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Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar did not rule out the chance of pulling off a few more victories during their tour of Sri Lanka for a two-Test and three-ODI series next month.
   ‘No doubt Sri Lanka are very strong opponents and they are far ahead of us in many ways. But we are also an improved side.
   ‘So it would not be a surprise if we win one or two matches against them in the coming series,’ said an upbeat Bashar while talking to reporters at the Sonargaon Hotel on Tuesday.
   Bashar joined up with the team for light training session that featured only swimming in hotel pool after missing the first day’s practice due to his late arrival from the United States. He went to the USA with his family immediately after the successful England tour.
   The Bangladesh captain hopes to maintain a good success ratio so that no one can say any of their victories in future was an upset.
   ‘We have won a few matches recently. But I hope to get it more frequently.
   ‘It will stop the other people terming our success as upset,’ said the prolific right-handed batsmen who played a vital role in the stunning victory over the world champions Australia last month.
   Talking on the issue raised by a section of the local media that he should have more say in the team selection, Bashar said he won’t mind if the BCB gives him some authority in selecting the team.
   ‘But it is not on the top of his personal agenda.
   ‘Having a role in the selection process will be nice though I don’t have any problem with the present system.’

A fine century from the experienced Glamorgan batsman Mike Powell kept Bangladesh ‘A’ team at bay for the first few hours of the three-day match that began at Abergavenny on Tuesday.
   Till filling this report Glamorgan reached 325 for six in 75 overs and were heading towards a big total after they decided to bat first after winning the toss.
   Powell scored 111 facing 145 balls before holing out to Shahadat Hossain off Talha Jubair.
   His 17th first-class century in 132 matches featured 11 fours and six sixes.
   Bangladesh A bowlers enjoyed some early success against the Welsh side but could not keep up the pressure.
   Shahadat Hossain trapped opener Daniel Cherry in front only for four before left-handed medium pacer Syed Russell removed first-class debutant Ryan Watkinson for 13.
   Other opener Mark Wallace looked dangerous as he raced to 51 hitting six fours and two sixes off only 69 balls but Talha got rid of him without giving further chance.
   Wicketkeeper Shaheen took the catch leaving the home side tottering on 90 for three.
   The match looked evenly-poised when Russell and Enamul Haque took two more wickets in quick succession.
   Jonathan Hughes was lbw to Russell for 13 before O’Shea (10) gave a catch to Mehrab Hossain Jr off Enamul.
   After Glamorgan lost their fifth wicket for 148 runs, Powell took charge of the batting and continued it until Talha showed him the way to the dressing-room.
   He was ably assisted by England international Alex Wharf. The duo put on 143 in the fifth wicket partnership.
   Wharf, a bowling all-rounder who played 13 one-day matches for England, was unbeaten on 76 by then.
   His 117-ball innings saw nine fours and two sixes. Robert Croft, the former England off-spinner and now the captain of Glamorgan, was with him on 24 runs.

Farashganj 1 Sheikh Russell 0
   Sheikh Russell started their Premier Division Football League campaign with a 0-1 loss against Farashganj and on Tuesday they opened their return league mission against the same team but the result was just the reverse. This time Sheikh Russell won 1-0 to go one place up of Farashganj.
   The even fight between the two mid-of-the-table teams did not produce the expected electricity as Farashganj missed the services of their Nigerian playmaker Adafa because of three yellow cards and Scila Fode was in Bangkok to tie his nuptial knot. Sheikh Russell missed their regular custodian Biplob and skipper Yigir as both of them were suspended for two matches. However, Apel, who replaced Biplob under the Russell bar, gave a decent display of goalkeeping in his first match of the season.
   The first half was dull as both the teams were searching for the players who could score a goal. All the attacks of the both teams stopped in front of the D-boxes. Sheikh Russell came close to scoring a goal on two occasions in the 20th and 44th minutes. Aminul’s long range left-footer was fisted away by Farashganj goalie Zia and Moroccan Majid Burzuga spot jump was too early for heading a Tanveer cross from a close range.
   Farashganj’s Nigerian striker Felex was in the dark as he found few resources from the midfield. At last he started with his solo efforts but all in vain. His angular shot in the 68th minute was fisted out by a diving Apel
   Majid Burzuga scored the match winner in the 72nd minute as Tanveer initiated a short free-kick from the right flank and Nayan floated the ball into the Farashganj box. Majid this time rose timely to head the ball that took a defection off the inside edge of the post before crashing into the net.
   Sheikh Russell and substitute striker Yousuf were unfortunate in the 90th minute as Yusuf’s high ball beat an outrushing Zia but sailed over the bar.
   Sheikh Russell now have 15 points while Farashganj remained on their previous 14.

New Zealand’s controversial tour of Zimbabwe appears certain to go ahead, despite the passing of a resolution by Parliament on Tuesday calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to cancel the trip.
   New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark proposed the resolution, that was eventually carried 110-10, asking the ICC and NZC to cancel next month’s tour due to concerns over human rights abuses under Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
   However, NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said the resolution did not change their obligations under the ICC’s Future Tours programme and they would still be liable for a fine of at least $2 million should they withdraw.
   ‘We understand the views of those opposed to the tour of Zimbabwe and fully appreciate Parliament and the government’s position,’ Snedden said in a statement.
   ‘New Zealand Cricket, however, has a contractual obligation to tour Zimbabwe under the Future Tours programme. The parliamentary motion does not change this obligation.
   ‘The consequences of not touring are open ended and would be disastrous to all levels of the game of cricket in New Zealand.’
   Members of the squad left on Monday for a pre-tour training camp in Namibia before the trip to Zimbabwe, which will contain two tests and a triangular one-day tournament that also includes India. Clark earlier told Parliament the New Zealand government had ‘long been outspoken against the growing authoritarianism and abuses of the Mugabe regime.
   ‘New Zealand Cricket has been undoubtedly placed in a difficult position by the International Cricket Council. The New Zealand government has asked the International Cricket Council to cancel the tour and to change its rules so that tours can be called off on the grounds of gross human rights violations.
   ‘The International Cricket Council has refused and made it clear that the impositions of penalties on New Zealand Cricket could only be avoided if the government passes legislation here in New Zealand making the tour to Zimbabwe illegal. The government is not prepared to support such legislation. Freedom of passage to and from this country is a basic right enjoyed by New Zealanders.’

England’s itinerary for this winter’s tour of Pakistan is likely to be announced this week following lengthy discussions between officials from the respective boards.
   David Morgan and Shahryar Khan, chairmen of the ECB and PCB, met at Lord’s at the weekend, with the hosting of games in Karachi at the top of the agenda.
   England, who acted on the report of two security experts who visited the city last month, have declined to play a Test there, but Shahryar arrived hoping to persuade them to agree to two ODIs instead.
   It seems unlikely that the ECB will do that, especially as rumours have been circulating that some players have grown uneasy about visiting Pakistan in the light of the terrorist attacks in London.
   A compromise of just one ODI in Karachi might be acceptable, but this could be quashed by player unrest.
   ‘I had impromptu talks with Shahryar Khan at Lord’s and the boards were in agreement about the itinerary for the tour,’ Morgan said at the weekend. ‘Now all we are awaiting is approval from the Pakistan government. I would hope that we will be able to confirm the schedule within the next few days.’
   England’s concerns have been exacerbated by the revelation that several of the suicide bombers who attacked London had been trained in Pakistan.
   In the aftermath of the attacks, President Musharraf order a clampdown on suspected militants, with police making more than 300 arrests.
   It seems that for the second successive winter ECB officials will be attempting to convince players to trust their security assessments.
   In 2004 it was Zimbabwe, and now it is Pakistan. At the back of the ECB’s thoughts will be the threat of a tit-for-tat cancellation of next summer’s tour by Pakistan if England decide not to honour their commitment.

Jubilant Australian newspapers smelled blood in the Ashes series Tuesday, predicting England captain Michael Vaughan would be undermined and become paceman Glenn McGrath’s ‘bunny’.
   Celebrating Australia’s crushing 239-run victory in the first Test at Lord’s, the Daily Telegraph pronounced ‘Battered British on the brink of crisis’.
   ‘(Captain) Ricky Ponting has turned a searing spotlight on faltering England captain Michael Vaughan by announcing Australia’s intention to make him Glenn McGrath’s next bunny,’ the paper said.
   A ‘bunny’ in cricket parlance is a batsman who becomes psychologically unnerved to the extent he regularly falls victim to a particular bowler.
   ‘McGrath vows to torment Vaughan,’ was the headline in The Australian.
   ‘Australia’s plan to further destabilise England in the Ashes series will centre on captain Michael Vaughan and his inability to counter the world champions’ premier paceman, Glenn McGrath,’ the paper said.
   ‘Of all the familiar frailties exposed by Australia in the first Test, the sight of an England captain under pressure provoked the most powerful sense of deja vu,’ said the Sydney Morning Herald.
   ‘Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath knew it. They said they would target Michael Vaughan relentlessly throughout the Ashes as he becomes the latest in a long line of England skippers to confront a personal form crisis while searching for a way to drag his team back’ from a drubbing in the first Test.
   McGrath has dismissed Vaughan five times in six Tests and clean-bowled him for three in the first innings at Lords, bowling a total of 21 balls to him in two innings for just one run.
   ‘I don’t think he likes facing Glenn to tell the truth,’ Ponting told a post-match news conference. ‘You’ll see McGrath bowling to Vaughan a lot more.’
   ‘If you get on top of the captain it can affect the whole team,’ said McGrath.
   In the second innings Vaughan fell to Brett Lee for four.
   Under the headline ‘The captain’s curse’, the Daily Telegraph listed a string of skippers it says were demoralised by rampant Australian teams.
   They include three England captains—Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart—whose careers, the paper claims, never recovered from thrashings by Australia.

The Bangladesh Hockey Federation at its executive committee meeting on Tuesday has decided to serve a show-cause notice on the Pakistani coach, Qamar Ibrahim, for leaving the country last week without informing them.
   Qamar, who stayed at the centre of controversy most of the time since his appointment as the national coach last year, left the country on July 21 surreptitiously, only 10 days after he arrived here after a long absence.
   The BHF officials came to know from his compatriot, Ershad Haider, the trainer of the national team, that he went to Germany to buy some important coaching software.
   However, this appeared as a complete lie to the BHF officials as Qamar had never told them the necessity of any such software.
   It is now crystal clear to all, if not to the BHF officials, that the controversial coach had come here only to take his salaries, which remained unpaid due to his absence. And he was apparently successful in his mission.

The ICC has said that the final decision on Sourav Ganguly’s six-match ban for slow over-rates may be taken on Thursday, July 28.
   India play their first tri-series match against hosts Sri Lanka two days later in a competition that also involves West Indies.
   Justice Albie Sachs, the South African judge adjudicating Ganguly’s appeal, has told the ICC that he was hoping to announce his decision on Thursday, cricket’s governing body said in a release.
   The BCCI had appealed to the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee about the ban that had been imposed on Ganguly during the one-day series against Pakistan in April.
   The BCCI had initially appealed against the ban, but it was turned down by ICC Appeals Commissioner Michael Beloff.
   The board disputed the process that was used to deal with Ganguly’s first appeal, and sought to appeal again.
   Ganguly has been provisionally included in the Indian squad as the 16th member, on the condition that he would travel to Sri Lanka only if the ban was lifted.

Australia opening batsman Justin Langer believes the stranglehold established by bowling greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne during the first Ashes Test will be too strong for England’s batsmen to break in the remainder of the series.
   During the course of Australia’s crushing 239-run victory, which preserved their 71-year-old unbeaten Test record at Lord’s, man-of-the-match McGrath returned overall figures of nine for 82 and in the process the paceman joined Warne as one of only four bowlers with 500 Test wickets.
   A key component in the success of both McGrath and leg-spinner Warne - who himself took six wickets at Lord’s - has been their ability to frustrate batsmen by denying them run-scoring opportunities.
   And it was this aspect of the 35-year-old duo’s game, as much as their wicket-taking ability, that Langer said would hamper England’s bid to end a run of eight straight Ashes series defeats.
   ‘I look at the times when I’ve faced Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh in tandem or Muttiah Muralitharan and Wasim Akram in tandem. There is immense pressure - and the immense pressure comes from not being able to score runs.
   ‘This might sound strange but when you are in one of those MRI (scanning) machines, it feels like you are in a coffin and you can get claustrophobic and that’s what I think happens when you face the best bowlers in the world.
   ‘It’s like you are in a coffin because you get claustrophobic because you can’t score runs,’ the 34-year-old West Australian explained.
   ‘It’s like they’ve got a fishing net around you and the great pressure as a batsman in international cricket is when you can’t score runs.
   ‘It’s not the pace of the bowlers you are facing or the physical side of things. Glenn McGrath is not particularly fast and Shane Warne is not going to physically hurt you but you just can’t score runs off them and that puts any batsman under huge pressure.’
   The frustration for England ahead of next month’s second Test at Edgbaston is that while their batsmen are struggling - they were bowled out for under 200 in both innings at Lord’s - their pace attack commands Australian respect.
   Fast bowler Stephen Harmison in particular enhanced his reputation with five for 43 in Australia’s first innings 190.
   Harmison’s aggression saw Langer hit on the elbow by second ball of the match. The Durham quick also hit Matthew Hayden flush on the helmet and Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the cheek.
   An admiring Langer admitted: ‘I felt as much pressure in that first session as when I played my first Test against one of the great West Indian attacks.
   ‘In 1993, for my first test against Ambrose, Walsh, (Ian) Bishop etc, I felt so out of my depth because of the pressure they were putting on.
   ‘To a degree, I felt there was a similar degree of pressure being put on us by Harmison and (Andrew) Flintoff in that first session on Thursday.’
   But with England’s ‘go-to’ duo likely to shoulder a huge burden, Langer questioned whether they could sustain that form over the duration of a five-Test series.
   ‘We have shown over a long time that we can sustain pressure because we have got a lot of great players who know how to do that,’ Langer, who has scored 6,653 runs in 89 Tests at an average of over 46 with 21 hundreds, added.
   ‘We have a lot of experience. England have relatively less experience so our players have the ability and know-how to sustain pressure for a long time. That’s why they’ve been great or very good individual players and that’s why we’ve had a great or very good Test team.
   ‘Can England reproduce that? I’d be surprised if they lose their enthusiasm after one Test. There’s no reason why you can’t do it every time. But whether they have the hunger and steel to do that, only time will tell.’

Shane Warne insisted here Tuesday that England had paid the price for getting caught up in the hype surrounding the Ashes after Australia’s crushing 239-run first Test win at Lord’s.
   ‘I think what certain players said in the build-up was important. It was surprising to hear some of them come out with such strong opinions,’ Warne wrote in his column in The Times.
   ‘I just don’t think it is in the personality of everybody to make big statements such as ‘so-and-so is over the top’ and I think they suffered during the game by trying to live up to something that was not true to their character,’ the legendary leg-spinner added.
   ‘You are positive with actions, not words. If they were told to do it then the tactic backfired.’
   In the build-up to the game, England pace bowler Matthew Hoggard, not renowned for his outspokenness, suggested to BBC Radio that Warne was ‘not the force he was’.
   He also called into question the stamina and form of the master slow bowler’s fellow 35-year-old Glenn McGrath.
   As it turned out, fast bowler McGrath took nine for 82 on his way to being named man-of-the-match and becoming one of only four bowlers, including Warne, to take 500 Test wickets.
   Both he and Warne, who took four for 64 in England’s second innings, each dismissed Hoggard for nought and, as well as his pair, the 28-year-old Yorkshire seamer returned modest match figures of three for 96 in 24 overs.
   Warne, who captains Kevin Pietersen at Hampshire, said that while it was fine for the 25-year-old South African-born batsman, whose Test debut saw him top-score with half-centuries in both innings (57 and 64 not out), to make bold statements, his team-mates didn’t have to tread the same path.
   ‘A guy like Pietersen will go through his career making outrageous claims. It suits him and he thinks he can back everything up,’ Warne explained.
   ‘That is the man,’ added Warne, Pietersen’s greatest supporter in his bid for a Test cap. ‘There isn’t any point telling him to tone down his act, but that doesn’t mean the quieter guys have to follow suit.
   ‘A few of them seemed to get caught up in the hype.’
   Warne, now just 11 wickets away from becoming the first man to take 600 in Tests, insisted he didn’t intend to fall into the same trap despite Australia, winners of the last eight Ashes series, taking this year’s opener with more than a day to spare.
   ‘When England had a bit of success in the one-day series, I suggested that people should wait until the middle of September to celebrate.
   ‘Today, I’d like to give the same advice to Australians who may think that the Ashes are as good as retained after the win at Lord’s.’
   Warne admitted he’d gained greatly from two days training with spin guru Terry Jenner, the former Australia Test leg-break bowler who was in the country to take part in an England and Wales Cricket Board coaching programme.
   ‘He felt that the ball was coming out of my hand beautifully, but the alignment of the action was not quite right, Warne explained.
   ‘After a couple of good, long sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, I felt more confident and the results are there to see. Whatever you have achieved, there is always room to improve.’
   Warne, in his last attempt at the feat, just fell short of taking five wickets in a Test innings at Lord’s and getting his name on the dressing room honours board.
   ‘That doesn’t really matter,’ Warne insisted. ‘I must admit it was a real thrill to walk through the Long Room every time and see my portrait on the wall. I still feel I have left a mark.’

Lance Armstrong’s triumphant farewell to cycling Sunday in Paris with his seventh consecutive Tour de France victory brought praise from across America, including a call from US President George W. Bush.
   Bush telephoned Armstrong, a fellow Texan, shortly after the finish from his retreat in Camp David, Maryland, said White House spokeswoman Christie Parell.
   ‘Our country and the world are incredibly proud of you,’ Bush told Armstrong, adding that his victory was ‘a great triumph of the human spirit’ and ‘a testament not only to your athletic talent but to your courage’.
   Armstrong had testicular cancer in 1996 that spread to his lungs and brain and was supposed to kill him but instead he survived and made an amazing comeback to win an unprecedented seven Tour de France titles in a row.
   US actress Ashley Judd, watching her Scottish auto racer husband Dario Franchitti finish second Sunday in Milwaukee, said, ‘I would like to send my congratulations to Lance - really awesome accomplishment.’
   The Austin American-Statesman, Armstrong’s hometown newspaper, related the story Sunday of Terese Wier, who penned a tribute tune to Armstrong and made it available on the internet even before his singer-girlfriend Sheryl Crow could.
   Wier’s ‘Je t’aime Lance’, or ‘I Love You Lance’, is a snappy acoustic song honoring Armstrong.
   ‘I dreamt the first verse and chorus, and the rest flowed pretty well,’ Wier said. ‘It’s a great lighthearted celebration of Lance and what he’s done for our community.’
   Her lyrics include: ‘There’s a guy named Lance, Who rides his bike in France, As he weaves in and out, He hears everyone shout, ‘Go Lance. Go Lance.’
   ‘He’s a miracle man, He beat cancer - you can, He’s helping others today, To live strong each day... They call him mon ami, All around Paris, When he goes flyin’ by, All the French girls cry...
   ‘Who knew a blue-eyed boy from Texas would ride rings around the world?’
   Pondering life on two feet instead of two wheels, Armstrong told Outside magazine that he might consider a run for governor of Texas after 2006.
   Armstrong’s political hint drew support from US Senator John Kerry, the Democrat who failed in a bid for the US Presidency last year against Bush.
   ‘He would be a force. I just hope it’s for the right party,’ Kerry said. ‘He’s a terrific person with an unbelievable personal story and he understands the seriousness of a number of different choices and issues.
   ‘What has made him so special in the Tour de France and as an athlete is his level of focus, discipline, intelligence, strategic ability and obviously his endurance - his ability to just take it on and go. You’ve got to do all those things.’
   Tom Udall, a US Representative from New Mexico, called Armstrong ‘an American icon both on and off the bike’ and added: ‘He embodies hope and determination... He has been a positive role model for people of all ages.
   ‘From raising awareness of cancer to encouraging active healthy lifestyles, Lance has been an inspiration to millions of people around the world.’
   Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka also paid tribute to Armstrong, although some details of the effort escaped the retired American football mastermind.
   ‘Look at that guy in France riding that bike,’ Ditka said. ‘I have no idea what he’s doing over there. But do you understand how hard that is? Get on your bike and ride for 10 minutes and tell me how you feel. And this guy is going to win again? This guy is going to live his dream again? That’s just amazing.’
   Many Americans have trouble deciphering the Tour’s stage format, most not paying enough attention to understand the time gains mountainous stages can bring and the reasons behind teamwork and allowing rivals to win other stages.
   Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski admitted: ‘I don’t understand how any of this works. I’ve been following the Tour de France since Armstrong started winning and I still don’t get it. Stages? Time trials?
   ‘And I’m not the only one who is mystified. Last week, a man called to ask if ‘Armstrong had caught that guy Pyrenees for the lead.’ I had to say, ‘Uh, Pyrenees is not a person. It’s a mountain range.’
   ‘To which he replied: ‘Oh, so he did catch him?’’
   He later noted: ‘Hey, stupid people should be allowed to enjoy the Tour de France, too.’
   Albert Lucas, a 45-year-old juggler, set a world record Friday in South Carolina by juggling seven rings with one hand and dedicated the mark to Armstrong, wearing a replica of the US cycling star’s team jersey for the feat.
   ‘Lance has been an inspiration to me and a lot of other people,’ Lucas said. ‘It’s fabulous what he’s done, the ultimate comeback story. What I did was my way of paying tribute.’
   Lucas used rings that were painted yellow and inscribed ‘Live Strong’ to resemble the wristbands Armstrong uses to raise money for cancer research.
   ‘Unlike Lance, who is retiring with seven, I’m going for eight (rings) with one hand someday,’ Lucas said. ‘Like Lance has proven, nothing is impossible.’

Geoffrey Boycott has urged England’s batsmen to study video to work out how to combat Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in the remaining Ashes Tests.
   The pair took 15 wickets between them in Australia’s 239-run win at Lord’s.
   Boycott told Radio Five Live the batsmen should have done their homework, especially on how to deal with Warne, before the series started.
   ‘I’d have been sat next to a TV screen playing it hundreds of times until I got it very clear in my mind,’ he said.
   ‘I am aware that whatever you watch on television isn’t quite like being in the middle, so you need to spend a little time playing him. But it does help if you’ve seen video and you’ve got a reasonably good idea what he’s bowling.’
   He continued: ‘(Kevin) Pietersen batted beautifully. Maybe he’s lucky, he plays at Hampshire with Warne, and maybe he’s played against him in the nets.
   ‘Maybe Shane Warne hasn’t bowled all his types of delivery (at him), but I’m sure he’s bowled some of them and when he’s been bowling in matches, Pietersen’s been able to watch his hand.
   ‘If you watched the way Pietersen played and the other players played against Shane Warne, it’s clear Pietersen has a huge advantage and played him very well.’
   Boycott said watching the ball as it left Warne’s hand was the key.
   ‘Years ago when I first started, you hardly had TV replays - we didn’t have that facility.
   ‘Today they can study Warne’s hand, they can study how he bowls the slider, the top-spinner, how he bowls the leg-spinner out of the top of his hand, out the side of his hand.
   ‘They should be watching that for as long as they need to watch it, so they can work out what he’s bowling.’
   Boycott was asked how he would have coped with McGrath, who is only the second seam bowler in history to reach 500 Test wickets.
   ‘Get a single down to the other end and watch someone else play him. The key is, are you good enough to get that single?’ he replied.
   Boycott questioned the wisdom of preventing England captain Michael Vaughan playing in Yorkshire’s Championship game this week following scores of three and four at Lord’s.
   Former England fast bowler Fred Trueman, meanwhile, told the Yorkshire Post newspaper there was a clear flaw in Vaughan’s technique.
   ‘If you watch him carefully, his bat isn’t coming down straight at the moment. It’s more or less pointing in the direction of mid-on.’

Kevin Pietersen is confident England will bounce back from their first-Test defeat against Australia in the next match at Edgbaston.
   England slumped to a 239-run defeat in the Ashes opener at Lord’s but Pietersen, who made his debut in that match, is ready to lead the fightback.
   Pietersen was one of England’s few stars at Lord’s, scoring a half-century in both innings, even though he did drop three catches.
   ‘I fully expect us to give a good account of ourselves in Birmingham and, based on the recent record of this England team, it would be foolish of anyone to write us off,’ he said his column in the Daily Mail. ‘There is still a long way to go and we have taken quite a few positives, such as Steve Harmison’s fantastic bowling, out of the Lord’s game.’ Pietersen was pleased with his batting performance but admits he is at a loss to explain his fielding errors.
   ‘I always said I would try to seize the moment, although that was reflected more in my batting than my fielding.
   ‘There are times when you have to remind yourself that playing cricket is always better than doing an ordinary job sat behind a computer screen and that was the case when those catches went down.
   ‘It is a mystery to me why it happened as I am usually a good catcher and practise my fielding skills very hard - I always ask for extra catches as part of my routine.’

West Indies paceman Tino Best has been fined 50 percent of his match fee for bowling ‘beamers’ during the second Test defeat by Sri Lanka.
   Best was suspended from bowling in the second innings of the match after bowling two fast, full-pitched deliveries. He had been warned in the first innings after a similar offence.
   The International Cricket Council said on Tuesday that Best had been found guilty by match referee Mike Procter of an offence that was not within the spirit of the game.
   ‘Players need to be careful that they do not bowl in this manner. It has no place within the laws or spirit of the game,’ Procter said.
   Sri Lanka won the second Test by 240 runs on Monday to take the series 2-0.

Worcestershire have revealed that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is with the club on a pay-as-you-play contract.
   He was unable to play against Yorkshire two weeks ago because of a calf strain and the amount he earns for the rest of the summer depends on him staying fit.
   ‘He is here on the basis that he will do well if he appears and performs,’ said chief executive Mark Newton.
   ‘If he doesn’t do either of those things, then he will not be costing the club a lot of money.’
   Shoaib showed his value to the side by taking 6-47 in the first innings of their last Championship game against Northants, but it failed to prevent them suffering an 82-run defeat.
   But they are fourth in the Division Two table, just nine points behind third placed Yorkshire, and in contention for a promotion spot.
   ‘Shoaib has come here for two reasons - to try and resurrect his own career and, we hope, to win us some games,’ Newton added.
   ‘The contract is very incentive linked and appearance linked. We have never done this with a player before because we do not think it is ideal in terms of the team culture.
   ‘But Shoaib was delighted to come to Worcestershire on that basis and what he did at Northampton last week is what we have brought him here for.’
   Shoaib was left out of the Pakistan squad for a home series against India and tour to West Indies earlier this year but the selectors were not satisfied about his fitness.
   He had to return home early from Australia last winter because of a hamstring problem.

Thailand’s Paradorn Sricha-phan ousted sixth seed Mario Ancic of Croatia 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 on Monday and seventh seed Sebastien Grosjean also exited from a 380,000-dollar ATP tournament here.
   Paradorn, 44th in the latest ATP rankings, dumped 30th-rated Ancic to book a second-round match at the US Open hardcourt tuneup event against American wild card Paul Goldstein, who ousted France’s Cyril Saulnier 6-4, 6-4.
   Agassi’s second-round foe would be American Kevin Kim, who defeated Denmark’s Kenneth Carlsen 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4.
   Brazil’s Ricardo Mello eliminated Grosjean 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. The lefthander advanced to a second round match against either a qualifier or American wild card Cecil Mamit.
   Also advancing were Juan Ignacio Chela, who beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-4, and Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, who beat South Korea’s Lee Hyung-Taik 6-3, 6-4.

Inter Milan launched their pre-season tour of England with a 2-1 win over second division Leicester City on Monday.
   The Serie A side announced on Saturday they were pulling out of the tour because of safety fears following the London bombings earlier this month, only to reverse their decision 24 hours later.
   Leicester were sunk by goals from Santiago Solari and Lampros Choutos. Substitute Chris O’Grady replied with a penalty for the home team.
   Roberto Mancini’s side will continue their four-match tour with a game against second division Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
   Coach Mancini said his players were not unduly worried about playing in London.
   ‘From Milan to Rome to London, the fear is the same,’ he told reporters. ‘There’s not a huge fear because of playing in London, any more than playing in other places.’
   Inter are also due to play Premier League Portsmouth and second division Norwich City on their tour.

Korean Park Ji-sung scored his first goal for the club as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 pre-season win over Chinese side Beijing Guo'an on Tuesday.
   The Premier League side wasted several good opportunities in the first half, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy being the worst culprit, before midfielder Paul Scholes headed a precise cross into the corner of the net in the 40th minute.
   Scholes scored again four minutes later when he charged through the middle and smoothly clipped a Van Nistelrooy pass into the net.
   United struck again early in the second half when winger Cristiano Ronaldo streaked down the right flank and crossed for midfielder Park to head a simple goal.
   Park looked lively throughout the match with his neat passing and aggressive tackling.
   'He's a goal scorer. His movement, penetration in the last third of the field is very good,' United manager Alex Ferguson told reporters. 'I'm very pleased with him.'
   A nasty challenge on Van Nistelrooy in the second half was one of several unfriendly moments in the match, in which two Beijing players were carried off and United's Phil Neville and Alan Smith received yellow cards.
   'It was competitive,' Ferguson said. 'I don't think it got out of control, I thought the referee handled it well. Tonight was a much more competitive game than in Hong Kong. I'm very satisfied.'
   United opened their Asian tour with a 2-0 win over Hong Kong on Saturday, and next travel to Tokyo for friendlies against Japanese clubs Kashima Antlers and Urawa Reds.
   United's China trip followed a similar money-spinning tour by Real Madrid, who earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Beijing on Saturday.

Real Madrid’s players have complained about the punishing schedule of their lucrative pre-season tour of the United States and Asia.
   The Spanish side slumped to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Japan’s Tokyo Verdy on Monday, during which David Beckham was involved in a halftime bust-up with an opponent, and still have two games to play on their six-match tour.
   ‘We came to Japan to win the hearts of the people but it isn’t easy to play with so much travelling, plane and bus trips, and official events,’ Brazilian striker Ronaldo told sports daily Marca on Tuesday.
   ‘Eventually you pay for making such an effort.’
   France midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who picked up a groin strain in Monday’s game, added, ‘At the end of the tour you really notice the travelling and this is the problem.’
   Real’s players blamed a similarly punishing tour of Asia for their poor showing at the end of the 2003-4 Primera Liga season.
   Then under coach Carlos Queiroz their form tailed off badly on the run-in to the end of the campaign as Rafael Benitez’s Valencia scooped the league title.
   With Zidane a doubt for today’s game against Jubilo Iwata, injuries to players and lacklustre displays are also affecting the commercial success of Real’s tour.
   England captain David Beckham missed Saturday’s 3-2 win over China’s Beijing Guo’an with a hamstring injury leaving many fans disappointed.
   Although the tour is expected to earn the club around $25 million, there was a negative press reaction to their performance in Beijing, and their last two games have failed to fill stadiums in the Chinese and Japanese capitals.
   Real began their tour with victories over Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara and the Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States.
   Their final destination is Thailand where they play a friendly against a Thai All-Star side in Bangkok on July 29.
   The Primera Liga begins on the weekend of August 27-28.

English superstar David Beckham was mocked here Tuesday for accusing a Japanese player of spitting in his face as Real Madrid were humiliated before their Asian fans by a lowly J-League team.
   'Beckham enraged!' two Japanese tabloids blared in identical headlines with pictures of the English captain pointing an accusatory finger at Tokyo Verdy player Kazuyuki Toda.
   Beckham accused Toda of spitting at him during Monday's friendly match, in which the Spanish powerhouses were inflicted a shock 3-0 defeat at the hands of a team struggling in 17th position in the J-League.
   'For real? Real Madrid, the Galacticos, humiliated in public in Japan,' the Sports Nippon daily said in a caption.
   The Nikkan Sports daily said the entire Real Madrid squad 'lost their natural selves' over the alleged spitting incident.
   'The prince was infuriated,' the Nikkan Sports said.
   'They wanted revenge rather than to win the game. They were totally different from the usual Galacticos,' it said.
   Real Madrid coach Wanderley Luxemburgo after the match accused Toda of trying to provoke Beckham, saying the Japanese player also kicked the English sensation.
   Toda denied the allegations - and said it was Beckham who was to blame.
   'It's him who kicked me,' Toda said, as quoted by the Sports Nippon tabloid. 'Some spit flew and I think that's why he was angry, but it's not me.'
   The Sports Nippon said that Real Madrid were 'too weak' and that their legions of fans here sighed for the full 90 minutes of the game.
   'The prince ... was in confusion over the unexpectedly tough game' and decided to drop the bombshell allegations, it said.
   Beckham and team-mates Ronaldo and Michel Salgado tried to 'raid' Verdy's changing room during half-time but they 'would not have burst out if Real had been winning,' it said.
   The two-time world club champions' defeat against the J-League club on Monday came on the third leg of their four-country football friendly series seen as a way to gross money for the football celebrities.

Roberto Carlos is convinced Santos star Robinho will start the new season at Real Madrid.
   Despite Santos president Marcelo Teixeira's stance, Roberto Carlos is confident Robinho will be moving to Spain before the new campaign kicks off.
   He told AS, 'Everyone wants to play for Real Madrid. The numbers that support this club around the world are bigger than Barcelona, Brazil, even Manchester United. When Robinho joins Real, he will know he can learn something new every day. It is the perfect environment for a player of his class.
   'He's a player with that special ability. Like Zidane, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo. There are great players, Beckham, Figo, Eto'o and Raul. But someone like Robinho has that bit extra. He is almost a complete player.'
   Meanwhile, Carlos's Real team-mate David Beckham believes England team-mate Michael Owen's place at Real Madrid is not in danger despite the club's determination to sign Brazil's Robinho.
   The possible arrival of the 21-year-old Santos striker has cast doubt on Owen's future in Madrid but Beckham said the former Liverpool striker had nothing to fear.
   'Michael is established in this team, with the manager and with the fans,' Beckham told Reuters after Monday's humbling 3-0 pre-season defeat by Japan's Tokyo Verdy.
   'I'd like Michael to stay because one, he's a good friend and two, he's a great player.'
   But Beckham said he would welcome the arrival of Robinho, whose move to the Spanish club is being challenged by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
   'He's a great player,' said Beckham.
   'From what Roberto (Carlos) and Roni (Ronaldo) say, he's one of the best young players in the world.
   'I haven't really been looking at what's been going on and whether he's coming or going - but if he comes, that's great.'

Thierry Henry is confident Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger didn't make a mistake in selling captain Patrick Vieira to Juventus.
   'It is a blow to lose Patrick, you cannot hide from that,' new Gunners skipper Henry, 27, told The Sun.
   'But as we saw last season there are lots of able youngsters. They showed a lot of quality and are getting better.
   'Most importantly, you have to trust Arsene. How can you not trust a man who has won three titles and four FA Cups.'
   Vieira, who played more than 400 matches for the Gunners, moved to Juve in a 13.7 million pound deal and his compatriot conceded that he will be
   missed.
   But Henry considers young midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini more than able replacements and expects Wenger to wrap up some new signings before the transferwindow closes at the end of August.
   'Arsene has proved he has a fantastic eye for a player,' added Henry. 'No-one had heard of Patrick Vieira when he signed and I'm sure Arsene has a few things up his sleeve.
   'There is no doubt that he will sign some more players that few people have heard of but they will go on to become greatplayers.'
   Experienced midfield duo Olivier Dacourt and Edgar Davids had been tipped as potential replacements for Vieira but Wenger played down reports linking him with a move for either player. 'There is no truth in that at the moment. I'm happy with what we have.
   ‘I will add what I feel is really needed,' said the manager.
   'There are a lot of players on the market. We have a big squad and we will look for maybe just one addition. 'Numbers-wise we don't need to add players but if we find a special player we'll take him.'
   Dacourt, 31, is with Roma, while 32-year-old Davids has been at Inter Milan for the last 12 months.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi says he will use his first-choice starting team from now until the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
   ‘Now the second phase starts. Beginning with Ireland, the starters will play,’ Lippi said in an interview in Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to an exhibition match in Dublin on Aug. 17.
   Italy leads Group 5 of European qualifying with 13 points. Norway and Slovenia are tied for second on nine points, followed by Belarus (7), Scotland (6) and Moldova (2).
   Italy’s next World Cup qualifiers are at Scotland on September 3, and at Belarus four days later.
   ‘Then, if we’re qualified, we’ll have two friendlies at the most to clear up the final doubts,’ Lippi said of possible games in November against Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
   The Italian coach said he has not ruled out Alessandro Del Piero returning to the national team, and that he is expecting a big year from Francesco Totti.
   ‘He’s coming off a year of misadventures, but it will be different with (Luciano) Spalletti,’ Lippi said of Totti’s new coach at AS Roma. ‘Totti has gotten married, he will have a child. I foresee an extraordinary season.’
   Totti received a three-match ban for spitting at the European Championship in 2004, and last season he served a five-match ban for punching an opponent in Serie A.
   Lippi also said Italy’s defence is the equal of any opponent and that it can win next year’s tournament.
   ‘Juve, Inter and Milan are respected in the world, I don’t understand why it shouldn’t be the same with the national team,’ Lippi said. ‘Italy is capable of any sort of showing, it just has to enter with the right serenity, solidness and conviction.’

Ex-Football Association secretary Faria Alam was involved in a 'huge lie' over her affair with England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, an employment tribunal was told on Tuesday.
   'I think we've all lost count, the number of times Ms Alam has admitted she's lied to her employers,' Jeffrey Bacon, for the FA, told the tribunal in his final submission.
   'She knowingly issued denials through her solicitors knowing it was untrue. She knew it was a huge lie.'
   Alam, 32, is suing the FA for compensation for alleged constructive dismissal and sexual discrimination. When the final submissions finish, the tribunal will adjourn and give its decision at a date which has not yet been fixed.
   Alam had a relationship with former FA chief executive Mark Palios which led to his resignation in mid-2004. She told the tribunal last month that she was also 'groped' by her boss, executive director David Davies. Davies denied this allegation.
   Alam initially denied having a sexual relationship with Eriksson. She says she was treated differently from the Swede who was cleared of any wrongdoing by an FA inquiry.
   Her barrister Simon Cheetham told the tribunal in his final submission, 'Sven-Goran Erikkson was never pressed about the truth.
   'In his informal chat with Mr Eriksson on 19 July last year, David Davies did not even speak in any detail about the relationship.
   'In contrast Faria Alam was quizzed about her relationship and the importance of telling the truth was repeated to her. There is no issue that she lied at that stage but her employer need not have placed her in that position.
   'It is completely plausible Ms Alam lied in order to conceal the relationship - which was exactly what Mr Eriksson chose to do - and also because she wished to protect Mr Eriksson.
   'Her evidence on this, which has not been challenged, is that she was told by Mr Eriksson to deny the relationship. The Football Association could have called Mr Eriksson to give evidence on this and other issues, but chose not to do so.'
   Replying to that, Bacon said, 'Mr Eriksson was on holiday at the time. Mr Eriksson had given his version of events.
   'It's a difficult submission to make to say they should have dragged him back from holiday.' The hearing continues.

Inter Milan are reported to be on the verge of signing unsettled Real Madrid pair Luis Figo and Walter Samuel.
   According to Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport, Portuguese winger Figo is ready to put pen to paper on a two-year contract worth 3.5 million euros a year, while Argentine defender Samuel will be taken on loan.
   The newspaper said Real Madrid's commercial director Carlos Martinez Albornoz was at Inter's headquarters in Via Durini for talks on Monday together with Figo's agent Luis Vicente.
   Figo's contract with Real runs out next year, while Samuel has a deal that runs until 2009.
   Figo's wage demands have scared off several clubs, including Champions League holders Liverpool. FIFA's World Player of the Year in 2001, Figo is Portugal's most capped player having made 111 international appearances since making his debut in 1991. He is also the country's third-highest scorer with 31 goals.
   Samuel, 27, spent four seasons in Italy with Roma with whom he won the Serie A title in 2001. He joined Real in the summer of 2004 for a fee of 27 million euros.
   The Gazzetta said Inter could recoup some money by selling tigerish Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids to English Premiership club Tottenham.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the club could go another season without a shirt sponsor as negotiations for the first deal in the club's 106-year history continue with the Chinese government.
   'If the club needed the money urgently it would be something to be worried about,' Laporta told sports daily Sport on Tuesday.
   'But the truth is we have an important cash surplus this season and at present it isn't crucial to have the money from a shirt deal.
   'There won't be a problem if we continue as the only club in the world without a shirt sponsor.'
   The Catalan club said in May they were putting the finishing touches to a five-year deal in which the team would promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the city itself. Spanish media reported that the agreement would be worth at least 19 million euros ($22.94 million) a season with bonuses based on results, making it one of the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deals in world football.
   Since then the Primera Liga club has been reluctant to comment on the progress of the talks, saying a confidentiality clause prevented it from revealing further details.

Messina's bid to overturn the decision to expel them from Serie A because of their financial problems has failed.
   The Sicilian club, who were thrown out by the Italian football federation (FIGC) after failing to convince them they could manage their debts, took their case to the Italian Olympic Committee (CON) but their appeal was unsuccessful.
   

The president of the Argentine FA says Barcelona superkid Lionel Messi deserves to be considered for the 2006 World Cup squad.
   Messi has only played a handful of senior games for Barca, but is already being tipped for greatness after his stunning performance in last month's U-20 World Championships in Holland.
   AFA president Julio Grondona said, 'If Messi can continue the form that he has shown, I believe he should be included in the World Cup squad.'
   Grondona also didn't shy away from comparing Messi with Diego Maradona.
   'Their beginnings are very similar. They play the same and they define a game. They make the impossible, possible.'

Shunsuke Nakamura signed a three-year contract Monday with Celtic, becoming the first Japanese player at the Scottish Premier League club.
   The 27-year-old midfielder moved from Reggina, where he scored 11 goals in three seasons and played in 33 of the Italian club's 38 league matches last season. He previously played for Yokohama Marinos in Japan.

Sir Bobby Robson believes a home grown manager will be ready to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson as England coach, reports British press.
   Middlesbrough's Steve McClaren and Birmingham's Steve Bruce have been tipped as possible candidates when the Swede stands down.
   And former Newcastle and England boss Robson said, 'I think we can find an English manager. That's not a slight against Sven at all but we're one of the biggest football industries in the world.
   'We will produce enough good managers so that when it comes up the next time we should be able to find a position in that role for an Englishman in the England job.'

Ansars, Dolairpar reach semis
Ansar & VDP High School and Dolaipar High School moved into the semi final of the High School Kabaddi Championship as they became the group champions of the group-A and B respectively on Tuesday. Ansar & VDP High School defeated Natun Kudi High School by 59-18 points while Dolaipar High School beat Khilgaon Govt Staff Quarter High School by 75-31 points. In the day’s other matches of the high School group, National Pre-cadet High School outplayed Nasirabad High School while Shaheed Nabi High School defeated Siddhirganj Rebti Mohan Pilot High School. In the mini school group, Baghbari Primary School beat Demra Primary School while Sabuj Bidya Niketan outplayed Kafrul Primary School. Hussein Muhammad Ershad Primary School defeated Manda Primary School.
— BD News

U-17 cricket training camp begins July 30
The month-long training camp for the Under-17 national cricket team begins on July 30 at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Savar. A total of 13 cricketers will take part in the training under the high performance programme, and the players have been requested to report at BKSP on July 29 at 5pm with passports, cricketing gears and three passports size photos. The players are: Amit Majumder of Khulna, Mahamudul Hasam of Rajshahi Division, Saquib Al Hasan of BKSP, M Sajib of Barisal, Iftekhar of Dhaka Metro Green, Nasir Hossain of Rajshahi, Zakirul Islam Zaki of Rajshahi Division, M Mithun Ali of BKSP, Ashraful Hossain Robin of Chittagong, Raihan Ahmed of Khulna, Surawardi Shuvo of BKSP, Raihan Anas of Dhaka Division and Nurul Haq Rumel of Sylhet.
— BD News

Junior football training camp at Dinajpur BKSP
The U-17 and U-20 footballers for the upcoming AFC qualifying round at home will spend two months at the Dinajpur BKSP for intensive training. Bangladesh Football Federation informed reporters Tuesday that they were going to select the players for the meets and the players would receive training at Dinajpur. The qualifying round of the AFC U-17 and the U-20 are scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in November. The junior team will play against Bhutan and Sri Lanka in the AFC U-17 meet, scheduled on November 13-17 in Bangladesh. The senior team will play home and away qualifying round matches of the AFC U-20 meet. Bangladesh will play away match on November 23 while the home match on November 27.
— BD News