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Bangladesh stormed into the Super League of the ICC Under-19 World Cup for the first time in their history when the Junior Tigers floored defending champions Pakistan by four wickets at the Nondescript Cricket Ground in Colombo on Wednesday.
   It was the spinners who once again led the destruction with Sakib Al Hasan playing a pivotal role. He finished with 4-34 to handcuff the Pakistan top-order for 170.
   Sakib formed a formidable spin quartet with Mehrab Hossain Junior (2-19), Sohrawardi Shuvo (2-26) and Nabil Samad (1-30) to trigger the dramatic collapse in the Pakistan innings that was going great guns at 66-0 in 10 overs.
   Bangladesh’s top-order also wobbled as they lost five wickets by the time they reached 119. But skipper Mushfiqur Rahim dug the side out of a hole hitting 46 as the colts eventually crossed the mark (171-6) in only 34.5 overs.
   Bangladesh now have every chance to finish top of Group A as they take on Uganda today. But for Pakistan it is a ‘do or die’ battle with New Zealand to see who finishes runners-up on Friday.
   After the match, Bangladesh coach Alistair de Winter was very happy and said: ‘There has been a bit of pressure on us with ‘phone calls going back and forth to Bangladesh over the past couple of days. Hopefully this will relieve some of it.’
   ‘Our target was always the semi-final and that has not changed but if we can get there then we can achieve anything,’ added the Australian Team manager Golam Nowsher Prince talking to Tigercricket.com, however, was a little concerned that his side was losing too many wickets.
   ‘We should have won by more wickets in both matches. It was a beautiful batting strip today.’

Sushma, Sumangla and Dola Banarjee the three female archers from India won gold in both the 60 and 70 metres event on the opening day of the five-day Banglalink First South Asian Archery Championships held at the BKSP on Wednesday.
   In the 60 metres, Sushma scored 336, Sumangla was just one point short to be placed second and Dola scored 329. In the 70 metres, Sushma, Sumangla and Dola scored 323, 317 and 317 to be placed first, second and third respectively.
   Nasrin Khanom Happy of Bangladesh clinched eighth position in both events and was the highest placed archer among the six local participants.

Lee Hsin Han of Taipei will meet Ceban Achim of Moldova in the first semifinal of the boys’ section in the Dhaka Bank ITF Tennis Championships at the National Tennis Complex today.
   In the girls’ semifinal Budharto Lutfians Aris of Indonesia will face Shin Jung Yoon of Korea.
   In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Lee Hsin defeated Siributwong Peerakit of Thailand 6-0,6-4, Achim beat Sumit Prakah Gupta of India 6-1, 6-4, Rungkat Christopher of Indonesia ousted Rao Tejesvi of India 7-5, 7-5 and Peng Hsien Yin of Taipei got past Ivan Anikanov 7-5, 6-4.
   In the girls quarterfinals Budharto Lutfians Aris beat Lertcheewak Noppawan of Thailand 6-2, 6-4, Shin Jung Yoon outplayed Gurmulya Beatrice of Indonesia 7-5, 6-1, Silvany Vivien of Indonesia ousted Liu Chang of China 6-3, 6-2 and Viktoriya Kamenskaya of Russia outplayed Guo Xuan Yu of China 7-6, 0-6, 6-3.
   Meanwhile, Henri Prithul Mondal of Bangladesh pairing with Huang of Taipei has reached the doubles semifinal beating Kandan and Rungkat duo in the quarterfinals.

The Bangladesh national football team has been searching for an opponent side to play a practice match but failed to find one as the Premier League clubs – barring Mohammedan Sporting Club and Brothers Union – have already released their players after the conclusion of the domestic season about two months ago.
   Mohammedan and Brothers Union will represent Bangladesh in the AFC Cup and they are the only teams to continue the camps. But Brothers are yet to start their training while Mohammedan are now in Bangkok to play practice matches. The traditional black-and-white outfit will return to the country on Saturday and start the camp after a day’s rest.
   National coach Diego Cruciani wanted to go to Myanmar to play warm-up matches there but the federation refused to arrange the tour due to financial constraints.
   Meanwhile, the National Team Management Committee served a show cause notice on defender Rajani for his seven days’ delay to join the national camp asking him to reply within 72 hours.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has called for one-day cricket’s experimental rules to be scrapped in time for next year’s World Cup.
   Ponting, who earlier this week was voted Australia’s best-performing cricketer over the last year, said there was nothing to lose by reverting to the old system.
   ‘I don’t think there’s anything lost by going back,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘We’ll keep trying and making the best of it but I’d like to see us going back to 11 against 11 for the World Cup.’
   The trial of super-sub and powerplay rules will be reviewed by the International Cricket Council at the end of March.
   The super-sub rule allows teams to substitute any player with a 12th man, who can bat and bowl rather than just taking his place in the field.
   Several players have said it makes more sense for the sub to be nominated once a team knows whether it will bat or bowl first.
   Ponting said the current version of the rule is impractical if a side does not select an all-rounder as a super-sub.
   He cited the game against Sri Lanka in Perth on 29 January, when bowler Brett Dorey was Australia’s 12th man. Australia lost the toss and were made to bowl first, which effectively ended Dorey’s involvement.
   ‘He goes out of the game and you’re playing 11 against 12,’ said Ponting, who said he also wanted to see a change to powerplays.
   Under current rules, the bowling team is forced to field nine players, including the bowler and wicketkeeper, inside a 30-yard circle for two five-over blocks after the first 10 overs. Previously, fielding restrictions were only in place for the first 15 overs.
   ‘We’ve used the powerplays in a couple of different ways but generally you try to get them out of the way as soon as you can,’ Ponting was quoted as saying.
   ‘The reason powerplays were brought in was because everyone thought the game was a bit boring between overs 15 and 40. The powerplays aren’t even being used then at the moment so that doesn’t really make much sense.’

Australia expected to play South Africa not Sri Lanka in the best-of-three triangular one-day cricket final series but Adelaide’s dry pitch will suit them in Friday’s opening final, Australian player Michael Hussey said Wednesday.
   The South Africans surrendered what a week ago had seemed like a certain place in the finals, losing their last seven wickets for 68 to go down to Sri lanka by 76 runs in Hobart Tuesday.
   Though Australia’s one-day player-of-the-year Hussey said it was ‘good for cricket’ that Sri Lanka had made the finals, the Australians would have preferred another chance to bury the Proteas before touring the republic at the end of the month.
   Instead they will play Sri Lanka who may excel on a pair of dry, spinning pitches in the absence of Glenn McGrath, just as it did at the Sydney Cricket Ground early in the tri series.
   The dusty tracks will likely blunt the pace threat posed by Brett Lee and Mick Lewis, and hinder support seamers Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken and Brett Dorey to move the ball.
   ‘It’s going to be a really tough game against the Sri Lankans, particularly here where I think the conditions suit them,’ Hussey said here Wednesday.
   ‘They definitely suit them, those sorts of pitches Sydney and here suit them a bit better but we’re still confident. We had a good win against Sri Lanka here, but it certainly does suit them a bit better than pitches like the Gabba and maybe even the (Melbourne’s) Telstra Dome.’
   Sri Lanka’s form has fluctuated from sublime wins in Sydney and Brisbane to a poor display in the series opener against Australia in Melbourne and a collapse to Graeme Smith’s part-time spin in Perth.
   Their resounding success on the slow Bellerive pitch on Wednesday had Hussey lauding the Sri Lankans as a better side than South Africa.
   ‘So they’re probably playing the better cricket at this point (than South Africa),’ he said.
   ‘They’ve played the most consistent cricket, so I think that’s good for cricket to get the best teams in this series playing in the finals.’
   Hussey indicated that South Africa’s early exit would benefit them more than Australia, allowing players to rest and work on strategy ahead of their three-Test series later this month.

Peter Bonetti has backed Petr Cech to go down in history as Chelsea’s greatest goalkeeper.
   Bonetti is widely regarded as the best to pull on the No1 jersey at Stamford Bridge after making 729 appearances for the club.
   But the Chelsea legend believes Cech is already one of the game’s top keepers.
   Bonetti said, ‘Petr’s a fantastic goalkeeper and I currently rate him as the best in the world.
   ‘He’ll definitely be remembered as the best to play for Chelsea – and that’s great for the club.’
   Cech has not looked back after taking over from Carlo Cudicini following Jose Mourinho’s arrival in the summer of 2004.
   The Czech Republic international is in fine form again this season and Cudicini has been restricted to a handful of starts in cup competitions. But Bonetti was delighted to see both players sign contract extensions last month.
   He added, ‘Without question, Chelsea have got the best two keepers in the Premiership.
   ‘I feel sorry for Carlo in the sense that he’s not playing on a regular basis, but it’s nice to know he’s still loyal to the club.
   ‘I think the fact that Carlo has not moved on shows how strongly he feels about Chelsea.
   ‘He wants to stay and be part of the success here. Nowadays football is not about 11 players, it’s about 22. Carlo can see what is going to continue to happen and he is happy to be involved.
   ‘From Chelsea’s point of view, it is fantastic to have two great keepers of their ability.’

South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup at 10 venues, deputy sports minister Gert Oosthuizen announced here.
   He said Johannesburg (Soccer City and Ellis Park), Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Rustenberg would stage matches in the quadrennial showpiece.
   Kimberley and Orkney were dropped from the original short-list after visits to the 11 candidate cities by officials from world football governing body FIFA.
   The final of the four-week tournament is expected to be played at Soccer City, an 80,000-seat stadium on the outskirts of Johannesburg which is among five stadiums scheduled for refurbishment.

West Indies coach Bennett King is looking for an upturn in form as his side arrive in New Zealand. They have not beaten a major Test nation away from home since visiting New Zealand 11 years ago and did not win a match on their trip in 1999.
   ‘It’s another big tour and more big opportunities. We are focused on playing good, hard cricket,’ said King. The tour opens with a Twenty20 game on 16 February before five one-day internationals and three Tests.

Ashes tickets for next summer’s five-Test series will go on sale to the Australian ‘Cricket Family’ on June 1, but fans not registered with the country’s board will have to wait more than two weeks to secure seats. The plan announced today encourages local fans to get in ahead of England threats such as the Barmy Army by expressing interest on Cricket Australia’s website.
   With estimates of 40,000 overseas supporters arriving for the series starting in November, local cricket authorities and the players are concerned England followers could dominate the Test venues. The WACA has already capped its membership after receiving numerous requests from supporters based in the United Kingdom. A board spokesman said tickets would be available to the general public and overseas customers from June 19.
   ‘In establishing this offer we will be aiming to reward Australian fans who register as members of the Cricket Family while also ensuring as many Australians as possible have access to next summer’s matches,’ James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said. ‘If you’re an Australian and want to support the team in the forthcoming Test Series, register online now and give yourself the best chance of being there.’
   Sutherland said hotel bookings in Melbourne for the December 26 Test were ‘already significant’ and he expected the previous MCG Test match crowd attendance record of 90,800 to be broken. ‘We’ve announced the tour program six months ahead of what we normally would and that’s just [because of] the sheer demand and public interest that’s out there right now,’ he said.
   Pricing details will be released when the tickets go on sale. The first Test starts in Brisbane on November 23.

The Indian cricket board has requested their West Indies counterparts to drop one match from a proposed four-Test series in the Caribbean, an official announced here on Tuesday.
   ‘We have requested them to reduce one Test from the itinerary as India are already playing enough matches there,’ Indian board official Shashank Manohar told reporters.
   India are scheduled to play four Tests and five one-day internationals on their tour of the West Indies from May 15 to July 5 with Antigua, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts as the Test venues.
   Manohar, who is the chairman of the board’s fixtures committee, also announced that India would figure in a tri-series in Sri Lanka in August with South Africa as the third team in the tournament.

Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that India’s appeal against him for obstructing the field was within the rules but against the spirit of the game.
   ‘If one surveyed the laws of cricket, the umpires’ decision was certainly according to the rules but, somehow, this law is something that I am not able to comprehend,’ Inzamam wrote in The News. ‘I am also not in a position to say anything about it because the ICC code of conduct doesn’t permit me. In my role as the Pakistan captain, I would say that the appeal from the Indian fielders was against the spirit of cricket.
   ‘Certainly, there are several modes in which a batsman can be declared out, but many of them are not in the spirit of the game. I am particularly referring to obstructing the field, handling the ball and hit-the-ball twice dismissals; also about the illegal practice of underarm bowling and running out a batsman while backing up.’
   Inzamam was given out after he fended off Suresh Raina’s throw from mid-off with the bat while still out of his crease. The umpires upheld the Indians’ appeal for obstructing the field. This was just the third instance in one-day cricket of a batsman being given out in this fashion, the other two being Rameez Raja and Mohinder Amarnath. ‘However, such not very common laws need to be explained properly and in detail,’ added Inzamam. ‘The Peshawar dismissal was in fact in direct contrast to my run-out dismissal in the Faisalabad Test match against England. If I had not brought my bat in front of the ball, it could have hit my body instead.’
   He felt such incidents could have a negative effect on relations between the opponents. ‘I would not have imagined that Rahul Dravid and his team would do such a thing. I am not bothered about my dismissal but an appeal made in an unsportsmanlike manner by the visiting team can have an adverse affect on the relations between the two opponents. I have surely asserted on my boys not to make much of the Peshawar incident. However, in my personal opinion the appeal was not made in a sporting manner. Instead, it just might have left a bad taste in the mouth.’

Rookie paceman Mohammad Asif, who has emerged as the main tormentor for India on the current tour, says he relies on seam rather than swing to plot the dismissals of rival batsmen.
   The 23-year-old paceman, regarded as the find of the tour for persistently troubling the Indian top-order, said that he had made no changes to his bowling approach since making his debut in January 2005 but had tasted success only of late.
   ‘Swing bowling can be caught (on video camera) but it’s difficult to catch seam,’ he said revealing his success mantra.
   The Sheikhpura-born first grabbed international attention when he rocked the Indians in the series-deciding Test at Karachi and followed it up with a sterling show in the first one-dayer at Peshawar.
   He got noticed especially because of the manner in which he dismissed stalwarts like VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar — sending the stumps flying with his sharp pace and inward movement in Karachi.
   The seam bowling of Asif, who had a short stint at the MRF Pace foundation at Chennai after being sent to the southern Indian city along with three others by the Pakistan Cricket Board, made a huge difference to the outcome of the Test that Pakistan won by a huge margin of 341 runs.
   In fact, Pakistan went on to win that match after being 0 for 3 and then 39 for six and for that series success over India after a gap of nearly two decades, the home team would be grateful to Asif.
   The bowler, in a casual chat with reporters at the team hotel on Tuesday, said he enjoyed taking the wickets of Dravid in the Tests and that of Sehwag in the Peshawar one-dayer which the home team won by the D/L Method after poor light stopped play.
   ‘I enjoyed the wicket of Dravid the most in the Karachi Test. The ball swung in and seamed away. I also enjoyed taking the wicket of Sehwag (in the first ODI). Not many batsmen could have played that ball,’ said Asif who had the Indian opener caught behind for 5.
   He also praised Sachin Tendulkar’s purposeful innings of 100 in the first ODI. ‘He batted well. He was careful in the initial stages,’ he said.
   Asif, who did not have any formal coaching before climbing the international cricket ladder, said he got a huge-confidence boost after his sterling display at Karachi and it helped him a lot while bowling in the first ODI in which over 600 runs were scored.
   ‘The wicket at Peshawar was also flat like the one at Faisalabad. But I had gained a lot of confidence after Karachi and that’s the reason I could bowl well yesterday,’ said Asif who emerged the pick of the bowlers on either side with superb figures of 3 for 30 in 9.4 overs.
   Asif was glad that he was being noticed in a team already brimming with pace talent.

Pakistan cricket authorities will ask English counties to avoid giving Pakistani players too heavy a workload this season before their tour.
   ‘We have a full tour of England from mid June to September and we don’t want our players who are signed on by counties jaded or overworked before the series,’ a Pakistan Cricket Board official told Reuters on Wednesday.
   The English county season begins from late April.
   Leg spinner Danish Kaneria and pacers Rana Naved and Mohammad Asif have signed to play for Essex, Sussex and Leicestershire respectively this season.
   Senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf has had an offer to play for Derbyshire in the early part of the season. Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said he was also worried about players’ workloads before the tour.
   ‘I am especially concerned about Kaneria because last season he also bowled a lot of overs for Essex and the board had to write to them. We want him fresh for the Pakistan team,’ he said.
   Inzamam said Kaneria might be released to play for Essex during some of the side games.
   ‘But he remains our most potent bowler and we don’t want him joining us having bowled too many overs for Essex. The same thing applies to Rana and Asif, who will be required to do lot of bowling for Pakistan.’
   The Pakistan board has still not given approval to Kaneria to play for Essex but Inzamam said it might work to Pakistan’s advantage for players to go to England.
   ‘In a way it is also good they go and start playing in England and get used to the conditions before our tour starts,’ he said.
   Kaneria said he was aware of his priorities but hoped he could keep everyone happy.
   ‘Obviously national duty is foremost but Essex have been good to me and I would like to perform for them,’ he said.

Australia hold the edge over England in this year’s Ashes series with their two match-winning leg-spinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, according to former England batsman Graham Thorpe.
   Thorpe, who quit international cricket after losing his Test place before the Ashes series in England last year, said Australia’s master spinners were the difference between the two traditional rivals.
   ‘I think you can probably see Australia holding the edge in the spin department, but barring that it’s pretty tight,’ Thorpe told reporters here Wednesday.
   ‘Certainly, England have experienced a rougher time since the Ashes. Australia have generally got the world turning again. But the sides are pretty well matched.
   ‘If you look at the batting line-ups and you look at the seam attacks ... it’s well matched. On paper you would say that the Australian attack has got a better spin option than what England has.’

Germany on Wednesday launched a series of five stamps and a silver souvenir coin to commemorate the football World Cup finals which take place across the country in June and July.
   The stamps, which go on sale on Thursday, were unveiled at a ceremony featuring Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck and World Cup organiser Franz Beckenbauer.
   They depict the official World Cup poster, two of the stadiums, and a mass of German flags being waved by football fans.
   Another stamp shows a horse to represent the other major sporting event of the year in Germany, the World Equestrian Games, to be held in Aachen on August 22 to September 3.
   The 10-euro (12-dollar) silver coin has a football motif on one side and the eagle of the federal republic on the flip side.
   The World Cup kicks off on June 9 in Munich and concludes on July 9 with the final in Berlin.

Wayne Rooney is determined to earn Manchester United some silverware before embarking on England’s World Cup campaign.
   The former Everton starlet is keen to see The Red Devils claim cup success from what has been a difficult season for the Old Trafford club.
   United trail Premiership champions Chelsea by 15 points and are facing the second half of this season without European football after crashing out of the UEFA Champions League back in early December.
   Despite their shortcomings, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are still on for a domestic cup double, with United facing Wigan Athletic in the Carling Cup final in Cardiff later this month.
   They also face a very difficult trip to North West rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round, with the Merseysiders still simmering from their last-minute league defeat to United last month.
   With the 20-year-old facing some big months ahead, Rooney admits there is still much to play for with United.
   ‘We just want to win all of our games, and that is what we have to do now,’ Rooney said.
   ‘Hopefully, we can get a result in the cup final in a couple of weeks and take it on from there into the World Cup.’
   Rooney was flattered by comments made by Bayern Munich and Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, who believes the youngster can set the World Cup alight this summer.
   ‘It is nice to hear things like that, but hopefully he will still be saying that by the end of it,’ Rooney added.

Egypt overcame a tantrum from top striker Mido and escaped what appeared to be a clear injury-time penalty against them to beat Senegal 2-1 in their African Nations Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
   The hosts will face Ivory Coast in Friday’s final after Didier Drogba’s third goal of the tournament gave the Elephants a 1-0 win over Nigeria in the other match.
   Amr Zaki headed Egypt’s winner in the 81st minute, scoring with his first touch of the ball after replacing Mido.
   But Senegal were furious when Diomansy Kamara appeared to be tripped by Ibrahim Said as he charged into the penalty area in injury-time.
   At first, referee Divine Evehe of Cameroon appeared to point to the penalty spot and the Senegalese substitutes jumped off the bench celebrating.
   But the official then signalled a goal-kick.
   ‘Of course, we were robbed,’ said Kamara. ‘It was a clear penalty, you can look at the pictures. The referee has to whistle for it, the rule is the same for everyone whether it is at home or away.
   ‘African football officials have to take another look at the African game because Europeans are going to laugh at us if the refereeing is like that,’ said striker El Hadji Diouf.
   Mido, who made a negligible contribution as he returned from injury, was involved in a furious altercation with coach Hassan Shehata on the touchline as he was taken off.
   He had to be restrained by two team-mates as the argument threatened to turn into physical aggression.
   But as he left the stadium two hours later after being chosen for the doping test, Mido implied that his coach had been right.
   ‘They (Egypt) had a lot of chances after I was substituted,’ he told Reuters. ‘I hope we can win the final, it’s very important for us.’
   Egypt’s assistant coach Shawki Gharib side-stepped questions about whether Mido, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, would face disciplinary action or be allowed to play in the final.
   ‘The Egypt team does not just mean Mido,’ he said.
   Amdy Faye had two good chances early on as Senegal took early control of the match.
   He forced Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary to rush out of his goal to clear the danger as he burst through the defence, then missed the post by centimetres with a long-range free-kick.
   But Egypt went ahead in the 36th minute when Ahmed Hassan converted a twice-taken penalty after Frederic Mendy punched the ball away in the penalty area.
   The second-half began dramatically as Mohamed Aboutrika hit the bar with a dipping shot before Mamadou Niang levelled in the 51st minute, heading home Lamine Diatta’s long cross from the right.
   The other semi-final produced limited opportunities for both teams.
   Ivory Coast striker Drogba broke the deadlock two minutes into the second half when he beat the offside trap to turn onto a deep pass from Kolo Toure and hit the ball through the legs of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
   Nigeria brought on Jay-Jay Okocha after conceding the goal, the first appearance in the tournament for their captain, who had been suffering with a thigh injury.
   Okocha had two opportunities from free-kicks, the first saved by Jean-Jacques Tizie. A long-range effort also went narrowly wide in the 63rd minute.
   But the Bolton Wanderers playmaker could not find any decisive passes for a Nigeria attack that was generally starved of the ball and found the Ivorian centre-back pairing of Toure and Abdoulaye Meite hard to penetrate.
   Nigeria will play Senegal in today’s third place play-off match in Cairo.

Super cocky Jose Mourinho on Tuesday named the date he wants to clinch the Premiership – and reckons Chelsea can do it with a month and six games to spare.
   Mourinho has targeted the home clash with West Ham on April 9 at Stamford Bridge as his potential decider with the Blues already 15 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United.
   Chelsea entertain Everton in their FA Cup replay on Wednesday and Mourinho has banished all talk of silverware until they have got them sewn up.
   It would be a sweet victory for Frank Lampard and his former West Ham team-mate Joe Cole to seal the title against their old club.
   ‘We are champions, we want to be champions again and these victories are not just statistics – it’s about winning silverware,’ said Mourinho.
   ‘There are 14 matches to go and now we know we need eight victories.
   So now we can go into countdown and when we get eight victories we are champions.’
   Mourinho’s plan has already seen the West Ham game moved to a noon kick-off for television coverage.
   The Portuguese boss has a habit of predicting events before they take place as last season he announced at Christmas that Chelsea would win the title at Bolton on April 30, and that is exactly what happened.
   Mourinho added, ‘We are in a good position. We have a minimum of 15 points from Manchester United. Arsenal is far. Tottenham is far.
   ‘We have the Premiership in our hands. We cannot lose it.’
   Lampard admits that now the Premiership is almost in the bag his thoughts are beginning to turn to the Champions League showdown with Barcelona and the World Cup.
   Lampard said, ‘That would be the ultimate double. I don’t want to be too greedy but we are fighting on both fronts and I have aspirations to win both.
   ‘The more you think about the World Cup – and now we’re in 2006 you do that more and more – it’s a critical and exciting time.
   ‘We know we have to move up a notch to beat Barcelona.
   ‘They are a fantastic team playing great football, dominating the Spanish League in a similar way to us in England.
   ‘We need to be at our best to tackle a team of their ability. I’m sure we will be.’
   Lampard, who played his 250th game against Liverpool on Sunday, added, ‘I have enjoyed every one of those games. Now I would like to play another 250.’
   Chelsea’s next eight Premiership games are:
   Feb 11 – Middlesbrough (away), Feb 25 – Portsmouth (home), March 4 – West Brom (a), March 11 – Tottenham (h), March 19 – Fulham (a), March 25 – Man City (h), April 1 – Birmingham (a), April 9 – West Ham ( h).

Fabio Capello has admitted that he misses life in Spain, in a revelation certain to revive rumours of a possible return to Real Madrid.
   Capello has long been linked with a switch to the Bernabeu, with the Spanish media insisting that president Florentino Perez is prepared to offer £5m a year to lure the Juventus boss back.
   Now in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper today, Don Fabio admitted he had regrets about leaving Madrid after just one season.
   ‘I regretted leaving Real to return to Milan,’ he said.
   ‘I could have returned straight away but it was mid-season, during my sabbatical year, and I didn’t feel right about going back then.
   ‘I miss Madrid more than I miss Real,’ he added. ‘At the time, 10 years ago, there was an effervescent air about the place, the air of a country that was making the most progress in the whole of Europe.
   ‘When I returned to Italy it felt like I had taken a backward step,’ he continued. ‘This country is asleep.’
   Capello has said that he will honour his current contract that expires in 2007 before deciding on where to spend two further years before calling time on club coaching, and he has given every indication that he would like to go abroad again.
   However, this could also be perceived as a shrewd move by the Juve tactician to secure a new contract while his stock is still high and while funds are available.
   The Bianconeri have recently secured a new television deal that has earned them £150m and they are thought to be set to offer their Scudetto-winning coach an extension until 2009 worth £4m a year.

The Catalan giants, who have twice attempted to sign elder brother Rio, have put the West Ham 20-year-old Anton Ferdinand top of their defensive recruitment list for next season.
   And while Upton Park chief Alan Pardew will want to dismiss such a bid as derisory for a player tipped to follow his older brother into the England senior ranks after the World Cup, Barca know their interest would have the central defender dreaming of a move to the Nou Camp.
   Despite being on track to lift the La Liga crown, coach Frank Rijkaard is keen to beef up his defensive options for the new season.
   Ferdinand’s aerial power in both boxes has been noted, while Rijkaard believes he has the versatility and adaptability to play either as a right-back or in his preferred position at the heart of the defence.
   Barca are ready to offer Ferdinand a four-year contract and believe West Ham will have little option other than to talk business once they make a formal bid at the end of the season.
   A club source said, ‘Rijkaard has made no secret of the fact he wants a centre-back for next season and the interest in Ferdinand is serious.
   ‘They also know that once Barcelona come calling, it is very hard for any player to resist and Ferdinand will probably want to go. Then it would come down to the price.’
   West Ham would be likely to reject any initial offer, holding out for the best possible price and aware that they made £18m when they sold Rio to Leeds in 2002.

With his bushy beard and impassioned rhetoric, Eric Cantona makes a convincing revolutionary. The charismatic Frenchman was in London on Tuesday, spreading the word about the need for more artistry in football, even recruiting Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to his campaign for flair.
   Before meeting up with the modern generation of Manchester United’s dream-weavers, Cantona paused in the library of an elegant Covent Garden hotel, sipping mineral water, and enthusing about everyone from Johan Cruyff to Jose Mourinho, Diego Maradona to Ronaldinho – artists all.
   Turning serious, he also voiced deep concerns for the sport he once graced, beginning with Otto Rehhagel’s well-drilled Greek team who won Euro 2004. ‘Greece had a kind of heart and a kind of soul but not the heart and soul I like,’ said Cantona.
   ‘Their manager is passionate about his [4-5-1] system. I don’t like this kind of system. Brazil have the heart and soul. Brazil have everything. They are very passionate, and skilful. When they give a ball to someone, it’s like a gift.
   ‘Great players do that. Like Cruyff. He was a real artist. He created things on the pitch. He participated in the revolution of football in the Seventies with Ajax, not only as a player, but he was very involved with the [total football] system. Even at 20, he had a lot of ideas. Cruyff was a real visionary.
   ‘You cannot be a great player without being intelligent. You need to be very quick to read the runs of team-mates. In one second, you have to imagine a lot of possibilities and decide immediately. It’s like geometry in your head. Sometimes, there are 60,000 people in the stand and you give a good ball to somebody to score and nobody could see the ball.
   ‘Why? Because you have something special and can read things nobody else could. Maradona was like Kasparov. He could see 10 moves ahead. Platini was like a chess player. So was Cruyff. So is Zinedine Zidane. It is about creativity. I don’t like people who say “I paint, so I am an artist”. You are an artist if you create something. Mourinho is an artist. Not on his [tactical] system but the way he drives the team. He creates things.
   ‘Mourinho manages Chelsea who have great players, lots of money, so all the players are under pressure. So he speaks a lot, provokes the media, other players and managers, and all the media speak about him. They all forget the players. Nobody speaks about the players, so the players can play without pressure.
   ‘That’s deliberate. The media help Chelsea to win. Speak about the players! Try to put the pressure on the players and I am sure there will be a lot of difference. Alex Ferguson only does it [make provocative comments] sometimes when they lose. But with Mourinho, it is every day, every week.
   ‘I like Mourinho. Everything he says or does is because he thinks it will help the players. He knows the players need to play relaxed.
   ‘If he comes in at half-time, and throws a cup of tea, he does it because he knows it will help the players, not because he feels angry. Psychologically, he is very clever. It’s a strategy.’
   But is Mourinho’s Chelsea a creature of beauty? ‘Not really,’ Cantona replied. ‘I watched some Chelsea games and I don’t really like the way they play.’

Egypt striker Mido was on Wednesday banned for six months from the national team after his extraordinary touchline confrontation with manager Hassan Shehata in Tuesday’s African Nations Cup semi-final against Senegal.
   The Tottenham forward was furious at being taken off late in the second half, and in front of 74,000 fans made his feelings known in no uncertain terms to Shehata.
   The 22-year-old was also ordered out of Egypt’s training camp.
   Mido’s suspension – which rules him out of Friday’s final against Ivory Coast – was announced by Samir Zaher, president of the Egypt football federation, after a meeting of the federation’s officials on Wednesday.
   Mido lost his cool when Shehata decided to replace him by Amr Zaki with 11 minutes remaining and the match tied at 1-1.
   The Tottenham striker who had hailed himself as the ‘big man’ for this tournament stared in disbelief at Shehata and held his hands out in astonishment.
   He then ambled off the field in a state of disbelief as Zaki waited to go on.
   Mido approached Shehata as cries of ‘out! out!’ rang around the stadium.
   ‘Why are you taking me off?,’ asked a furious Mido. Because I am the coach,’ replied Shehata. You are nothing but a donkey,’ stormed Mido.
   ‘No it is you who is the donkey,’ replied Shehata.
   Mido was then pulled away by his veteran team-mate Hossam Hassan.
   A minute later Shehata’s moment of triumph came as Zaki headed home the decisive goal.
   Mido also received little succour from his team-mates as having had to be pushed by one of the staff members to go and join in the celebrations after the goal. Zaki pushed him away and instead he and the rest of the squad ran and embraced Shehata.
   Mido had already angered his team-mates by refusing to share a room with one of them – as is the norm at major tournaments – and insisted on having one with his wife.

Turkey must play their next six games behind closed doors at a neutral venue as punishment handed down by FIFA on Tuesday over the brawl that marred their November World Cup qualifier against Switzerland.
   After a two-day hearing at its Zurich headquarters, world football’s governing body ordered the Turks to play their official matches in any other European country, as long as it is within a minimum distance of 500 kilometres of the Turkish border.
   The Turkish federation will be obliged to pay all organisational costs tied to the six matches, FIFA said. FIFA also fined the Turkish federation 200,000 Swiss francs (129,000 euros, 154,000 dollars) over the incidents which scarred the match in Istanbul on November 16.
   Three Turkish players were sanctioned for their part in the match-day trouble. Defender Alpay Ozalan – formerly with Aston Villa, and who now plays for Germany’s FC Cologne – was suspended for six internationals and fined 15,000 Swiss francs. Midfielder Emre Belozoglu of Newcastle United received the same sentence.
   Fellow-midfielder Serkan Balci of Istanbul’s Fenerbahce was given a two-match ban and a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs. Assistant coach Mehmet Ozdilek was banned from taking part in ‘any football-related activity’ for a year and fined 15,000 Swiss francs.
   Reaction was mixed in Turkey with sports minister and deputy prime minister, Mehmet Ali Sahin, judging the fate dished out to the national team as excessive.
   ‘I have to say that I find this decision unacceptable,’ Sahin told the NTV news agency. It’s a decision that confirms what FIFA president Sepp Blatter said immediately after the game, before the reports from (FIFA) observers and the match officials were known.’
   Blatter, who is Swiss, had appeared to lay the blame for the clash firmly at the door of Turkey. ‘From this point of view I think the decision is more political than sporting,’ added Sahin.
   But Senes Erzik, the Turkish vice-president of UEFA, European football’s governing body, claimed the punishment could have been a lot worse.

Once he has fulfilled his World Cup obligations with England, reports from Italy suggest Sven Goran Eriksson will have the opportunity to take up a consultancy role with Internazionale.
   The outgoing Swede has strong links with the Nerazzurri and knows coach Roberto Mancini well from the latter’s playing days at both Sampdoria and Lazio when Eriksson was a successful coach in Serie A.
   Inter have earmarked Eriksson as a potential technical director and it is believed president Massimo Moratti is ready to open negotiations to that effect.
   Moratti, a staunch supporter of Mancini, has also been an admirer of Eriksson ever since he first tried to lure the Swedish coach to Giuseppe Meazza in 1997.
   Then Sampdoria president Enrico Mantovani vetoed the move only for both to subsequently move on to Lazio and Inter now hope to reunite the pair once more.

Thieves have raided the Nigeria team’s hotel rooms, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and personal belongings.
   Marseille midfielder Wilson Oruma has reported 6,000 dollars stolen while Enyimba goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba said he was missing 2,500 dollars.
   Other players reported phone sets and other personal belongings taken.
   Nigeria team official Bello Osagie confirmed the incident at the Hilton Green Plaza Hotel where the team stayed for their African Nations Cup semi-final clash against Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
   ‘The matter is now being handled by the police,’ said Osagie.
   Nigeria will tackle Senegal in Thursday’s third-place match in Cairo after both teams lost their semi-finals to Ivory Coast and Egypt, respectively.

Portugal midfielder Deco – who last year spurned Chelsea for Barcelona – has told Manchester United not to bother either.
   Deco said, ‘I’ve no motivation to go to England, as I think I’m at the best club in the world. I know United want me too, but the answer hasn’t changed.’

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan Wednesday dismissed speculation that Sachin Tendulkar is on the decline, saying the Indian batting master still has plenty to offer to the cricket world.
   ‘You can’t judge Tendulkar on one or two failures, he has enough cricket left in him and has the talent to bounce back any time,’ Khan told AFP.
   Khan was speaking at a reception attended by Indian captain Rahul Dravid, coach Greg Chappell, Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh.
   India’s much vaunted batting line-up came under severe criticism after they flopped twice in the crucial third and final Test against Pakistan in Karachi last week, suffering their second worst defeat of 341 runs at the hands of their traditional rivals.
   Pakistan won the Test series 1-0 and currently lead the five-match one-day series 1-0 after a dramatic seven-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis method, that sets a revised target for the second batting team, after bad light at Peshawar on Monday.
   Tendulkar hit his 39th one-day hundred to lift India to 328 and in reply Pakistan notched 311-7 when bad light stopped play.
   The second limited overs international match is scheduled for Rawalpindi on February 11.
   Khan believes India have no replacement on the horizon for Tendulkar.
   ‘He is still the linchpin of Indian batting and would continue to supplement them until they find a suitable replacement, which I don’t see coming in the near future,’ said Khan, who played 82 Tests for Pakistan.
   Khan also passed useful tips to Dravid on how to be a successful captain.
   ‘Dravid is a good student of the game and I think India will progress under him. India can tame England because they have quality spinners in Harbhajan and Anil Kumble,’ he said.
   India play England in a three-match Test series after their tour of Pakistan early next month.
   Khan also advised left-arm paceman Zaheer.
   ‘I have noticed flaws in Irfan Pathan’s grip and in Zaheer’s technique in bowling so I advised him how to use the non-bowling arm to get the maximum speed while bowling,’ said Khan, who was a leading paceman.
   Khan praised Pakistan’s progress as a team.
   ‘Pakistan’s batting is more stable now and they have the bowling resources to become the best team in the world,’ said Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup win in Australia in 1992.
   ‘Pakistan should eye the best team’s spot in Tests because teams are judged on their performances in Test cricket and not in one-day cricket. This Pakistan team has all the abilities to challenge Australia as the top team.’

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will play in the second one-day international against India after being rested for the first under a rotation policy, the team’s captain said on Wednesday.
   ‘He has had a slight niggle with his ankle but it would not have prevented him from playing,’ captain Inzamam-ul-Haq told Reuters. ‘We rested him because we feel we need to keep all our players in prime condition until the World Cup.’
   ‘Shoaib had a hard Test series against India on unhelpful tracks and we wanted to give him a long break of a week or so. But he will play in the second match,’ Inzamam said.
   The second match is on February 11 in Rawalpindi. The home side won the first game in Peshawar.
   Inzamam said every player, including himself, would be rested when possible under the rotation policy and that reserve players would be given a chance.
   ‘Basically we have around 18 to 20 players in mind for the World Cup and we want to try out this rotation policy with them,’ Inzamam said. ‘It is important that not only are our top players properly fit for the World Cup but also that the bench players get enough chance to play at the top level and keep in tune.’

Sania Mirza broke sixth-seeded Flavia Pennetta three times en route to a 6-2, 7-6 (5) first round victory at the Gaz de France on Tuesday.
   Mirza dropped only nine points on serve, but had to fight back in the second set from 5-2 down, saving a set point. The win over 16th-ranked Pennetta was her third against a top-20 player.
   Tatiana Golovin broke Marta Domachowska of Poland in the final game to avoid a tiebreaker and seal a 6-0, 7-5 win, and ensure seven Frenchwomen in the second round.
   Compatriot Virginie Razzano beat Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-1, and will next play defending champion Dinara Safina. However, lucky loser Severine Bremond lost to Anna Smashnova of Israel 6-1, 6-2.
   Vera Dushevina of Russia beat Ivana Lisjak of Croatia 7-6 (4), 6-0 to set up a second-round encounter with Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo, who had a first-round bye.
   Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria advanced 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 over Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic and Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues outlasted Italy’s Tathiana Garbin of Italy 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 to set up a clash with second seeded Mary Pierce.

The dispute between players and board which has brought Zimbabwe cricket to its knees in recent months appears to be on the verge of being settled after a weekend of meetings between representatives of both sides.
   Last Friday it appeared that the situation had again broken down, but over the weekend Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) agreed to meet with Clive Field, the players’ representative who it had shut out of negotiations earlier in the week. A number of stumbling blocks were removed when the two sides sat down on Sunday.
   The players have been offered seven-month contracts which run until the end of August, and the board agreed that these could be index-linked to the US dollar. Until now, ZC’s offer had made no allowance for inflation, which is currently running at close to 600 per cent, and had also pegged salaries to an unrepresentative local exchange rate.
   The players will also be free to take unpaid leave at the end of the proposed tour to the Caribbean in May to enable them to play cricket overseas. Any who do not find such work will return to Zimbabwe where they will be paid the basic retainer.
   Although some players have yet to sign the contracts, it is expected that most will do so within the next 48 hours.
   Dion Ebrahim is the only front-line player known not to have been offered a new deal, and he is reported to have joined a club in the United Kingdom.

John Terry dreams of leading Chelsea out at the new Wembley – to banish his own bitter memories of the FA Cup.
   The so-called magic of football’s oldest cup competition has been black for the Blues’ skipper. Terry was rooted to the bench after falling sick for Chelsea’s win over Aston Villa in 2000 and collected a loser’s medal two years later against Arsenal.
   The Blues’ home fourth-round replay against Everton on Wednesday is part of a Treble mission for the Premiership leaders and Champions League quarter-finalists.
   But Terry is desperate to taste glory in the FA Cup. He said, ‘This year is special for the cup. We haven’t won it since Wembley 2000 and if it is going to be at Wembley in 2006 then we have to be there.’