Australia (269/8) beat West Indies (196) by 73 runs
   The West Indies started like a tornado but ended in the doldrums once again, petering out to a 73-run loss to Australia in the tri-series one-day international at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
   Australia scored 269 for 8 off 50 overs before dismissing the West Indies for 196 off just 44.5 overs in reply.
   The Australians, celebrating their national day, showed plenty of character in a backs-to-the-wall innings which saw bowler Brett Lee and tailender Jason Gillespie put on a crucial 73-run partnership for the ninth wicket when their side was floundering at 196 for 8.
   Their nemesis had been left-arm quick Pedro Collins, who had removed much of the Australian top order to finish with career best one-day figures of 5-43 off 10 overs.
   At one stage Collins took four wickets from 16 deliveries and the Australians seemed headed for a humiliating total on an excellent batting wicket.
   But Simon Katich led the Australian fightback with a solid 76 from 86 deliveries.
   Katich, aided by contributions of 31 from Andrew Symonds and 32 from wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, helped carry the home team before pace bowlers Lee and Gillespie weaved their magic with the bat to add the morale-destroying runs.
   Not content with their cameos with the bat Lee and Gillespie also took the bowling honours for Australia, the former earning man-of the match when he claimed 4-38 off 10 overs.
   Gillespie was slightly less succesful with 2-25 off 6.5 overs.
   ‘It was a great day. The Australians played very well,’ Lee said.
   ‘I love playing for Australia, especially on Australia Day.’
   Lee, who showed far more control with his bowling than usual, said he had honed his skills by spending hours in the training nets.
   The renowned quick was twice on a hat-trick, the first after removing opener Wavell Hinds for a duck with the last ball of the opening over and Chris Gayle for two with the first ball of his next.
   Gayle’s dismissal was completed by a brilliant one-handed catch by Haddin diving to his right, after he gloved a short ball down the leg-side. That took the visitors to three for two and Shivnarine Chanderpaul narrowly survived Lee’s first hat-trick ball after a big appeal for lbw.
   Chanderpaul with 55 and Ramnaresh Sarwan who made 39, steadied the West Indies with a 92-run third-wicket stand, before spinner Brad Hogg removed Sarwan.
   Chanderpaul was run out in the 29th over, after calling for a runner late in his innings.
   The runner, Wavell Hinds, was trapped well short of his ground by a direct hit from Michael Clarke fielding at point.
   Marlon Samuels then fell to Darren Lehmann, leaving the Windies at 147 for 5 in the 36th over and all their hopes resting on skipper Brian Lara.
   But Lara, trying to boost the run-rate, fell foul of Lee while on 29 after top-edging him skywards to be caught and bowled.
   Lee then trapped Courtney Browne leg before with a yorker and his golden duck left the Windies in deep trouble at 153 for 7 and Lee with another hat-trick opportunity.
   Again, he came close, striking Ian Bradshaw on the pads with a full delivery, which umpire Steve Davis ruled was missing leg stump.
   The win means Australia stays undefeated in the series while the West Indies, yet to record a victory, now face Pakistan in Adelaide on Friday.

New Zealand (83/6) beat World XI (81) by four wickets
   New Zealand beat a World XI by four wickets here Wednesday in a one-day match spoiled by a sub-standard pitch which saw 16 wickets fall for 164 runs.
   New Zealand lost six wickets in their struggle to overhaul a paltry World XI total of 81. The victory clinched a 2-1 advantage for the home side in the three match series to raise funds for victims of the Asian tsunami.
   Veteran all-rounder Chris Cairns took full advantage of the variable bounce and seaming conditions on the Westpac Park pitch to take 6-12 for New Zealand from 5.5 overs.
   The World XI tumbled from a comfortable 59-1 just past the 10 over mark to lose their remaining nine wickets for only 22 runs in the next 10 overs.
   New Zealand may have thought their victory would be just a formality and that appeared to be the case until Australia’s Ian Harvey entered the attack and grabbed 4-17 from 4.2 overs.
   The Kiwis slumped from a comfortable 55-2 to lose five wickets in the space of 10 runs before Hamish Marshall (16 not out) halted the slide to ensure New Zealand got home. Opener Nathan Astle topscored with 23 from 27 balls at the top of the innings to build the basis for victory.
   Earlier Cairns and former All Black rugby winger Jeff Wilson joined forces to bundle the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) World XI out in just 20.5 overs.
   The visitors tumbled from a comfortable 59-1 just past the 10 over mark to lose their remaining nine wickets for only 22 runs.
   Wilson, marking his return in this series to the New Zealand side after a 12 year absence during which he established a glittering rugby career, was devastating in support with 3-6 from four overs.
   The seaming conditions provided five catches for wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum. One was off former Australian batsman Greg Blewett (0), who appeared to be unlucky with replays suggesting the ball brushed his pad rather than the bat.
   There was little suggestion of the carnage to come in the opening overs when former England player Nick Knight and Australian Matthew Elliott took full advantage of occasionally loose bowling from Kyle Mills and Daryl Tuffey to get off to a lively start.
   Knight was the heart of the World XI innings, making 43 before being bowled by Cairns in the midst of the collapse which saw five wickets fall for four runs and the score slump from 67-2 to 71-7.
   At the end of the match, the players returned for a 10 over a side match in an attempt to give the full house of spectators some value for their money.

Manjarul Islam Rana again proved that he is fighter to the core when he emerged as the match winner in the crunch third one-day international against Zimbabwe at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong on Wednesday.
   Rana was not in the first one-day squad and was inducted into the team, in place of Abdur Razzque, as an all-rounder.
   On Wednesday he came to bat at number six ahead of Khaled Mahmud and Khaled Mashud.
   He spent some miserable time in the middle scoring 6 off 18 balls and never finding the touch of his batting abilities.
   He became the eye-sore of the crowd for his awful batting as many thought it was because of him that Bangladesh failed to cross the 250 mark.
   But Manjarul was thinking otherwise. He made amends for his shortcomings. He inspired the team with a magnificent piece of fielding at the gully stopping a powerful square drive by Barney Rogers off Nazmul with a full-stretch dive.
   It would certainly have been a boundary if he failed to stop it. Then he bowled his first spell of seven overs and clearly proved that this would be his day.
   He conceded only 17 runs and captured the wickets of Matsikenyeri and Hamilton Masakdaza.
   He came back to bowl the rest of his three overs at a very crucial stage in the 43rd over.
   When his armour delivery deceived dangerman Elton Chigumbura Bangladesh were smelling victory. Later he dislodged Utseya to finish with a figure of 4 for 34, his career best wiping out an earlier haul of 3 for 21 against the West Indies.
   That is not the end of the story. Manjarul took the most important catch of Zimbabwe skipper Tatenda Taibu at deep point off Mashrafee to spark wild celebrations among the crowd.
   ‘I was definitely thinking to bowl at my best for the team and as I failed to make a contribution with the bat I was motivated to do something special,’ said Manjarul.
   ‘I am not worried about my batting and I hope to contribute in the upcoming matches and I hope Bangladesh will keep up the form in the next two matches,’ added Manjarul.

Zimbabwe skipper Tatenda Taibu admitted that his team was not up to the mark to win the crucial third one-dayer against Bangladesh which they lost by 40 runs.
   Zimbabwe were never in the driving seat like the previous two matches and they crumbled trying to maintain the asking rate of five runs after the first few overs.
   ‘We played bad cricket all through the match and at the end of the day we found ourselves on the losing side, we should have scored a few more runs at the opening stages and that would have definitely changed the scenario,’ said Taibu.
   He was happy with the efforts of his bowlers as they did not let Bangladesh reach 250.
   ‘Rajin Saleh gave Bangladesh a good start but we restricted them to below 250 which was I think a good effort, this wicket looked better than the previous one and we thought that the target was achievable, we were not bothered about chasing and the surroundings did not look so bad,’ said Taibu when asked whether his team failed to cope with the pressure of chasing.
   Talking about the difference between the winners and losers Taibu had to think awhile. ‘The partnerships, we lost the match just for not being able to establish a few good partnerships, Bangladesh had some sound partnerships that cruised them through,’ explained Taibu.
   Taibu did not look very disappointed; as he knew another win in the remaining two games would seal a series victory for Zimbabwe. ‘We want to look forward and are focused on the next match which we hope to win to clinch the series,’ hoped Taibu.
   He was sporting when asked about the hot exchange of words between him and Enamul Huq on the pitch. ‘These things are part of the game and as the game is over I don’t want to look behind at what happened, let’s keep the things on the field,’ concluded Taibu.

Lleyton Hewitt prevented an Australia Day of disappointment at the Australian Open Wednesday with a battling victory, lifting the gloom after compatriot Alicia Molik was dumped out.
   Hewitt advanced to a semi-final meeting with second seed Andy Roddick after battling through the pain barrier to defeat Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 10-8 in an epic 4hr 5min duel on the Rod Laver Arena.
   The third seed’s victory raised the roof after Melbourne Park fans had watched Molik suffer a heartbreaking 6-4, 4-6, 9-7 loss in her quarter-final with world number one Lindsay Davenport.
   Prior to this season, Hewitt had never gone further than the fourth round of his home grand slam in eight previous attempts and is bidding to become the first Australian winner of the singles crown since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
   The 23-year-old former world number one had been nursing a hip injury going into the quarter-final and looked to be heading for defeat as the problem flared again allowing Nalbandian to level at two sets apiece.
   But Hewitt dug in for victory and is now looking forward to Friday.
   ‘Last year I was beaten on Australia Day,’ Hewitt said. ‘Thank Christ I came away with a win tonight. It’s a long way to the title but I’m hanging in there.’
   Hewitt had attracted criticism in the build-up for his aggressive on-court behaviour, roaring and pumping his fist even in response to errors by opponents.
   There was no toning down of his act against Nalbandian, and tension simmered between the two players throughout, stoked by some controversial line calls.
   Earlier, Roddick reached the semi-finals for the second time after 26th-seeded opponent Nikolay Davydenko of Russia retired with breathing difficulties as the American led 6-3, 7-5, 4-1.
   Roddick has spent a total of 7hr 42min on court en route to the last four and said he was feeling fresh.
   Earlier, Davenport had thrown a dampener on Australia’s holiday mood to defeat Molik and set up a semi-final with France’s 19th seed Nathalie Dechy as fierce heat disrupted play again.
   Both women’s quarter-finals were halted for 10 minutes after the second set to allow players a respite from the heat as the mercury soared past 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
   Davenport, chasing her fourth career grand slam title, looked to have squandered victory when she had her serve broken by Molik after holding match point at 5-4 in the final set.
   The next four games went with serve, but Davenport scored the all-important break to take an 8-7 lead and then recovered from 15-40 down to hold serve and seal victory with a forehand volley.
   Molik, dreaming of becoming the first Australian winner of the women’s title since Chris O’Neil 27 years ago, refused to be downcast at the end of a campaign that has helped propel her into the top 10.
   Dechy advanced to the first grand slam semi-final of her career after shading a tight encounter with 12th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, winning 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 after an energy-sapping 2hr 33min contest.
   But Dechy voiced disappointment that the match was relegated to the Margaret Court Arena, the third-choice showcourt, at the same time as Molik’s clash with Davenport, meaning only a smattering of fans bothered to watch.

England (359 & 73/4) drew with South Africa (247 & 296/6 dec)
   England became only the second team to win a Test series in South Africa since the host nation returned to international cricket in 1991 when the fifth and final Test ended in a draw Tuesday.
   England won the series 2-1 but only after surviving a scare when they lost three quick wickets after being set to make 185 to win off 44 overs.
   But captain Michael Vaughan batted resolutely to make 26 not out and England finished on 73 for four when bad light ended play with 16 balls remaining.
   Although there was never much chance of a rain-hit match producing an outright result, South Africa had a tilt at pulling off a miracle win, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis hitting centuries to enable captain Graeme Smith to declare.
   South African hopes flickered when Makhaya Ntini dismissed Andrew Strauss without scoring in the second over. Two more wickets fell by the end of the 15th over, with Shaun Pollock trapping Robert Key leg before wicket and Ntini bowling Marcus Trescothick.
   De Villiers, 20, made 109, his maiden Test century, while Kallis, South Africa’s top scorer in the series, finished unbeaten on 136 before Smith declared on 296 for six. De Villiers and Kallis put on 227 for the third wicket in 224 minutes off 324 balls.
   After making 92 in the first innings, De Villiers became the third youngest South African to make a Test century, after Graeme Pollock, who was 19 when he made a hundred against Australia in 1963/64, and Tuppy Owen-Smith, who was 20 when he reached the mark against England in 1929.
   De Villiers and Kallis both took 164 balls to reach their hundreds. It was Kallis’ third century of the series and the 20th of his career, just one short of the South African Test record held by the retired Gary Kirsten.
   Kallis finished the series with 625 runs at an average of 69.44, just behind England’s Strauss, who made 656 runs at an average of 72.88.
   De Villiers was caught at third man soon after posting his century and South Africa lost two more wickets before the declaration.
   Strauss flashed at Ntini’s second ball and Kallis at second slip held a diving catch close to the ground which was referred to television umpire Karl Hurter before Strauss was given out to end a triumphant series on a low note.
   He was caught at third slip off Ntini for nought in the second innings of the fourth Test.
   Andre Nel shared the new ball with Ntini but Pollock was soon into the attack and claimed Key’s wicket in his third over before Ntini, after changing ends, bowled Trescothick with a ball which straightened and sent the left-hander’s off stump flying.
   Vaughan and Thorpe opted for extreme caution, scoring just five runs in their first ten overs together as Smith tried a variety of bowlers with some enthusiastic appeals and a few near misses. The pair stayed together until the 32nd over when Thorpe was caught at third slip off Ntini for eight, made off 56 balls. Ntini finished with three for 12 off 11 overs.
   Andrew Flintoff gave a bat-pad chance to Jacques Rudolph at short leg off Nel before he had scored but stayed until the end with Vaughan, scoring an unbeaten 14. Vaughan faced 86 balls for his 26 not out.
   The series provided some riveting cricket, with England taking the lead with a convincing seven-wicket win in the first Test in Port Elizabeth but South Africa came back, winning by 196 runs in the third Test in Cape Town.
   A crucial turning point was on the last afternoon of the fourth Test in Johannesburg when a match which seemed likely to end in a draw swung in England’s favour when, inspired by Matthew Hoggard, they took all ten wickets after lunch.
   Hoggard with 26 wickets at an average of 25.50, was the leading wicket-taker in the series. Ntini took 25 at 24.03.

A month before India hosts Pakistan’s cricket team, there is confusion over venues, broadcasting rights are embroiled in a court tussle and the proposed dates clash with school and college examinations.
   Worse, India’s star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, recovering from an elbow injury, is unsure if he will be fit to play.
   Who cares? Certainly not the bean counters. The tour is assured of raking in millions of dollars with sponsors lining up to lend their names to the most high-profile event in the cricket calender.
   Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and five one-day internationals during a seven-week tour, returning the visit after India crossed the borders for their first Test series in Pakistan in 15 years in early 2004.
   The unprecedented hype generated by last year’s tour reportedly netted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) a profit of 20 million dollars, a record outside the four-yearly World Cup.
   The host broadcaster on that tour, the Dubai-based Ten Sports, charged a whopping 10,000 dollars for each 10-second advertising spot as millions of cricket fanatics on both sides of the border watched Tendulkar face up to Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
   Media analysts predict lower returns this time since an India-Pakistan clash is no more a novelty—the rivals have faced off in four one-day internationals since July—but large corporates are still expected to be generous with their seemingly unlimited resources.
   Nothing sells like cricket in the sub-continent.
   ‘The rates will be lower this time, but what is certain is that every inch of advertising space will be taken,’ said Sam Balsara of Madison Media.
   For that to happpen, however, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to get its act together quickly.
   The TV rights issue—described by one marketing analyst as ‘a mess’—is before the Supreme Court following a dispute between Zee Telefilms, who won the original four-year bid for a record 308 million dollars, and ESPN-Star Sports, a joint venture of Disney and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
   The BCCI cancelled Zee’s bid and sold two recent home series against Australia and South Africa and a one-off international against Pakistan, to national broadcaster Doordarshan.
   The revenue earned by Doordarshan from the ad hoc arrangement, estimated to be around 23 million dollars, has been deposited with the Supreme Court pending a final settlement of the case.
   In case the court is unable to settle the wrangle before the Pakistanis land here on February 25, the BCCI will again be forced to have an ad hoc arrangement with Doordarshan since both Zee and ESPN-Star are temporarily out of bounds.
   The sharp divisions within the BCCI have also delayed finalising Pakistan’s schedule a month before they land here.
   A two-member PCB team, including security expert Sohail Khan, is currently in India inspecting proposed venues. One Test venue suggested by India is Ahmedabad, the main city in the western state of Gujarat where at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in communal riots in 2002.
   It remains to be seen if Pakistan agree to play in Ahmedabad.
   If that is not enough, various cities are battling each other for the right to host the tourists and enrich their coffers.
   The final itinerary is unlikely to be known before the first week of February, giving the chosen venues less than a month to make arrangements.
   ‘All in good time,’ a BCCI official told AFP. ‘Deadlines don’t worry us. As long as we make good money everything will be fine.’

England captain Michael Vaughan said Tuesday that completing a series win over South Africa was the highlight of his captaincy.
   England had a scare when they lost three quick wickets on the last afternoon of the fifth and final Test at Centurion Park but Vaughan batted for more than two hours until the game ended in a draw.
   ‘South Africa are a very difficult team to win against,’ said Vaughan.
   ‘The last session was the story of the whole series. We had to fight all the way. This was the best moment since I’ve been captain.’
   England won the series 2-1. They became the first team other than Australia to win a Test series in South Africa since the host nation returned to international cricket in 1991.
   England’s next major Test series is at home against world champions Australia later this year. Vaughan acknowledged: ‘Australia are by far the best team in the world and they seem to be getting better. We have to be realistic. We’ll have to be at our very best to beat them.’
   South African captain Graeme Smith said England would have to produce a better team effort than they did in South Africa if they were to beat Australia.
   ‘Both teams had a few key performers in this series but against Australia you need your whole team to perform. My money is still on Australia.’
   Smith said the series had been evenly fought.
   ‘The last afternoon at the Wanderers probably cost us the series,’ he said, referring to the fourth Test when South Africa lost all ten wickets after lunch on the last day.
   But Smith said he was confident that his young team had the potential to be among the world’s best within two years.’
   ‘We’ve learnt a lot of things. This side has got a lot of potential. Everyone needs to be patient with this team.’
   Vaughan agreed that the series had been close. He said different individuals had ‘put their hands up’ at crucial moments.

New Zealand cricket allrounder Jacob Oram has been sidelined for the immediate future after a scan revealed a bone injury in his back, New Zealand Cricket said Wednesday.
   Oram, 26, had the bone scan in Hamilton on Tuesday. He has been sidelined since January 9 with persistent back pain, feared to be a stress fracture.
   ‘The extent of the injury is yet to be determined but will become clearer in a few days after he has a CT (computed tomography) scan,’ NZC said.

Captain Steven Gerrard has sealed Liverpool’s place in next month’s League Cup final by scoring the winner in a gritty 1-0 victory over second division Watford.
   The England midfielder, who also scored in Liverpool’s 1-0 win in the first leg of their semi-final at Anfield, struck a neat right-foot shot into the corner in the 77th minute to round off a resilient display on Tuesday.
   In the final in Cardiff on February 27 Liverpool will face the winners of Wednesday’s match at Old Trafford between FA Cup holders Manchester United and Premier League leaders Chelsea. United and Chelsea drew the first leg 0-0.
   Liverpool’s victory put an end to a run of three consecutive defeats for Rafael Benitez’s side, including a highly embarrassing 1-0 FA Cup loss to another second division side, Burnley.
   They will be looking for their eighth League Cup success in Cardiff and match-winner Gerrard told Sky Sports television, ‘Watford have done really well and made it hard for us...but we had a game plan and it worked.’
   Watford’s hopes of a second major final after their 1984 FA Cup loss to Everton never looked like being realised, particularly after they had a first-half penalty appeal dismissed by referee Mike Riley.
   With Iceland’s Heidar Helguson starting out as a lone striker in front of a five-man midfield, Watford showed all the enthusiasm of a second division side playing on the big stage. But there was no disguising their limitations.
   Promising first-half runs by Jay DeMerit and Neal Ardley and a string of other moves were let down by poor passing when it mattered while Liverpool always looked more assured in possession despite a bumpy pitch.
   Benitez’s side had to wait until midway through the first half, though, to create their first scoring chance when Gerrard put Fernando Morientes in for a shot which keeper Paul Jones turned round the post for a corner.
   Liverpool followed up with a rapid breakaway led by Gerrard, who should have let fly instead of electing to pass as he steamed into the Watford area, but they too rode their luck just before the break.
   Watford’s French forward Hameur Bouazza went down in the box under a mis-timed challenge by Liverpool defender Steve Finnan but referee Riley waved away the penalty appeals.
   Watford made a brighter start to the second half, with left back Jermaine Darlington’s drive being blocked, while Morientes suffered the same fate at the other end.
   However, there was a dire shortage of clear-cut chances on a cold night at Vicarage Road and Liverpool looked ready to settle for a draw when Gerrard smacked home his shot from the edge of the area.
   Watford had been hoping for another upset after they trounced two other Premier League teams, Portsmouth and Southampton, at Vicarage Road in the previous rounds.
   Manager Ray Lewington said, ‘I’m disappointed because we genuinely did feel we had a chance going into this game.
   ‘But they did a very good job on us...they did all the nitty-gritty stuff well and we were really scratching to get chances on goal.’
   Liverpool’s win was marred when late substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle suffered knee ligament damage.
   Asked about the French striker’s condition, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said, ‘We need to wait, he needs to see the doctor. But I think it’s a bad injury.’
   Liverpool are already missing French striker Djibril Cisse for the rest of the season after he suffered a broken leg.

Italy superstar Paolo Maldini has poured ridicule on Jose Mourinho’s claim that John Terry is the best defender in the world.
   Maldini, regarded as one of the best defenders ever, claims Terry is not yet as good as either Arsenal’s Sol Campbell or Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand.
   Maldini said to the Daily Mirror, ‘John Terry is a very good young player who has been fantastic for Chelsea.’ But Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand are two of the best defenders in the world and have played at every level.
   ‘I remember from the World Cup in 2002 they were probably England’s best players.
   ‘Until John Terry has competed at that level and won major things then I don’t think he will play ahead of them yet.’ It is an assessment which will stun Blues fans and many neutrals all over the country.
   Terry, 24, has been consistently magnificent over recent seasons and has shone this term as Chelsea have taken a vice-like grip on the title race.
   Many observers agree that Terry’s leadership and defensive qualities make him invaluable to Chelsea’s glory charge.
   But Maldini is not convinced, and believes Terry may even have to wait until either Campbell or Ferdinand retires before he can claim a regular England place.
   He added, ‘I think that Terry can be an England international, of course. He has lots of time to wait for the other players to retire.
   ‘He is the captain for his club and that is always a fine quality for a defender to have. Even if he has to wait two or three years he will still be young enough to play for a long time for his country. But you have to earn the chance to play for your country and he has not done that yet.
   ‘Like I said, Campbell and Ferdinand are two of the best players in the world. How strange would it be for the manager to say to one of them ‘You are not playing because I want to play a defender who has not proved himself yet’?
   ‘It would not be right and it would not be fair.’ Maldini’s comments are almost certain to act as a spur to Terry, hugely respected by his Chelsea team-mates as well as the club’s hierarchy.
   The centre-back’s desire was plain for all to see as he brooded with anger in the hours after the club’s Champions League defeat to Porto - even though Mourinho’s men had already qualified as the easy group winners.
   This season he has not only prevented goals, he has scored them too, netting against Paris St Germain, Porto, CSKA Moscow and Arsenal.
   But it was his composure at the back which led Mourinho to elevate the star above Campbell, Ferdinand and AC Milan’s Alessandro Nesta.

A crowd of 52,000 packed the AufSchalke Arena on Tuesday to see Germany draw 2-2 with a Bundesliga Allstars side in a match expected to raise 4.6 million euros ($6 million) for the Asian tsunami relief fund.
   Bernd Schneider and Gerald Asamoah scored for Germany but the biggest cheer of the night was for Dutch international striker Roy Makaay who struck with a stunning first-half volley.
   Slovakia’s Marek Mintal was the other goalscorer for a strong Bundesliga international selection.
   Germany, the 2006 World Cup hosts, have no competitive matches to prepare for the tournament and coach Juergen Klinsmann took advantage of the extra date on the calendar to play his strongest available team in the first half.
   Klinsmann would have been satisfied with the way his team controlled the opening 45 minutes, with Michael Ballack and Schneider dominating midfield.
   Schneider warmed the crowd on a freezing night when he received the ball just outside the box and floated a shot past French goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz in the 26th minute.
   Makaay got the equaliser two minutes later when he played a one-two with Brazilian forward Marcelinho and smashed the ball
   on the volley past his Bayern Munich team mate Oliver Kahn.
   Germany were ahead again almost immediately when Asamoah crept in front of Warmuz and bundled in a cross at the near post. A minute later, Kahn saved point-blank from Marcelinho.
   Jens Lehmann, who has lost his Arsenal place but still hopes to dislodge Kahn in time for the World Cup, had an unhappy start to his night when he was beaten by Mintal from close range five minutes after coming on as a halftime substitute.
   German private donations to victims of the tsunami now exceed 450 million euros, according to relief organisations.
   In addition, German firms have pledged more than 25 million euros while the government has pledged official aid of 500 million euros over three years.
   Sixty Germans are known to have died in the disaster while some 593 are still missing.

Chelsea’s low-profile, nine-million-pound keeper Petr Cech may have proved the club’s most efficient and valuable signing should runaway leaders Chelsea win the Premiership title this season.
   By the end of last summer’s spending spree, Chelsea had spent a staggering 210 million pounds (392 million dollars) in less than 13 months since Russian money machine Roman Abramovich bought the club.
   Cech, who joined from modest French club Rennes last summer on a five-year contract, is proving to be a priceless addition.
   He has conceded a miserly eight goals as an everpresent in the Blues’ 24 Premiership games, and kept clean sheets for the last seven of those.
   With 14 games remaining he is on course to beat the Premiership record for fewest goals conceded in a season, currently standing to Arsenal at 17 in the 1998/99 season.
   The all-time record in the English top flight division stands to Liverpool who let in only 16 goals in 42 games in the 1978/79 season.
   Cech’s quiet efficiency belies his huge worth to manager Jose Mourinho.
   Media hype does not surround the 22-year-old, barring an outburst at referee Graham Poll in December, while the likes of Arsenal keepers Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia and United custodian Roy Carroll have been in the public eye for gaffs and below-par performances.
   Admittedly the Chelsea defence, superbly marshalled by England central defender John Terry, has been a huge factor in keeping their goals against column so low, but before joining Chelsea, Cech had a consistent record for both club and country.
   The 1.97m (6ft 5in) number one keeper for the Czechs conceded just five goals in eight matches in Euro 2004 qualifying, and could do nothing about Greece’s winning goal in the semi-finals in Portugal.
   And for Sparta Prague, he set a national record of not conceding a goal for 1,120 minutes in all competitions including domestic, Champions League and Under-21 matches. A studied look at his achievements show him to be the goalkeeping equivalent of a stone wall.
   And how Arsenal boss Arsenal Wenger and Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson must be looking at Stamford Bridge with envy.
   Forget that Tottenham were denied victory when the referee failed to spot the goal to spark off the debate about the use of video evidence. Neutral observers would say it was simply a monumental gaffe.
   Arsenal have conceded more than three times the goals of Chelsea, 25 in 23 matches. The often erratic performances of keepers Almunia and Lehmann may have scuppered their title chances.
   Cech plied his trade in France for Brittany-side Rennes after signing from Sparta Prague in 2002 but moved to Chelsea following Euro 2004.
   He first turned professional in 1998 as a 16-year-old at Czech club Viktoria Plzen before moving to Chmel Blsany one year later for a two-year stint.
   Just 27 apppearances in two seasons was enough to convince Sparta Prague, arguably the biggest club in the country, to make Cech their number one keeper.
   He was a star at the Under-21 European championships in 2002, helping the Czech side to the title where he was instrumental in the penalty shootout defeat of a talented French side in the final.
   Karel Bruckner took over the national coaching job in December, 2001 and immediately made Cech his first choice keeper as the Czech Republic set out on their impressive qualifying campaign for Euro 2004.
   Cech’s contract with Chelsea secured his financial future and propelled him into the spotlight thanks to Champions League football.

Inter Milan say Real Madrid and Chelsea transfer target Adriano is going nowhere.
   The Brazilian striker caused a storm in Italy on Monday when he told Spanish TV programme ‘El Dia Despues’ that he’d like to play for Real one day.
   And the English tabloids claim Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will make a £50million bid for Adriano in the summer.
   But Inter reacted furiously to the speculation on Tuesday night, with club president Giacinto Facchetti saying the striker is not for sale.
   ‘Adriano’s staying put,’ Facchetti told the club’s official website.
   ‘Messages from Spain, Madrid and the Spanish press arrive every few days, but there’s no truth in them.
   ‘He even confirmed in the same interview that he wants Inter, that he wants to stay at Inter and that he likes this shirt. He has such a good rapport with the Inter fans that none of this is true.’
   Facchetti continued, ‘I don’t know if at the end of his career in 10 years’ time he’ll want to try new experiences, but for now he wants to win with Inter and stay at Inter for a long time.
   ‘I should add that we’re a bit tired of all these messages from Spain.
   ‘Have I spoken to Florentino Perez? Yes, before Christmas, but just to exchange greetings. He made a joke about Adriano, but I didn’t give any importance to it and I said ‘leave it alone’.’
   Adriano had told Spanish TV, ‘I hope to win a title here and maybe in the future play for Real Madrid.’
   The 22-year-old said he was fully aware of Perez’s intention to take him to the Santiago Bernabeu.
   ‘I know (about the interest) and I am very happy and grateful to him (Perez) for it because he has a special affection for me,’ Adriano continued.
   ‘I hope that in the future I can make my dream come true and his also.
   ‘I am grateful they are following my performances and for being interested in making me a player for his club.’

Liverpool were reported Wednesday to have approached Newcastle United over striker Craig Bellamy who has said he wants to leave after a highly-public row with manager Graeme Souness.
   Bellamy was fined 80,000 pounds, equivalent to two weeks’ wages, on Tuesday after calling Souness a liar and admitting he had told team-mates he would feign injury to avoid playing out on the wing instead of centre-forward in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.
   The former Coventry and Norwich forward did not train with the rest of the first-team squad on Tuesday, instead working in the gym, and The Guardian reported Wednesday Liverpool were interested if Newcastle drop their 10 million pound valuation of the player.
   ‘There’s no doubt about it, I am out of here,’ the Wales international said.
   ‘I won’t apologise because I have done nothing wrong. I know I am not wanted.’
   Newcastle would normally value Bellamy in the 10 million pound class, but his furious fall-out with Souness means the cost will drop.
   Liverpool insiders reveal they would do business at around 4 to 5 million pounds because their forward line lacks goals and sparkle without Djibril Cisse whose broken leg rules him out for the rest of the season.

Athletic Bilbao came from a goal down to earn a 3-2 win at home to second division Valladolid in the first leg of their King’s Cup quarter-final on Tuesday.
   The Basque side fell behind to an early goal from Valladolid midfielder Inaki but fought back to take a 3-1 lead with 11 minutes to go only to see Valladolid keep their chances alive when they converted a late penalty.
   Valladolid, who upset favourites Real Madrid on away goals in the last round, made a confident start at a rain-sodden San Mames as they put together some quick-breaking attacks in the opening minutes.
   They received a reward for their efforts when Inaki
   slid an angled shot past keeper Inaki Lafuente in the ninth minute after a cross had bobbled across the area and through the legs of Bilbao midfielder Tiko.

Communist North Korea is giving cash, cars and houses to motivate its footballers, who are determined to beat Asian champions and political rivals Japan in next month’s World Cup qualifier match, a report said Wednesday.
   ‘We are sure that we will win. We’ve been strongly motivated. We shall beat them for sure,’ Kyodo News quoted North Korea’s sports guidance commission vice secretariat director Ri Hyon as saying.
   ‘We’ve given a huge amount of bonus, the latest model of houses and high-class cars to the players according to their achievements’ in international games, he said.
   North Korea will take on Japan at the Saitama stadium near Tokyo on February 9, amid political tensions over the Stalinist state’s abductions of Japanese civilians during the Cold War.
   Japan and North Korea will meet each other in a second leg in Pyongyang on June 8 in a tough group which also includes Iran and Bahrain, to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.