
   The world number four has lost both of his singles rubbers in the tournament and along with team-mate Anastasia Myskina, the pair have never won a mixed doubles rubber at the event in five attempts.
   Safin appeared sluggish as he succumbed to the lightning pace of Argentina’s world number seven Guillermo Coria 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, offering little more than token resistance in the second set.
   He and Myskina then went down 6-2, 6-0 in the deciding mixed doubles after Myskina had earlier put them in the box-seat with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Gisela Dulko in just 56 minutes.
   Coria’s court speed proved the decisive factor against Safin who only arrived at the tournament from Moscow 24 hours before his first match and has looked well below his best since.
   ‘It wasn’t my day today on the serve, Gisela was returning winners on my serve so it was kind of embarrassing for me,’ Safin joked.
   ‘But I have to live with that, work on my serve and get ready for the Australian Open.’
   Safin conceded his game had simply not been good enough in the singles against an in-form opponent.
   ‘I wasn’t fast enough, I wasn’t sharp enough ... he was great he was all over the court and he was moving well, he was fighting, he was fighting all over—not literally,’ he laughed.
   But he maintained he was reasonably happy with his form after the Christmas lay-off and would improve.
   ‘I am playing well, I am hitting the ball well. I am happy with the way I am playing and I will be ok for the Australian Open,’ he said.
   ‘Everybody is starting from the first round. Hopefully I will have the first round a little bit easier than other people and it will give me a little more confidence to get back and win a couple of matches but I’m pretty confident—I’m very confident.
   ‘Win a couple of matches and everything is going to be under control.’
   Argentina, the third seeds, now have two wins in Group A along with Germany who have wins over Russia and Italy. The two nations will meet on Thursday.
   French Open champion Myskina had put Russia in front when she crushed Hopman Cup debutante Dulko and she too was cautiously happy with her form.
   ‘For my second match it’s pretty good,’ said Myskina, who is aiming to become the first Russian woman to reach the number one ranking.
   ‘But I still have to practice hard if I’m going to play my best tennis.’
   Dulko, who has yet to win a singles rubber, was dazzling in the mixed doubles, hitting winners all over the court.
   ‘I really played well today, I’m really happy ... but I thought Marat was going to hit me with the serve,’ she laughed.

West Indies began their tour of Australia with an embarrassing seven-wicket loss to Victoria in a one-day match on Wednesday.
   West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and batted, scoring 24 in his side’s 201 all out in 47.5 overs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
   David Hussey (83 not out) and Matthew Elliott (87) then smashed 129 runs off 112 balls for the third wicket in Victoria’s reply of 205 for three in 32 overs to win with 18 overs to spare.
   Right-hander Hussey blasted six fours and five sixes in his 62-ball innings while former Test opener Elliott was caught at long-off in the penultimate over after hitting nine fours and one six off 98 balls.
   Paceman Pedro Collins took two for 26, removing Victoria’s Brad Hodge for three and Nick Jewell for 16 while opener Chris Gayle top-scored for West Indies with 33 from 23 balls.
   The tourists, playing the first match since their two-wicket win over England in the ICC Champions Trophy final on September 25, suffered a middle-order collapse losing six wickets for 63 to reach 151 for eight after 35 overs.
   Wicketkeeper Courtney Browne (18 not out) and Ian Bradshaw combined for a 48-run partnership off 68 balls for the ninth wicket before Bradshaw fell to David Hussey in the 47th over with the score on 199 for nine.

Chelsea have one hand on the Premier League title after winning their festive war of nerves with champions Arsenal and Manchester United.
   Chelsea’s effortless 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Tuesday left Jose Mourinho’s men well clear of the two clubs who have dominated English soccer over the past 10 years.
   Arsenal scraped a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City, while United were probably even luckier to draw 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford after Spurs’ midfielder Pedro Mendes was denied a goal despite his long shot clearly crossing the line in the final minute.
   Chelsea have now rattled up 55 points, lost just one match and conceded only eight goals in their 22 league games in a remarkable centenary season under new boss Jose Mourinho.
   Arsenal have 48 points, with United an even more distant third on 44 and scrapping for an automatic place in next season’s Champions League.
   The Premier League’s big three had faced a frenetic run of four matches over a 10-day period between Christmas and the start of the New Year, with the burning question being which of the trio would crack. No-one blinked as all three sides won their first three matches of the festive season.
   However, the inexorable pressure applied by Mourinho, who has expertly rotated a large and gifted squad, finally took its toll.
   While their rivals floundered, Chelsea swept to victory with Didier Drogba signalling his readiness to take over the goalscoring burden recently shouldered by attacking midfielders Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Joe Cole.
   Chelsea’s victory summed up why they have become the bookmakers’ clear favourites to win the club’s first league championship for 50 years and only the second in their history.
   Mourinho, whose disciplined, tough-defending Porto side won the Champions League last May, has been able to build another defence that is difficult to breach and an attack with the class required to score from any position.
   Their lead means that two defeats, at least, will need to be inflicted on a side brimming with confidence in both England and Europe, where they face a Champions League knockout round tie against Barcelona.
   They must still face Arsenal and United a second time.
   Having beaten United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and drawn 2-2 at Highbury, however, Mourinho knows his men have what it takes to at least match their opponents in head-to-head confrontations.
   The challenge facing Chelsea is to keep that consistency going, despite the distractions of Europe and the FA Cup which starts in earnest this weekend.
   Arsenal and United know they must be ready to seize their chance should Chelsea’s relative experience in a title run-in begin to tell.
   Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson will also take heart from the fact that Chelsea have yet to suffer a blip, as their sides have done, and that the Premier League trophy is usually decided at Easter rather than Christmas.
   However, as Chelsea have already demonstrated, a team put together at a cost of around 200 million pounds since July 2003 is no ordinary team.

Managers Alex Ferguson and Martin Jol led calls for video technology to help officials after a linesman’s huge blunder deprived Tottenham Hotspur of a match-winning goal against Manchester United.
   With the teams level at 0-0 in the final minute, United goalkeeper Roy Carroll dropped the ball a metre over his own line and, after he had scrambled it away, the referee waved play on because linesman Ray Lewis failed to spot the incident.
   Tottenham’s Jol described the situation as a disgrace, though he refused to blame the officials.
   ‘I can understand it but it’s still a disgrace if you are playing football in 2005 and there is so much technology in the world,’ he told Sky Sports on Tuesday. ‘It is time to use the technology.’
   United’s Ferguson said the incident should speed up the introduction of video equipment to help officiate matches.
   ‘It just adds weight to the point about technology being brought in,’ Ferguson said.
   ‘I don’t think you can blame the referee or the linesman because I wasn’t sure myself that the ball had crossed the line. It looked like it had but I wasn’t dead sure.
   ‘I have always been against videos because of the fact it takes too long but I think you can make most decisions within 30 seconds which is about the time it takes to take most goal kicks.’
   Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also joined the debate following his team’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Highbury.
   ‘The whole country knows it was a goal, except the referee,’ Wenger told reporters. ‘It only re-enforces what I think should be done—video evidence.’
   Meanwhile, FIFA is to test a special device involving a microchip inside the ball next month as a possible solution to goal-line disputes during matches.
   The device, developed by ball manufacturers Adidas, will be tested at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on February 26, the day before the English League Cup final.
   If successful it could be used in the final itself, a spokesman for the world body said on Wednesday.
   However, FIFA has repeated its opposition to the use of video replays despite one of the clearest errors yet in a top level match during Tuesday’s English Premier League game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
   Spurs were denied a late winner in the 0-0 draw when the referee and linesman failed to spot that a shot by midfielder Pedro Mendes had crossed the line by at least a metre before United goalkeeper Roy Carroll retrieved it.
   FIFA’s director of communications Markus Siegler said on Wednesday, ‘FIFA is strongly against the use of video evidence to decide the referees’ decisions.
   ‘The only thing that could be considered is the technology to decide whether the ball has crossed the line or not if—and so far it is not the case—a suitable technological solution is found.
   ‘We just have to accept the decision last night of the referee and his assistant. There is no point arguing about that. It’s part of football.’
   Siegler said the International Board, which decides matters relating to the laws of the game, would consider the Adidas ball idea, at its annual meeting in Cardiff on February 26.
   ‘On the agenda is a presentation of a technology including a ball developed by Adidas,’ he said. ‘For that purpose the Cardiff stadium will be equipped accordingly in order to demonstrate it but whether it will also be used in the match is not yet decided.’
   Siegler said that any new technology would have to be used on a trial basis first and that it was highly unlikely any change to the laws of the game would be made this year.
   ‘There is one annual meeting of the board every year,’ he said. ‘Only at this meeting can any changes to the laws of the game be decided.
   ‘I do not think that after one presentation or one technology (trial) that a very quick decision will be taken because this is a crucial matter.’
   The International Board, comprising four FIFA representatives and four members from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, meets only once a year, usually around the start of March.
   FIFA president Sepp Blatter has long opposed the use of video replays in soccer, despite its successful use in sports like rugby and cricket.
   However, FIFA and European counterpart UEFA agreed last month to examine the use of new technology to assist referees.
   Italy’s soccer federation, the Polish football association and the incoming chief executive of the English Football Association, Brian Barwick, have all expressed support for the use of video replays in the past month.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has brushed aside talk of the Londoners completing a clean-sweep of football honours this season after they went seven points clear of Arsenal in the Premiership.
   Chelsea are also in the last 16 of the European Champions League, the League Cup semi-finals and start their FA Cup campaign against fourth division Scunthorpe on Saturday.
   And captain John Terry has said the players believe they are strong enough to win the lot.
   Mourinho admits he wants to win every match but agrees four trophies might be too much.
   ‘We want to win something, but I think it is impossible to win all four trophies,’said the Chelsea boss.
   ‘You only have to look at the demands of the battle against Portsmouth to see why, but we have a good squad and we are trying.
   ‘We have the FA Cup on Saturday and the Carling (League) Cup semi-final next week. We have watched Scunthorpe like we watch any other team.
   ‘We may change a few players for the game, if we can find any to change, but we will play to win the FA Cup. We will play to win the Carling Cup.
   ‘Winning the Premiership or the Champions League is more important but we will not turn any trophy down.’
   Mourinho’s side finished the Christmas and New Year campaign with maximum points from four games and not a single goal conceded.
   They have now chalked up a phenomenal 16 clean sheets on their way to the Premiership summit and Mourinho believes that the close-knit camaraderie among his players is responsible for them having the best chance of winning their first title for 50 years.
   ‘I am happy so far. I came to Chelsea because of ambition, to manage a big club with the chance to win major trophies on a regular basis. I have to say I already feel like a Londoner, but where I am really happy is with Chelsea.
   ‘What we have is a group of people so close in spirit, so strong and united in ambition, that tiredness, little injuries and occasional setbacks cannot knock us from our path.’
   Wenger rules out quick-fix
   Arsene Wenger says he will not rush into the transfer market to strengthen his injury-hit squad after the champions fell seven points behind Chelsea in the Premiership race.
   The Arsenal manager admitted his depleted side were too inexperienced in Tuesday night’s costly 1-1 home draw against Manchester City.
   However, he vowed not to give in, stressing that conceding defeat with 16 games still left to play would be ‘criminal’.
   ‘We did not have the right balance between experienced and inexperienced players, especially at the back,’ admitted Wenger.
   ‘But I’m not a big fan of going out to buy a new player every time you have a disappointment. If you don’t have a good season, you would finish with 25 players.’
   Against City, Arsenal were without Sol Campbell, Lauren, Dennis Bergkamp, Gilberto Silva, Edu and Jose Antonio Reyes.
   To make matters worse, Ashley Cole limped away from Highbury in some pain and the only consolation is that they are at home to Stoke in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

Italy’s Serie A resumes today after its winter break, with leaders Juventus looking to preserve their four-point cushion over closest rivals AC Milan.
   Juve visit second-from-bottom Parma, still capable of causing an upset despite their lowly position, while defending champions AC Milan host Puglian side Lecce, the league’s second-highest goalscorers, at the San Siro.
   The well-earned holiday will probably have been welcomed more by Juve than by AC Milan given the Turin club’s patchy performances throughout December, which culminated in a fortuitous goalless draw against their Scudetto rivals.
   Imperious AC Milan defender Alessandro Nesta has dismissed suggestions that the break could disrupt his side’s gathering momentum, insisting they too needed to recharge their batteries.
   ‘I can’t imagine that the time off could have a negative effect and spoil the work we have done up until now,’ said the Italy international.
   ‘We are raring to go and will return with even greater enthusiasm. Of course, Juve weren’t having a great spell before Christmas, but I think the break will be positive for us too. We suffered many injuries, particularly in defence, so the rest was useful for everyone.’
   Nesta could be joined in central defence today by Dutch international Jaap Stam, who has recovered after undergoing surgery on his troublesome ankle.
   ‘I’m feeling much better now and I have been working very hard over the holiday period - everything has gone to plan,’ said the former Manchester United hard man, who will face his former team-mates in the next round of the Champions League. Udinese, eight points off the pace in third and looking to claim a place in the Champions League next season, face a tough test away to sixth-placed Sampdoria, while Inter Milan, in fourth, play away to Livorno.
   Giuseppe Papadopulo’s first game in charge of Lazio couldn’t be more daunting, with his new charges up against city rivals Roma at their shared Olympic stadium.
   A former Lazoio player, Papadopulo took over from Domenico Caso after the final round of matches before Christmas.
   With the club just four points from the relegation zone, the 56-year-old is demanding his players follow the lead set by firebrand striker Paolo Di Canio.
   ‘I want a whole squad of Paolo Di Canios,’ said the former Siena Coach.
   ‘He is an important player who has the Lazio colours within him and deserves respect. I expect everyone to follow Paolo’s example.’

A leading British bookmaker has announced that it will pay out to punters who backed Spurs’ midfielder Pedro Mendes to score against Manchester United - despite his effort being incomprehensibly disallowed.
   Mendes was denied what would have been a winning goal at Old Trafford on Tuesday night when both the referee and linesman failed to spot that the ball had crossed the line by a yard after his last-minute shot was fumbled by United goalkeeper Roy Carroll.
   The officials’ error has triggered an avalanche of calls for the introduction of video technology and bookmakers William Hill have said they will pay out on bets as if the goal had stood.
   ‘This is probably the most bizarre incident ever to occur in the Premiership and we feel that anyone who bet on Mendes to score first, or to score at all, is entitled to feel hard done by because clearly both the referee and linesman were unsighted by a one in a million fluke situation,’ Hill’s spokesman, Graham Sharpe, said on Wednesday.
   The bookmaker did admit that only a handful of punters had backed Mendes to be the first player to score at 20-1 or to score at some point in the match at 11-2.

Liverpool suffered a double injury blow on Wednesday when Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso and goalkeeper Chris Kirkland were ruled out for three months.
   Alonso will undergo surgery on Thursday after breaking his ankle in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Chelsea and Kirkland will have a back operation on Friday, Liverpool’s official website reported on Wednesday.
   Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had been hoping Alonso would only be sidelined for six weeks but a specialist said on Tuesday the 23-year-old Spanish international would need a screw inserted into his left ankle.
   Kirkland, whose career has been blighted by a number of serious injuries, is to have keyhole surgery on a disc in his lower back.

French World Cup and Euro 2000 winning defender Bixente Lizarazu made a surprise return to former club Bayern Munich when he signed a contract until the end of the season from French side Marseille on Wednesday.
   The 35-year-old left Bayern last summer after a successful seven-year stint but since signing a two-year contract with Marseille last summer has rarely played.
   ‘We knew he wasn’t happy at Marseille,’ explained a Bayern Munich spokesman.
   Lizarazu, who scored seven times in 152 appearances for Bayern following his arrival from Athletic Bilbao in 1997, will solve the German club’s left back problem and is also eligible for the Champions League as Marseille failed to qualify for this season’s campaign.
   Lizarazu, who retired from international football after France crashed out of Euro 2004, will join up with Bayern for their training camp in Dubai on January 14.

The forthcoming wedding of Brazil football star Ronaldo to Brazilian model Daniella Ciccarelli in February is proving a difficult prospect, O Globo newspaper reported on Tuesday.
   The 2002 World Cup winner cannot wed in a church, as the family of his fiancee wish, before his first marriage
   to Milene Domingues is annulled.
   Real Madrid star Ronaldo and Domingues separated at the end of 2003 after four years of marriage which produced a child.
   Globo added Ronaldo’s situation has not pleased the Vatican. Even for a civil wedding, the situation is difficult for Ronaldo because his divorce papers are not ready.
   Last September when he got engaged to Daniella, Ronaldo announced his intention to marry her on January 2 2005, probably in Paris.