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Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore advised his players to play the two champion Sri Lankan bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, very carefully. The Bangladesh team will embark on a tour of the emerald island nation to play two Tests and three one-day internationals in September against them. However, the national coach is considering it as an incentive and is determined to do something positive.
   The coach knows that Murali and Vaas are the two players who can build a wall between the teams.
   ‘Bangladesh batsmen have to face the two players taking minimum risk. They are very dangerous and deadly on any surface,’ said Whatmore during the practice session at the Army Stadium at Banani.
   A total of 13 players including wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud took part in the two-hour long practice session. Mashud joined the camp after enjoying a two-day vacation. Later the team participated in shooting of a song for a new TV channel.

While the high-ups of the Bangladesh Cricket Board kept mum regarding the derogatory remarks of the former England cricketer Geoff Boycott about the newest Test nation the protest came from a totally unexpected direction.
   ASM Faruque, the former cricketer, selector and manager of the Bangladesh cricket team, strongly condemned Boycott’s comments through a press conference arranged at his personal initiative at the Dhaka Club on Wednesday.
   ‘I felt offended on hearing the comments and I believe it will be very disheartening for our cricketers as well,’ Faruque told the press conference.
   While delivering the annual Cowdrey lecture, on July 20, Boycott said, ‘My mum would have scored runs and got wickets against Bangladesh. They are an embarrassment of Test cricket.’
   ‘I would like to ask Mr Boycott to help his mother qualify for the England team. Otherwise she couldn’t play against Bangladesh,’ said an infuriated Faruque, who managed the Bangladesh team during 2003 World Cup.
   ‘England were all out for 155 and 180 against Australia in the Lord’s Test. Why he doesn’t ask his mother to come forward and rescue the team in the next Test,’ added Faruque, who is normally known as a soft-spoken person.
   Faruque highlighted many success stories of the Bangladesh team and said they deserved some support rather than harsh criticism from the cricketers in and outside the country.

Andrew Flintoff claims England’s batsmen can handle the challenge of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne despite their crushing opening Ashes defeat by Australia.
   ‘There’s no panic in the England team - we still have good players,’ Flintoff told The Sun.
   ‘The rest of the series now is about our mental ability and strength of character as much as our technical skills.
   ‘But the brilliant spirit in the squad has been built up over several years and one poor result has not changed anything.
   ‘There are four Tests to go, that is a lot of cricket to be played over the next six weeks.
   ‘We must come back strongly at Edgbaston next week.’
   McGrath and Warne picked up 15 wickets at Lord’s and Flintoff said: ‘There’s no doubt Warne is hard to deal with when you’re batting against him. That goes without saying.
   ‘He’s a fine bowler so it’s up to us to raise our game. We do have plans when facing him - we just don’t walk to the crease without thinking about what we’re going to do.
   ‘But it’s also important to be able to adapt, depending on how much the ball is spinning and things like that. It’s good to have a gameplan but you must be flexible and reactive too.’
   He added: ‘McGrath’s opening spell after tea on the first day was a fine piece of bowling.
   The way he used the slope was superb.
   ‘He got me out, though I think I was a little bit unlucky because the ball kept low.
   ‘Again it is up to us to rise to the challenge and make sure we play better at Edgbaston.
   ‘Kevin Pietersen was able to deal with both Warne and McGrath by using good footwork and playing in a positive way.’
   Pietersen was one of England’s few stars the 239-run defeat, scoring a half-century in both innings on his debut, even though he did drop three catches.

Mohammedans 1 Wanderers 1 Table-toppers Mohammedan Sporting Club stumbled against Wanderers as the second-from-the-bottom team held the traditional black and white outfit 1-1 in the Premier Bank Premier Division Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday.
   Mohammedans, who had crushed Wanderers by 6-1 goals in the last encounter of the first league, probably underestimated their opponents at the initial stage but when they took the business seriously they hardly could break the opposition defence.
   Throughout the match Mohammedans never created a good scoring chance as tall Nigerian defender Yakub stood as a stone wall in front of them.
   Mohammedans' offence line became weaker after the departure of Faisal Mahmud early in the first half and later skipper Alfaz also left the field due to pain in his leg.
   His substitute Donald Robert of Sierra Leone could hardly fill the void left by his captain.
   If Yakub was the leader in the defence, Patrick, the Nigerian forward of Wanderers was the stalwart in the offence.
   He tirelessly ran throughout the field and was enjoying a hero's felicitation for his brilliant efforts that cost Mohammedans two points.
   In the first half Mohammedans tried hard but barely came close to a goal.
   In the 31st minute Alfaz dribbled past two defenders and his grounder hit the side post after taking a deflection off Wanderers defender Jamal.
   In the 38th minute Monju's spot jump was too late to head the ball off a Mintu cross in front of the bar.
   After the break Mohammedans increased the pressure and Hasan's long range effort was punched away by a diving Sohel.
   In the 72nd minute midfielder Arman Aziz's header from an Asad corner-kick went inches wide of the Wanderers post.
   But Mohammedans and Monju were celebrating the first goal in the 77th minute as Motiur Munna sent a neat cross and Monju headed in his seventh league goal to join Alfaz and Paul Nawakuchu at the top of the scorers' list.
   However, just five minutes before the stoppage time Patrick struck the equaliser.
   Substitute midfielder Shakil curved a balanced left-footed corner and Patrick who showed a good positioning sense sent the ball in the opposite direction and into the net with a neat header.
   With Wanderers packing the defence Mohammedans rarely found any space in the remaining five minutes as the match ended in a tie.
   Mohammedans started the match with a three-point lead from second-placed Brothers but difference narrowed down to one point with the Motijheel outfit earning 27 points from 11 matches. Wanderers have four from the same number of matches.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has rejected a request from its English counterpart shift the first Test of their forthcoming winter tour from Multan to Rawalpindi.
   England have already refused to play a Test or two back-to-back one-dayers at Karachi and said they will play only one ODI in the city.
   Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s director of cricket operations, confirmed that ECB officials had raised some objections about playing in Multan during the meeting held in Lahore earlier this month.
   ‘The suggestion came that the Test be shifted from Multan to Rawalpindi,’ Altaf told The News, ‘but we have rejected this proposition since Multan has a beautiful Test stadium and it is one of our best cricket venues.’
   According to the newspaper, board sources had said that the ECB had raised objections to the distance between the hotel and stadium, the security risks involved in travelling daily on such a long route in crowded areas and the fact that Multan only had one quality hotel.
   But Altaf said that the ECB officials had been reminded that on their recent tour to India, Pakistan had played at venues which were smaller than Multan where the distances from the hotel to the stadium were longer.
   David Morgan and Shaharyar Khan, the chairmen of the two boards, met at Lord’s last weekend and Karachi was at the top of the agenda.
   ‘I had impromptu talks with Shaharyar Khan and the boards were in agreement about the itinerary for the tour,’ Morgan said.
   ‘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 wicketkeeper Geraint Jones needs to improve to make sure of his place in the side, former Australia captain Allan Border said. Jones, 29, looked out of sorts in the first Test against Australia at Lord’s, dropping two straightforward catches and exhibiting shoddy glovework.
   In addition, the Kent player was guilty of playing a dreadful shot which cost him his wicket when England were trying to save the game on Sunday.
   Former Australian skipper Border said: ‘There is clearly a worry about Geraint Jones’ performance behind the stumps. He will need to improve or I would be looking closely at his position within the team.’ Border also feels that England would be better served drafting in Durham all-rounder Paul Collingwood at the expense of a bowler in the second Test at Edgbaston which starts on August 4.
   He said: ‘I’d look to leave out a bowler for the second Test and bring in a batsmen who can bowl a reasonable medium pace. Someone like Paul Collingwood could fulfil this role.’
   Despite England’s crushing 239-run defeat, Border insisted it is not all doom and gloom for England and he was impressed with the performance of paceman Steve Harmison and debutant Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen scored two half-centuries but dropped three catches, and Border added: ‘I was very impressed with England’s bowling force especially big Steve Harmison who led from the front on the first day.
   ‘From England’s perspective, I was also impressed with Kevin Pietersen. He came through with flying colours and The Aussies don’t seem to have a plan as to how to deal with him.
   ‘But England still copped a bit of a thumping with Australia proving they’re definitely a hard nut to crack. Whilst England’s bowling looked good, they must address some key areas.
   ‘Dropped catches and a very ordinary display with the bat cost England dearly.’

Bangladesh A scored 54 runs for two wickets before rain forced the play to be called off after 10.1 overs on the second day of the three-day match against Glamorgan at Abergavenny on Wednesday. Skipper Shahriar Nafees was unbeaten on 20 alongside Alok Kapali, who was on 4. Nafees Iqbal and Tushar Imran were the two batsmen to have got out in the innings after scoring 15 and 10 respectively.
   The team is now trailing the hosts by 326 runs. Rain delayed the start of the day’s play by more than a session with Glamorgan amassing 380 runs in their first innings at stumps on the first day.
   Left-arm pace bowler Syed Russell took four wickets for 89 runs for Bangladesh A while three other bowlers – Shahadat Hossain, Talha Jubair and Enamul Haque junior – equally shared the remaining six wickets.

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni scored a stylish 88 to guide India to a 93-run victory over a Kurunegala District Invitation XI on Wednesday.
   India, playing their last warm-up game before a triangular series with Sri Lanka and West Indies starts on Saturday, scored 250 in 42.2 overs and then bowled out the young Sri Lankan side for 157 in 36.2 overs.
   Dhoni, opening the innings with Virender Sehwag, cracked his 88 from 97 balls, hitting two sixes and six fours.
   The 24-year-old right-hander, who scored 86 not out in India’s first practice game on Monday, is the one India batsman to have clicked into top form after the team’s three-month break from international cricket.
   The next highest scorer was Suresh Raina with 29 but Sehwag (16), Yuvraj Singh (20), Rahul Dravid (15), Mohammad Kaif (three) and Venugopal Rao (13) failed to capitalise on their last match practice.
   Pace bowler Irfan Pathan, though, warmed up well for India’s opener with Sri Lanka on Saturday, taking 3-20 during his new-ball burst on a slow pitch.
   Former Sri Lanka internationals Jehan Mubarak (46) and Lanka de Silva (51) made India’s other bowlers work hard during a 90-run stand from 94 balls for the fourth wicket.
   But after Mubarak pulled a short ball from Ashish Nehra (2-36) straight to midwicket, the Kurunegala District XI folded, losing their last seven wickets for 47 runs.

The forthcoming Afro-Asia one-day series risks hitting the buffers before it has even started with the news that, so far, there has been a distinct lack of enthusiasm regarding the TV rights.
   ESPN/Star, who would usually be considered among the front-runners for such a contest, are committed to showing the Zimbabwe-New Zealand Test series (which clashes with the first game) and then English Premier League football (which clashes with the second and third matches).
   Additionally, the three ODIs fall in the middle of their Ashes coverage.
   Ten Sports, another likely bidder, are covering the Rabobank hockey tournament, featuring the leading nations including India and Pakistan. And although South Africa’s Supersport has expressed interest, they have also said that they are not willing to pay for the rights.
   The appeal of the event has not been helped by the questionable availability of leading players.
   The entire Zimbabwe squad are effectively ruled out by their national commitments, while a number of the South African side have county contracts which they are reported to be unwilling to break to play in matches which have questionable value, despite them having the official backing of the ICC.
   Pakistan announced today that none of their players would be forced to take part, with a senior official quoted as saying that ‘if any player wants to skip the event it’s all right with us’.
   The only guaranteed big-name participants appear to be India, although Sachin Tendulkar, their main draw, is out injured.
   Given that the tournament is the brainchild Jagmohan Dalmiya, there is likely to be intense pressure on the Indians to agree to take part.
   When the event was first touted - to a decidedly mixed response - it was hoped that TV rights could be worth more than $10 million over a three-year period, but with less than three weeks to go until the opening match, it seems that the organisers might have to take whatever they can get.

Sri Lanka paceman Chaminda Vaas says fast bowlers risk injury by playing too much county cricket in England.
   Vaas, who is an injury doubt for the one-day game with India on Saturday, says a packed county schedule takes a heavy toll on international bowlers.
   ‘For a batsmen it’s okay playing county cricket,’ he said. ‘You learn a lot of things and get a lot of opportunities. But for a fast bowler it is not easy. Two or three months is OK, but more than that I wouldn’t recommend.’
   Vaas, Sri Lanka’s second-highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 323 scalps, played for Worcestershire this season when national commitments allowed and also played with Hampshire on 2003.
   He strained his hamstring during the second Test victory over the West Indies earlier this week.
   ‘Out of seven days, we play five days of county cricket. I couldn’t train at all. That’s the reason I picked up the injury,’ he added.
   ‘But I am looking forward for the one-day tournament. At the moment my injury is very minor.’
   And he admitted that the demands of county cricket may stop him from returning to England.
   ‘I am not sure whether I will play county cricket the next year or again as it is my concern for Sri Lanka cricket,’ he said.
   ‘I want to play more for Sri Lanka. I would love to play for my country as long as I can so I will stick to what I can do.’

With none of the top six Indian batsmen having much of a record against ace Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, only theories are being worked upon in the Indian camp at the moment.
   As Murali has become the bowler that he is in the last five years — full of variety, deception, spin and bounce, the Indians are finding it difficult to draw some comfort from their track record in this period.
   In the last five years, beginning June 2000, Rahul Dravid has hit only two half centuries in 15 one-day internationals, totaling 502 runs, against Sri Lanka.
   VVS Laxman has featured in no more than five one-dayers with 133 runs and one half century to show while Virender Sehwag hardly appears the batsman that he is in figures: 321 runs from 13 ODIs at 29.18 against the Lankans.
   Young guns Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif do not offer any light either. Yuvraj has managed 319 runs from 16 one-dayers at 26.50 while Kaif has not hit a single half century in nine matches, only 133 runs at 26.60.
   MS Dhoni starts his slate clean.
   Murali, on the other hand, has grown to an eye-straining height in this period. With ‘doosra’ and all that, he has taken 286 wickets in his last 41 Tests; and 182 scalps in 134 one-day games in the last five years.
   Murali spins it big either way, which is accentuated with the bounce he generates. He rarely bowls a short ball and delivers only at the last minute.
   As former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga says ‘you commit yourself early to Murali and it is difficult to make late adjustments’.
   Indians, one learns, will try to close their ranks and look to see Murali off without much damage. He is difficult to hit boundaries so the attempt will be to work him around in the field. Importantly, whoever gets his eyes in, must see Murali through.
   Coach Greg Chappell looks for a steady start from the openers, never mind if they are not explosive in the first 15 overs. With wickets in hand, they can afford to take calculated risks against Murali.
   Not that Sri Lankans do not understand the situation. They try to bring Murali on only when a wicket has just fallen.
   There is no set pattern with which they use Murali’s overs. Their field placements too is immaculate: at least five fielders on the onside with straightish midwicket and mid-on inside the ring encouraging batsmen to go over the top. As for cutting on the offside against the break of Murali, you do it at your own risk.
   Unlike other spinners, Murali also keeps a few close-in fielders in one-day arena. He likes to convey to the batsmen that he is in hunt for his wicket, and containment can be done by others.
   It is little wonder that Rahul Dravid was seen asking bowlers to rough up the area on the off-stump in the practice sessions. He has been seen attempting a lot of reverse sweeps, and the unorthodox methods are being embraced by other batsmen too.
   Conventional methods have rarely worked against an unconventional bowler like Murali.
   As for Murali, it is only a business as usual. He regrets that Brian Lara does not figure on the roll nor does Sachin Tendulkar, two batsmen who arguably play him the best.
   ‘I love the challenge of bowling to somebody like Lara and Tendulkar. It is disappointing that I haven’t bowled to Tendulkar in a Test at all in the last eight-nine years. In the triangular, these two names will be missed.’
   The Indians, meanwhile, are buckling down to see how they shape up against one of the greatest bowler in the game’s history. It is daunting enough for them, not to speak for one of the three new names — Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao and JP Yadav — who would take the number seven slot in the line-up.
   Chappell has talked about the importance of creativity and consistency; technique allied with the heart for battle. In the next fortnight or so, Murali will ask some serious questions to Indian batsmen on the values their coach wants them to inculcate.

Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin enjoyed a gentle run out here on Tuesday at the Grand Prix meeting as he continued his tune-up for the world championships which get underway in Helsinki on August 6.
   The 23-year-old American timed 10.15sec and declared himself satisfied with his performance, which was in conditions not suited for sprinters.
   ‘It is a good time given the conditions,’ said Gatlin, who revealed he had been slightly hampered by a quadriceps injury over the past few weeks but that it seemed to have healed.
   ‘In Finland the weather will be the same. So it was useful to have a run out.’
   Not even the outstanding women’s pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva could defy the conditions as she put in a best effort of 4.79m which was still a record for the meeting - the world record holder took away the consolation of a one carat diamond worth 10,000 dollars.
   American 400m hurdler Bershawn Jackson just missed out on the diamond experience as he won his event in 48.07sec with the meet record standing at 47.98.
   However he wasn’t too upset. ‘It’s a pity I slowed down and that cost me the diamond,’ said the 22-year-old, whose smile at the same time revealed several gold teeth.
   The equally dominant veteran Bahamaian sprinter Chandra Sturrup confirmed her favourites tag for Helsinki as she sprinted home in the 100m beating home Me’Lisa Barber and Allyson Felix.
   America’s 400m men’s Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner reimposed himself on the event after his shock defeat to Briton Tim Benjamin last Friday as he managed to stave off a late challenge by Brandon Simpson of Jamaica.
   With Moroccan athletics great Hicham El Guerrouj set to miss the worlds it was Ukraine’s Ivan Heshko who put himself in the pole spot for the 1500m title as he stormed to victory.
   While one great is definitely out of the championships another seems to be on the decline as Maria Mutola could finish only third in the 800m with Tatyana Andrionova of Russia prevailing and confirming her number one ranking in the event.
   The home crowd didn’t go away disappointed as there were victories for Stefan Holm in the high jump and Kajsa Bergvist in the women’s equivalent.

World 100m record holder Asafa Powell looks almost certain to miss the world championships next month after his agent revealed he had a torn groin muscle.
   ‘There is definitely a possibility he cannot run in Helsinki,’ Paul Doyle told AFP ahead of the Stockholm Super Grand Prix on Tuesday night.
   ‘He has a two-and-a-half centimetre rip in the muscle. He’s started treatment and is getting injections and therapy.
   ‘He will not be able to run at all for a week and after that we will see how well he is and we will have a better idea if he is able to run in Helsinki.’
   The 22-year-old Jamaican is being treated in Munich by Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wolfahrt, the Bayern Munich and Germany team doctor.
   Powell, who set the new mark of 9.77sec in Athens last month, collapsed on the track in the final of the 100m at Crystal Palace last Friday while Olympic champion Justin Gatlin won the race.
   He had originally suffered the groin injury at the Jamaican championships on June 26 which forced him to withdraw from the Rome Golden League meeting.
   ‘The doctor says there is a possibility that Asafa will not be at 100 percent, but he cannot predict it,’ Doyle added.
   ‘If the 100m was at the end of the world championships, he would be ready to go. I am almost sure of that. There is still the possibility he could run the relay.
   ‘Asafa is upset about the possibility he might miss the 100m, but he is in good spirits.’

Kent’s director of cricket Graham Ford says the county’s star batsman Rob Key deserves a chance to play in the Ashes.
   The 26-year-old has 968 first-class runs at an average of 61 this season.
   Ford told BBC Radio Kent: ‘I still have a real belief that he will play in this Ashes series. His temperament is perfect to face the Aussies.
   ‘They do have some respect for him, he has the technique and is a deep thinking cricketer. I’d be really excited to see him get in there.’
   Ford continued: ‘I don’t wish any bad luck on the other players but I’d love him to be involved because I believe that he can handle it.’
   Four of Key’s 15 Test appearances took place on the 2002-03 Ashes tour, where he averaged 17.62 against a career Test mark of 31.00.

Andre Agassi made a triumphant return to the court after a two-month injury layoff, routing French lucky loser Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-1, 6-0 here Tuesday at a 380,000-dollar ATP hardcourt tournament.
   The 35-year-old American, top seeded here at an event he has won three times, had not played a tour match since an opening-round loss at the French Open in May.
   A nagging sciatic nerve problem kept him out of Wimbledon for the second successive year, but Agassi showed no sign of trouble in advancing to a second-round match against compatriot Kevin Kim.
   Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan or American wild card Paul Goldstein could await Agassi in the third round.
   Two other lucky losers, Israel’s Noam Okun and Russian Dmitri Tursunov, made the main draw when first-round US foes Taylor Dent and Mardy Fish both withdrew - fifth seed Dent with an illness and Fish with a sore left wrist.
   Turnsunov advanced, beating Okun 6-1, 6-2. Third seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany dropped out of his first-round match against American James Blake due to an illness.
   The US wildcard was leading 3-2 when Kiefer quit, handing Blake a berth in the second round against compatriot Robby Ginepri, who ousted Australian Wayne Arthurs 6-4, 6-4.
   Second seed Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia downed compatriot Karol Beck 6-4, 6-1 in another first-round match while two qualifiers also advanced. American Zack Fleishman ousted compatriot Vince Spadea 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 while Israel’s Amir Hadad beat American Cecil Mamiit 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
   Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller ousted French qualifier Sebastien de Chaunac 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) to book a second round date with Fleishman.

India’s Sania Mirza made the most of her lucky loser status with an upset victory over the big-serving Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 to move into the second round of the Stanford Classic on Tuesday.
   In another surprise result, Russian fifth seed Vera Zvonareva continued her run of poor form with a lacklustre 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 defeat at the hands of American qualifier Meghann Shaughnessy.
   Mirza was beaten in the final round of qualifying but slipped into the draw when Chanda Rubin pulled out with an injury.
   The 18-year-old prospect adopted an aggressive approach and was rewarded with a well-earned victory over Daniilidou, who upset French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne at Wimbledon last month.
   Daniilidou owns one of the tour’s biggest serves but Mirza had few problems picking it up.
   ‘She’s a very good player, but I broke her quite a few times,’ Mirza said. She has big serve, but you have to know how to handle it. I read it very well.’
   Mirza now faces the daunting prospect of a second-round encounter against Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, but the confident Indian remains positive ahead of the clash.
   ‘I played Serena at the Australian Open and was a little bit nervous there, but I’m looking at playing Venus as an opportunity,’ Mirza said.
   ‘She’s one of the best players in the world but no one is unbeatable.’
   With her win over Zvonareva, Shaughnessy set up a second round clash with world number 26 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who thrashed American wild card Alexandra Stevenson 6-2, 6-1.
   Stevenson’s career has stumbled since she reached the 1999 Wimbledon semi-finals and she only returned to the tour last week after a 10-month layoff following to right arm surgery.
   ‘I felt in control of the match, I was really consistent,’ Hantuchova said.
   ‘It’s also nice to see her (Stevenson) back. It’s hard to be off so long and it will take her time to get used to it again.’
   Currently ranked number 945, Stevenson is confident she can eventually regain her form.
   ‘You have to be optimistic or you’d never be able to go through the rehabilitation I had to go through,’ she said.
   ‘I’m at 85 percent now, but my arm is getting stronger every day.’
   In other matches, seventh seed Jelena Jankovic took down Marissa Irvin 6-2, 6-4, while eighth seed Francesca Schiavone beat Alina Jidkova 6-4, 6-1.
   Anna-Lena Groenefeld overcame qualifier Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-1 and Iveta Benesova outlasted Shuai Peng 6-4, 7-6.
   Top seed and defending champion Lindsay Davenport will open her campaign on Thursday, as will two-time winner Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

In the latest sporting tie to be renewed between rivals India and Pakistan, the two countries are poised to play a historic bridge series next month, an official said Tuesday.
   ‘It will be a historic inaugural series between Pakistan and India and would definitely further the thriving Indo-Pak sporting relations,’ Pakistan Bridge Federation honorary secretary Asfaq Toula told AFP.
   Two Pakistan teams will compete for the Indo-Pakistan peace trophy in New Delhi from August 7 to 10 and return the invitation to Indian teams in November, said Toula.
   India froze all sporting ties with Pakistan amid political tensions in 2000 but lifted the bans in October 2003 amid a thaw in bilateral ties.

European champions Liverpool stepped up a gear to snuff out Lithuania’s FBK Kaunas on Tuesday, recovering from a goal down to take a 3-1 lead into the return leg of their Champions League second round qualifier. A goal midway through the first half from Giedrius Barevicius gave the Premier League side the wake-up call they needed.
   Rafa Benitez’s side were behind for only six minutes as French striker Djibril Cisse reacted quickly to a knock down from his partner Peter Crouch to hook home. Three minutes later Jamie Carragher headed in Steven Gerrard’s corner, his first goal for six years, and the threat from Kaunas evaporated.
   Gerrard made and scored the third goal nine minutes after halftime, converting a penalty.
   ‘It was a difficult game but in the end it’s a good result for us,’ Benitez said. ‘We had the game under control, we made one mistake but we had many chances.’
   Security was high in Nicosia where Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta scored twice in the final seven minutes to secure a historic 3-1 victory over Turkey’s Trabzonspor. It was the first match between teams from the two countries in more than three decades, with some 1,500 Turkish Cypriot fans segregated from the rest of the crowd, cordoned off with reels of barbed wire and police. Cyprus’s ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriots have lived on separate sides of the island since the invasion in 1974 which followed a brief Greek Cypriot coup. Late goals from Nicos Froussos and Klimenti Tsitaishvili handed Cypriot champions Anorthosis a two-goal cushion to take into next week’s return. Turkish runners-up Trabzon played the second half with 10 men following Ibrahim Yattara’s dismissal.
   Bart Goor scored one goal and set up another as Anderlecht cruised past Neftchi Baku of Azerbaijan 5-0, while Brondby will take a healthy lead back to Denmark after a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Tbilisi.
   The Georgian champions had defender Aleksandr Amisulashvili sent off just before halftime and the Copenhagen side capitalised with second-half goals from Morten Skoubo and Swedish international Johan Elmander.
   Seasoned Champions League campaigners Dynamo Kiev were left with work to do in the second leg after Switzerland’s FC Thun twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw in Ukraine.
   Thun, surprise runners-up in the Swiss league last season, operate on a budget of just 5 million Swiss francs, vastly inferior to Swiss champions Basel and miniscule compared to Europe’s top clubs.

Santos President Marcelo Teixeira admitted Tuesday that the 30 million dollars offered by Real Madrid 'are luring me,' but are not sufficient to negotiate the transfer of striker Robson de Souza 'Robinho,' the jewel of the team.
   'It is tempting,' said Teixeira to television program 'Esporteporte.'
   'We do not deny that the amount offered is attractive,' said he, but added 'Santos will not back down from its position.'
   He made reference to the 50-million-dollar payment in order to cancel the contract of the player, which was signed last year and expires in 2008.
   Teixeira said he expects Robinho ends his rebel attitude and come back to train, after a month absence from training sessions.
   Robinho concentrated with the national team for the South American heat for the 2006 World Cup and Confederations Cup 2005 in Germany, and upon his return in Brazil, on July 1, he refused to go back to his team to press for his transfer to Real Madrid.
   'Here in Santos he has total conditions to be in the line-up of the Brazilian national team for the coming World Cup. There also is a number of firms who want to sponsor him, which would make him earn important financial resources,' said Teixeira.
   The president of the champions of the Brazilian league in 2004 said the 21-year-old player is being poorly advised by his agent Wagner Ribeiro. Finally he said the latter would suffer from the consequences of doing so.

Brazil star Ronaldo was on target twice for Real Madrid on Wednesday as the Spanish giants put some poor performances in Asia behind them with a 3-1 victory over Jubilo Iwata.
   With the scores tied at 1-1 in the 27th minute, the Brazilian was brought down in the area by Takayuki Chano and converted the penalty for his first goal of the pre-season friendly tour.
   Ronaldo's second in injury time rounded off the scoring for Real, who suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat against Tokyo Verdy on Monday and scraped through 3-2 against Beijing Hyundai at the weekend after victories in the United States.
   'We played much better than two days ago after taking a rest and getting rid of fatigue. We were able to show a different football game today,' said Real's Brazilian coach Wanderlei Luxemburgo.
   'We played a poor game two days ago, because we were very tired after a long trip, and we lost many goals. We improved a lot since then. Physically my players are getting better.'
   Luxemburgo also blamed 'rough play' for Monday's defeat when David Beckham accused Verdy's Kazuyuki Toda of spitting at him, sparking a tunnel incident at half-time. 'Two days ago, my players were nervous because of some rough play which developed into a fight. I told them to play their own game, because our goal here is to show our own performance,' Luxemburgo said.
   Raul Gonzalez opened the scoring on just two minutes, pouncing on a rebound from a Michael Owen shot. The England striker later saw a goal disallowed for off-side.
   Jubilo's Robert Cullen and Ryoichi Maeda combined to set up Sho Naruoka's equalizer on 23 minutes, only for Ronaldo to restore Real Madrid's lead.
   Iwata saw several chances go begging before half-time, with Naruoka also seeing a goal flagged away for offside, Maeda landing the ball on top of the net and Takashi Fukunishi's close-range shot hitting a defender.
   After the break, Raul narrowly missed a close-range shot after a Roberto Carlos cross while both Carlos and Luis Figo went close.
   Beckham was replaced in midfield by Jose Jurado midway through the second half in his second match since returning from a hamstring injury.
   Real Madrid, who beat Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 and Chivas of Mexico 3-1 in the United States earlier in the tour, fly to Bangkok for the final fixture on Friday.

David Beckham’s marketability may be fading. The England captain and Real Madrid star - soccer’s most recognisable player - has been dropped as the advertising face of the mobile-phone giant Vodafone.
   Vodafone announced Tuesday that it had ended its three-year deal with the 30-year-old Beckham. The initial two-year contract was renewed 12 months ago, but expired on July 1.
   ‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank David for his contribution and involvement with all of our marketing initiatives over the last three years,’ Peter Bamford, Vodafone’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
   He said the contract was ended by ‘mutual agreement.’
   Beckham’s annual income is the highest of any soccer player in the world, estimated at US$32 million million by Forbes magazine. The magazine reported US$24 million million came from endorsements.
   Beckham’s Vodafone contract was reported to be worth about 1 million pounds US$1.75 milliona year. His also has major deals with Pepsi, Adidas and Gillette. The Gillette deal is the largest, worth about US$7.5 million
   Vodafone spokeswoman Maria Bellanca said it was unclear if the company would seek a replacement for Beckham.
   ‘We don’t have anybody ready at the minute,’ Bellanca said. ‘We will look at that and if it’s appropriate bring a new person on board.’
   Meanwhile, Japanese officials said on Wednesday that there was no way of proving that Tokyo Verdy’s Kazuyuki Toda spat at David Beckham in a pre-season game.
   Beckham was involved in a heated tunnel bust-up after accusing Toda of spitting in his face during Real Madrid’s match against the J-League club on Monday.
   The England captain and several of his Real team mates reacted furiously after Beckham clashed with Toda in the first half.
   Toda said ‘spit flew’ but denied spitting directly at Beckham.
   The J-League contacted Verdy on Tuesday to verify the facts and were told that Toda continued to protest his innocence.
   ‘It was not in the referee’s report or the match commissioner’s,’ J-League general secretary Kazuki Sasaki told Reuters. ‘There is no video evidence so it’s a case of who said what at the moment.’
   Sasaki promised that Toda would be summoned to explain himself if evidence was forthcoming.
   ‘We will of course call him in to answer his case if that happens,’ said Sasaki. ‘At this stage all we know is Beckham complained about being spat at but that Verdy told us that Toda said he didn’t.’
   After Monday’s game Beckham fumed, ‘He spat in my face. It’s horrible. Our players saw it and weren’t happy.’

Brazilian full-back of Real Madrid Roberto Carlos said after the defeat of his team 3-0 versus a local team in Tokyo, said he is positive about the start of this present stage in his team.
   He said he feels there will be titles in the season to come, ‘I feel something good for this year, quite certain that happiness will come,’ and believes that with Luxemburgo from the very start of the season that will be a reality, ‘If in six months we almost won the League, this year we will be very strong and it will be complicated for us to lose.’
   ‘About the pre-season tour the worst part for players are flights. It does not matter how used you are,’ said Roberto Carlos, 32, in an interview to Realmadrid.com and Realmadrid TV.
   ‘We always have many fans who surround us when we go out to the street to buy something, but this is normal as we are members of Real Madrid. It is important for the club to embark on this tour so we have to get used to it.’
   In regards to the tour he said, ‘The best that could happen is that we are all together and there always have to be two or three players who give happiness to the club. To the moment there have been no arguments.’
   ‘The true pre-season work comes when we are in Austria, but I see we have a strong group which is focused on the season that is about to start,’ said the Brazilian international in reference to the scarce physical work the team have been doing lately due to the many promotional acts.
   In regards to Luxemburgo Roberto Carlos said, ‘He is adding to the European mindset a little bit of Brazilian soccer, so I am certain we are going to give new happiness to our fans.’
   ‘It already is two seasons without winning titles’ but ‘we have not lost our spirit, in spite of the pressure that playing for Real Madrid brings. We have to take away the Liga from Barcelona, try to win the Champions League and be the best team of the world,’ said Roberto Carlos.
   ‘Fans always want to see us playing well and be in high spirits, and not only because of Luxemburgo’s arrival. We are proud of our colours. This year I want to win Copa del Rey, which is the only title we’re lacking,’ said the striker.
   With respect to the average age of the team, he said ‘There are many people who say we are a team of elder, but when one plays well, is in good physical and emotional conditions, age means nothing.’
   Finally, he said he is in good conditions and that in the defence work ‘with Gravesen and Pablo Garcia there will be a good coverage and I will have no problem. I am physically fine and I am going to improve a lot in Austria, so when the season starts I will be at my best.’

English champions Chelsea have ruled a reported a 60 million pound (87 million euro) bid for AC Milan's European Player of the Year Andriy Shevchenko as 'totally incorrect'.
   Manager Jose Mourinho has repeatedly claimed he has only one transfer target remaining this summer - Lyon midfielder Michael Essien. And the Stamford Bridge club reiterated that view while categorically rejecting any possibility of a move for Shevchenko.
   Chelsea director of communications Simon Greenberg told the club website, 'It is club policy not to comment on speculation linking Chelsea to players. However there are continuing, and totally incorrect, reports regarding Andriy Shevchenko that only serve to unnecessarily destabilise those players already at Chelsea.
   'The club has made it quite clear that we are seeking to bring in one more player, and we have also made it clear that this will be a midfield player, if it happens.
   'We are not seeking to sign a forward and we have total confidence in those we have.'
   But Chelsea continue to pursue Essien.
   Lyon have already turned down a 22 million pound (32 million euro) bid and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas believes Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich should stump up the 32 million pounds (45 million euros) Chelsea were prepared to pay for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.

Barcelona forward Ronal-dinho insists he is happy at the club despite rising concern at the Nou Camp over his failure to sign a new deal.
   The 25-year-old Brazilian star's contract expires in 2008 but Barca want to tie him down until 2010 fearing that another team could entice him away.
   Barca are keen to resolve the matter and are continuing to negotiate with Ronaldinho's brother and agent Roberto de Assis on a contract extension.
   'I am calm and I am only thinking about having a good pre-season, everything else is in the hands of my brother. I am happy to return to my team and to start work,' Ronaldinho said.
   'I am happy with the contract that I have.'

Luis Figo told Real Madrid on Wednesday: ‘Play me or I’ll leave.’
   The Portuguese winger came on as a second-half substitute in Real’s 3-1 pre-season win over Japan’s Jubilo Iwata and said later he felt unsettled about his future. ‘My situation is strange,’ Figo told Reuters. ‘Of course, I just want to play football - hopefully with Real Madrid. But if I don’t have chances here, I have to move.’
   European champions Liverpool and Inter Milan have been linked with the former world footballer of the year in the close season.
   ‘Things with Liverpool have stopped ... but for me I’m happy that big clubs are interested in me. I just want to play football though,’ Figo said.
   Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti has said his club were in talks with Figo who has been at Real since his controversial move from Barcelona five years ago.
   Figo said he had heard nothing about a possible move during Real’s pre-season tour of the United States and Asia.
   ‘I’m here concentrating on Real Madrid and don’t have any news about signing (for Inter),’ the 32-year-old said. ‘I just want to try to make the most of the minutes I get.’

Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack picked up another accolade on Wednesday when he was named German Player of the Year in a poll conducted by Kicker magazine.
   The Germany captain collected 516 votes from German journalists with FC Cologne striker and international team-mate Lukas Podolski his nearest rival with 103 votes.
   Ballack, 28, was a driving force for Bayern last season helping the Bavarian giants to a league and cup double.
   Bayern manager Felix Magath collected the German Manager of the Year award winning 433 votes after winning the double in his first season at the club.
   Mainz 05 handler Jurgen Klopp finished just behind Magath receiving 328 votes for keeping the minnows in the German top-flight against all the odds.

Dutch international Edgar Davids has joined Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer from Inter Milan, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.
   The 32-year-old midfielder, who wears distinctive eye glasses on the pitch as protection for glaucoma, will undergo a medical and agree personal terms later this week, the club said.
   'He is one of the most versatile midfielders, a ball-winner with great stamina and huge charisma and one of the best midfielders to come out of the Netherlands in the last 10 years,' Spurs coach Martin Jol told the club's website.
   'This is a player who went to Barcelona when they were middle of the league and took them close to winning the title.
   'It's terrific that he is joining us. This is the player we have spoken about who will lift the team's mentality. We have a young squad with an average age of 23 and I believe Edgar will come in and lead by example.'

English champions Chelsea were reported Wednesday to be close to signing Ghana international Michael Essien from French champions Lyon for a club record 25 million pounds (36 million euros).
   Newspapers reported Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon had flown to France to wrap up the deal. There was no comment from Lyon who named Essien in their squad for Wednesday's Champions Trophy match between the league champions and Cup winners Auxerre.
   Lyon had already turned down a 22 million pound (32 million euro) bid and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had told Chelsea to stump up the 32 million pounds (45 million euros) Chelsea were prepared to pay for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.
   But newspapers claimed Aulas had finally agreed to a 25 million pound fee which could be increased if Chelsea win the Champions League.
   Essien himself expects to be at Stamford Bridge in time for Chelsea to begin the defence of their Premiership crown.
   'I think the transfer will be made,' Essien has said. 'I am convinced that I will go to Chelsea.'

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has committed himself to the Spanish champions for another four years.
   'We have reached an agreement with the club until 2009 which I will sign after the Asian tour,' Rijkaard told a news conference on Tuesday at the club's pre-season training camp in Denmark.
   'The club has shown confidence in me and the coaching staff. Now the most important thing is to get on and enjoy the day to day work at the club.'

Haider Ali High
in last four of
school kabaddi
Haisar Ali High School moved to the last four in the high school group of the school and mini school Kabaddi championship at the Outer Stadium on Wednesday. Haidar Ali High School defeated Segun Bagicha High School by 52-26 points. Both the semi finals will be held today. In the day’s other match, Jafar Bepari High School beat Tamizuddin High School by 53-5 points. In the Mini school group, Kalyanpur Govt Primary High School outplayed Ibrahimpur Govt Primary High School by 47-42 points while Nidhu Smriti Govt Primary High School defeated Madartek Govt Primary High School by 35-19 points. Pirerbagh Govt Primary High School beat Upa Shahor Primary School by 37-32 points.
— BD News

U-17 to play
tri-nation cricket
in Malaysia
Bangladesh under-17 team will play a tri-nation tournament in Malaysia in August. The other two countries are Sri Lanka and the host Malaysia. The tournament will begin on August 20 at the Bayuemas Oval.
— BD News

Amal leaves
for Jakarta
National tennis champion Amal Roy left Dhaka on Wednesday for Jakarta to participate three men’s future tennis tournaments. The first tournament begins at Sultan Agung tennis stadium in the Indonesian capital on July 31. The second and third tournaments will start on August 6 and 14 respectively.
— BD News

North Baridhara emerge champions
North Baridhara Club emerged champions of the Metropolis Third Division Football League forcing a goalless draw with their main rival Karwan Bazar Pragati Sangha at the Army Stadium in Banani on Wednesday. Karwan Bazar Pragati Sangha finished runners-up to gain promotion to Metropolis Second Division League from next season alongside league champions North Baridhara Club. In another match, Jirabo SC beat City United Club by 3-2 goals at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium in Kamalapur. Shanta, Imtiaz and Ekram scored one goal each for the winners while Arman and Wadud netted for the losers. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Juniors SC defeated Govt Printing Press 2-1 at the same venue in the afternoon. Anisur Rahman srtuck twice for Dhaka Juniors while Kalam netted the lone goal for the Govt Printing Press.
— UN