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Brian Lara produced the big innings Australia feared was brewing as he single-handedly carried the West Indies with a majestic unbeaten double-century on the opening day of the final Test at Adelaide Oval Friday.
   The Trinidad left-hander became only the second player to pass 11,000 Test runs as he claimed his 31st Test century and ninth against Australia to finally unleash the batting artistry that has made him one of the all-time greats.
   The 36-year-old batting virtuoso, given a standing ovation to the wicket and at day’s end in probably his last Test in Australia, was closing in on Australian Allan Border’s world record tally.
   Lara was on 11,163 runs, just 11 runs behind Border’s aggregate (11,174 runs) at stumps and looks set to break the mark on Saturday.
   His unbeaten 202 dwarfed the combined efforts of his team-mates’ 140 runs as West Indies reached the close at 352 for seven, with Daren Powell not out seven in by far the best first innings for the Caribbean tourists in the series already won by Australia.
   He raised his double hundred—his eighth in Tests—two overs before stumps with a pulled boundary off paceman Brett Lee to continue his love affair with the Adelaide Oval where he averaged 61 runs per innings before the Test.
   It was Lara’s second century at the picturesque oval, once the stamping ground of Australian cricketing icon Don Bradman. He amassed 182 in his last Test appearance here in 2000.
   It was an overdue return for the ‘Prince’ in a mixed series of below-par scores and questionable umpiring decisions.
   His double century came up in 352 minutes off 261 balls with 20 boundaries.
   It was his fourth hundred in Australia with his first one—a blazing 277 — a memorable classic in Sydney in 1993.
   Lara has the highest Test score of 400 not out against England in Antigua in April last year and also the third-best score of 375 against England also in Antigua in 1994.
   It was his fifth Test hundred of the year following knocks of 196 and 176 against South Africa and 130 and 153 against Pakistan.
   The tourists sorely needed Lara’s sizeable contribution after losing their four top-order wickets cheaply.
   Skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul was out at mid-afternoon drinks for 25 when he feathered a catch behind off medium-pacer Andrew Symonds leaving the tourists at 121 for four.
   Dwayne Bravo, a centurion in the last Hobart Test, fell to leg-spinner Stuart MacGill caught at short extra cover by Ricky Ponting for 34 and Dwayne Smith crashed a six off Glenn McGrath before he also became a MacGill victim, caught by Symonds off a skied shot for 14.
   Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin was out three overs from the close, leg before wicket to Glenn McGrath for 27 after putting on 70 for the seventh wicket with Lara.
   Lee struck three times in the morning session with the wickets of recalled opening batsman Wavell Hinds (10), his partner Devon Smith (7) and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan (16) to have them 71 for three at lunch.
   Hinds, who missed the opening two heavy Test defeats with a broken finger, was out in the sixth over, slow to react to a Lee lifter and giving Matthew Hayden an easy catch in the gully.
   Lee removed Smith four balls later in the same over after he attempted to drive only to edge to Hayden for his second catch in the gully.
   Sarwan’s woeful series continued when he instinctively hooked Lee to Andrew Symonds, who hardly moved at long leg to take a comfortable chest-high catch in the 19th over after he had been set after an hour’s batting.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the most capped one-day player on Friday after making his 357th appearance in the fourth game against South Africa.
   Tendulkar surpassed former Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram. The 32-year-old Mumbai batsman recently made a successful injury comeback after six months following elbow surgery. He has also scored most one-day runs (13,877) and hundreds (38).
   South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bowl first.
   The Proteas suffered a blow after strike bowler Makhaya Ntini was ruled out due to illness. Rookie Albie Morkel, 24, who bats left-handed and bowls right arm, was included for only his second match.
   On Tendulkar’s landmark, skipper Rahul Dravid told reporters, ‘It is a special occasion not only for Sachin, but for all of us in the team.’
    ‘It has been a privilege sharing the dressing room with him. He is a legend,’ he said.
   Praising Tendulkar, Dravid said it was indeed a fantastic feat as the Mumbaikar had not only managed to play top-flight cricket so long, but also attained huge success.
   ‘We will all be behind him,’ he added.

Most ODI appearances
REUTERS, Kolkata

Leading one-day players after India’s Sachin Tendulkar made a record 357th appearance in the fourth one-dayer against South Africa on Friday.
   Sachin Tendulkar, India 357
   Wasim Akram, Pakistan 356
   Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan 347
   Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka 345
   Mohammad Azharuddin, India 334
   Steve Waugh, Australia 325
   Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka 308
   Saleem Malik, Pakistan 283
   Saurav Ganguly, India 279
   Rahul Dravid, India 273

Football legend George Best died in intensive care at a west London hospital on Friday, a spokesman said.
   'After a long and very valiant fight George Best died this afternoon in the intensive care unit at Cromwell Hospital,' a spokesman said in a statement.
   'The thoughts of all staff at Cromwell Hospital are with Mr Best's family at this time.'
   The former Manchester United and Northern Ireland winger, 59, whose battle with alcoholism led to a liver transplant in 2002, was taken to hospital on October 1 with an infection thought to be linked to immuno-suppressant drugs used to help prevent his body rejecting the new organ.
   His health deteriorated rapidly at the end of October when he developed a kidney infection. He had been making daily progress until last week when he suffered a severe setback, developing a lung infection.
   Best's doctors said Thursday he was entering his final hours.
   Britain paid emotional tributes to Best as fans left flowers, scarves, team shirts and farewell messages outside the Cromwell Hospital, while newspapers reminisced
   about Best's highs on the pitch and lows at the mercy of alcohol.
   Floral bouquets, Manchester United scarves and shirts, one bearing Best's name and the number seven, which he wore during his glory days, were left near the hospital's main entrance.
   Best's son Calum, 24, his father Dickie, 87, and other family members had kept an all-night vigil at his bedside.
   A message on one bunch of flowers at the hospital read: 'Dear George, Thanks for giving me so much joy, you were my hero as a child and as an adult.
   'You will never be forgotten. Love to you and your family.'
   Earlier on Friday, Britain paid emotional tributes to Best with flowers, scarves, team shirts and farewell messages outside the
   London hospital where he languished unconscious on his deathbed.
   Major newspapers dusted off their obituaries and reminisced about Best's highs on the pitch and lows at the mercy of alcohol.
   Fans left tributes to the ex-United and Northern Ireland winger outside the private Cromwell Hospital.
   Flowers, Manchester United scarves and team shirts, one bearing Best's name and the number seven, which he wore during his glory days, were left near the main entrance.
   'Dear George, Thanks for giving me so much joy, you were my hero as a child and as an adult,' read a message on one bunch of flowers.
   'You will never be forgotten. Love to you and your family.'
   The Times newspaper called Best 'Football's Van Gogh', while the Daily Express headlined: 'George Best's dying wish: Let me be an organ donor.'
   In a special 12-page tribute to Best inside The Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter wrote: 'George Best made schoolboys fall head over flying heels in love with football and reminded their fathers why the sport could be so special.'
   In The Guardian, David Meek recalled: 'I can still see him now ... slim, boyish, dark hair shining in the floodlights during his United heyday.
   'Best was football's first celebrity, predating David Beckham by some 30 years,' Meek said of the player dubbed 'El Beatle'.

Two years ago Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had packed his cricket bag and decided to retire during a Test against Bangladesh in his hometown Multan.
   'I thought about retiring when I was out for eight in the first innings. I was struggling to make runs. I thought the time had come to quit and go out gracefully,' Inzamam told Reuters.
   'I spoke to Saeed Anwar (Former Pakistan captain), he said there is one more innings remaining and if God wants you to continue you will.'
   Inzamam scored an unbeaten 138 and put on 98 runs with the last two wickets to secure a one-wicket win to save Pakistan from an embarrassing defeat.
   On Thursday he joined the ranks of batting greats with centuries in each innings of the second Test against England and became Pakistan top century maker with 24 hundreds.
   For Inzamam, 35, who was dropped after the 2003 World Cup for poor form, life has changed after the hundred against Bangladesh.
   'It is strange how things can change so quickly. I was made captain when I was thinking about leaving cricket. Since then God has given me a lot of success,' he said. Only picked for Pakistan on the insistence of former great Imran Khan in 1991 and always seen as too lazy and laidback, Inzamam is proving to be an inspirational leader of his young team.
   In 16 games as captain, he averages over 55 runs and has scored four hundreds in his last eight innings. Inzamam believes success has come due to religious faith and prayers.
   'We pray together and it has helped us bond as a team. Take care and support each other. It has taught us to be forgiving and helped us become more united.
   'We don't have any great players like in the past. But this team is more close and determined,' he said.
   Inzamam, who sports a full-grown beard, aside from cricket also takes part in spreading the word of Islam. He dismisses fears about the team becoming a hub for religious extremism.
   'Islam does not preach forcing others for prayers. But saying prayers is a duty and gives you peace of mind.
   'There is no pressure on anyone to say his prayers. It is a wrong impression that I am forcing anyone to become religious.
   'If that was the case Danish (Kaneria) would not be so relaxed and performing so well,' he said.
   Kaneria is the only Hindu and non-Muslim in the side after Christian batsman Yousuf Youhana took the name of Mohammad Yousuf and converted to Islam.
   'There is no pressure on Danish, he is free to practice his religion and Yousuf became a Muslim of his own free will. I am no religious role model for anyone.'
   Despite his impressive record of 7,955 Test runs and 10,971 runs in one-dayers, Inzamam has set no personal ambitions.
   'I am taking my batting and captaincy on a day to day basis. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. I don't make big plans I go series by series. As a unit we are improving and working very hard. We are gaining experience with every match.'
   He remains confident that Pakistan will be strong candidate in the next World Cup in 2007.
   Inzamam credits English coach Bob Woolmer for making the team more organised.
   The Pakistan board hired the former England player last year after an embarrassing home series loss to India. It also kept faith with Inzamam, which is paying dividends.
   'He is a good coach, very organised and good at communicating with the players which is so important to make a good team,' he said.
   Inzamam's immediate task is to burst England's ashes bubble by retaining a 1-0 lead in the final Test in Lahore next week.
   'We can't lose this series but there is still lot of hard work remaining in the Test and one-day series.'

South Africa paceman Shaun Pollock provided three early blows to help bowl out India for 188 in the fourth one-dayer at Eden Gardens on Friday.
   Sachin Tendulkar failed on his world record 357th one-day appearance, scoring just two before falling to Pollock. The all-rounder grabbed three for 25 on a mildly seam-friendly pitch to vindicate captain Graeme Smith's decision to bowl first.
   India, reeling at 71 for five at one stage, made some recovery midway through before paceman Andrew Hall struck twice in one over to end the innings with 4.1 overs left.
   He finished with three for 36.
   Yuvraj Singh top-scored with 53, his 20th one-day fifty, and added 81 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammed Kaif (46) to lend some respectability to the total.
   Young off-spinner Johan Botha trapped the left-hander leg before with a straight delivery in the 36th over to dash Indian hopes of a big score. Yuvraj hit seven fours facing 78 balls.
   Pollock struck in the first over when Irfan Pathan, asked to open in place of Tendulkar, played a wide ball onto his stumps for nought.
   Tendulkar had a forgettable outing. The 32-year-old, who surpassed former Pakistan all rounder Wasim Akram, struggled to make two runs from 15 deliveries before edging behind a Pollock delivery which straightened after pitching.
   Pollock also forced opener Gautam Gambhir (11) to edge to slip a pitched-up delivery which seamed away late.
   Virendra Sehwag hit a fluent 30 with six fours, the last of which was a flick over midwicket against Hall. However, the bowler struck the next ball when the attacking batsman edged a wide ball to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.

The Dutch-Bangla Bank First Division Chess League starts at the National Sports Council auditorium today with 16 teams competing in the meet.
   Reigning champions Leonine Chess Club have formed a strong side inducting two Grand Masters into their team while title aspirants Muktijoddha Sangsad also strengthened their team with three Grand Masters.
   Local GM Niaz Murshed will play alongside Indian GM RB Ramesh and IM Sundarajan Kidambi for Leonine. The GMs of Mukitjoddha are Aloyzas Kveinys of Lithunia, Edvinbs Kengis of Latvia and Abhijeet Kunte of India. The second GM of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman will lead Bangladesh Biman and Indian GM Dibeyendu Barua is with him to take up the challenge. Bangladesh Ansar are yet to confirm their participation and in their absence the third-placed team of the second division will be called up.
   Dutch-Bangla Bank, as the sponsors for the second consecutive year, will provide a purse of Tk 2 lakh.
   At a press briefing, held at the NSC auditorium on Friday, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Chess Federation, Jamilur Rahman, disclosed the ins and outs of the competition. Senior vice-president of Dutch-Bangla Bank Abul Munim Khan, federation member Harunur Rashid and Monjurul Islam Khan were also present on the occasion.

The Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team crushed South Africa by eight wickets to register their third consecutive victory in the Afro-Asian U-19 Tournament at Vishakhapatnam on Friday.
   South Africa were bundled out for 92 in 34.3 overs and Bangladesh cruised to victory losing just two wickets with 33.2 overs to spare.
   Mehrab Hossain and Sohrawardi Shuvo ripped through the South African batting line-up capturing three wickets each. Bangladesh.
   Daniel Pieter (21) and Molutsi Katelego (23) were the notable scorers. Nabil Samad also took two wickets for 13 runs.
   Though Tamim Iqbal, the left-handed opener, returned to the pavilion for nought, Mehedi Hasan, the other opener, and one down Sakib al Hasan steadied the ship stroking an unbeaten 30 and 35 runs respectively.

The Bangladesh Army kicked off their Nitol-Tata National Football League final round challenge with a hard fought 1-0 win over Kacharipara Sporting Club of Jamalpur at the Khulna Stadium on Friday.
   After a goalless first half Mizanur Rahman of Bangladesh Army succeeded to break the deadlock in 56th minute. Kacharipara forward Jalaluddin was awarded the best player of the match.
   President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Ali Asghar witnessed the match as the chief guest and gave away the prizes.
   Muktijoddha Sangsad and Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club will face each other in a high-voltage match today.

Sachin Tendulkar has become one-day cricket’s most-capped player rattling up 357 ODIs, when he played the fourth ODI against South Africa at Kolkata. He surpassed Wasim Akram who has played 356 ODIs. Cricinfo takes a look at Tendulkar’s milestones over the years.
   Debut v Pak at Gujranwala, 1989
   Tendulkar, a young lad of 16, faced the prospect of a formidable pace-attack comprising Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed in a match that was shortened to 16 overs a side. Pakistan had set India a target of 88 and Tendulkar came to the crease at 34 for 3. He lasted just two deliveries before Waqar bowled him for a duck. He followed that up with another duck in his second game against New Zealand at Dunedin.
   9th ODI v SL at Pune, 1990
   A fine allround performance, 2 for 39 and a quickfire 53, gave Tendulkar his first Man-of-the-Match award in just his ninth game. After dismissing both the Sri Lankan openers, he hit seven fours and a six in a 41-ball half-century as India successfully chased 227 by the 46th over.
   70th ODI v NZ at Auckland, 1994
   Sixty nine matches passed before a decision was taken to open the innings with Tendulkar. It proved to be a masterstroke. New Zealand were restricted to 142 due to some fine seam bowling by Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath. One-nil down in the four-ODI series, Tendulkar was in a frantic hurry to seal the victory as he hammered 82 off 49 balls, including 72 runs in boundaries, to finish the match in 23.2 overs.
   79th ODI v Aus in Colombo, 1994
   For someone who now has 38 centuries, Tendulkar took an eternity to score his first. Against a team that would bear the brunt of his most memorable performances in later years, Tendulkar rattled off his first hundred, 110 off 130 balls, as India posted a sizable 246 and then skittled Australia to complete a 31-run win.
   100th ODI v NZ at Pune, 1995
   Tendulkar chipped in with 2 for 49 but New Zealand managed to score 235 as Chris Cairns blasted an 87-ball century. Useful middle-order contributions helped India coast home after losing Tendulkar for 7.
   120th ODI v SL in Colombo, 1996
   India lost Tendulkar’s first match as captain by nine wickets largely due to Sanath Jayasuriya’s superb century but Tendulkar turned in a fine performance with the bat as well. Batting first, he hit 110 to take India to 226 as the rest of the batsmen simply failed to get going. He followed that up by taking the only Sri Lankan wicket to fall.
   179th ODI v Aus at Kochi, 1998
   Tendulkar bagged the Man-of-the-Match award even tough his batting contributed just eight runs. Australia blazed away in their pursuit of 310 but Tendulkar then ran amok, claiming the entire middle-order and finishing with figures of 5 for 32, his first five-wicket haul.
   198th ODI v Zim at Bulawayo, 1998
   Tendulkar broke Desmond Haynes’s record of 17 ODI centuries by leading India to a comfortable eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe. He scored 127 of the required 216 and gave India the lead in the series.
   200th ODI v Zim at Harare, 1998
   Chasing 260 for victory, India lost Tendulkar for 2 in just the second over and thereafter kept losing regular wickets and eventually fell short of the target by 38 runs.
   207th ODI v Zim at Sharjah, 1998
   Tendulkar went past Viv Richards’s record of 31 Man-of-the-Match awards when he creamed 124 to lead India to a ten-wicket victory in the final of the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy. After restricting Zimbabwe to 196, Tendulkar tore their attack apart, with half a dozen sixes and twelve fours in his 92-ball blitz. He was particularly harsh on Henry Olonga who had taken his wicket with a short delivery that surprised him in an earlier game.
   253rd ODI v NZ at Nairobi, 2000
   Mohammad Azharuddin’s world-record tally of 9378 runs fell in the final of the ICC KnockOut tournament. Tendulkar scored 69 as India frittered a great start to finish on 264. Cairns’s century denied India the trophy after New Zealand were 132 for 5 at one stage.
   266th ODI v Aus at Indore, 2001
   Tendulkar plundered 139 runs off 125 balls and became the first cricketer to cross 10,000 runs as India finished on 299 when at one stage they looked set to target 350. However, the total proved to be more than sufficient and Australia were dismissed for 181 in the 36th over.
   300th ODI v SL in Colombo, 2002
   On the reserve day of the ICC Champions Trophy final, India were 38 for 1 chasing 223 for victory before rain washed out any further chance of play. Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 7 and could only watch as all hopes of winning his first ICC trophy were dashed.
   335th ODI v SL at Dambulla, 2004
   India lost a close run-chase to mark Tendulkar’s becoming the most-capped Indian, going past Azharuddin who played 334 games. He made 11 before falling to Zoysa as India finished on 270, 13 runs short of victory.
   356th ODI v SA at Banglaore, 2005
   Tendulkar joined Wasim Akram as one-day cricket’s most capped player. He was out for a dreadfully slow 2 off 22 balls as India drew level in the series by chasing 170 against South Africa.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan on Friday was all praise for Inzamam-ul-Haq, saying the current skipper had played a major role in reviving the country’s fortunes in international cricket.
   ‘Inzamam has revived the team’s fortunes and, the way he batted in the second Test, he has proved he is the best batsman under pressure,’ Khan told AFP.
   Inzamam hit a century in each innings of the second Test at Faisalabad which ended in a draw on Thursday.
   He not only broke former batting great Javed Miandad’s Pakistani record of 23 Test hundreds, but also became the country’s second batsman to score twin hundreds in a Test against England.
   Hanif Mohammad is the only other batsman to have achieved this feat, at Dhaka in 1961-62.
   Inzamam, who has so far played 104 Tests, is now 877 short of surpassing Miandad’s Pakistani record of 8,832 runs 124 matches.
   Khan said Inzamam was a better batsman than even West Indian Brian Lara and India’s Sachin Tendulkar when it came to batting under pressure.
   ‘No batsman in modern era, including Lara and Tendulkar, can play better than Inzamam when the chips are down,’ said Khan.
   Both Lara and Tendulkar have completed 10,000 Test runs.
   Inzamam rose to fame under Khan’s captaincy, playing a vital role in his team’s 1992 World Cup triumph in Australia.
   Khan said he believed Inzamam could serve his team better if he batted higher in the order.
   ‘Inzamam is playing with the tail, so I think he needs to bat at number four instead of six. It is better to avoid a crisis than play in one,’ he said.
   Khan, who criticised Inzamam’s captaincy during Pakistan’s tour of Australia early this year, said things had changed as the current captain was now playing a more active role.
   ‘What I said has been proved correct. Inzamam needs to lead from the front. He has become a more active captain with the tour of India and is improving with each match,’ said Khan, who played 82 Tests for Pakistan.
   The Inzamam-led Pakistan upset all calculations by levelling a three-Test series 1-1 against India early this year before winning the one-day series 4-2.
   Khan said England were thrown off balance in the first Test after missing their captain Michael Vaughan through a knee injury.
   ‘Inzamam took full advantage of Vaughan’s absence in Multan and that has proved decisive in the series,’ Khan said, referring to Pakistan’s 22-run win at Multan.
   He said Pakistan should continue playing attacking cricket in the third and final Test, starting here from November 29.
   ‘Pakistan need to put more pressure on England rather than going defensive,’ he said, adding Inzamam had handled his bowlers well in the first two matches.
   ‘He has exploited his bowling resources well, but I think paceman Mohammad Sami has been struggling and needs direction from someone like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis or Aaqib Javed,’ he said.

West Indian batsman Brian Lara silenced his critics with an unbeaten double-century in the third and final Test against Australia on Friday.
   The 36-year-old left-hander, who had been under fire after a string of moderate scores in the two previous Tests with critics claiming his best days were behind him, responded in magnificent fashion.
   Lara made 202 not out to help his struggling team end the first day at Adelaide Oval on 352 for seven. He needs just 12 more runs to pass Allan Border’s world record of 11,174 for the most Test runs.
   ‘I’ve been working hard all series without much success but I was still feeling good,’ Lara told a news conference.
   ‘I was making starts and getting to double figures but just not going on it with it, but I knew it was just around the
   corner.’
   Lara, who made the first of his 31 Test hundreds against Australian in Sydney in 1993 with a memorable 277, said he had targeted the final Test in Adelaide as his chance for another huge score.
   He began Friday’s innings cautiously as a mark of respect to the Australian bowling attack of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill but exploded after lunch to end the day with 20 boundaries to his credit.
   ‘We’re not going to be playing Test cricket for three months so I was really looking forward to this particular Test match,’ Lara said.
   ‘I know I’m playing against a world class so I had to build a foundation.
   ‘I know that they’re capable of getting me out but there comes a time when you have to pick the momentum up and dictate to them.
   ‘You give them their hour but once you know the pace and the bounce of the pitch and what the bowlers have got to offer, you have to go out there and not be intimidated.’
   MacGill, who captured the wickets of Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith, said it was difficult to bowl to Lara when he was in that sort of mood.
   ‘It was a bit of a challenge for all the bowlers today,’ MacGill said. ‘Most of us knew this was just around the corner so I’m not going to say that it was a surprise because it certainly wasn’t.
   ‘You’re definitely tempted to try and contain someone of that class and in that form but I think can be a mistake. You still have to attack and be looking for a wicket.’
   West Indies finished the day with their highest score of the series but Lara was still wary about his team’s prospects.
   ‘Five years ago we were in the same situation and we lost the match quite comfortably so I’m quite aware of exactly what we’ve got to do tomorrow,’ Lara said.
   MacGill said he also believed the match was in the balance but could hinge on how many more runs Lara made.
   ‘I’m reluctant to give it to either side at this stage,’ MacGill said.
   ‘If Australia come out and tomorrow morning and finish the innings off in the first half hour then it’s been a worthwhile day for us but it’s still dangerously poised particularly with Brian still in there.
   ‘I think once he knocks off these (12) runs we might seem him take most of the strike so that’s something for our bowlers to deal with.’

Factbox on West Indies batsman Brian Lara after he joined Allan Border as the only players to pass 11,000 Test runs with 202 not out in the third Test against Australia on Friday.
   Lara needs a further 12 runs to break Border’s world record 11,174.
   1969: Born Santa Cruz, Trinidad, May 2; youngest of seven brothers.
   1990: Test debut, third Test v Pakistan, Lahore, makes 44 and 6.
   1993: First Test century, 277 v Australia, Sydney
   1994: Broke Gary Sobers’ long-standing world record high Test score of 365 with 375 v England, St John’s, Antigua
   1994: Sets first-class world record of 501 not out for Warwickshire v Durham at Edgbaston
   1998: Named as West Indies captain against England in the Caribbean, leading his side to 3-1 Test series victory
   1998: Sacked as West Indies captain when players’ revolt over pay delays start to tour of South Africa but reinstated after four days of talks.
   1999: Scores 213 in Kingston–his first century for a year to lead West Indies to victory over Australia in second Test. Hits 153 as West Indies score world record 311-9 in fourth innings to win third Test. Series ends 2-2.
   2000: Resigns as West Indies captain on February 24. Takes break from cricket for four months.
   2003: Reappointed West Indies Test captain. Australian opener Matthew Hayden breaks Lara’s world record with 380 against Zimbabwe.
   2004: Lara regains record with 400 not out against England at St John’s. Steps down as captain later that year.
   2005: Overtakes Steve Waugh as second run-scorer in history during second Test against Australia. Scores 202 not out in third Test to pass 11,000 runs and close in on Border’s world record.
   Career statistics (includes incomplete innings of 202 not out v Australia on Friday):
   M Inn NO Runs HS 50 100 Avg
   121 213 7 11,163 400* 46 31 54.19

Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer has cautioned his players to be wary of an England backlash in the third and final Test in Lahore next week.
   Woolmer said England’s players were becoming increasingly acclimatised to the conditions in Pakistan.
   ‘They batted well to win the Ashes at home,’ Woolmer told Reuters. ‘They have some dangerous players. But in a sense they were undercooked when they came to Pakistan and they got seaming wickets in the tour matches. But with two Tests gone now I think they will have acclimatised and they will be harder to beat,’ he added.
   England trail in the series after losing the first Test in Multan by 22 runs and hanging on for a draw in the second Test in Faisalabad.
   ‘We can’t sit on our 1-0 lead and we have to play really good cricket to put them under pressure,’ Woolmer said.
   ‘It was a tight Test in Faisalabad and we did our best to win it. We came out of it particularly well. But our goal is to win the series as we haven’t won a Test series for two years now,’ Woolmer added.
   ‘And to do that we have to avoid playing with a negative mindset. That would be dangerous for us.’
   Woolmer said Pakistan would have to go into the match with a slightly different approach after the loss of all rounder Shahid Afridi to a ban for scuffing the pitch in Faisalabad with his boots.
   ‘Shahid is a very, very good player and his absence is a big blow to us. In the sense that we now have to find a new balance in the side.’

Adam Gilchrist’s plans for a week off with the backing of the selectors were over-ruled by Cricket Australia when he was named vice-captain for the Chappell-Hadlee Series.
   Trevor Hohns’ panel wanted Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath to miss the New Zealand one-day tour to rest ahead of the three-Test South Africa series, but CA refused to allow the request for fear of devaluing the second-year concept.
   The Courier-Mail reported a CA spokesman said the organisation had a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the series but the details of the selection process were confidential. There was also a tight-lipped response in The Australian.
   ‘All I’m going to say is the 13 there is the 13 we’ve named,’ the spokesman told the paper.
   ‘There was a process leading up to the finalisation of that 13 which included a whole series of issues around form, injury, player workload, the need to have an elite team of a standard befitting the status of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.’
   The squad is currently in a streak of 12 Tests and 25 ODIs and the selectors were hopeful of resting the two key players, but while McGrath is in Sydney Gilchrist will be the only gloveman in the squad.
   The first match of the series is at Auckland on December 3 with games at Wellington and Christchurch on December 7 and 10.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insisted again on Thursday that he will quit management for good once he leaves Old Trafford.
   Ferguson, who has been in charge since 1986, has come under intense pressure in recent weeks which has increased following Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Villarreal.
   That left United needing to win their final match against Benfica next month to guarantee a place in the money-spinning knock-out stages.
   United are also 10 points adrift of Premiership leaders Chelsea and under financial strain following Vodafone’s decision to end their nine-million-pound shirt sponsorship deal two years early.
   Speculation has now surfaced that Glasgow Rangers - Ferguson’s first love and the club where he spent three years as a player in the late 1960s - could approach the 63-year-old as a replacement for current boss Alex McLeish.

FIFA said Friday a disciplinary ruling on violent incidents at the Turkey-Switzerland World Cup qualifier was unlikely to be ready until the new year.
   ‘The final decision may well be taken early next year,’ a spokesman for world football’s governing body said.
   Turkey won the game 4-2, but failed to qualify for 2006 finals on the away goals rule, having lost the first leg 2-0 in Bern. The match was marred at the end by fighting involving players and officials that left one Swiss player injured.
   FIFA officials said it was up to its disciplinary committee to decide whether the inquiry would also cover earlier incidents reported after Switzerland arrived in Turkey.
   FIFA had hoped for a ruling by the draw for the World Cup finals in Leipzig, Germany on December 9.

Under-scanner Pakistani paceman Shabbir Ahmed said Friday he thought of quitting cricket after his bowling action was yet again reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
   ‘This was the fourth time my action was questioned and I had nearly quit the game,’ said Ahmed, who was reported after the opening Test against England at Multan.
   Ahmed, 29, was playing his first Test after being cleared by the ICC in October.
   His action was questioned for a third time in the West Indies in May this year and he was subsequently banned from bowling at international level after undergoing tests in July.
   The Pakistan Cricket Board withdrew Ahmed from the remaining two Tests against England, saying the paceman would take further remedial measures in Australia next month.
   Ahmed described the whole issue as confusing.
   ‘I am confused because I was cleared just last month and it is frustrating for me,’ said Ahmed, who equalled Waqar Younis’s Pakistani record of fastest 50 wickets in the Test at Multan.
   Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer also criticised the ICC’s process of dealing with bowlers with illegal actions, saying it needed a review.
   ‘A bowler is cleared after tests, bowls for the first time and is reported again. The process is not satisfactory and needs to be looked at,’ said Woolmer.
   Ahmed was first reported during a tri-series in Sharjah in 1998 and then in 2004 during his team’s tour of New Zealand.
   He now faces a one-year ban if found transgressing the ICC limits for bowlers.

New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming will miss the first two one-day internationals against Australia early next month after surgery to remove a tumour on his jaw.
   ‘Stephen last week had a potentially cancerous tumour removed from his jaw line in front of his left ear, and yesterday received the very good news that the tumour was benign,’ the New Zealand team general manager Lindsay Crocker said Friday.
   ‘The size of the tumour caused nerve damage, which was repaired with further surgery on Wednesday.’
   Spin bowler Daniel Vettori will captain New Zealand against Australia in Auckland on December 3 and in Wellington on December 7, and Fleming is likely to return for the final match in Christchurch on December 10, New Zealand Cricket said.
   Batsman Nathan Astle will be vice-captain for New Zealand, which named an expanded 14-man squad on Wednesday in case Fleming would not be available.
   The New Zealand Herald quoted Vettori saying he was looking forward to measuring his captaincy abilities against the world’s top one-day side.

More players are considering following the example set by Tatenda Taibu and quitting Zimbabwean cricket.
   The national team skipper, 22, resigned on Thursday because of the state of cricket in the country and after receiving personal threats.
   Several other internationals met representative Clive Field on Thursday.
   ‘They are very concerned about the situation, in particular the danger to Zimbabwe’s Test status through the loss of our best players,’ Field revealed.
   ‘We are having a meeting on Monday to review our response to what has happened.
   ‘This has all been a great shock to them and they are worried about their own futures.
   ‘For many of them cricket is all they have.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack.
   The 29-year-old Germany skipper is out of contract in the summer and United were thought to be among a host of leading clubs trying to secure his services.
   However, while Ferguson confirmed there had been talks with the player’s representatives, the United boss revealed he is now looking elsewhere.
   ‘We have considered it for quite a few weeks,’ said Ferguson. ‘We have had discussions with his people and I think he is a great player.
   ‘But he is similar to players who play in that position for us already like Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes and we want to target players in other positions.’
   Ferguson is acutely concerned at the lack of depth in his squad.

‘I think I’ve found you a genius.’
   With those seven words hammered out on a telegram from a talent scout to Old Trafford, the legend of George Best was born.
   Before a drink had passed his lips, there was only innocence and a sublime talent gifted by God.
   Born in May 1946, George was the son of an iron turner at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
   Dick Best had married an attractive tobacco factory girl, Ann, in June 1945.
   George was born the following May, the first of six children.
   He could walk at ten months and began dribbling a ball at 14 months.
   Pretty soon, the darkly handsome George was dribbling a tennis ball around the streets of the Cregagh council estate in East Belfast as he honed his astonishing skills.
   Dick, who taught George his early football lessons, said: ‘He always had good balance and co-ordination.
   ‘Every Christmas he asked for a new football and that’s what he got — ball, shirt, shorts, boots and socks.’
   George passed his 11-plus and went to the local Protestant grammar school.
   But schooling soon lost out to his obsession with soccer. He played truant and his scholarship was withdrawn.
   But at the age of 15 the years of practice paid off.
   It was during a match for Cregagh Boys’ Club that Man Utd’s scout in Northern Ireland, Bob Bishop, sent a telegram back to the Old Trafford ground saying he had witnessed a legend in the making.
   After that memorable telegram, George signed for the Reds and left home for good after a two-week trial at the club.
   In September 1963, at the age of 17, George made his first-team debut for United against West Bromwich Albion.
   The youngster was lining up beside legends like Denis Law, Pat Crerand and Bobby Charlton.
   It was a physical time in English football. Big men ruled the roost and agile Bestie was a breath of fresh air.
   With feet as fleet as a pickpocket’s fingers, he would taunt uncultured defenders like a prize bullfighter.
   Often he would humiliate them with a bewildering repertoire of feints and swerves, sudden stops and panther-like spurts of speed.
   The great Sir Matt Busby once said of him, ‘He was always able to use either foot — sometimes he seemed to have six.’
   With the goals, pretty soon came the pop star fame.
   George Best fan clubs sprang up everywhere from Moscow to Tokyo and wherever he went there was always a throng of fans, usually pretty and female.
   Girls were on tap. George said years later, ‘I used to say ‘I’m George Best — the Man United footballer.’ That usually did it.’
   With the groupies came the clothes, the long hair and a white Jaguar sports car.
   The most he ever earned as a United player was £11,000 a year but his merchandising deals tripled that figure. Unsurprisingly, he became dubbed ‘the fifth Beatle.’
   But in those early days, it was his performances in the theatres of dreams across Europe that were forever burned into the memories of those who watched in wonder.
   He helped United win the League title in 1965 and 1967 and in one historic match against Benfica he scored a stunning hat-trick away from home as United romped to a 5-1 victory.
   In 1968 he picked up the English and European Footballer Of The Year awards as United became the first English team to win the European Cup.
   He scored in the 4-1 triumph over, again, Benfica at Wembley, famously waltzing past the Portuguese keeper to walk the ball into the net in injury time.
   The team, which also featured Charlton and Law, was one of the greatest English club sides ever.
   Sir Matt paid tribute to Best, saying: ‘Best was gifted with more individual ability than I have ever seen in any other player.
   ‘His heading was devastating and he had more ways of beating a player than anyone I have ever seen.’
   The party lifestyle increased as the fame rocketed and, while George said it never affected his game, by 1970 it became obvious he was only operating at 75 per cent efficiency.
   But even during this decline the genius was still evident. An FA Cup fifth-round tie against Northampton in 1970 stands out as a magical day.
    George Best’s name was not even printed on the match day programme. He had served a six-week suspension and his place in the United line-up was in doubt right up to the morning of the game.
   After his long lay-off Best made the team and took out his frustration with an FA Cup record-equalling six-goal salvo.
   Quite simply, Northampton were unable to cope with Best’s genius.
   Ray Fairfax, the luckless man detailed to mark Best, admitted after the game ‘The closest I got to him was when we shook hands at the end of the game.’
   But a year later the decline sped up. In January 1971, he turned up 90 minutes late for an appearance before the FA Disciplinary Commission, which fined him a record £250 for three cautions for misconduct.
   He had arranged to travel with Sir Matt to London — but missed the train.
   Four days later he missed the train taking his team to London to play Chelsea and spent the weekend with actress Sinead Cusack, besieged by journalists and television crews.
   United imposed a two-week suspension. Also in 1971, Manchester appointed Sir Matt a director and brought in Frank O’Farrell as manager.
   Best briefly declared a truce with alcohol until a series of threats against his life, allegedly from the IRA, triggered a spectacular decline.
   Late-night drinking and missed training sessions culminated in a much-publicised weekend with Miss Great Britain Carolyn Moore.
   In May 1972, having been ordered to leave his bachelor pad and return to the care of his Manchester landlady Mary Fullaway, Best flew to Spain and declared he was finished with football.
    He was 26 and had scored 147 goals for Manchester United.
   The House of Commons discussed the saga under a motion tabled: ‘The Best is the enemy of the good.’
   After four months in Spain, he was allowed to return to United on condition he went to live with a senior player and saw a psychiatrist.
   In December 1972, the club placed him on the transfer list. He had missed more training sessions and been found guilty of breaking a girl’s nose in a nightclub brawl.
   Days later, on the brink of relegation, United directors sacked both O’Farrell and Best.
   Sir Matt told the Press: ‘We want to get him out of our hair. We are at the end of our tether.’
   Best was lured to Canada by the North American Football League, but Tommy Docherty persuaded him into one more comeback at United nine months later.
   The end came when he missed a midweek training session and walked out after being dropped for a New Year’s Day match at Loftus Road, home of Queen’s Park Rangers.
   Later, he would say: ‘I wish I hadn’t done it. But I don’t regret walking out on Tommy Docherty.’
   For George Best, it was the beginning of the end.

The football world is in mourning after the death of ex-Manchester United and Northern Ireland star George Best.
   Sir Alex Ferguson led the emotional tributes to Best, hailing the football icon 'the greatest British player of all time'.
   United boss Fergie paid tribute to the former European Footballer of the Year, saying Best was among the all-time greats and his brilliance with a ball at his feet was unique.
   'It's a sad situation because he's such a wonderful person, you know,' said Fergie. 'I met him a few times down the years and he was so likeable, and that is the sad part.
   'He was also such a fantastic footballer. I think everyone at Manchester United looks upon George as one of the best players of all time. And I think that's the way we should remember him.
   'In football terms, within this club, and the history of English football, then I would have to say that there has been no better British player.
   'When you talk in world terms, the problem with Bestie is that he never played in a World Cup Final or World Cup semi-final.
   'Players in that situation are denied the chance of being assessed among the greatest players in the world. Nonetheless, George is up there in the pantheon of great players.'
   Sir Bobby Charlton, who played alongside Best at his peak but was never close as a friend, said: 'He was on a par, at least, with anyone you can name.
   'We at Manchester United have learned from our experience with Eric Cantona, we had to treat him differently, make allowances. If, instead of being hostile to George, which I was, we had leaned a bit his way and tried to help him, who knows?'
   Denis Law, who spent Thursday evening at Best's bedside. said: 'From 1964 to 1969 he was the best player in the country,'
   'It's sad as hell but I don't think we saw the best of him. He went on the blink at a time when he could have got even better.'
   Former Northern Ireland team and room-mate Pat Jennings, who made his international debut in 1964 alongside Best, said: 'He was not only a fantastic player, to me he was also a fantastic bloke.
   'The George Best I met then is the same George Best I knew then.'
   Republic of Ireland and Leeds midfielder Johnny Giles described Best as 'the most naturally gifted player I have ever seen.
   'He had the lot: balance, pace, two good feet, he was brave, strong and a good header of the ball.'
   'Pele wasn't as gifted as George Best and I would definitely put George above Johan Cruyff because he had more heart,' said Giles.
   Former United midfielder and England captain Bryan Robson said, 'He was a fantastic player and he'll be sadly missed. He was one of my heroes when I was a kid.
   'When I saw United play at Newcastle, he was the player who stood out. I was a Newcastle fan and you always looked out for the great players.
   'When you look at some of the televised games from those days, you see what a great player he was. I didn't play against him in a competitive match, but I played against him in a couple of testimonials and friendlies in the 70s.'
   Former United star Gordon McQueen, who worked with Best as a pundit for Sky Sports, said, 'It's very sad. Everybody would like to remember him as the fantastic footballer he was.
   'But I caught him at the tail-end of his career as a player and what I remember is working with him at Sky Sports.
   'I just thought he was a lovely man. That's why I think he got so many second chances in life. He had such a warm and friendly personality. A lot of fans will wax lyrical about his footballing ability, but I remember the other side of him, the human side.'
   Former Newcastle and Scotland captain Bob Moncur, who played against Best for club and country, said, 'In my opinion, for a couple of years, he was the best all-round player I have seen.'
   Charlton manager Alan Curbishley said, 'It's a sad time for football. There are a lot of people out there who know George Best in name only and would never have seen him.
   'People with George Best's ability come along once in a lifetime and we were lucky enough to see him and not a lot of people can say that. George Best was one of the greatest players ever seen.'
   Tottenham manager Martin Jol said, 'George was very special. He could beat three or four people and was one of the best dribblers.

I used to go missing a lot... Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World.
   I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep.
   I was in for 10 hours and had 40 pints - beating my previous record by 20 minutes.
   (on a blood transfusion for his liver transplant, not on his drinking)
   He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right.
   (his assesment of Manchester United's David Beckham)
   I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.
   'Pele called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the ultimate salute to my life.'

George Best hit so many
   stunning goals during his
   career. Here are half-a- dozen true flashes of genius :
   
   Man United v Chelsea
   March 13, 1965
   League division one
   Brilliant Best conjures up a goal out of nothing. After charging down a hurried clearance, his perseverance pays off when a defender under-hits his backpass. Ron 'Chopper' Harris allegedly tries to decapitate him but Best chips legendary Chelsea keeper Peter Bonetti from an impossibly tight angle. United win 4-0.
   
   Man United v Benfica
   May 29, 1968
   European Cup final
   Best puts the Red Devils 2-1 up in extra-time with a vintage moment at Wembley.
   He takes Brian Kidd's
   header 25 yards out, jinks
   past two defenders, rounds the keeper and rolls it home as if it was no more than a meaningless strike in a pre-season
   friendly.
   The goal knocks the stuffing out of the Portuguese and,
   with their opponents visibly
   tiring, United go on to win 4-1 and become the first
   English side to lift the European Cup.
   
   Man United v Sheffield Utd
   October 10, 1971
   League division one
   He is supposedly past his best by this stage but proves he still has it with an incredible goal. The Irishman shows amazing pace and agility as he picks up the ball 40 yards out.
   He then appears to take on the whole Blades defence and looks to have gone too wide before scoring from the narrowest of angles.
   
   Man United v Benfica
   March 9, 1966
   European Cup quarter-final
   Best scores twice in a 5-1 win. The first comes from a header but his second is a moment of magic. He beats three men before shooting past the Portuguese keeper. Boss Matt Busby had ordered United to keep things tight but tells Best after the game 'you obviously weren't listening'.
   
   Peterborough v Fulham
   September 1, 1976
   League Cup 2nd round replay
   A loose ball bounces around
   the halfway line when Best controls it instantly. He stands
   still before he flicks the ball with his left foot on to his right and strikes a volley with ferocious power.
   Fulham team-mate Rodney Marsh said, 'It was a stroke of genius. I caught sight of their keeper openly clapping George's genius, which is the ultimate respect.'
   
   San Jose v Fort Lauderdale
   USA major league 1981
   THE goal Best considered to be his greatest came in the USA.
   He picks up the ball near halfway, glides past two
   players and is confronted
   by three defenders inside the area.
   A pass looks his only option but he weaves through all of them - then does it again - before scoring in the corner.

England striker Wayne Rooney helped lift some of the gloom at Manchester United on Thursday by declaring himself ready to spend the next 10 years at Old Trafford.
   Despite United needing to beat Benfica next month to guarantee a place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League and with Sir Alex Ferguson's side 10 points adrift of Premiership leaders Chelsea, Rooney said he is focused on achieving long-term success with the club.
   He is so confident about United's future he would welcome the chance to stay with the club for the next decade.
   'I don't see any reason why I won't be. It's a massive club with a massive fan base and we've got a lot of good young players in the squad now. Hopefully we're going to keep getting better,' said Rooney who has a contract with United which runs until 2010.
   Roy Keane's departure last Friday has left United without their former skipper but also a player whose MUTV interview, deemed unfit for broadcast by chief executive David Gill, was understood to take in particular criticism of five of the club's younger players.
   The Irishman is believed to have targeted Alan Smith, Darren Fletcher, Kieran Richardson, Liam Miller and John O'Shea for particular scorn.
   However, Rooney remains supportive of such players, and is optimistic this will be the season he collects the first major club medal of his career.
   'I joined Manchester United to win trophies and win medals so hopefully I can start this season,' said the 20-year-old Rooney.
   United were impressive when winning 3-1 at Charlton on Saturday, a fortnight after ending Chelsea's unbeaten start to the Premiership season.
   The back-to-back league wins over London opposition offer a sign of good things to come in Rooney's mind and his optimism hasn't been dimmed by a disappointing 0-0 draw with Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face criminal charges over allegations he raped a woman in a London hotel suite, Scotland Yard have confirmed.
   The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the Portugal winger.
   Ronaldo, 20, has always denied the accusations.
   'The Metropolitan Police Service submitted a file to the CPS in November following allegations of a serious sexual assault at a central London hotel on October 2,' a Scotland Yard spokesman said Thursday night.
   'We have been informed today by the CPS that there is insufficient evidence to charge.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he has adopted an arrogant persona because his job requires it.
   'I'm arrogant because it is necessary to be that way in the world of football,' Mourinho said in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca on Friday.
   'I don't like picking quarrels with people, but I'm not going to allow them to meddle with me.
   'I want to mind my own business and other people should mind theirs ... But if people step on you, then you have to step on them in return. You can't remain silent.'
   The Portuguese has frequently been accused of arrogance. He has been involved in an on-going spat with former Barcelona coach Johan Cruyff and has had run ins with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
   Mourinho said his main concern was to protect his players.
   'I want the players to feel protected, motivated and comfortable, even though it may be my image that is at stake,' he said.
   'At the end of last season they told me that the way I had behaved with the media had helped them have a much easier time with the press and allowed them to work without distractions. My objective was accomplished and that's what is important.
   'When I say I want to stay at Chelsea for many years I mean that in every sense. Part of that is the press and at times I enjoy the whole game. It can be good fun.'
   Mourinho said Chelsea played the way they did because it was effective.
   'Personally it is isn't my favourite style of play, but it is the style that has the biggest chance of success in English football,' he said.
   'A coach shouldn't adapt a team to his personal tastes, but should adapt to the reality of the league in which his team plays.'
    The former Porto coach also said Real Madrid had not contacted him about taking over at the Spanish club.
   'I've got four more years on my contract with Chelsea,' he I hope to win enough to complete those four years and, if possible, to stay on longer.'

David Beckham insists he will not let a crippling back problem ruin his World Cup plans.
   Becks, 30, has been playing through the pain barrier all season with Real Madrid - but is still managing to be their star performer.
   Doctors have drawn up a series of treatments including massage, hydro- therapy and anti-inflammatory jabs as big games come thick and fast.
   He said: 'I had an anti-inflammatory the day before the game and it calmed it down.
   'The treatment I am having is fine and it's getting me into games. I suppose the way I kick the ball means I am always going to have problems.
   'It just needs looking after by the doctors and the physios and then it won't be a problem.
   'I am not going to pull out of Real Madrid games and I never want to quit playing for England.

Real Madrid coach Wanderley Luxemburgo will be playing for his professional life when the Spanish giants, who are currently fourth in the Spanish first division, visit Real Sociedad on Sunday.
   Luxemburgo has come under fire before during his brief tenure at Real, having only taken over last December, but the club's fans called for his head during the last 10 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.
   The traditional waving of white handkerchiefs to signal their displeasure was accompanied by jeering and shouts around the Santiago Bernabeu stadium of, 'Out, out, out.' 'The whistling was fair. If I'd have been in the stands then I would also have been whistling,' said Luxemburgo.

Premier League champions Chelsea should add to the woes of managerless Portsmouth today when they take on the southcoast strugglers at Fratton Park.
   Manchester United face a trickier task at West Ham after a dismal midweek on and off the pitch, Arsenal host Blackburn Rovers and second-placed Wigan continue an unenviable set of fixtures at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
   Chelsea’s task looks the easiest of the lot, two days after Frenchman Alain Perrin became the top flight’s first managerial casualty of the season.
   Perrin left behind a Pompey team who were trounced 3-0 at Liverpool last week and are now only goal difference above a relegation place.

Youth footballers in AFC U-17 finals
The Bangladesh Under-17 football team joined North Korea, Japan and China in the final round of AFC Championship beating Sri Lanka 3-1 on aggregate on Friday. Bangladesh lost the away match at Colombo 0-1 but earned qualification by the virtue of their 3-0 win at home five days ago. The team coached by Roxy conceded the goal in the 75th minute of the match. Vietnam, Tajikistan, Nepal, Iran, Saudi Arab, Syria and Yemen have also qualified for the final scheduled to take place in Singapore in September next year.
— New Age

HP whitewash England
Bangladesh High Performance Squad whitewashed visiting England Under-19 National Team 5-0 in the five-match one-day series as they won by six wickets in the last match of the series at the Khulna Divisional Stadium on Friday. The visiting side made a moderate total of 219 runs for nine. Usheya made 58 off 91 balls with four boundaries. Robert Hamilton scored 57 off 64 balls with five boundaries and a six. Mosharraf Hossain grabbed four wickets for 34 while Rezaul Islam took two wickets for 45 runs. In reply, HP reached their target in 45.1 overs scoring 222 runs losing only four wickets. Farhad Reza played a 56-run knock off 77 balls with six boundaries. Golam Rahman scored 44 off 49 balls with seven boundaries while Rabiul Islam made 41 runs off 83 balls with two boundaries for HP.
— BDNews

Big win for Gazi Tank in Div I cricket
Gazi Tank, Young Pegasus and Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club made good start in the First Division Cricket League as they won their respective matches on Friday. Gazi Tank (252/4) defeated Young Pegasus-B (251/5) by six wickets at the City Club Ground. Ismail Islam scored 90 for Young Pegasus-B while Anwar Hossain played a 72-run knock for Gazi Tank. Young Pegasus Club (110/6) outplayed CCS (107/10) by four wickets at the Dhaka University Ground. At the BKSP, Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club (144/10) overcame Uttara SC (142/10) by two runs. Earlier, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) General Secretary Mahbubul Anam inaugurated the league as the chief guest at the Dhaka University Ground.
— BDNews

Rehman pledges future to Pakistan
Highly-rated Fulham midfielder Zesh Rehman has pledged his international future to Pakistan after giving up on breaking into the England set-up.The 22-year-old has represented England at Under-17, -18, -19 and -20 levels, but has not been considered for the Under-21 side.‘I played a lot of first team games for Fulham last season but I wasn’t getting anywhere near the England Under 21s, even though I’d been part of the England and FA system for some time,’ Rehman told www.fulhamfc.com.
— AFP

Real back Luxemburgo
Real Madrid coach Wanderley Luxemburgo enjoys the full support of the club and his job is not under threat, according to director of football Arrigo Sacchi. ‘Luxemburgo does not run the risk of losing his job, he has our backing,’ Sacchi told radio station Onda Cero on Friday. ‘A club with the power and history of Real Madrid should show patience and confidence in the coach. ‘The biggest clubs in Europe don’t sack their coaches.
— Reuters