Sheikh Russell failed to beat a ten-man Muktijoddha and their custodian Aminul to end up with their second consecutive goalless draw in the Premier Bank Premier Division Football League at the Bangbandhu National Stadium on Thursday.
   Star-studded Muktijoddha played the last 56 minutes with ten men as their defender Hasan-al-Mamun was sent off for hitting referee Tayeb Hasan Babu’s hand when he showed the yellow card to Muktijoddha’s Nigerian striker Paul Anukuchu.
   The bizarre incident happened in the 33rd minute as Sheikh Russell defender Zahirul fouled Paul and the tall Nigerian kicked Zahirul in the face while both of them were lying in the ground. For the serious offence Paul was supposed to get the red card but he escaped banishment playacting as being hurt and stretchered off the field.
   Referee showed Paul the yellow card and the Muktijoddha players surrounded the referee and Hasan-al-Mamun slapped on the referee’s hand and the card fell down. Tayeb did not hesitate to send off Hasan-al-Mamun.
   Being a man short Muktijoddha were cornered by the Sheikh Russell who did everything except scoring. Most of the time the big budgeted team were seen defending against the continuous onslaughts of Sheikh Russell and were indebted to Aminul who saved his team on at least five occasions.
   The Moroccan striker of Sheikh Russell Abdul Majid Burzuga found Aminul alone in the 6th minute but tapped the ball wide. In the 19th and 20th minutes Majid’s headed efforts were well gripped by Aminul and on both the occasions Tanveer provided the crosses.
   After the break it was Tanveer who broke through the Muktijoddha defence taking a Majid through pass but his grounder was parried by Aminul. Majid was the culprit again in the 54th minute as his chip off a Maruf cross flew over the bar.
   Sheikh Russell found out it will not be their day in the 68th minute as Majid chipped the ball over the outrushing Aminul but saw the ball bounce back to play kissing the crosspiece.
   Sheikh Russell suffered again as their another Moroccan striker, Rashid Bishihi, failed to beat Aminul from a close range in the 70th minute.
   Muktijoddha launched some counter-attacks at the dying stages and the efforts of their Nigerian duo of Jeremiah
   and Paul were foiled by a determined Sheikh Russell defence.
   Muktijoddha remained on the second position with 13 points from six matches while Sheikh Russell has eight
   from the same number of outings.

Brazil booked a Confederations Cup semi-final date against hosts Germany in a repeat of the 2002 World Cup final despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Japan in a match scarred by another pitch incursion here on Wednesday.
   Robinho and Ronaldinho, wearing the captain's armband, scored Brazil's goals with second half substitute Masashi Oguro getting a second half equaliser after Shunsuke Nakamura's first half effort.
   'I had two targets in Germany,' said Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. The first was to use 20 players in three matches - the second was to qualify for the semi-finals. Now that we've done both, our aim is to win the competition.
   'We knew Japan were going to give us a hard time, they are a very experienced team, they never give up.'
   Zico for his part didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
   'I'm angry that we're missing out on the semis by one goal - my brother used to say one goal makes all the difference, and that was the case here.
   'But I'm very happy that my team played so well,' said Zico, who at least has the consolation that his team are already qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals whereas Brazil need three points from their last three matches to ensure they defend their title.
   There was a touching scene before kick-off when Ronaldinho, Kaka and Juan came up and hugged Zico, followed by the Brazil team doctor who used to look after the 1980s Brazil superstar in his playing days for Flamengo.
   Parreira kept his word and made four changes to the side - introducing Marcos in goal and a new backline of Bayer Leverkusen's Juan and Leo to replace Dida, Roque Junior and Gilberto, with Arsenal's Gilberto Silva coming on for Emerson in midfield.
   Zico kept faith with strikers Keji Tamada and Atsushi Yanagisawa despite the duo misfiring badly against Greece.
   In a frenetic start Brazil could have been a goal down in the fourth minute when Akira Kaji's shot slipped under Marcos only for the FC Tokyo defender to be ruled offside.
   But it was the five-time world champions who took the lead in the tenth minute with a fine moment of artistry from Ronaldinho, who escaped Kaji's attentions and ran half the length of the pitch to feed Robinho who had brilliantly slipped his marker, with the 21-year-old striker angling his shot from the left past Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.
   Only Kawaguchi's right post prevented Japan going further behind when a Kaka rocket ricocheted off it soon after.
   The crossbar at the other end was responsible for denying a header from Kaji off Mitsuo Ogasawura's free-kick as the Asian champions' pace began to nettle the Brazilians.
   Then on 27 minutes they got a deserved equaliser with Marcos only getting his fingertips to Nakamura's shot after an attack which had its origins in a Hidetoshi Nakata-taken free-kick.
   Ronaldinho restored Brazil's supremacy when Robinho crossed from the left for the Barcelona star to slide the ball in from in front of goal in the 32nd minute.
   The second half was barely born when Nakamura had his head in his hands after a point-blank effort saved by Marcos - up at the other end only Kawaguchi's bravery kept the ball from going in when the former Portsmouth keeper took the full force of Juan's shot in his face.
   Adriano, having an off day, made way for Julio Baptista with Kaka replaced by Baptista's Seville team-mate Renato on the hour mark and shortly after there was another new face on the pitch belonging to the Brazilian fan who breached the tight security cordon.
   He ran up to Ronaldinho before jumping into the Japan goal's netting, five security guards in hot pursuit in the third incident of this nature at the 2005 Confed Cup which will give organisers cause for concern ahead of next year's World Cup.

Three countries have confirmed their participation in the Under-18 Hockey tournament scheduled to be held in August this year, Bangladesh Hockey Federation told New Age on Thursday. The initiative
   has been taken after the success of Bangladesh hockey team at the age-group level tournaments.
   Bangladesh under-21 hockey team became champion last year beating a strong India side and now it will be a good test for the under-18 team to prove their prowess.
   Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan will organise the tournament, to be held on August 5-13, informed the
   BHF general secretary, Shamsul Bari.
   The nine-day meet is likely to be titled BKSP Cup Under-18 International Hockey tournament.
   Already three countries – Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India – have confirmed their participation in the tournament.
   India may send two teams while the BKSP and the BHF are likely to assemble two separate teams. Pakistan is yet to confirm their appearance in the meet.
   A 27-member Myanmar hockey team comprising 21 players and six officials have already arrived in Dhaka for a two-month long training at the BKSP as part of the Sports
   and Cultural Exchange Programme between the two countries.
   Meanwhile, the BHF has started a preliminary camp with 37 players for the purpose. The team is missing the services of national coach, Qamar Ibrahim of Pakistan, who delayed his arrival citing his father’s illness. However, the fitness adviser, Ershad, is likely to reach Dhaka on June 28.
   The BHF officials are not happy with Qamar as he is not sincere in discharging his duties as a coach. Sometimes he informs of visa problems and that’s why the BHF is trying to get a multiple visa for him to secure his services.
   Against all odds, the BHF general secretary is hopeful of forming a strong team and gain success in the upcoming tournament.

Inzamam-ul-Haq has opposed the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to send fast bowlers to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai for training and acquiring skills from Dennis Lillee, the former Australian fast bowler.
   The PCB had decided to send three young bowlers - Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Irshad and Najaf Shah - to train at the academy.
   'Pakistan has produced fast bowlers of the highest quality as compared to any other country,' Inzamam told The News, 'and Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were the best choice to give training to these bowlers.'
   Inzamam added that in his entire international career he had not seen any better fast bowlers than Wasim and Waqar, who managed to capture 787 wickets between them in Tests, and suggested that it would be better if bowlers from other countries got specialised training in Pakistan's own academy.
   Inzamam also urged the board to take adequate measures to keep suspect bowling actions under check at the domestic level.
   Recently Shoaib Malik and Shabbir Ahmed, were reported for having an illegal bowling action.
   'Thank God Shoaib Malik cleared himself from this allegation but still Shabbir Ahmed is under the threat, but this is a serious problem and should be checked at domestic level.'
   Speaking about the central contracts, which were recently renewed by the board for 17 players, Inzamam said, 'The inclusion of more players in the central-contract pool will push the players to keep themselves in practice and match-fit.'

Title-holder Maria Sharapova needed just 45 minutes to move regally into the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday showing no mercy to 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva.
   The 18-year-old Russian second seed won 6-0, 6-1 on the hottest day of the championships so far and has dropped just five games in two ties.
   It was also her 19th win in a row on grass taking in back-to-back titles at Birmingham and last year's Wimbledon crown.
   The bubbly Karatantcheva had defeated Venus Williams last month to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open in Paris, but the Bulgarian looked shell-shocked faced with the sheer power of the much taller Sharapova.
   Her relief was manifest when she finally managed to win a game at 6-0 and 3-0 down in the second, but a few minutes later she was heading back inside and Sharapova was blowing kisses to the crowd.
   'I just played great tennis today,' the Russian said.
   'I played much better than in the first round when there was a little bit of nerves and hopefully I can keep improving from now on in.'
   Joining her in the second round was the champion in 2000 and 2001 Venus Williams of the United States who hit back from an indifferent start to defeat Nicole Pratt of Australia 7-5, 6-3.
   There was another big win for Greece's improving Eleni Daniilidou, the conquerer of French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in the first round.
   She coasted past Laura Granville of the United States 6-2, 6-0 and has a clear chance of making it through to the quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw.
   Also going through were French 16th seed Nathalie Dechy who sent packing the last British hope in the women's tournament Jane O'Donoghue, Slovak 20th seed Daniela Hantuchova in three sets against Shahar Peer of Israel and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.
   Srebotnik, who defeated South Korea's Cho Yoon-Jeong 7-5, 6-4, will be the next opponent for Sharapova.
   In the men's tournament, 19-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet needed three tie-breaks to defeat Belgian qualifier Gilles Elseneer 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 6-2
   Gasquet, the winner at Nottingham on grass last week, will meet French Open winner Rafael Nadal in the third round if the Spaniard makes it through his tie later in the day.
   Igor Andreev made it three Russians through to the third round with a 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Davide Sanguinetti of Italy, while Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic got the better of France's Fabrice Santoro 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in a battle of the veterans.

The West Indies tour of Sri Lanka next month was in jeopardy after only three players returned their contracts to the West Indies Cricket Board by this week's deadline.
   The board gave contracts to 13 players to sign by Tuesday, but the players appeared to re-ignite a dispute over endorsements that began late last year, and almost ended the tour to Australia in January, and forced a below-strength team to play South Africa in a Test in March.
   The board planned a teleconference on Thursday, and could determine whether the Sri Lanka tour goes ahead, said a source in the board who spoke on condition of anonymity.
   The source said the board could use the three signed players plus a West Indies A team already in Sri Lanka to meet obligations.

Roger Federer remained on course for a third straight Wimbledon title with a lop-sided win in the second round on Wednesday, but the giant shadow of Marat Safin was beginning to loom large.
   The Russian who has discovered a liking for grass after years of loathing the surface, blasted past former runner-up Mark Philippoussis in straight sets 7-6, (7/4), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a bruising Centre Court clash.
   The two would meet in the semi-finals, a repeat of last week’s final in Halle where Federer won in three sets, although former champion Lleyton Hewitt also figures in the equation in the top half of the draw.
   Hewitt came through his second round tie with a 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic, just the sort of tough match he was looking for, he said, after his long absence through injury.
   There were no early surprises in the women’s tournament either with top seed Lindsay Davenport, third seed Amelie Mauresmo, fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and last week’s Eastbourne winner Kim Clijsters all coming through in straight sets.
   Federer, looking for a third straight Wimbledon title, won his 31st grasscourt match in a row and scarcely had to break sweat against the overmatched Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic.
   It was a routine win for the Swiss star out on Court 1 which left him happy with his form to date having dropped just 19 games in two ties and proving invincible on his serve.
   ‘I was consistent, played all right and held on to my serve,’ was his own assessment of his game.
   ‘The breaks came at the right time. But it was tough to get the rallies going.’
   Next up for Federer is Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer who scored a straight sets win over Alessio di Mauro of Italy.
   Playing with a nagging chip on his shoulder after being seeded third behind Andy Roddick in violation of the world rankings, Hewitt will have to face Federer at the semi-final stage like last year if they both win through.
   The biggest threat to that encounter though is the stunning form of Safin, who has done an acute about-face over his feelings for the All England club to turn into a genuine title contender at Wimbledon.
   Safin was given a real Centre Court workout by surface specialist Philippoussis edging two tense tie-breaks before the Australian’s suspect physique let him down again.
   The only leading seed to go out was French Open semi-finalist Nikolay Davydenko who was forced to retire with a wrist injury while leading one set to nil and 2-1 in the second to Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkmann.
   The 15th seeded Clijsters underlined her Wimbledon challenge with a lop-sided 6-1, 6-1 win over Marissa Irvin of the United States.
   It was the 22-year-old Belgian’s seventh straight win on grass following her title triumph in Eastbourne last week and she next goes up against Italy’s Roberta Vinci who came through 6-3, 6-2 against Anne Kremer.
   The 29-year-old world No.1 Lindsay Davenport, who has lost only five games in two ties, blasted past teen compatriot Jamea Jackson in double quick time.
   ‘Both matches have gone the way I would have like them to have gone,’ she said.
   Mauresmo, looking to rebound from yet another French Open let-down, blasted past Spain’s Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 6-1, 6-3 and expressed her delight at being out of the limelight after being grilled in Paris.
   ‘It’s good if the focus is not on me and if the attention and the expectations are on the other players. It’s fine with me,’ she said.

Sania Mirza may have suffered a heartbreaking end to her Wimbledon dream but she believes her battling Centre Court appearance can strike a blow for the sporting aspirations of other Muslim women in India.
   The 18-year-old is a devout Muslim and she stands defiantly against those who question her commitment to her religion on the basis of her participation in a sport which relies so heavily on femininity and sex appeal.
   ‘Some people have some problems with the dress code. Maybe I wear short skirts but I pray five times a day and do the things that other Muslims do,’ said Mirza after her 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 defeat to Russian fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
   ‘Some men keep a beard and don’t do the things they are supposed to. It’s between me and my God and it’s between me and my parents. Who cares what people say? I just hope I will encourage more Muslim women to come out and play.
   ‘You don’t care what people think or what people expect or what people want. I know I’m playing for myself, my country, and I’m winning. I’m representing my country. You know, that’s all that matters for me.’
   Growing up in Hyderabad, Mirza idolised cricket star Sachin Tendulkar and harboured hopes of one day becoming a doctor. That was until she walked onto a tennis court during one school holiday and discovered she had an exceptional talent.
   ‘The coach called my parents up a month later and said: ‘You should come watch her because I’ve never seen a six-year-old hit a ball like that’,’ she recalls.
   ‘You know, my parents came. Things kept falling in place. Not like we decided one day that we’re going to be a professional. It just kept happening. I started playing tournaments. That’s how it all began.’
   Mirza’s record-breaking exploits this year have made her almost as famous in India as Tendulkar. Earlier this year, she became the first Indian woman to win a tour title when she captured her hometown meet and then achieved another first by making the third round of the Australian Open.
   She giggles as she says she counts the cricketing superstar among her friends.
   Her feisty performance against the US Open holder on Wednesday was closely followed by sportsmad Indians, who recently voted her second in a television poll for the country’s Youth Icon, behind Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The 18-year-old returned to Hyderabad to an amazing reception after her Australian Open campaign, where she became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, and despite her loss on Wednesday, Mirza was inundated with calls after the match.
   ‘My phone hasn’t stopped buzzing since then. I got a lot of messages saying, ‘Even though you lost, you won the match. I think I’m going to feel bad about it for a long time. You know, there’s nothing I can do about it,’ she said.
   ‘But I hope I’ll have many more Centre Court matches to play. I hope I’ll be here the second Saturday on Centre Court (the women’s final). It is like a dream come true for me. But I’m definitely not satisfied with what I’ve got.’

Shane Warne, ever since bowling Mike Gatting with the ‘ball of the century’ back in 1993, has been a thorn in England’s side.
   But in his role as Hampshire captain the leg-spin great has helped his country’s oldest opponents by playing a leading role in the development of England pace prospect Chris Tremlett, injecting some Aussie steel into the 6ft 7ins ‘gentle giant’.
   Now the 23-year-old quick wants to repay the Australia star by letting loose a few bouncers at Ricky Ponting’s men during the Ashes Test series which starts in July.
   Last weekend Tremlett, a member of England’s development squad, was on the fringe of national selection.
   But a decision to rest Simon Jones because of a knee injury saw him called into the one-day series party and Tremlett responded by taking four for 32 on debut in Tuesday’s 168-run victory over Bangladesh at Trent Bridge.
   Indeed only the most outrageous fluke denied Tremlett a hat-trick when Mohammad Ashraful, who made a dashing 94, played the ball onto the top of the bails only to see them stay put.
   But Tremlett, whose grandfather Maurice played for England in the years after World War II and whose father Tim, an England A representative, was a mainstay of the Hampshire attack during the 1980, told reporters in Nottingham on Wednesday that had it not been for Warne he might be a county also-ran.
   ‘Shane Warne has been brilliant. In the last couple of years he has probably been my biggest influence. He has made me play my cricket with great positive intent, the whole Hampshire team really.
   ‘He has taken me in and told me how to bowl and just backed me 100 percent with everything I’ve done and I think the success over the last couple of years is down to Shane.
   ‘I think he has tried to put a bit more aggression and ruthlessness into me. People see me as being a ‘gentle giant’ and I am naturally not aggressive,’ Tremlett admitted.
   Indeed such has been Warne’s influence on the softly-spoken Tremlett he almost sounds more like a young Dennis Lillee, rather than the son of a reliable fast-medium bowler, in his reaction to seeing batsmen in trouble against his bouncers.
   ‘What do I feel when I hit a batsman? I quite enjoy it. I hit Alistair Brown on the head in a game against Surrey and that gave me quite a lot of pleasure.
   ‘It is nice to be able to bowl fast. It’s a gift that you’ve got and you may as well use it so, if you can scare a few batsmen, that’s your job.’
   But Tremlett said Warne’s influence had run far deeper than just giving him the belief to bowl short.
   ‘I remember when Shane said ‘I need you to step up to the mark and have a match-winning performance’ when we set Nottinghamshire a decent run chase, also at Trent Bridge earlier this month, and I managed to get a hat-trick. He has confidence in you.’
   Tremlett, who hopes to keep his place in the side for Thursday’s triangular day/nighter against Australia at Durham, is relishing England’s current run of form against the world champions which has seen them win the teams’ last three limited overs contests.
   ‘I think the way England are playing at the moment, they’ll probably have a bit of fear. We are a great challenge to the Australians at the moment.’
   But England’s current run and an Australia slump which included Saturday’s shock defeat against Bangladesh has come while Warne, now retired from one-day international cricket, has been off the big stage.
   And Tremlett - whose county team-mate Kevin Pietersen has already shown the Aussies what to fear from Hampshire players hitting a matchwinning unbeaten 91 last Sunday in the one day victory - knows an Australia with Warne in their team will be a different proposition as they bid for a ninth successive Ashes series win.
   ‘It’s a lot different when he gets into the Test match arena. There is nothing that motivates you more than playing for your country so I’m sure when he plays for Australia he’ll step it up.’
   In the meantime Tremlett, whose career has several times been interrupted by broken bones in his feet, was still savouring his England debut.
   ‘It was a bit of a shock to be in the side - on Saturday I was sat at home when Simon Jones got injured. It was a shame not to get a hat-trick. To get two on the same ground in the space of three weeks would have been amazing but I was very pleased with the way I performed.
   ‘It was a great experience for me and it would be even more special if I played in a few Tests.’
   And Australia batsman Michael Clarke, who played alongside Tremlett at Hampshire last season, said the tyro might not have long to wait.
   ‘He bowled brilliantly last year and it’s no surprise he was successful against Bangladesh. If he plays against Australia I’m sure he’ll do well because he’s a very good player.’

New Zealand may ban a planned tour by the Zimbabwe cricket team scheduled for December because of ‘appalling abuses of human rights’ under President Robert Mugabe’s government, Foreign Minister Phil Goff said Thursday.
   ‘The Zimbabwe cricket team should not anticipate that it will be granted entry into New Zealand,’ Goff said in a statement.
   ‘The imposition of a ban on the team would send a strong message to the Mugabe regime that New Zealanders and their government abhor the actions it is taking against its people.’
   Mugabe’s government has been pulling down thousands of homes and businesses, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless in winter, according to the United Nations. The destruction targeting mostly poor areas has been condemned worlwide and follows March elections described as a sham by foreign governments.
   Goff said he had been advised Thursday of the planned tour by Zimbabwe and he had not yet had a chance to discuss it with the cabinet or get legal advice.
   ‘However, given the current appalling abuses of human rights and relentless trend of the Zimbabwe government towards a dictatorship, the New Zealand government would not welcome a visit from a side representing Zimbabwe at this time.’
   New Zealand Cricket officials were not available for comment. Chief executive Martin Snedden and chairman Sir John Anderson were on their way to London for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) annual meeting.
   Earlier Thursday Goff said the government had no legal way of stopping an earlier scheduled tour by the New Zealand cricket team to Zimbabwe in August. New Zealand Cricket announced full strength Test and one-day squads for the tour on Wednesday.
   ‘Only a dictatorial, autocratic regime can stop New Zealanders from leaving their own country,’ Goff said.
   ‘That’s exactly what we’re protesting about in terms of what Mugabe is doing.’
   Nevertheless, the government would prefer the tour not take place because of the human rights abuses of the Mugabe government.
   NZC said Wednesday players had unanimously agreed to embark on the five-week tour to Zimbabwe after an independent security report gave the all clear.
   Snedden said the team would be liable for a fine of more than two million US dollars under ICC rules if it pulled out of the tour.

Joining the debate whether Sachin Tendulkar was past his prime, legendary cricketer and former captain Kapil Dev on Tuesday said the best days of the batting maestro were behind him.
   ‘His youth is not coming back as he is 32 years old and his best is gone,’ the former India all-rounder told reporters here on the sidelines of a blood donation function organised by the Rotary and Blood Bank Society Resource Centre.
   Asked if there was pressure on Tendulkar to perform, Kapil said, ‘There is always pressure on a big player, that is why he is such a big player. I think he should stand up to the occasion and say ‘I will perform’.’ He said the expectations on Tendulkar were always too much.
   To a query whether Tendulkar’s career had come to a stage where he should call it a day, Kapil said it was for the player to decide.
   ‘He is too great a player. If he is an honest player, which I believe, he is then I think will take this decision by himself,’ the Wisden Indian cricketer of the century said.
   ‘I wouldn’t like somebody pushing him out. Whenever he calls it a day, may be two years or five years from now, he should go with grace and we should love him for that.’ Kapil declined to make comments on the batting form of Sourav Ganguly, saying it was the lookout of the national selectors and the coach.
   ‘They should do things keeping the interest of the country in mind,’ Kapil said evading a direct reply on whether Ganguly should continue to lead the team or not.
   Asked if the Indian team should have a regular bowling coach, Kapil, who had 434 Test wickets to his credit, said, ‘if anything helps the country that must be done.
   He, however, did not state his own preference in this regard.
   He said the Cricket Board must know if there was a requirement for this or not. ‘If the Cricket Board does not know how to do their job than I am sorry.’
   Kapil said the new coach Greg Chappell must be given time to settle down.
   ‘Now that he (Chappell) has been selected it would only be fair to give him some time to settle. Give him three months and may be then we can say, but at the moment he should be backed and given support.’
   On the injury concerns of several fast bowlers, Kapil, who enjoyed a long and injury-free career as a medium pacer, said ‘if they discuss it with me, may be I can help.
   ‘A cricketer should know his body and work accordingly. If I say what suits me should be applied on him as well won’t be a correct thing to say. There are always different requirements for every player and they should work accordingly,’ he said.
   Kapil did not agree that the current lot of fast bowlers in the Indian team was playing lot of cricket, mainly one-dayers.
   ‘I don’t think they are overplaying. It is a profession they have willingly taken up.
   ‘As reporters will you stop writing after few months just because you have done lot of stories? The answer would be no because you have chosen this profession on your own free will.’
   He said if at any stage a pacer feels that he is tired than he should say it clearly.
   Commenting on world champion Australia’s recent performance in England, Kapil said he was amazed to see them losing to Bangladesh in a one-day match of the NatWest series.
   ‘They have been dominating the scene for the past 10-12 years. I think they are still a very good team though their loss to Bangladesh was amazing’.

Former Brazil playmaker Zico said it was an emotional experience to lead Japan against the country of his birth in the Confederations Cup on Wednesday.
   ‘It was a very nice, emotional thing to be up against Brazil,’ Japan coach Zico told reporters after the 2-2 draw. When I heard the national anthem my heart was pounding. I was always on their side and now I’m with the opposition.
   ‘I’ve listened to this anthem since I was a kid at school and I played in that shirt for 10 years,’ said Zico, 52. I know other people have been in the same situation but I wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone else. When you have such strong roots as I do with Brazil it’s much harder.’
   Within four minutes of the kick-off, Zico’s blood was boiling as Japan’s Akira Kaji was denied a goal by an offside decision that appeared marginal at best.

Mexico will face Argentina in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup after a 0-0 draw against Greece in their final Group B match here on Wednesday.
   The scoreless draw, the first of the tournament so far, helps Mexico stretch their unbeaten run to 21 games and Ricardo Lavolpe’s team progress into the last four as group winners ahead of Brazil, who face Germany in the semis after drawing 2-2 with Japan.
   Mexico won the competition in their homeland back in 1999 and if they can continue their unbeaten run for two more games the trophy will be theirs again.
   ‘We tried a few things out, as we had already qualified, and learnt a lot,’ said Lavolpe. ‘Argentina are a great team and it should be a fantastic semi-final duel.’
   For European champions Greece a solitary point is scant reward from this competition and the fact that they failed to score in three group games leaves German manager Otto Rehhagel with a lot of thinking to do.
   ‘It goes without saying that we wanted to be more successful,’ said Rehhagel. ‘We obviously have a problem in attack as we have not scored for five games and you can not win games without scoring.’
   Greece, starting with six of the team from the Euro 2004 final win over Portugal, should have scored in the seventh minute through Zisis Vryzas.
   Vryzas watched his header crash off the crossbar but the ball ricocheted back to the Celta Vigo forward but he saw his screwed shot, which looked to be going wide, deflect off Jaime Lozano forcing goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez to somehow push the ball to saftey.
   A weakened Mexico side had their first opening in the 18th minute with Jose Fonseca forcing a point blank save from Antonios Nikopolidis.
   The goalkeeper then launched an 80 metre ball straight up the middle and Angelos Charisteas was clean through but Sanchez stopped him in his tracks racing out to clear the danger.
   This route-one approach was one Greece used a lot in the first half but Sanchez acted as a good sweeper.
   Substitute Gerardo Torrado forced Nikopolidis into a fine save in the 68th minute but most Mexico fans were more interested in the first appearance of Barcelona defender and captain Rafael Marquez in the 72nd minute.
   Both sides had a goal ruled out for offside within a hectic 120 seconds but Mexico did not care with a duel with Argentina still to come.
   Greece must now concentrate on qualifying for the World Cup in 12 months time and they face a real struggle, currently lying third in their group, eight points behind Ukraine and one point adrift of Turkey.
   ‘I hope to get some of our top players back and maybe they can make the difference and help us qualify for the World Cup,’ Rehhagel declared.

Argentinian midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme was one of the stars of the group phase of the Confederations Cup but while he plays on, Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura goes home knowing he has had a significant bearing on the tournament.
   Riquelme is the engine of the Argentina team which has looked in top form 12 months ahead of the 2006 World Cup finals back here in Germany.
   He has been at the origin of most attacks, feeding the livewire forward Luciano Figueroa, and his free kicks have wreaked havoc in opposing defences.
   The man who turns 27 on Friday-bizarrely, the same birthday and same age as Nakamura-believes he is playing the best football of his career.
   'I think I am at the height of my career,' said the Villarreal player.
   Riquelme has made a nonsense of the assessment of former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa who said he was 'too slow' to star at international level.
   He is just grateful to have been given a new start under coach Jose Pekerman.
   'It is just a joy to play in this team and we believe we are heading in the right direction,' Riquelme said after the 2-2 draw with Germany in the Argentinians' final group game.
   If there is one player Mexico must be wary of in Sunday's semi-final in Hannover it is Riquelme.
   Like Bielsa, Barcelona also considered Riquelme surplus to requirements and he turned his loan move from the Catalans to Villarreal into a permanent deal this week. Having helped Villarreal to a surprising third in the Spanish league last season with 15 goals, Riquelme can look forward to the Champions League in 2005-2006.
   Nakamura came to Germany looking for a switch from Italian Serie A side Reggina, and he has surely caused agents' phone around the world to ring with his performances in Japan's campaign here.
   In combination with super-sub Masashi Oguro, Nakamura helped Japan to defy expectaions and they only narrowly lost out to Brazil for qualification by virtue of goal difference.
   Nakamura's free kick allowed Oguro to pull Japan level against the Brazilians, who will now be wary of meeting them next year.
   Twice elected man of the match-he got the accolade in the 1-0 win over Greece as well-Nakamura has outshone Japan's best-known player, Hidetoshi Nakata, and will be a strong contender to be named in the best eleven players of this eight-nation tournament.
   Everyone already knew about World Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho, but European audiences will have been impressed by their first view of his young protege Robinho.
   Although both players faded as Brazil lost to Mexico, they were sparkling in the first half against Japan and scored a goal apiece.
   Unlike the robust Riquelme and Nakamura though, 23-year-old Robinho looks physically a little slight for the World Cup.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will abandon the experiments and urge his tired first-choice players to win their next two games and bring home the Confederations Cup.
   Parreira's priority going into the tournament was to give competitive experience to younger players on the fringe of the squad but after scraping through to the semi-finals with a 2-2 draw against Japan on Wednesday the priorities are changing.
   The coach will field his best team when they play hosts Germany in the first semi-final in Nuremberg on Saturday, with a place in the final against Mexico or Argentina at stake.
   'The question of watching players has been settled now,' Parreira said after Brazil just managed to hold out against Japan and clinch the runners-up spot in Group B. 'We've already seen 20 players in action. Now we'll pick the best possible team for the next match. We definitely want to win the competition.'
   Kaka and Adriano, who along with Robinho and Ronaldinho make up the attacking core of the side, looked particularly tired against Japan but Parreira believes they are capable of raising themselves for the final two games.
   'We'll have to see how they recover,' the coach said. 'It will be hard for some players but sometimes if you're mentally tough you can overcome problems of physical fitness.'
   Brazil won their opening game 3-0 against Greece but then lost 1-0 to Mexico and would have gone out of the tournament against Japan if their goalkeeper Marcos had not made a brilliant last-gasp save to deny Masashi Ogre.
   Parreira expects another exhausting test against Germany.
   'To play the home team is very difficult in any competition,' he said. 'This is a very important match for Germany and we expect a lot from them.
   'My players have had a long season, then they came for World Cup qualifying matches and we had just a day's break before coming here. It's a mental problem as well as a physical one.'

As a child Kevin Kuranyi once dreamed of pulling on the famous yellow jersey and playing for Brazil, but on Saturday he has the chance to knock the world champions out of the Confederations Cup with his adopted homeland of Germany.
   Hosts Germany take on Brazil in the semi-final match-up here in two days time and striker Kuranyi, born in Rio to a German father and a Panamanian mother, admits the duel has added spice.
   'I was born in Brazil and lived there for 15 years so this game is special for me,' Kuranyi said. 'Normally my family would support Brazil but on Saturday they will support Germany because of me.'
   The 23-year-old Kuranyi faced Brazil back in September 2004 and scored Germany's goal in a 1-1 draw but this time around it is not a friendly match.
   Brazil's Barcelona star Ronaldinho gave Kuranyi his shirt after the match in Berlin and he passed it on to his overjoyed brother.
   'My brother is a huge fan of Ronaldinho and he will be pestering me to get his shirt again,' admitted Kuranyi.
   While the Brazilian-born striker, who recently moved from VfB Stuttgart to Schalke 04, can not be classed in the same bracket as Ronaldinho he does have an impressive strike rate.
   A return of 14 goals from 26 games for Germany underline how far Kuranyi has progressed since Euro 2004 when he did not manage to find the target as Rudi Voller's team crashed out at the group stage.
   'We play differently under Jurgen (Klinsmann) than we did under Rudi (Voller),' explained Kuranyi. 'The team attack quicker and create more chances which obviously helps me and the other strikers.'
   The semi-final clash with Brazil offers Germany the chance to test themselves against another world class team although Kuranyi insists some Brazilian players are running on fumes.
   'Most of the Brazilian players have been playing in the Champions League and perhaps some of them are not on top of their game after a long season,' declared Kuranyi.
   'Brazil have been up and down in the tournament so far but they will be more motivated against us than they were against Japan.'
   'Of course we want to win against the top sides but we do not talk about this statistic,' Kuranyi added. 'We just want to beat Brazil and reach the final.'

Chelsea open the defence of their English Premier league title at newly-promoted Wigan on August 13 while last season's runners-up Arsenal host Newcastle.
   Manchester United are at Everton in a match between the third and fourth teams from last season.
   Champions League holders Liverpool are at Middlesbrough while Bolton visit Aston Villa.
   Championship winners Sunderland are at home Charlton and play-off victors West Ham are also at home, to Blackburn.
   On the second weekend of the new campaign on August 20, Chelsea and Arsenal meet at Stamford Bridge - just weeks after the Ashley Cole tapping-up verdict.
   And in their next game, Chelsea travel to Tottenham, the other club they angered after their approach for sporting director Frank Arnesen.
   And Jose Mourinho's side face Sir Alex Ferguson's team at Old Trafford on November 5.
   Before then, Manchester United have a derby game against Manchester City and face rivals Liverpool in successive weeks during September.
   The often crucial New Year's fixture schedule throws Arsenal and Manchester United together at Highbury on January 2.
   Over Easter, Chelsea visit Bolton on April 15 before meeting Everton at Stamford Bridge two days later.
   Then on April 29, Mourinho's men host Manchester United in a game which could possibly be a title decider.
   The season ends a week earlier than usual, on May 7, because of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
   Chelsea complete their campaign at Newcastle while Manchester United will be at home to Charlton.
   And Wigan will end the season as they began it - with a glamour match at Arsenal.
   Opening fixtures August 13
   Arsenal v Newcastle, Aston Villa v Bolton, Everton v Manchester Utd, Fulham v Birmingham, Manchester City v West Brom, Middlesbrough v Liverpool, Portsmouth v Tottenham, Sunderland v Charlton, West Ham v Blackburn, Wigan v Chelsea
   August 20
   Birmingham v Manchester City, Blackburn v Fulham, Bolton v Everton, Charlton v Wigan, Chelsea v Arsenal, Liverpool v Sunderland, Manchester Utd v Aston Villa, Newcastle v West Ham, Tottenham v Middlesbrough, West Brom v Portsmouth

Indiscipline and not doping was behind the expulsion of two Mexican players from the Confederations Cup, Franz Beckenbauer stated on Thursday.
   Salvador Carmona and Aaron Galindo were kicked out of the competition by Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe on Tuesday, with rumours abounding that the duo had tested positive for nandrolone.
   But Beckenbauer, head of Germany's 2006 World Cup committee, said he had been told by FIFA president Sepp Blatter that drug taking had nothing to do with the scandal.
   ‘He (Blatter) assured me that this was purely a disciplinary matter and nothing to do with doping. ‘And we've got no reason to question it.’
   Reports that the two defenders had taken the banned steroid emanated from two Mexican newspapers, El Universal and Reforma, which suggested the positive controls had been taken before the start of the Confed Cup.

English champions Chelsea are reported to have offered AC Milan a world record 85 million euros (57 million pounds) for Ukraine star Andriy Shevchenko - and were told it wasn’t enough.
   Roman Abramovich’s club offered Milan 73 million euros (48.9 million pounds) plus want-away Argentina striker Hernan Crespo in a determined effort to bring the 29-year-old Ukrainian to Stamford Bridge, the Daily Mirror reported Thursday.
   With Crespo valued at around 12 million euros (8 million pounds), it would have smashed the current record of 71 million euros (46 million pounds) Real Madrid paid Juventus for France star Zinedine Zidane four years ago.
   Chelsea were understood to be willing to pay Shevchenko 225,000 euros (150,000 pounds) a week on a four-year deal.
   Abramovich has long coveted Shevchenko and the European Player of the Year admits he is a personal friend of the Russian billionaire. But if Abramovich believed his stunning offer would tempt Milan, he was shown to be wrong as the Italian giants rebuffed the bid.
   Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said: ‘Chelsea have asked us for Shevchenko but we have told them ‘No’. ‘Sheva is not for sale. He is unsellable.’
   Chelsea have been engaged in a game of bluff and counter-bluff with Milan for the past month over Crespo and Georgian full-back Kakha Kaladze.
   Stamford Bridge chief executive Peter Kenyon had vowed that he would not be held to ransom by Milan over either player. The Italians say that they want to take Crespo back on loan for another season but are demanding that Chelsea contribute 22,000 euros (15,000 pounds) a week towards his wages.
   And when the Serie A side refused to lower their 12 million euros valuation of Kaladze after weeks of wrangling, Chelsea instead switched to Athletic Bilboa’s Asier Del Horno, who joined them on a three-year deal for a similar 12 million euros.

Diego Maradona is returning to Boca Juniors as a vice president in charge of managing the first-division roster.
   Club president Mauricio Macri announced the move Wednesday. Maradona will start on August 1.
   Maradona started his career at Boca, and the club hopes the soccer great can help revive it from its worst season in years, which occurred during Boca's centennial.
   Macri said Maradona's role will include managing player transfers, the roster in general, traveling with the team abroad, and providing a key support role to the next coach, who has not yet been hired.
   The team was still seeking a successor for Jorge Benitez, who resigned last week when TV footage caught him apparently spitting at an opposing player during Boca's ouster by Chivas of Mexico in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals.
   Maradona has said he favours Alfio Basile, the coach who led Argentina in the last World Cup he played in 1994. But Macri said there are other candidates, including former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Security inside stadiums and ticketing technology are problems that still need to be resolved before Germany hosts the 2006 World Cup finals.
   Horst R Schmidt, senior vice-president of the organising committee, told a news conference on Thursday that they were the main areas now highlighted for improvement.
   However, speaking after the completion of the group phase of the Confederations Cup, he said that in general the opening week of the dry-run tournament had been a qualified success.
   'It has been satisfactory so far but we must be discreet in our evaluation as only 12 of the 16 matches have been played, but there are some concerns.
   'The first is security inside the stadiums as three spectators have been able to run on to the pitch during matches. We need to look at the security inside the stadiums and the way the stewards are working very closely.
   'We know you cannot have a totally 100 per cent safe concept and we certainly do not want to have a cordon of policemen around the pitch. We think stewards every eight to 10 metres is the right level, but anyone who wants to get on to the pitch will try and distract the stewards and run through. We must improve this aspect.'
   He also highlighted microchip technology incorporated into the match tickets as another area of concern.
   'If a chip becomes broken, or somehow damaged perhaps even by something sharp like a pin, the turnstile will not open and we have to improve on that.
   'Of course, we have a back-up system and a control system to find out what is going wrong. I haven't heard of anyone waiting half-an-hour here to get their ticket sorted, but we need to try and improve the way the system works.'
   Franz Beckenbauer, president of the World Cup organising committee, said although a number of problems remain he was confident they would all be sorted out in time for the finals.
   He added that overall the Confederations Cup had been a great success in terms of organisation, logistics, the volunteer programme and the matches themselves. The tournament was also growing into an important event in its own right, said Beckenbauer, and had captured the imagination of fans around the world after being regarded as 'a weed nobody wanted' a few years ago.
   'Six or seven years ago countries would send their B or even their C teams, but the perception has changed.’