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Australia (254/6) beat South Africa (230) by 24 runs
   Ricky Ponting made a triumphant return from injury when he captained Australia to a 24-run win over South Africa in the third one-day international at St George’s Park Sunday.
   Ponting made top score of 62 in an Australian total of 254 for six. Then he led a fired-up Australian team in the field as South Africa were bowled out for 230, with fast bowler Brett Lee taking four for 48.
   South Africa crashed to 69 for five but their hopes were raised when AB de Villiers (68) and Shaun Pollock (69) put on 119 for the sixth wicket.
   Lee, after struggling in the first two games, dismissed captain Graeme Smith in the third over of the South African innings and took wickets at important times to earn the man of the match award.
   His figures were spoilt when he conceded 15 runs in his final over, with South African number ten batsman Roger Telemachus slogging two sixes.
   Australia needed the win after they lost the first two of five matches while Ponting was missing because of an abdominal strain.
   ‘We’ve been in this sort of situation before in series. We lost the first final of the VB Series a few weeks ago (against Sri Lanka in Australia) and won the next two,’ said Ponting.
   ‘It was a really good win for us. We batted steadily enough to post a good total and then Brett and the rest of the bowlers did a good job for us.’
   South Africa skipper Graeme Smith said he was disappointed with the outcome.
   ‘We needed one good partnership in our top five,’ said Smith.
   ‘It was a definitely gettable total. Polly and AB showed what was needed.’
   Smith sent Australia in to bat because he believed the conditions would remain similar for both innings in a day game on a small ground which has yielded some high totals.
   A slow pitch proved less
   batsman-friendly than expected, however.
   The Australian batsmen struggled to time the ball against accurate bowling, while South Africa fielded well, but Australia managed to score 99 runs off the last 12 overs. Michael Hussey hammered 22 off 10 balls with two sixes and a four.
   Ponting started slowly, taking 48 balls to score his first 24 runs, but accelerated to reach his half-century off 72 deliveries.
   The Australian captain launched an assault against key South African bowler Pollock in the 39th over, hitting two boundaries, but he skied an attempted big hit in Pollock’s next over and was caught at deep midwicket.
   Pollock, who earlier had Adam Gilchrist caught behind for 25, finished with two for 45.
   Ponting put on 63 for the second wicket with Simon Katich, who was run out for 49 by outstanding fielding by AB de Villiers, who dived to his left at mid-on and hit the stumps at the bowler’s end from a prone position.
   Damien Martyn helped Ponting put on 74 for the third wicket. Martyn made 51.
   South Africa were in trouble when Smith’s dismissal was followed by that of the in-form Herschelle Gibbs, who was unluckily run out when bowler Stuart Clark deflected the ball into the stumps while Gibbs was backing up.
   Their fate seemed sealed when three wickets fell for nine runs before the stand between De Villiers and Pollock brought them back into the game. South Africa needed 67 off 46 balls when Pollock swung and missed against Shane Watson.
   De Villiers, who made his first half-century in one-day internationals, was out in the next over when Brad Hogg held a sensational left-handed catch on the long-on boundary, leaping backwards after De Villiers tried to hit left-arm slow bowler Michael Clarke out of the ground.
   Australia have won four out of five matches between the sides at St George’s Park, including a high-scoring encounter four years ago, when they made 326 for three to achieve what was then the highest successful run chase in one-day internationals.

Strike bowler Brett Lee thinks that ‘a very small minority of the Aussie crowds are giving all Australians a bad name’ by passing racist remarks on the Proteas during their recent tour down under and said racism in any form should be wiped out of cricket.
   ‘Racism should not be tolerated either on the field, in the crowd or in everyday life. I don’t think that it is a major problem because I have not witnessed any of it myself. However, there may be a very small minority of the Australian crowds that are giving all Australians a bad name. It is something that needs to be looked at and wiped out of our game,’ The Independent quoted him today as saying.
   Lee, who is now in South Africa tour, said the Ashes series last year was not out of their mind yet and the Aussies have some unfinished business to attend to next November when England tour Australia.
   ‘The Ashes has been great motivation for us to knuckle down and lift our performance so we are ready and firing to win back the Ashes.’
   ‘It (the Ashes) was definitely up there with the best series I have been involved in. The spirit in which the cricket was played by both teams was great and the level of competition was amazing. The series provided so many match altering efforts and plays and none of the games were one sided the whole way through,’ said the out-and-out pace bowler whose team-mates called Binga after an electrical appliance chain in Australia named Bing Lee.
   Lee said he was hurt when some people suggested he intentionally bowled beamers at batsmen.
   ‘As a bowler you have to realise that if you bowl a bouncer at someone you have to expect one or two in return from them or their team-mates. Sure I’ve bowled a lot of bouncers throughout my career but I have faced just as many. Bouncers are part of the game. When used properly they are a very effective tool in setting up batsmen for a wicket.’
   But, he said he would never intentionally bowl a beamer at someone.
   ‘Everyone that knows me knows that is not in my nature. I play hard but I also pride myself on playing fairly. To hear some suggest otherwise was very disappointing,’ said the bowler who is also a bass guitarist with the band Six And Out.
   The Elvis Presley fan also said Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar are the hardest batsman in world cricket to bowl at.

Pakistan’s cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq hopes that President George W Bush’s brief tryst with cricket will give a fillip to the game in the US where it is still in the process of finding its feet.
   ‘He showed keen interest in knowing the difference between cricket and baseball. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan briefed him on different aspects of the game,’ Inzamam was Sunday quoted by The News as saying.
   ‘He is basically a baseball fan but is fascinated by cricket. One can only hope that after the interest he has shown in cricket it would give cricket a big boost in the US.’
   During his visit to Pakistan Saturday, Bush found time to watch schoolchildren play cricket and tried his hand at the game. He bowled and batted several times with a tennis ball.
   Inzamam said he and Pakistan opener Salman Butt had shown Bush how to grip the bat and gave the president other cricketing tips.
   He said the US president showed a lot of interest and was eager to learn about the finer points of the game.
   ‘Shaharyar later presented him a cricket ball signed by the players and an official tie of the board,’ Inzamam added.

Ricky Ponting is convinced Stuart MacGill, who has struggled for New South Wales this season, can provide results for Australia’s attack in the first Test at Cape Town on March 16. The touring squad will be announced on Tuesday and Ponting said MacGill’s positives of being a world-class wicket-taker were more important than the negatives of his recent Pura Cup form.
   MacGill has taken only 15 first-class victims for New South Wales at the weighty average of 58.73, but he collected six in his two Tests against South Africa this summer and Ponting expected the Cape Town surface to spin.
   ‘It would be hard to look past MacGill,’ Ponting told AAP. ‘His record in Test cricket is outstanding anyway.’ MacGill, 35, has played 38 matches for 182 dismissals at 27.94, and Ponting said a lot of the side’s experience came from the two spinners. Shane Warne, who picked up 7 for 100 against Queensland on Friday, is a certainty and MacGill is part of a nervous group of bowlers waiting for phonecalls.
   ‘He hasn’t had the greatest Pura Cup season, but as we know at Test level he’s a proven wicket-taker and he continues to do it game after game,’ Ponting said. ‘When a lot of people think he mightn’t, he puts his hand up and does the business.’
   ‘If we happen to play two spinners there is a lot of experience in our attack,’ he said. ‘With Brett Lee having played a fair bit of cricket as well, whichever way they decide to go with the faster bowlers, we’ll have enough experience there.’

The Punjab Cricket Association is likely to host five to six ICC Champions Trophy matches at Mohali in October-November this year. Disclosing this on Monday, PCA President Inderjit Singh Bindra said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has recommended Mohali as one of the venues for the Champions Trophy.
   ‘We have received the recommendation letter from the BCCI. However, the confirmation from the International Cricket Council is awaited.’
   ‘A representative of the ICC inspected the PCA Stadium and the facilities available here. We expect to organise six matches,’ said Mr Bindra. Asked to give names of the other venues recommended by the BCCI, Mr Bindra said, ‘I can not disclose that but I can say that BCCI has recommended Mohali as one of the venues.’
   It is learnt that the BCCI has also recommended Chennai, Kolkata and Cricket Club of India, Mumbai as the other venues of the Champions Trophy.

England paceman Simon Jones has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series with India.
   A statement from the England medical team on Monday said Jones underwent an arthroscopy last Friday after sustaining an injury to his left knee before the first Test in Nagpur.
   The statement added: ‘Simon has been ruled out of the current Test series in India and at this stage it is thought unlikely that he will be available for the forthcoming one-day international series.’

Italy boss Marcello Lippi has conceded that he will disappoint a number of players when he names his World Cup squad. ‘I can’t pick 60,’ he said.
   The Azzurri tactician has less than 100 days to finalise his plans for this summer’s German assault, but today admitted that he won’t be able to please everyone.
   ‘I am happy that I have the full disposal of a lot of Italian players for the World Cup,’ said the former Juventus maestro.
   ‘I just hope that when the times comes for me to compile my list there is the realisation that I can only take 23 players and not 60 with me.
   ‘I still haven’t made up a definite list of players for the Finals because I will evaluate a lot of things between now and May.’
   Lippi already received flack only last week when his decision to call-up Christian Vieri wasn’t entirely welcomed by some sections of the Italian Press.
   Especially as the tactician, who also picked Vincenzo Iaquinta, omitted in-form players such as Livorno’s Cristiano Lucarelli and Milan’s Pippo Inzaghi.
   There was also no room for Antonio Cassano of Real Madrid despite the absence of the injured Francesco Totti.
   Nevertheless, the Azzurri will head north in the summer with the renewed hope of their fans after Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Germany.
   ‘It was our objective to re-inject the Italian public with passion for the side, especially as there was a distinct lack of love for us in the past,’ added Lippi.
   ‘The Italian players love the national team and now we have the performances to back that claim up.’

Brazilian great Ronaldo has come under fire again from the Spanish press following Real Madrid’s 2-1 derby victory over Atletico on Saturday night, a match the former Barcelona and Inter Milan star was not involved in.
   The Brazilian striker has come under attack in both the Spanish press and the Real tribunes this season, accused of lacking motivation to fight for the famous white jersey and he is widely expected to leave the club in the close season.
   Real coach Juan Lopez Caro left Ronaldo out of the match-day squad for ‘technical’ reasons officially but the Spanish press was convinced Sunday morning that the end has come for the three-time world player of the year.
   ‘Ronaldo loses his place,’ said Marca who claimed the Brazilian is unlikely to earn a recall for the crucial Champions League last 16 second-leg clash against English outfit Arsenal on Wednesday.
   ‘The public showed they were indifferent to his absence, he was missed by no-one...not even the team in white who won through courage and fight,’ added Marca, making a clear reference to the accusations levelled at Ronaldo that he does not fight for the team.
   Lopez Caro could not even offer an olive branch to Ronaldo after the game, saying only: ‘The collective takes precedence over the individual and Ronaldo will be back when he is well.’
   The knives are out for Ronaldo as El Mundo went on to claim, ‘The majority of Spanish players (at Madrid) don’t support Ronaldo; they say he is as arrogant off as he is on the pitch.’
   Ronaldo has been at odds with the Madrid press and Real’s fans in recent months, reacting badly to being jeered by his own club’s fans and criticising them in the press.
   Italian giants AC Milan and a host of English Premiership teams are believed to be chasing his signature and it is almost certain that he will move in the close season.
   Meanwhile, France midfielder Zinedine Zidane gave his match shirt to French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy after the victory over Atletico, according to Real’s website.
   Brazil full-back Roberto Carlos also offered his shirt to Sarkozy, who is spending the weekend in Madrid at the invitation of the opposition Popular Party.
   Meanwhile, Ronaldo was recalled by Real Madrid for the team’s Champions League match at Arsenal on Wednesday.
   On Monday, Ronaldo was included in a 20-man squad for the second-round game at Highbury. Madrid lost 1-0 in the first leg.
   Madrid also included Zinedine Zidane and Ivan Helguera on its roster. Both were both injured against Atletico.
   Jonathan Woodgate and Pablo Garcia will miss the game with injuries.

England opener Alastair Cook said he would look out in Mohali for the besotted Nagpur maiden who had ‘proposed’ him to marry her recalling the ‘funny moment’, the 22-year-old wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar pointed out the placard by a girl in the crowd that read ‘Marry Me Alistair’.
   ‘I’ll have to keep an eye out for her in the next Test,’ wrote Cook in a lighter vein.
   Cook, who scored 60 and 104 in his debut Test, said the dream moments of hitting his maiden Test hundred in debut have yet to sink in.
   ‘I’ll never forget that moment on Saturday when the ball crossed the boundary rope to bring up my century. I found it hard to believe that it was really happening – that I had reached three figures for England, and that no one could take it away from me. I would have liked to have pressed the pause button and stayed in that instant for a while.’
   The Essex batsman considered Paul Collingwood’s hundred and Monty Panesar’s dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar, besides his hundred as fairytale moments of the Nagpur Test.
   Interestingly, Cook said his parents complained for lack of sleep over phone as they had to wake up at 4.30am. in England to watch him play on the television.
   He said they wouldn’t fly down in India to watch him play here. Rather, they were supposed to be to Barbados to watch him play there for the England ‘A’ team.
   Cook was at Barbados 10 days back doing England ‘A’ duties, before he was called to join the injury-depleted senior squad.

England captain Andrew Flintoff praised his young side for showing character to draw the first Test against India on Sunday.
   ‘I’m proud of the lads,’ he told reporters. ‘Coming into this Test match, a few things went against us.
   ‘It is one of the youngest sides England have fielded in four years, three debutants.’
   England dominated much of the match despite the absence of injured captain Michael Vaughan and fast bowler Simon Jones. Vice-captain Marcus Trescothick also returned home for personal reasons.
   Flintoff, drafted in as captain at the last minute, said, ‘In all we scraped and fought (and) for four and a half days we had the best of the Test match.
   ‘Lots of things were said about us, we had got no chance, this and that.
   ‘But the lads in the dressing room showed their character. We showed lot of belief. Over the five days we have shown what the England side is all about.’
   England recovered from 246 for seven on day one to reach 393 all out and then restricted India to 323 after seamer Matthew Hoggard captured six for 57.
   Flintoff praised 21-year-old opening batsman Alastair Cook, who notched 104 not out in his maiden Test after travelling from the A tour in West Indies as an injury replacement.

Italian international Francesco Totti has had 33 stitches removed following surgery on his broken leg.
   The striker fractured his fibula during Roma’s game with Empoli in February and has started the long process towards recovery.
   Doctors have confirmed that the situation is looking positive. However, it is still going to be at least three more weeks before Totti will be able to walk without crutches.
   The Roma captain will begin his water rehabilitation in the next few days as he looks to recover in time for the World Cup in June.
   ‘Lippi can be sure to count me in for the World Cup,’ said a confident Totti. ‘There won’t be any problem.
   ‘From a mental point of view I’m already there and I have the faith of all the staff and team-mates, everyone wants me there.’

Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, fighting with Jens Lehmann for the number one spot in the Germany team for the World Cup, believes he still has the edge over his rival.
   ‘The national team coach told me again recently that I was the number one and would remain the number one as long as I kept performing well,’ the Bayern keeper told Monday’s issue of German soccer magazine Kicker.
   Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann, however, said he would not decide the battle of the goalkeepers until the end of the Bundesliga season.
   Klinsmann, under fire since a shock 4-1 friendly defeat by Italy last week, rejected a magazine report that he had picked Arsenal’s Lehmann over Kahn.
   ‘The situation remains that Jens is Oliver’s challenger and that both still stand a chance,’ Klinsmann told the German Football Association (DFB) website.
   ‘No decision will be taken before the end of the season,’ he added.

FIFA will ignore calls for Iran to be expelled from of this summer’s World Cup because of the controversy over its nuclear activities, a top official from world soccer’s governing body said.
   ‘FIFA has nothing to do with politics,’ said Emmanuel Maradas, a FIFA spokesman and special assistant to Sepp Blatter, the organisation’s president, report wire services.
   ‘Iran are a FIFA member, they have qualified for the World Cup and they will be there to play football for the good of Iranian youth and for the good of peace.’
   Maradas was in Jakarta at the head of a FIFA delegation taking the newly-renovated World Cup trophy on a tour of 29 nations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.
   The idea of expelling Iran from the tournament in Germany was raised by European and Israeli lawmakers after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the Nazi Holocaust as a ‘myth’ and Iran resumed disputed nuclear activities.
   Iran’s national squad are scheduled to play their first match against Mexico in Nuremberg on June 11. The other teams in their qualifying Group D are Portugal and Angola.
   Some critics have suggested the UN Security Council should act to ban the Iranian squad from the final tournament.
   ‘The Security Council’s decisions are not a concern of FIFA,’ Maradas said. ‘Iran will be welcome in Germany.’

Seventy-nine German politicians and high-ranking civil servants will be able to attend all 64 matches at the World Cup finals in Germany this year, a report said on Monday.
   The list published by the top-selling Bild newspaper includes German chancellor Angela Merkel, president Horst Koehler and every government minister, but also the presidents of the country’s 16 regional states and the heads of political parties and the state parliaments.
   The interior ministry document setting out the VIP tickets policy said it was designed to ensure that a government minister would attend every match involving Germany and that a representative of the German state would be at all the other matches, according to Bild.
   Most of the 79 dignitaries will receive two tickets each.
   A government spokesman said the procedure was normal practice in any country hosting a World Cup.
   Around 2.6 million of the more than three million tickets available for the tournament have
   been sold, with demand far exceeding supply in each sales phase.

Juventus coach Fabio Capello is sweating on the fitness of strike pair David Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as they prepare for today’s Champions League showdown with Werder Bremen.
   A place in the quarter-finals beckons for Capello’s men if they have the firepower up front to turn around a dramatic 3-2 first leg loss in the first knockout stage two weeks ago.
   Leading 2-1 until the 87th minute after goals from Pavel Nedved and Trezeguet, Juventus conceded an equaliser and then slumped to defeat after Johan Micoud scrambled home Bremen’s winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
   Despite the helping hand of Juve’s away goals, which mean a 1-0 win would see them through, Capello clearly needs Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet to be ready for duty at the Stadio Delle Alpi.
   But he told Sunday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport: ‘I honestly don’t know what stage they’ve reached in their recoveries or whether they will be fit in time for Werder.
   ‘We will need to see them in training before making a decision, because in a match like this the fitness of every single player becomes very important.’
   If neither recovers in time, Juve’s attack will be led by Alessandro Del Piero and Uruguayan Marcelo Zalayeta, who looked a little rusty as a partnership in a 1-0 win over Sampdoria at the weekend.
   The victory maintained Juve’s 10-point lead in Serie A, though a 29th ‘scudetto’ would be scant consolation for Capello should his side exit the Champions League.
   Capello has repeatedly said his number one priority this season is leading Juventus to their first European title since 1996.
   This tie threatens to turn into a repeat of last season’s unexpected quarter-final exit, when they started as clear favourites against Liverpool, only to lose 2-1 away in the first leg before drawing 0-0 in Turin.
   For their part, the Germans warmed up with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
   ‘This is a whole new task. This is a completely different story,’ said coach Thomas Schaaf. ‘We were not altogether off the mark in Leverkusen, we didn’t fail completely.’
   Werder failed to take advantage of a 1-0 lead, earned by a third-minute penalty, and Leverkusen equalised just before the break. It was the first time this season Werder had failed to win in the Bundesliga before playing in the Champions League.
   ‘We know all too well what we need to deliver,’ said club managing director Klaus Alloffs, who added, ‘Juventus are the clear favourites.’
   Germany striker Miroslav Klose said, ‘We need to play at least as well as we did in the first leg, if not better. But I’m sure we can score at least one goal there.’
   Werder are counting on captain Frank Baumann and Brazilian defender Naldo, who both missed Saturday’s game with injuries, to return today.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted his admiration for Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham, likening the England captain to French great Michel Platini.
   Ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League showdown, Wenger remarked, ‘It seems to me that he is not valued as much as he deserves to be.
   ‘In England, they usually criticise the players of the country. Beckham reminds me a little of Platini. People were excessively demanding with him and when he retired everybody said that he was brilliant.
    ‘It is the price that you must pay when you are the captain.’
   Elsewhere, David Beckham says the fallout from Florentino Perez’s resignation is damaging the club’s chances of beating Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League.
   The Liga giants were rocked by the departure of president Perez after he admitted defeat in his bid to restore Real to their former glories, and a third successive campaign without silverware will be all but sealed should they lose to The Gunners on Wednesday. Although they beat city rivals Atletico 2-1 on Saturday, Beckham is worried that the change of president, and the continual instability regarding the manager’s position, will hinder their chances as they aim to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Highbury.
   Juan Ramon Lopez Caro will look to mastermind a famous victory in North London, but the England skipper believes the odds are stacked against the Spanish side.
   ‘We are already the underdogs because we lost the first game,’ said Beckham. ‘But the off-field distractions make it hard, too, it is definitely not nice.
   ‘Instability is not good for the players and there’s been a lot of it – five managers in three seasons for me.
   ‘It is certainly different from what I am used to but you just have to deal with it.
   ‘There are 11 quality players out there who are being paid a lot of money to win football matches so you know you need to perform, you have to get on with it.’
   Perez’s fabled galactico policy initially established Real as the most exciting and dangerous side in Europe, but an ageing squad exposed deficiencies in the recruitment strategy.
   ‘He was instrumental in bringing in the galacticos and that will go down in history, the stars he brought to Madrid and the success,’ Beckham added.
   ‘But he is gone now and I hope that might spur us on rather than go against the team.
   ‘But we still know we need to play well against Arsenal. If we play like we did in the first game then we won’t win and we won’t go through. It is probably our biggest game of the season, especially after we lost to Mallorca last weekend.’
   For Beckham the game against Arsenal will be particularly special as it represents his first return to England in Real Madrid colours, and the former Manchester United star says he cannot wait for the clash at Highbury.
   ‘It’s been a long time and I’m really looking forward to playing in England – and I will especially enjoy it if we win.’

Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo says his side need a ‘miracle’ to defeat Barcelona today.
   Jose Mourinho’s side face a difficult task to repeat last season’s heroics and knock out the Spanish champions in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.
   The Blues trail Barca 2-1 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, having played the majority of that match with ten men after Asier Del Horno was sent off for a seemingly innocuous challenge on Lionel Messi.
   With the Premiership club needing at least two goals to overturn the tie in the second leg at Camp Nou, Argentine Crespo admits his side will need a major performance to reach the quarterfinals.
   ‘We go to the Nou Camp looking for a miracle to see us through,’ the 30-year-old told The Sun.
   ‘Barcelona already had a sizeable advantage playing the second leg at home. But leaving Stamford Bridge with a 2-1 win makes them firm favourites.
   ‘What we have to cling on to is that if we won in Barcelona, it wouldn’t be their first home defeat this season.
   ‘Atletico Madrid went there and won 3-1 a few weeks ago, so we must believe in ourselves. If I was Barcelona, I would not write off Chelsea in terms of producing that miracle.’
   Crespo’s team-mate in goalkeeper Petr Cech believes they can triumph in Catalonia, as long as they keep 11 players on the pitch.
   Czech Republic international Cech feels Chelsea will have to keep their discipline in order to claim victory over Frank Rijkaard’s side.
   ‘The tie is not over yet,’ Cech said. ‘We have enough quality to change the result and go there and win.
   ‘But there is a big “if”. And that is if we can keep 11 players on the field. If we can do that, there will be a big chance to go through.
   ‘There is not even a small difference between the clubs. But it’s difficult to play them when you are down to 10 men.
   ‘At Stamford Bridge when we had only 10 men, they created chances. Before that, they struggled to do so and we played well. We have to remember that.
   ‘In the first leg against Barcelona, we had three players on a caution and they made sure they didn’t get booked again. But we know we have to be careful in the Nou Camp.’

Franz Beckenbauer says he has been overwhelmed by enthusiasm during his worldwide trip to extend personal invitations to all 31 nations qualified for this year’s World Cup in Germany.
   Before the final two legs to Belgrade and Sydney, the World Cup winning former Germany defender and coach said in a written interview with Reuters he was moved to discover soccer was a global unifying force that could promote peace.
   Royal families, presidents, prime ministers and even the Pope lined up to greet Beckenbauer when the German World Cup organising committee president landed in their countries for state-like visits.
   ‘I felt tremendously honoured,’ said Beckenbauer, whose stop in Costa Rica was broadcast live on television.
   ‘Presidents and government leaders took time out for us and that is something you don’t really expect to happen.
   ‘We were also in countries where there had been civil wars until recently, such as Angola. But when it comes to soccer and the World Cup, these conflicts all seemed to disappear. That was an extremely gratifying experience for me.’
   Beckenbauer spent some 170 hours in the air, flying more than 120,000 km to deliver invitations to the 31 countries that qualified for the finals, starting on June 9. The tour cost 1.8 million euros ($2.16 million).
   ‘The effort has definitely been well worthwhile,’ said the charismatic 60-year-old who played for Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos and Hamburg SV in a career spanning two decades.
   ‘It’s been an invaluable public relations help for the World Cup and for Germany,’ he added.
   Beckenbauer’s goodwill travels began in Iran in October, where a promotional film he brought showing German fans drinking beer and eating sausages reduced the Iranian football federation officials to glum, stony-faced silence.
   He then flew to Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan, where his delegation was briefed on local customs – such as it being impolite to stand during the presentation. So he sat down.
   ‘There were always at least 120 and sometimes up to 300 guests at the receptions,’ Beckenbauer said.
   Invariably he was asked about each country’s chances and often found diplomatic answers. In London, Beckenbauer outed himself as a lifelong England fan and clearly relished meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair.
   ‘He obviously hopes that England will make it to the final once again and perhaps win the championship,’ Beckenbauer said.
   ‘I was struck by his easy-going nature and charm. It felt like we had known each other as close friends for years.’

Roma were denied a 12th league win on the trot and fourth place in Serie A after Marco Materazzi’s towering header a minute from time salvaged a 1-1 draw for Inter Milan here on Sunday.
   Roma, who set a new record of 11 consecutive victories in Italy’s top division last week following their derby win over Lazio, took an early lead at the Olympic stadium when Rodrigo Taddei tapped in Amantino Mancini’s cutback.
   But Inter dominated the second half and they finally got their reward when Materazzi escaped the attention of Christian Panucci to reach Luis Figo’s cross and plant a firm header past Alexander Doni.
   Roma coach Luciano Spalletti refused to be too hard on his players after their remarkable run, which has propelled them from close to the relegation zone into contention for a Champions League place next season. Giampaolo Pazzini’s scrappy stoppage-time winner gave Fiorentina a 2-1 home win over Tuscan rivals Siena.
   Luca Toni had given Fiorentina an early lead before Simone Vergassola equalised for the visitors.
   Cagliari won 1-0 at Livorno for their first away victory since November 28, 2004. Honduran striker David Suazo scored the only goal in the 77th minute, his 14th of the season, to help ease the Sardinians’ relegation fears.
   Australia international Mark Bresciano scored an 85th-minute winner for Parma in their priceless 1-0 victory at Messina, which improved their chances of staying in the top flight.

Ronaldinho says he’d love to see Premiership stars Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Thierry Henry (Arsenal) join him at Barcelona next season.
   The Brazilian ace said, ‘Everybody here is talking about Lampard and Thierry Henry joining.
   ‘If it was down to me I would buy them both.’

Ruud van Nistelrooy fears he could be the next big name to exit Old Trafford.
   There will be no bigger indication that is the case than if the Dutch striker is left out of Monday’s Manchester United side to face Wigan.
   Van Nistelrooy is fit to play at the JJB Stadium having pulled out of Holland’s midweek friendly against Ecuador with a stomach complaint.
   But he remains unhappy with his Carling Cup final snub eight days ago, when he was left on the bench.
   The Premiership’s 19-goal top scorer revealed he expected to go straight back into the side against Paul Jewell’s men.
   But United manager Alex Ferguson is seriously considering keeping in-form Louis Saha up front with Wayne Rooney.
   Van Nistelrooy will be 30 in July and this is the last summer he can realistically command a big transfer fee.
   Ferguson is aware of that and will not be scared of selling after dumping David Beckham and Roy Keane.
   Fergie said, ‘I’m happy with our progress but it is important we don’t set our standards too low.’

Steven Gerrard is convinced the Anfield roar will keep Liverpool on the Champions League trail.
   The Reds are in woeful scoring form ahead of Wednesday’s Euro return against Benfica, who hold a 1-0 first-leg lead.
   Despite drawing another blank against Charlton on Saturday – Liverpool have now hit just eight goals in 12 games – skipper Gerrard believes there is no cause for alarm.
   He insisted, ‘We know what people are going to say because we have been getting a lot of 1-0 results and this time we couldn’t find that breakthrough.
   ‘We’ve just got to keep creating the chances. Hopefully a few breaks will go our way and the goals will come.
   ‘We’ve definitely got goal-scorers in the squad. I’m sure it is only a matter of time before the goals start going in.
   ‘I don’t think not scoring against Charlton will have an effect on what happens on Wednesday.
   ‘The ground will be a lot noisier. I’m sure the boys will play at a higher tempo.’
   An incorrect linesman’s flag cost Robbie Fowler a late winner on Saturday.
   But the Reds blew numerous chances beforehand.
   Gerrard admitted, ‘It’s frustrating. We had all the possession but couldn’t make that breakthrough.
   ‘We have seen Robbie’s goal and it was onside.
   ‘The linesman has given offside for Djibril Cisse, but he wasn’t interfering with play.
   ‘But sometimes decisions don’t go your way. It would have been nice for Robbie to get the goal and it would have given him a lot of confidence.
   ‘But he is playing well and working hard. He told me that was his first full 90 minutes since last May and he’s looking good considering the amount of football he has been playing.
   ‘We must be more clinical in front of goal on Wednesday.’
   Benfica received a massive confidence boost ahead of the Liverpool clash after Fabrizio Micolli struck three minutes into stoppage-time to give them a 2-1 win over Estrela Amadora on Saturday.

Germany organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer on Monday rejected FIFA’s criticism that their World Cup ticketing is confusing, saying the world body had worked closely with them on the system.
   FIFA president Sepp Blatter had attacked the German organising committee’s ticket sales operations in a Swiss newspaper interview on Sunday, saying FIFA should have kept control of ticket management and will take it back for 2010.
   ‘These accusations are irritating,’ Beckenbauer said in Duesseldorf at the start of a two-day technical meeting of 32 World Cup participants ahead of the tournament that starts on June 9.
   ‘We knew that the issue of ticketing would be the biggest problem,’ Beckenbauer added, referring to the massive demand that has far outstripped the supply of the three million tickets available.
   ‘It’s an extremely sensitive topic. But there have been 20 meetings already with FIFA. And FIFA was kept informed every step of the way. That’s why it surprises me when the FIFA president comes out with such comments.’
   Meanwhile, he also offered some stinging criticism to Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann after he failed to attend the World Cup coaches’ workshop here on Monday.
   While other leading managers such as England’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira attended the workshop, Klinsmann elected to stay at his home in the United States.
   ‘Jurgen Klinsmann should have been here. This is a meeting he had to make and there are not too many of them,’ said Beckenbauer.
   ‘Of course he can go to the United States to see his family but he needs to spend most of his time here in Germany ahead of the World Cup.
   ‘I do not know how many times I have spoken with him about it but clearly there is no point. If he can handle the criticism then fine.’
   Klinsmann, a World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990, has long been criticised for his decision to continue flying back to his Californian base and recent poor results have not helped.
   Last Wednesday Germany lost 4-1 to Italy in Florence and the German media ridiculed Klinsmann’s ambition to win the World Cup, running from June 9 until July 9.
   ‘After the 4-1 in Italy it was necessary for him to be here to pick up the pieces,’ Beckenbauer said.
   ‘If he sees it differently then he must live with the criticism.’
   Despite Germany’s indifferent results Beckenbauer believes home advantage could be the key for the three-time World Cup winners.
   ‘There are technically better teams but we can compensate for that,’ said Beckenbauer. We are not in the position to compete in Italy or other places but it is different at home.’
   Beckenbauer was in charge the last time Germany, then in the guise of West Germany, won the World Cup back in 1990.

James Blake toppled top-seeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 here on Sunday to win this 380,000-dollar ATP tournament.
   The fifth-seeded American claimed the the fifth title of his career and second of 2006, beating the former world number one for the first time in seven career meetings.
   The victory also marked Blake’first win over a top-10 player in a final.
   ‘I played him a whole bunch of times in the past. This is the first time I’ve come out on top and I’m pretty happy,’ said Blake, who will move up seven places to a career-high number 14 when the ATP rankings are released Monday.
   ‘I finally got a win against one of the greatest players of all-time. He’s gotten me in so many close ones, he’s beaten me up so many times, it’s nice to know I can get one win against him.
   ‘It’s something I can take away,’ Blake added. ‘He’s one of the best players ever and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. I can say I beat someone that talented and that great of a competitor.’
   Hewitt himself was looking to end a near 14-month ATP singles title drought.
   Instead, the former Wimbledon and US Open champion dropped his for the fourth consecutive final and second straight in 2006 following a championship loss to Scottish teenager Andy Murray a few weeks ago in San Jose.

Admonished by the Cricket Board for his controversial criticism of former skipper Sourav Ganguly, coach Greg Chappell has admitted it was a ‘mistake’ to have made such comments.
   Chappell’s admission came at a late night meeting called by BCCI president Sharad Pawar in Nagpur.
   This happened in the wake of the letter written to him by Ganguly wherein he complained about the remarks made by the coach in an interview to a British daily.
   In the meeting lasting 30 minutes, it was made clear to Chappell that such interviews were unwarranted.
   The Australian, on his part, admitted that it had been a mistake to make the comments, particularly the one which related to Ganguly’s refusal to step down from captaincy.
   ‘Chappell admitted during the meeting that it had been a mistake on his part to have suggested that (captaincy was utterly important to Ganguly’s life and finances),’ said Cricket Board Secretary Niranjan Shah who also attended the meeting.
   Later addressing mediapersons, Pawar said Chappell had assured the Board that he would not talk about any individual players in future and restrict his comments to the team’s performance.
   ‘We expressed our displeasure to Chappell on this issue and he has assured that he would not make any comments about any individual player.’ Pawar said.
   The BCCI president further added, ‘We want to close the chapter here.’
   When asked about Ganguly’s reported threat of going to court over Chappell’s remarks, the Board president said the Bengal left-hander was a contracted player with the BCCI.
   ‘If the contract does not prohibit him from going to court, he is free to do so. Otherwise he cannot,’ Pawar said.
   Before meeting Chappell, the Board officials also met some senior cricketers including skipper Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble for close to half an hour.
   Shah said the meeting with the players was an informal one and Chappell’s recent remarks on Ganguly did not figure in the discussions.
   ‘It was a general discussion and Chappell’s remarks about Ganguly were not brought up,’ Shah said.

England arrived in Chandigarh on Monday morning with a buzz around the side ahead of the second Test against India.
   Because of its early help for seamers, the Mohali ground offers the tourists’ best chance of victory after a morale-boosting opening draw in Nagpur.
   ‘Every single player in our dressing room can be proud of what we’ve done,’ said captain Andrew Flintoff.
   ‘We’ve got to do it all again in Mohali but there’s an excitement in our dressing room right now.’
   Batsman Kevin Pietersen, the only injury worry after his collision with boundary hoardings in Nagpur, was cleared after a precautionary X-ray on his left elbow.
   With captain Michael Vaughan and Simon Jones both nursing knee injuries and Marcus Trescothick at home for personal reasons, England fielded three debutants in Nagpur.
   But they withstood the pressure well, with Alastair Cook hitting 164 runs in both innings and spinner Monty Panesar taking three wickets.
   England also witnessed the coming of age of Paul Collingwood, with his maiden Test century in his sixth appearance, and Matthew Hoggards’ return to form with seven wickets.

Dhaka drew with Barisal in the seventh round four-day match of the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea 7th National Cricket League at the Barisal Divisional Stadium on Monday. After starting the day with 305 for six Barisal finished their first innings on 330 in reply to Dhaka’s first innings score of 395.
   Dhaka scored 215 for five at the end of the final day with Mehrab Hossain Jr and Mehrab Hossain Opee remaining unbeaten on 40 and 20 respectively. Opener Uttam top-scored with 74, Al Shahriar chipped in with 54. Arafat Salahuddin took two wickets for 41. Dhaka have 24 points while Barisal are on 18.

Bottom club Sunderland sacked Mick McCarthy as manager of the Premier League side on Monday and apologised to their fans for the team’s poor results.
   McCarthy, who had been in the job for three years, was dismissed at a meeting on Monday, having watched his promoted team slump to their 22nd defeat of the season in Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Manchester City.
   Club chairman Bob Murray told the club’s website, ‘I take responsibility for what has proven to be an unsuccessful and heartbreaking season; despite the best intentions, efforts and expectations of everyone at the club.
   ‘I feel deeply sorry that the excitement, optimism and aspirations of all Sunderland fans looking forward to a return to the Premier League have been rewarded in this way and I apologise for this.
   He added, ‘The club did not return to the Premiership just to make up the numbers and whilst we fully expected it to be a tough first season back, none of us expected to be in the position we are today.’

Shujon stroked a half-century as University of Liberal Arts stormed into the final of the ULAB Fair Play Cup squashing Independent University Bangladesh by 96 runs in the second semifinal on Sunday.
   Batting first, ULAB piled up a huge 193 runs losing nine wickets in the stipulated 35 overs with Sujon playing a dashing knock of 54 runs. Ashique (32) and Nabil (30) also made good contributions. Reaz of IUB took three wickets for 24 runs.
   In reply, IUB started their innings under pressure and never looked comfortable as they lost wickets at regular interval and finally folded up at 97 runs in 25.4 overs. Asif was the top scorer for IUB with 20 runs. Russel
   picked up 5 wickets for 20 runs for the winners.
   Shujon of ULAB was named the man of the match.
   ULAB will face State University in the final on March 10.

Jacques Kallis is expected to join the South Africa one-day squad this week after recovering from an elbow injury. But the world’s second-best Test batsman may not be risked until the opening Test against Australia, starting in Cape Town on 16 March.
   ‘I think he will be joining the squad, but I don’t know if he will be playing,’ said captain Graeme Smith.
   ‘That’s a decision we need to take with regards to his fitness. We still think that needs to be tested.’
   Kallis has not played competitively since 15 January, when he was forced to return home from Australia in the middle of the VB Series with the long-term injury. South Africa are currently 2-1 up in the return one-day series, with the remaining matches in Durban on Friday and Johannesburg on Sunday.