Main Page «
Front Page «
Metro «
Business «
International «
National «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Home «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

The Aktel Premier Cricket League concluded on Saturday with Brothers Union mauling Mohammedan Sporting Club and Sonargaon Cricketers suffering a defeat after eight successive wins.
   At the Fatullah Stadium, Brothers shot out Mohammedan for 59 runs in 18.4 overs having used just two bowlers, Aslam Khan and Rubiyat Haque, who claimed six and three wickets respectively. In reply, Brothers rattled 63 in 10.4 overs to record a comprehensive nine-wicket victory.
   At the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh Biman beat Sonargaon by seven wickets to finish the league third finally. Left-arm pacer Anisur Rahman took four wickets to bundle Sonargaon out for 194 before Javed Omar clobbered 85 to overhaul the total for Biman.
   With the win, the national flag carrier side managed to collect 18 points from 16 matches, same as Mohammedan and Victoria. Runners-up Sonargaon finished the league with 22 points, six less than champions Old DOHS. Brothers are in sixth position with 16 points.

Tickets for Monday’s first of five one-day cricket matches between India and Pakistan are sold out, officials said.
   ‘It is a sell out and we have no tickets for the match left,’ said Mirza Naeem Baig, in charge of the ticket sales. The Arbab Niaz stadium has a capacity of 15,000 which will be packed for the first match in Peshawar for two years.
   Foreign teams had refused to play in Peshawar citing security fears for the northern city’s close proximity to war-torn Afghanistan.
   India played a one-day match in Peshawar on their last tour to Pakistan in 2004 but England refused a one-day match on their tour last year.
   ‘We sold 9,600 tickets of general stand and 4,500 other tickets in no time, but fans still throng the branches of the bank,’ said Baig.

Bir Shrestha Munshi Abdur Rouf Rifles College and Imperial College moved to the final clash of the EXIM BANK Inter College (Men’s) Handball Tournament beating their respective rivals in the semi finals at handball ground on Saturday.
   Munshi Abdur Rouf Rifles College outplayed Scolastica by 22-8 goals in the first semi final.
   In the second semi final, Imperial College defeated Govt Bangla College by 16-13 goals.

Bangladesh will be looking to make amends for their mistakes in the previous edition when they take on New Zealand today in the opening match of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo.
   Bangladesh had played their first match against the Kiwis in the last U-19 World Cup held in their own backyard and lost it agonisingly by two wickets, which eventually cost them a place in the Super League phase.
   Though Bangladesh won the Plate group on that occasion beating Australia in the final, the defeat still haunts many as Bangladesh had never managed to play in the Super League previously.
   The boys, led by young wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahman, however, have their best ever chance this time around, despite being placed in a tough group that also include defending champions Pakistan and Uganda.
   Of 14 players in the Bangladesh squad, 11 have already played first-class cricket with skipper Rahim playing a Test match at Lord’s. On the other hand, New Zealand have only two first-class cricketers in vice-captain Todd Astle and fast bowler Hamish Bennett
   Bangladesh morale went further high having won both the warm-up matches against the USA and Zimbabwe by 10 wickets and three runs respectively after reaching Colombo. New Zealand, however, lost both of their games by five wickets and 130 runs to South Africa and West Indies.
   Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Mehrab Hossain (vice-captain), Nabil Samad Chowdhury, Sakib Al Hasan, Roqibul Hassan, Kazi Kamrul Islam, Rezaul Islam, Sirajullah Khadem, Tamim Iqbal Khan, Dollar Mahmud, Md Shamsur Rahman, Md Sohrawardi, Mehedi Hasan Siddiqui and Ishraq Sonet.
   New Zealand: Marc Ellison (captain), Todd Astle (vice-captain), Dean Bartlett, Hamish Bennett, Andrew De Boorder, Jason Donnelly, Nicolas Fitzgerald, Shaun Fitzgibbon, Martin Guptill, Roneel Hira, Ronald Karaitiana, Colin Munro, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Timothy Southee

All three Bangladeshis – Anwar Hossain, Murtuza Rahman and Mahin Mohid – conceded defeats in their qualifying round openers in the Dhaka Bank 20th Bangladesh International Junior Tennis Competition at the National Tennis Complex on Saturday.
   Anwar Hossain suffered a 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Korean Jeong Sung-keun, Murtuza Rahman went down 6-0, 6-0 to Indian Akash Gujarati and Mahin Mohid lost to Huang Hui Chi of Taipei also by 6-0 and 6-0.
   Twenty-eight players – 16 boys and 12 girls – moved into the next stage beating their respective rivals in their tournament openers.
   A total of 32 players are playing in the qualifying round and top four qualifiers will be eligible to take part in the main-draw.

Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan revealed Saturday that he had undergone a new battery of scientific tests to prove to Australian crowds once and for all that he does not ‘chuck’.
   The beleaguered Muralitharan called a press conference with experts in human movement from the University of Western Australia, who supported his claims that his bowling action was legal.
   Sitting alongside team manager Michael Tissera and UWA scientists Bruce Elliott and Jacqueline Alderson, Muralitharan said he was baffled why Australian crowds refused to accept him as a legitimate bowler.
   ‘I’ve have gone to tests again ... and still people are trying to bully me in a way,’ he said.
   ‘Every time I bowl they shout it from the grounds, every time I go near the boundary line they say things, that means they are not accepting me.
   ‘Sometimes you feel ‘Why do you want to come and play?’’
   Muralitharan has been taunted by Australian crowds since he was first no-balled seven times during Sri Lanka’s Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne in 1995.
   Since then he has been checked and cleared four times by the experts at UWA, who carry out testing on behalf of the International Cricket Council.
   He said that over the last 11 years he had undergone more testing than almost any bowler, but for some reason he was not respected in Australia. The problems were not racial, he said, although South Africa’s players have complained of racists slurs during their tour here.
   But he said Australia was the only country where the issue arose.
   ‘It happens mostly, you could say 99 percent in Australia rather than any other country I have been to,’ he said.
   ‘Every country ... England, South Africa .. everywhere, people respect me. They enjoy my bowling and they enjoy the cricket.’
   The latest tests, carried out last Thursday, show that even bowling at faster speeds, both Muralitharan’s controversial ‘doosra’ and his offbreak deliveries complied with the rules.
   His average elbow extension while bowling the doosra at an average of 86.5 kph was 12.2 degrees, well within the 15 degrees allowed by the ICC under current rules. The average for his offbreak was 12.9 degrees at 95 kph.
   ‘There’s nothing more he could do,’ Elliott said.
   ‘The latest testing shows, irrespective of whether he’s bowling a doosra or an off-break, all his deliveries were under 15 degrees, so none were illegal.’
   The professor said Muralitharan was bowling faster because he had undergone shoulder surgery since 2004.
   Sri Lanka are clearly fed up and Muralitharan’s feelings became evident in Perth last week when he was photographed making a one-finger gesture to a supporter who had ‘no ball’ written across his chest.
   He has drawn an unofficial reprimand for the action.
   ‘I’ve been to every country, England, South Africa, everywhere. People respect me and enjoy my bowling and enjoy the cricket,’ Muralitharan said.
   ‘Here I don’t know what’s happening.’

Veteran paceman Glenn McGrath may return to the Australian team for today’s triangular series clash with South Africa, despite his wife suffering a recurrence of cancer.
   Australia’s vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said here Saturday that he had spoken to McGrath who told him he was keen to play in the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
   But Gilchrist said he did not know what McGrath’s longer-term plans were. The Australians begin a tour of South Africa in just over two weeks.
   ‘I know he is quite keen to play, so that’s what they (the family) will have to work out,’ Gilchrist said.
   ‘Longer term, I don’t know. We just have to let the dust settle a little bit and really give them a chance to work out what’s best for them and then secondary to that is what’s best for the team.’
   McGrath raced home to Sydney from Melbourne on Friday, missing Australia’s 80-run win over the Proteas at the Telstra Dome after learning his wife Jane had new health problems.
   Jane McGrath has previously been treated successfully for breast and bone cancer.
   ‘I have just spoken with Pigeon (McGrath) this morning (and he is) very optimistic and very positive,’ Gilchrist said.
   ‘If anyone knows how to deal with it, those guys do.’
   South Africa need to beat Australia in the match or face a ‘live’ final qualifying match against Sri Lanka in Hobart on Tuesday.
   The South Africans meanwhile will be relying on out-of-form skipper Graeme Smith to give the team a strong start alongside fellow opener Boeta Dippenaar.

Rumours that Guinea could still qualify for the African Nations Cup semi-finals because a winning goal from Senegal had been disallowed brought tens of thousands of revellers on to the streets of Conakry overnight.
   Senegal came from behind in a dramatic final half hour on Friday to beat Guinea 3-2 on Friday, ending the underdog’s hopes of pulling off a major surprise after three successive wins.
   Struggling to come to terms with their loss hours after the match ended, fans in the central Conakry district of Kaloum latched on to a rumour that Senegal’s final goal had been disallowed.
   ‘Guinea has qualified through the back door!’ shouted one young female fan, to wolf-whistles from the crowd.
   Celebrations quickly spread through the capital and other towns across the country, with tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters pouring on to the streets and some stoning shops owned by Senegalese expatriates.
   ‘It’s mad that rumours can make people go hysterical here,’ said disappointed fan Mamoudou Souare as the news finally sank in that Guinea had, in fact, been eliminated.
   ‘One minute there are false rumours that the president’s dead, the next we’ve qualified for the semi-finals. You can never trust information in this country,’ he said.

Milan defender Marcos Cafu has referred to his side’s current slump as the worst in his time at the club.
   Cafu is in his final season in Serie A before returning to Brazilian football in the summer – in all likelihood to the club where he first made his name, Sao Paulo – but the international has had a glittering career in the peninsula.
   After winning the title with Roma and the Rossoneri, he was hoping to go out in style with a third Scudetto, but injury and his side’s subsequent loss of form appear to have ended his hopes of winning another championship.
   The Pendolino returned to action for his first full appearance since November 20 against Palermo on Wednesday night and was one of Milan’s few plus points on a disappointing evening, but he is determined to restore his side to their former glories.
   ‘It’s the worst period I’ve known since coming to Milan,’ he said. ‘But we have enough quality to resolve the situation and go back to playing the beautiful game that we know how to play.’
   Cafu will be hoping to feature against Lazio today and help cast aside the bad memories of his teammates’ last visit to the Stadio Olimpico – a 1-0 loss to Roma.

The English Football Association on Friday defended its decision to sign a four-year 32 million pound FA Cup sponsorship deal with German energy giant E.ON.
   The fact E.ON are a German company has raised eyebrows in some quarters but the FA say there is no reason why they should not be involved in the world’s oldest football competition.
   An FA spokesman said: ‘It is strange some people seem to have an issue with it. Football sponsorship is a global market, the competition has international renown and when you are looking for a sponsor you are looking for a company with a substantial UK presence.
   ‘E.ON has that with Powergen, who are due to be rebranded as E.ON, and we have other international sponsors including Carlsberg who are Danish-owned and McDonalds, who are American.’

Pakistan stand-in-captain Younis Khan has said that Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly cannot be considered spent forces, as they still have a lot of cricket left in them.
   Khan said that Sachin was too great a player to fail for long, and Saurav would soon get his nick with his aggressive style of batting.
   He said he believed Tendulkar would still play some match-winning knocks for India.
   ‘He is too great a batsman to fail for too long. I’m sure Sachin would come with some excellent performances in the near future,’ quoted the Pakistani vice-captain as saying.
   Ganguly, who has been dropped from the Indian ODI squad, also received some kind words from the Pakistani star batsman.
   ‘Ganguly played very aggressively in this match and it is obvious he still has a lot of cricket in him,’ he added.

Rahul Dravid has said that experiments during the one-day series against Pakistan will depend on strategy and indicated that key players will play in their usual positions.
   ‘Shuffling of batting order will depend on strategy and other conditions but the postmortem of the Test series shows that we will have to play the key players in the positions suited to them,’ said Dravid. ‘It [the ODIs] would be an altogether different ball game from the Tests. We have a young team and we will not make many changes in it. We would mostly be opening with Sehwag and Tendulkar. We also have Gautam Gambhir.’
   He ruled out notions of the team having low morale after the loss in the third Test at Karachi. ‘We do not need any extra motivation for the ODIs. That we are playing Pakistan is motivation in itself for the team. Pakistan are playing at home and we know that we are up against a good side. They’ve done well so far. It will be a nice challenge.

England paceman Simon Jones is raring to go for the tour of India after completing his recovery from an ankle injury at Dennis Lillee’s bowling camp on the sub-Continent.
   Jones, who missed the decisive fifth Ashes Test against Australia last summer at The Oval and the tour of Pakistan, told the Daily Mirror: ‘My ankle feels great and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t fly back out to India with the rest of the England boys for the tour on February 12.

More than Kamran Akmal’s crucial century in the first innings and Mohammad Asif’s match winning spell, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq feels it was religious belief and conviction that did the trick for his side in the Test series against India.
   ‘All this has been possible due to saying our prayers in a congregation and our belief in our religion and strong conviction. I would give all credit to the players saying their prayers five times a day,’ he wrote in The News.
   ‘This team has got rid of its in-fighting. All the lads have pushed their personal animosity and attitude problems into the background. Now they all enter the field of play only with the intention of defeating the opposition. Praying five times a day has given the boys a new-found strength that is enough to help them prevail over any kind of team,’ he said.
   Inzamam said no one could have thought that a batting powerhouse like India would be tamed so easily by the Pakistani bowlers, but they managed to achieve this because of the team spirit which has improved the atmosphere of the dressing room.
   ‘To turn the unbelievable into the believable is something only this Pakistan (team) could have achieved. To beat one of the strongest Test teams on the circuit is an example of our great unity and team spirit. It was the incredible atmosphere of the Pakistan dressing room that brought us this grand victory and turned our ambitions into reality.’
   The change, he said, has been brought about by the players decision to adhere to Islam.
   ‘Ever since the players have turned their attention towards Islam, it has had an amazing effect on the performance of the players. Now, every player in the team wants to help the others. If someone makes a mistake or even intentionally hurts anyone, his act is graciously ignored,’ he said.
   Heaping praise on wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal for his ‘splendid innings’, which rescued the team from none for three, Inzamam said he had never seen such an inning under pressure.
   ‘I have been playing international cricket for the last 16 or 17 years. I have never seen a more determined and splendid innings played by anyone under pressure.’
   ‘How could anyone have thought that, after being none for three and then 39 for six, a team would go on and win the Test match by the mammoth margin of 341 runs,’ he said.
   Hoping for a great future for paceman Mohammad Asif who ripped apart the Indian top order on the fourth day of the Test to seal the match for the hosts, Inzamam said, ‘The way this young paceman clean bowled some of the best batsmen in the cricketing world had to be seen to be believed.’
   He also praised Abdul Razzaq, who ‘silenced all his critcs with his outstanding all-round display.’
   The proud skipper is confident that his team has what it takes to touch greater heights.
   ‘Beating India after having won the series against England, we have sent a signal to the world that this team was capable of achieving bigger honours.’
   About next year’s World Cup in West Indies, he said though his side was preparing for it but he was not in a position to make any prediction on the tournament.
   ‘We are one of the sides most likely to win the World Cup. But one year prior to the start of this mega event, I cannot really make any predictions regarding our victory.’
   ‘We are preparing hard for it. The pitches in the Caribbean are much like ours and we are accustomed to play on such wickets,’ he said.

Miffed at Greg Chappell’s comments about his action being ‘different’, Shoaib Akhtar said he has been cleared by the ICC and the Team India coach should respect the cricket governing body’s decision.
   ‘Regarding Greg Chappell’s comments about my bowling action being ‘different’, it was all very unfortunate to hear. He should understand that the ICC has cleared me more than once and this thing has all been done and dusted for about four years and it’s no good bringing all this stuff up again,’ he wrote in his website column.
   ‘He needs to respect the ICC more and understand what they have said about my bowling action. It’s disappointing that he chose to bring this issue up again,’ a hurt shoaib said.
   Refusing to take the comments made by Chappell lightly, the pacer said, ‘I am very committed to hard work and won’t give anybody the chance to criticise me any more.’
   The Rawalpindi Express, whose bowling action remained under the scanner before the ICC cleared him, said he wanted to concentrate on the coming one-day series against India and leave the issue to the Pakistan Cricket Board and ICC consideration.
   ‘I am not sure what will happen but the matter is with the relevant authorities now and all I can do is concentrate on the one-day series,’ he said.
   Shoaib said he was happy with his performance, especially with the bat, in the Test series as he has been working hard on this aspect of the game.
   ‘Talking of batting, I am pleased with my form. I scored 45 and 47 in the series and although it was a shame I didn’t go on to score my first Test fifty, I’m pleased that I was able to contribute to the team and score important runs when we needed them.’
   The pacer believes that the one-day series will produce some exciting cricket and hoped that ‘Sachin continues his poor form for our sake’ but ‘being so good I wouldn’t be surprised if he scored some big runs again soon.’

Frank Rijkaard is determined to cut out the mistakes ahead of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League rematch with Chelsea.
   The respective Spanish and English champions met at the second round stage last season when Chelsea prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.
   The last 16 draw for this term’s competition has again paired Barca with Chelsea, with the first leg at Stamford Bridge on February 21. Rijkaard is looking forward to another clash with Chelsea and is not afraid of meeting Jose Mourinho’s big-spenders later this month.
   He has identified the areas where he feels Barcelona must improve their game and will head into the tie full of confidence that the Catalan giants can advance to the quarter finals.
   ‘I feel no pressure before meeting Chelsea again,’ the Barca coach told L’Equipe Magazine.
   ‘We know we have to be ready and not to make the same mistakes again. At Stamford Bridge, we could not interpret their game and, above all when we lost the ball, we were too vulnerable.
   ‘Winning the Champions League after La Liga, that would be nice. But we won’t succeed without working very hard.’

Despite patron Silvio Berlusconi’s reassurances, it’s reported Milan legend Marco Van Basten has been chosen to replace Carlo Ancelotti next season.
   Ancelotti is under considerable pressure after falling 12 points behind leaders Juventus in the Scudetto race and their shock elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Palermo.
   As he ended last season empty-handed, failure to lift the Champions League trophy in May would almost certainly see the Coach sacked.
   ‘Ancelotti is this club’s present, but he is also its future,’ assured patron Berlusconi in a television interview. ‘You saw my rapport with Arrigo Sacchi in the 1990s – that is the same relationship I have with Carlo.’
   However, Berlusconi has never been shy about publicly criticising his Coach’s tactics and often dictating changes to him.
   The ‘Corriere dello Sport’ reports today that Milan have already chosen another member of Sacchi’s all-conquering squad to lead the way from next season.
   Van Basten was a key member of that line-up, which also boasted current Coaches Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Donadoni.
   ‘The Swan’ has gone on to lead Holland to the World Cup finals and his contract runs until June 30 2008, but it’s claimed he has a clause releasing him after the tournament in Germany.
   The ‘Corriere dello Sport’ claims Van Basten’s arrival would spark a revolution in the ageing side, including Andriy Shevchenko’s switch to Chelsea.

More than 100 West Indies cricketers will be contracted year-round in an ambitious new development plan.
   Prepared by West Indies coach Bennett King and team manager Tony Howard, the main element will involve 114 players from the six territorial teams.
   Currently, many players outside the international are only contracted during the annual regional tournaments.
   West Indies are eighth in the ICC Test Championship have not won a series against anyone above them since 2002. They will not move in the ICC table even if they sweep New Zealand 3-0 in the forthcoming Test home series.
   Cricket board chief Roger Brathwaite said the WICB and national coaches want to prepare players who are capable of performing successfully at first-class and international level.

Zimbabwe cricketers have turned down fresh offers of new contracts by the sport’s ruling body here in the latest twist to the chaos wracking the country’s cricket set-up.
   The cricketers decided late Friday to refuse fresh deals for salaries the equivalent of 1,200 US dollars down to 450 dollars within three grades of senior, intermediate and junior. The 25 players are also refusing to play in two sponsored inter-provincial matches scheduled for Sunday.
   Their decision came after about 15 of the players were believed by colleagues to be inclined to take the contract offers because after six months without pay plus overdue Test match and ODI fees they were very short of money. But after getting together formally under their association banner these 15 players changed their minds after persuasion.

Despite Chelsea’s 15-point lead Premier league lead and his own 13 league goals from midfield, Frank Lampard wants more and better from himself and his team-mates.
   It is a measure of Chelsea’s dominance that three successive draws, two in the league and one in the FA Cup, have been trumpeted as a crisis for Jose Mourinho’s multi-million dollar side in parts of the British media. Lampard, who will play his 250th game for the club against Liverpool today, rejects the slump tag.
   ‘The only reason our recent draws seem so unusual is we have set our standards and the standard in the Premier League so high in the last 18 months,’ the Chelsea vice-captain told a news conference after training on Friday. The last few games have not been as good as we can be and I think the same goes for myself. I am looking forward to the games ahead to push on and keep the standards high.’
   Captain John Terry told Chelsea TV his side were so frustrated after the draws ‘when we come in after the games it’s like we have lost.’
   Liverpool have become something of a European bogey team for Chelsea recently, knocking them out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage last year and holding them to two 0-0 draws in this season’s group games.
   In the league, however, they went down 4-1 at Anfield and need points at Stamford Bridge if they are to mount a credible attack on the Premier League in the last three months of the season.
   ‘I think Liverpool will probably take the attitude they have to win it,’ said Lampard, recently voted England’s best international for the second year running. ‘With the points’ gap as it is they have more of a necessity to win than we do.’
   A more attacking Liverpool than in their tightly defended Champions League encounters might leave gaps at the back for Chelsea to exploit again, he said.
   Chelsea are still without Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Cameroon midfielder Geremi on African Nations Cup duty.
   ‘You miss Didier in the squad,’ Lampard said. ‘Didier’s strengths are his pace, power and physical presence in the box.’
   Hernan Crespo is likely to start up front again, though Mourinho has the option of using Icelander Eidur Gudjohnsen or lofty England under-21 striker Carlton Cole.

It goes without saying that it is Steven Gerrard who is beyond value for the Merseyside club, the player who manager Rafael Benitez admits is the lifeblood of his team.
   And it is the captain’s position as an indispensable figure in the Reds engine room that leads Benitez to suggest Gerrard has the edge over the Frank Lampard when it comes to assessing just who is the best midfielder in the country.
   The debate over the relative merits of the two England stars has raged for two seasons, with plaudits – and honours - falling to each man in turn.
   This week Lampard won the vote as England player of the season, narrowly edging out Gerrard. But the Liverpool man was voted alongside Ronaldinho in the UEFA team of the year midfield.
   Gerrard was UEFA’s most valuable player last season, but Lampard was runner-up to European Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho.
   Yet some say they are too alike to perform alongside each other in the England midfield, which adds extra spice when the pair meet at Stamford Bridge today.
   Benitez believes Lampard has emerged as one of the most valuable footballers in Europe, but it is the fact that Gerrard is simply priceless that gives him the edge in any comparison.
   ‘You look at Steven and what he has done for us this season, to have scored 17 goals for Liverpool, that is just fantastic,’ he said.
   ‘I don’t know how important Lampard is for Mourinho, but Gerrard is the key for us. People compare the two players and they say that Lampard scores more goals and he plays more games.
   ‘But to score 17 goals for a team like Liverpool that scores far less than Chelsea, that shows Gerrard really is the key player.’
   The Spaniard also believes that his captain is at a disadvantage to the Chelsea man because Lampard is surrounded by some of the world’s most expensive players.
   He claims the London club’s dominance of the transfer market allows them to coast through many games. ‘Lampard is a very good player but he has very many good players – very expensive players – around him at all times,’ said the Anfield coach.
   ‘Sometimes Chelsea have such dominance that they can coast through games – they find it easier at times to win matches.
   ‘So people say that Lampard plays so many games, but when you are winning two or three-nil with plenty of time to go, then it is easier to manage that game, to rest in the contest.
   ‘We don’t have that luxury and it means our players get harder matches. Gerrard has to play hard through many matches but he is still offering so much to us every game.’

Letters written by a teenage David Beckham to a pal are expected to fetch £1500 at auction next month.
   The England captain was 16 and had just signed for Manchester United when he sent the letters to a friend called Lee in 1991. Becks, who earns £100,000 a week with Real Madrid and millions in sponsorship deals, was happy at the time with more modest earnings at Old Trafford.
   He wrote: ‘I got my first wage packet the other day and a bonus which come to £120 so that went into the bank and I have got about £250 in there now.’
   The star, who is married to former Posh Spice Victoria but has been plagued by rumours of affairs, also said he enjoyed other benefits of being at United.
   He said: ‘I’ve been doing really well with my football as well as with girls, because we are United players they all want to go with us.’
   The letters, which will be sold at Bonhams auction house in Chester on March 13, also tell of ‘eight miles sprinting every day’ during pre- season training that he found ‘quite hard’.
   He adds: ‘I’ve been playing in the A-team instead of the B-team, which is brilliant.’
   He also enclosed a drawing of a greyhound called Rosie Red.
   In another letter, he writes: ‘Arsenal are doing well aren’t they?’ but adds: ‘United’s game was a bit crap.’

Egypt kept home interest alive in the African Nations Cup here on Friday as they beat Democratic Republic of Congo 4-1 to ease into the semi-finals and a step nearer a record fifth title.
   To reach the final they will have to get past 2002 finalists Senegal, who edged previously unbeaten Guinea 3-2 to make it a dreadful night for French coaches, DRC’s Claude Le Roy and Guinea’s Patrice Neveu.
   LeRoy all but confirmed that this was his last match in charge of the Simbas (Lions) which was no big surprise as he had already speculated at not staying on beyond the end of his contract in June.
   It will be no surprise if this African football expert ends up coaching fallen giants South Africa, as has been hinted at.
   The latter, though, alleged dark practices as he took to task the match referee Coffi Codjia of Benin, aiming one of the worst slights by a Frenchman by saying the official behaved like an ‘English referee’.
   The hosts saw off DRC with no such controversy as they took full advantage of a defence shorn of its two first-choice central defenders, who were both suspended.
   A double by Ahmed Hasan and one apiece from 39-year-old veteran Hossam Hassan – his 79th goal in 175 internationals – and Imad Motaeb, with his third in two matches wrapped up victory, even the DRC goal was Egyptian authored as Ahmed El Saka put it into his own net at the end of the first-half.
   While the Egyptian assistant coach Shawky Gharib mouthed off the usual dull pleasantries, such as it was the best the Egyptians had played so far – which admittedly raises questions over how much a role their so-called star striker Mido will play – LeRoy was much more expressive.
   ‘I think the score was a little bit harsh,’ said the 58-year-old Frenchman.
   ‘With our suspensions we had to put together a new defence and they made several basic errors.
   ‘However, I believe that the team played a wonderful last 30 minutes.
   ‘Hats off, however, to Egypt. Our adventure is over but theirs continues.’
   The former Cameroon handler, who coached them to the 1988 African Nations Cup title, then addressed his own future.
   ‘I think that this adventure for me will stop here. It has been a wonderful journey.’
   Senegal had to come from 1-0 down to see off Guinea with Henri Camara rounding off the victory, though the losers’ outstanding playmaker Pascal Feindouno had the last blast as he scored with a brilliant free-kick to take his total to four for the tournament.
   Senegal coach Abadoulaye Sarr said his team had stood up to be counted unlike against Nigeria, who they had lost to 2-1 after conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes of their final group match.
   ‘I told them to stay focused for the whole 90 minutes. They are experienced players and I never doubted them,’ said Sarr, whose side struggled through to the last eight having lost two of their three group matches.
   Neveu, though, was not only less than flattering about the referee but had scant respect for his adversaries.
   ‘We paid dearly for our errors,’ said the 51-year-old, who is in charge of his first national side.
   ‘Now people say to me that “Senegal are getting better”.
   ‘Well they lost two of their group matches and they won their Cup tie against us.
   ‘Good for them, but everyone can draw their own conclusions.
   ‘But for me they have not improved.’
   Perhaps true but when Neveu wakes up in the morning it will be him and his squad flying home and not Senegal.

Tug-of-war teenager John Obi Mikel still wants to snub Manchester United in favour of a move to Chelsea.
   Mikel’s legal advisors are assessing the implications of a ruling by the Norwegian courts that any investigation into his contract with Lyn Oslo is a matter for the footballing authorities.
   Only when that issue is resolved can FIFA launch any probe into Mikel’s failure to honour a separate contract with Manchester United, who believe they have a legally binding agreement for the 18-year-old to move to Old Trafford.
   United boss Alex Ferguson stated on Friday he felt, freed from any outside pressures, Mikel would still prefer to link up with the Red Devils.
   However, just hours after Mikel had used a TV interview to call for the whole sorry saga to be resolved, his legal team clarified a resolution for the young Nigerian meant being freed to join the Barclays Premiership champions.
   ‘Mikel wishes to reiterate that whatever Sir Alex Ferguson, for whom he has the utmost respect, may think, his wish is to play for Chelsea,’ said the statement issued on behalf of Mikel by London-based solicitors Russells. Hopefully, Sir Alex and Manchester United will now respect and accept that decision so that a resolution to this matter can finally be found.’
   Given the antipathy which has arisen through the case, the prospect of United merely allowing Mikel to depart a free agent is highly unlikely.
   As Chelsea have also shown little inclination to offer the Red Devils a transfer fee for the midfielder, the legal wrangling seem set to go on for months.
   It means the current African Nations Cup campaign could well signal the last meaningful action in Mikel’s career for the foreseeable future. He is due to play for his country in this afternoon’s quarter-final tussle with Tunisia and then would prefer to escape the attention and be allowed to get on with his career.
   ‘This is something that has just happened and I wish it could be sorted out,’ he told Eurosport.
   ‘I want it to be sorted out. I want people to realise I have a future to go ahead with. I do not like being like this. There has been a lot of talk but I just want to get out on the pitch and play. That is what I love doing.’

Sir Alex Ferguson refused Friday to concede the Premiership title even though his Manchester United team trail leaders Chelsea by 15 points.
   The reigning champions have given the chasing pack brief glimmers of hope with successive draws against Charlton and Aston Villa.
   But United have failed to capitalise. However, a win over Fulham on Saturday would reduce Chelsea’s lead to 12 points as Jose Mourinho’s men do not play third-placed Liverpool until today.
   And seeing a lead of that size overturned would be nothing new in the Premiership even though many pundits have already handed the title to Chelsea. In 1998 Arsenal overhauled United’s 12-point January advantage to take the title, two seasons after United themselves came from the same distance back to take the title from Newcastle.
   It has also not escaped the Scot’s attention that Chelsea’s fixture list is becoming increasingly congested, with an FA Cup replay against Everton crammed in next week and the two-legged Champions League tussle against Barcelona looming as well.
   ‘Liverpool have a good record against Chelsea, and we hope they win on Sunday,’ said United manager Ferguson.
   ‘Chelsea have drawn their last two games – and if Liverpool beat them you hope it has an impact.
   ‘I have seen it happen. It has happened to us. So if it can happen to a great club like Manchester United, it can happen to a lesser great club like Chelsea,’ he added with a smile.
   Meanwhile, Ferguson refused to pull back from his post-match criticism of Blackburn’s tactics following United’s 4-3 midweek defeat at Ewood Park, a match where Rio Ferdinand was sent-off for the first time in his career
   Blackburn manager Mark Hughes, the former Wales striker and coach who played under Ferguson at United, was particularly stung by his mentor’s criticism.
   ‘I hate doing it because Mark was one of my great players. I loved him, and he is doing a good job as a manager,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘But he has to look at himself a little bit.
   ‘On Wednesday, Blackburn gave away 15 fouls in the first half alone – and they are at home - and Mark is out there contesting every decision.
   ‘Maybe that is the way he expends his energy and enthusiasm, because management is not easy.
   ‘But I don’t think he should get upset with me – criticism has come from all directions because of their physical play. I just hope he listens to me, because he could become a great manager.’
   Hughes was certainly a great player, one of only seven in United’s history to score 150 goals for the club.
   Ruud van Nistelrooy requires just three goals to join that exclusive band following his two in the second half at Blackburn.
   It would put the prolific Dutchman in the same bracket not just as Hughes but fellow United greats Dennis Viollet, Jack Rowley, Joe Spence, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.
   ‘Ruud deserves to be rated alongside those types of player,’ Ferguson said. ‘Given the way defences and organisation have improved, and the speed the game is played at now, 150 goals is an incredible achievement.
   ‘Ruud’s ability to create space in the box is incredible, and the great thing is he still has years in front of him.’

England’s two best footballers will square up to each other today when the reigning Premiership champions take on one of the pretenders to their crown.
   In the red corner, Steven Gerrard, captain of third-placed Liverpool; in the blue corner, Frank Lampard, leading light in Chelsea’s midfield.
   Supporters of the England team this week voted Lampard the national team’s player of 2005 with Gerrard a close second.
   So ahead of the big match Mirror sport compares the relative merits of both players – and gives its verdict on who’s the best.
   The tale of the tape
   Frank Lampard
   Height : 6ft
   Weight : 182 lbs
   Age : 27
   Position : Midfield
   Squad number : 8
   Estimated value : £30m
   For club
   But for Barcelona’s brilliant Ronaldinho would’ve been voted the World’s and Europe’s best footballer in 2005 (he came second in both polls). His dynamism and goal-scoring helped the Blues to FA Cup glory in 2002 and the Premiership trophy and League Cup last season. Has 17 goals already for club and country this term but has picked up seven yellow cards. Most managers would love him in their team – even those playing fantasy football.
   For country
   Made his debut in 1999 against Belgium and despite a slow start to his international career is now crucial to England’s success. A scorer of important goals (he has 10 in total and hit three at Euro 2004) and likely to be one of the first names on Sven’s team-sheet. Will add to his 38 caps (he’s started 30 games) over the summer at the World Cup and if on top of his game will take England close to glory.
   Steven Gerrard
   Height : 6ft
   Weight : 174 lbs
   Age : 25
   Position : Midfield
   Squad number : 8
   Estimated value : £30m
   For club
   Has won the league cup twice, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and Super Cup, but his finest moment was undoubtedly winning the Champions League last season – having beaten Chelsea along the way. Has led the Liverpool side since 2003 but they have only managed to beat the Blues once in their last eight meetings. Like Lampard, has developed into a scorer of vital goals and has 17 this season. Just two yellow cards though.
   For country Was handed his first cap against the Ukraine in 2000 and made an immediate impression – England were unbeaten in his first 21 games. Has scored fewer goals than Lampard (6) in one more match (he has 39 caps) but has arguably greater versatility. Has undoubted leadership qualities (he’s Liverpool captain and was handed the armband in a friendly against Sweden) and another player Sven wouldn’t dare to leave out.
   Verdict
   An extremely tough call given that they are so evenly-matched in so many departments – even their height! But for his sheer versatility, all-round quality and leadership qualities Steven Gerrard probably edges it.

Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen hopes to have recovered from his broken toe in time for the last month of the Premiership season.
   The 26-year-old broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on New Year’s Eve, but he has now regained a greater level of mobility after having a protective boot removed.
   ‘My recovery is going well,’ said England’s leading goalscorer, having scored 33 goals in 74 internationals.
   ‘I have been on the exercise bike and can walk around in my trainers. Hopefully I will be able to start gently on the treadmill soon,’ Owen told the official club website, www.nufc.co.uk
   ‘The surgeon seems very happy that the pin is still in place and I want to be back for at least a month of the season.
   ‘Climbing up the table is obviously the priority and the FA Cup still gives us a shot at silverware.’

Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho said Friday his life story is not worth immortalizing on the big screen as film executives are reportedly planning to do.
   ‘What is there about my life that would be worth making a movie about? The only thing they could do about me is a DVD of about one hour with the titles I have won, the best images, the biggest controversies,’ he said in an interview with state radio RDP.

Swiss comeback queen Martina Hingis proved she was back to her best form by beating defending champion Maria Sharapova on Saturday for a final berth in the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament.
   The 25-year-old wild card entrant pulled off a stunning 6-3, 6-1 victory for her first-ever win against a top 10 player since she came back in action this season.
   Seeking to regain the title she won in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002, Hingis will now take on second seed Elena Dementieva, who defeated fellow Russian fourth seed Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
   ‘I feel definitely very good being in the finals again. I hadn’t thought to make it this far...,’ said four-time champion Hingis.
   ‘Everybody has always been asking me which player you want to play and I always said ‘Maria,’ because I’ve never played her and she’s a great champion, she has won Wimbledon at such a young age.
   ‘I didn’t miss much the key points and I put her under pressure. I couldn’t ask for more, because Maria is a number four in the world. I knew I had to come up with a great game and I did,’ added Hingis.
   Hingis had the first break opportunities leading an advantage point in the second game and another at 30-40 in the sixth game, only to see Sharapova hit a service winner and an ace to save them.
   But on her next chance at 30-40 in the eighth game, her backhand shot hit the net cord and landed on the Russian’s side to give Hingis a 5-3 lead before serving out for the set with an ace.
   Sharapova had to break point on her serve in every game of the second set and when Hingis converted twice to lead 2-1 and then 4-1, it was apparently a Swiss day.
   Hingis completed the match by scoring another break in the seventh game on a Sharapova backhand error finishing off the match in 66 minutes without facing a single break point against her.
   ‘She (Hingis) was picking up the ball very early .... she used the quickness of the court as the advantage and came up with some good shots,’ said Sharapova.
   ‘We had a battle until about 3-all, and then she broke me. After that she served two aces. She gained a lot of confidence. That’s what happened, one or two points and the other person gains a lot of confidence from that,’ she added.
   Dementieva said she expected a difficult match against Hingis.
   ‘I didn’t expect her to win that easy, because Maria has a great serve and it’s never easy to break her, so I think she played even better than she was playing before she decided to retire two years ago,’ she said.
   ‘She’s playing her best tennis, I think. I just feel very excited to play against Martina once again. I was the last one to beat her. It’s gonna be a very difficult match for me.
   ‘Today she won against one of the most powerful players, so she’s got used to the power of the game. For me it’s a great experience to play against her tomorrow,’ added the Sydney Olympic silver medallist.

Authorities of this sleepy town have taken strict security measures including banning entry of Afghan refugess close to the Arbab Niaz Stadium, the venue for the first of the five one-day internationals between India and Pakistan to be held on Monday.
   Visiting teams had often expressed their concern over security of their players in Peshawar and to ensure safety of the players a thick security cover has been thrown around.
   ‘The authorities have banned entry of Afghan refugees close to the venue of the match and other urban parts of the city due to security reasons,’ The News reported on Saturday.
   ‘Carrying cellular phones, water bottles and other things inside the ground that could result in any headache for the law enforcement agencies have also been barred,’ the report said.
   ‘Strictest security measures would be taken in and around the stadium for maintaining law and order. Two thousands police officials with all the SPs of the district, 18 DSPs, 30 inspectors, 100 each sub-inspectors and ASIs and 200 head constables along with 1500 foot constables would guard the Arbab Niaz Stadium,’ Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Peshawar, Mohammad Saeed Wazir, was quoted by the newspaper.
   Quoting sources in the law enforcement agencies, the report said that all the routes leading to the ground would be given VIP security status while VVIP security cover will be awarded to players and officials of both the teams.
   ‘We would be involved in many security duties, including Ashura Moharram, but the top priority would be cricket match as the whole world would be watching it,’ a senior city police officer remarked.

Eskaton Sabuj Sangha earned their sixth win, from 15 matches, when they defeated Cricket Coaching School (CCS) by six wickets at the Dhaka University ground on Saturday.
   Batting first, CCS made 244 for eight wickets. Wahidur scored 75 runs and Raju 43 runs. Montu took three wickets for 32 runs for Eskaton.
   In reply, Eskaton reached the target in 39 overs scoring 245 runs losing four wickets with a 105-run knock from Ripon.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has dismissed rumours linking him with a transfer to Real Madrid in the summer.
   With Iker Casillas believed to be a target of Manchester United, Real are thought to be keen on bringing Buffon to the Santiago Bernabeu as a replacement.
   ‘The truth is very far away from what has been said or written,’ said the 27-year-old.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) event manager Mohammad Saifuddin bin Abu Bakar on Saturday inspected five venues in the capital.
   The inspection took place ahead of the AFC Challenge Cup Football tournament, expected to be the ever-biggest international football tournament in the country.
   Bangladesh will host matches of B and C groups. But there are possibilities that the matches of A and D, scheduled to take place in Nepal, are likely to be held in Bangladesh.
   The B and C group matches are scheduled to be held from March 25 to April 9 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
   The rest four will be practice grounds.
   Saifuddin expressed his satisfaction about BUET ground, Police Line ground and Dhaka Army Stadium as practice grounds and suggested BFF officials to improve the ground condition of Bir Shrestha Shaheed Mostafa Stadium in Kamalapur.