Bangladesh can surprise New Zealand and win one or two one-day matches if their batsmen can put some runs on the board, captain Mohammad Ashraful said on Wednesday.
   ‘Our bowling attack is reasonably good. If we can post a good total, it will not be impossible to win one or two games in the one-day series,’ Ashraful told New Age at the Zia International Airport before the team’s departure.
   The 25-member squad including 15 players and officials left Dhaka in the afternoon by a Thai Airways flight and is expected to reach Auckland via Bangkok at 1:30 pm (local time).
   Three BCB members, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Shafiqur Rahman Munna and Manwara Anis Khan, chief selector Rafiqul Alam, friends and family members saw off the team, who will play three one-day international matches and two Tests.
   The team will play three warm-up matches and a charity Twenty20 during the month long tour. The three-match one-day series begins in Auckland on December 26 and it will be followed by matches in Napier (December 28) and Queenstown (December 31).
   ‘We are not too concerned about the Test matches right at this moment. First of all we will try to put a good show in the one-day series,’ said Ashraful.
   ‘If we can do well in the one-day internationals, the spirit in the Tests will be high automatically.’
   ‘No doubt it is going to be a tough tour as it has been the case for all touring sides from the subcontinent, but we have confidence in ourselves. We are not going to be easy prey for New Zealand,’ said Ashraful.
   The Bangladesh skipper is one of the four members who have toured New Zealand in 2001, where Bangladesh were badly beaten in both the Test matches. The other three players are Javed Omar, Mashrafee bin Murtaza and Tushar Imran.
   ‘Not many of us have toured New Zealand previously. But I think we can overcome it with the spirit of young lads. We can also expect some experienced players like Suman Bhai (Habibul Bahsar), Rafique Bhai (Mohammad Rafique), Pilot Bhai (Khaled Mashud) in the Test series.’
   ‘So it is not a major issue to me. The main thing is play well and wins the matches,’ said Ashraful.
   Coach Jamie Siddons, who is embarking on first assignment, was reluctant to set any particular goal for the team. If the players can play according to their potential, I will be very happy. Along the way if we win some matches that will be fantastic.
   Bangladesh will begin the tour with a warm-up match against Northern Districts at Seddon Park in Hamilton on December 16.

Sri Lanka (546/9 dec) lead England (351 & 48/0) by 147 runs at stumps, day 4
   England face the daunting prospect of playing out spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan on the final day Thursday to draw the second Test and keep the three-match series alive.
   The tourists, trailing Sri Lanka by 197 runs on the first innings, ended the fourth day’s play on a wearing Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) pitch at 48-0 in their second knock on Wednesday.
   Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 19 and captain Michael Vaughan was on 28 when play was abandoned for the day 16 overs early due to bad light.
   England, who lost the first Test by 88 runs in Kandy last week, must bat out the last day’s play to have a chance of forcing a series-levelling win in the final Test at Galle from next Tuesday.
   Sri Lanka have won 10 of their last 12 Tests at the SSC with Muralitharan, Test cricket’s leading bowler, being the wrecker-in-chief on most occasions.
   Earlier, Sri Lanka took their overnight score of 379-4 to 548-9 before captain Mahela Jayawardene, who top-scored with 195, declared the first innings in the final session.
   The hosts were reduced to 450-8 after lunch before wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene and Dilhara Fernando put on 98 runs for the ninth wicket to boost the lead.
   Prasanna Jayawardene struck a pugnacious 79 with the help of five boundaries before he gloved Steve Harmison to wicket-keeper Matthew Prior and prompted his captain to declare.
   Fast bowler Fernando remained unbeaten on 36 as the Sri Lankan tail frustrated England’s bowlers, for whom Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom claimed three wickets each.
   Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar took 2-151 from 50 overs.
   The ninth-wicket pair kept England at bay after the tourists fought back in the morning session with quick wickets.
   England, who struggled to take two wickets during the entire third day’s play, grabbed three in the space of 26 runs on Wednesday morning.
   Mahela Jayawardene, on 167 overnight, fell five runs short of his fourth double hundred in 20 three-figure knocks. He hit 16 boundaries and a six.
   Sri Lanka added 20 runs to their overnight total when Jehan Mubarak fended at a short ball from Harmison and gave Ian Bell an easy catch at gully.
   Mubarak, under pressure to hold his place in the Test side, made nine.
   Mahela Jayawardene, who came in to bat on Monday afternoon with Sri Lanka struggling on 22-2, was sixth out at the total of 420 after he top-edged a sweep off Panesar to Paul Collingwood at first slip.
   The skipper is Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter with 7,058 from 92 Tests after racing past the retired Sanath Jayasuriya’s previous record of 6,973 runs on Tuesday.
   Paceman Stuart Broad picked up his first Test wicket when he bounced Chaminda Vaas, but the left-hander’s attempted hook shot deflected to Bell in the slips.
   Panesar picked up Lasith Malinga after lunch before Prasanna Jayawardene and Fernando increased the home team’s lead.

Tearaway Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait only bowled four overs in Tuesday’s Twenty20 international victory over New Zealand.
   But he may have done enough in the first four balls alone to bowl himself into the side for the first Test against India at the MCG later this month.
   Tait claimed wickets with his first and fourth deliveries, bowling short and fast on a lively WACA ground wicket, and the Australian selectors are sure to consider unleashing Tait and fellow speedster Brett Lee in a dual speed assault on the Indians.
   For many years, the Australian team has always featured a spinner, but with Shane Warne retired and Stuart MacGill sidelined by injury, the home side could play Tait and Lee in a four-pronged pace attack against India.
   Lee also starred in the Twenty20 match, claiming a wicket with his first ball and generating great pace in taking 17-2 from four overs as Australia went on to thrash New Zealand by 54 runs.
   Tait, who has played two Tests, is on the comeback trail after an elbow injury and was coming off a haul of 29-7 in a first-class game for South Australia.
   Michael Clarke, who led the Australian team for the first time in the absence of Ricky Ponting on Tuesday, was delighted with the way his quicks bowled against the Black Caps on what he said was a favourable pitch for the fast bowlers.
   He wouldn’t be drawn on Tait’s Test prospects, but clearly believes the idea of two raw fast bowlers has merit.
   ‘It is a very different form of the game but I’d hate to face both of them,’ Clarke said on Tuesday.
   ‘If they are bowling like that they are going to be tough to face.
   ‘The selectors are going to need to work out conditions and what they feel the best attack is for the Boxing Day Test. If guys are performing like that, they are very hard to leave out.’
   With Stuart Clark carrying the drinks in the Twenty20 match, the depth in Australian fast bowling was highlighted by new Test bowler Mitchell Johnson claiming two wickets and debutant speedster Ashley Noffke picking up three.
   New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said the Australian fast bowlers, and Lee in particular, not only bowled quick, but accurately as well.
   ‘I know people are going to talk about how fast they bowled,’ he said.
   ‘But you still have to bowl well. Brett Lee early on in his spell bowled exceptionally good length and didn’t give us a chance to score.
   ‘Whilst he has got that pace, it all comes down to how well you bowl.’

The much awaited election of the Bangladesh Football Federation faced an uncertainty as the executive committee decided to hold the election under its previous constitution subject to the approval of FIFA.
   At a meeting held at the BFF House on Wednesday the executive committee decided that they would send the matter to the FIFA and if it approves the proposal the election would be held according to the previous constitution which had no mention of district and divisional football associations.
   The BFF suddenly realised that the formation of DFAs is creating more complications for holding the election and thought that it was taking more time than anticipated. Eight of the district football associations’ elections have been completed and many DFA polls are scheduled to take place within two or three days. The BFF extended the last date of completion of all the 64 DFA elections to December 3 1 from Dec 15. Consequently formation of 6 divisional football associations was also extended to January 10 from December 25.
   But when the BFF was completing the election procedure of the DFAs then why they suddenly had a change of mind to hold the election under the previous constitution. ‘We have not finalised it, we will send the matter to the FIFA and if they say we can hold it under the previous constitution then we will do it, but if it is rejected then we are bound to hold the election as per the new constitution’ said Malu.
   The BFF also said that there was no need of holding an AGM to approve the DFAs as it had been approved in the last AGM held in December 2006.
   They also felt there were no threat of any legal action as it had been approved in the right procedure. But if it was approved in the last AGM then why the BFF has almost completed its election procedure without forming the DFAs for which the FIFA had extended the tenure of the current executive committee for another year remains a the mystery. The BFF election, originally scheduled to be held in April 2007, was halted by the FIFA for picking the councilors in a transparent way. The ruling body of world football also instructed the BFF to make the councillors through the DFAs.
   Badal Roy, the renowned football organiser and former joint secretary of the BFF. categorically stated that the federation is cheating. ‘They are deceiving all by giving false information and I feel they will step down as quickly as possible, otherwise football will be thrown into total darkness,’ said Badal.

The Bangladesh Under-19 drew first blood in the five-match one-day series against their Sri Lankan counterparts when they outclassed the visitors by 13 runs in the opening match at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra on Wednesday.
   Put into bat, the Bangladesh U-19s scored 234 runs before they were all out off the last ball of the stipulated 50 overs riding on a half-century of Mithun Ali, who made 59 off 78 balls clubbing eight fours and two sixes.
   Skipper Sohrawardi Shuvo smacked 49 off 41 balls while Mahmudul Hasan and Marshal Ayub chipped in with 44 and 38 respectively. S Pathirana was the most successful Sri Lanka bowler with 5-52 while T Fernando claimed 2-29.
   Replying to the modest total, the visitors ended up with 221-7 in 50 overs, despite R Silva hitting an unbeaten 51 off 70 balls. Pathirana displayed a brilliant all-round performance making 42.
   Off-spinner Nasir Hossain returned with 2-35 for Bangladesh while Shohrawardi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan and Dollar Mahmud each claimed one wicket.
   The next match between the sides will be held on December 14 at the same venue.

Michael Schumacher may well be the fastest taxi driver in Germany after the seven-times world champion shocked a cab driver by taking over the wheel in order to be on time for a flight.
   Schumacher, 38, flew into the aerodrome at the Bavarian town of Coburg on Saturday and took a taxi to the village of Gehuelz, 30 kilometres away, to pick up a new puppy – an Australian Shepherd dog called ‘Ed’.
   But when the former Formula One ace, plus his wife and two children, caught a taxi back to the airport they were short on time and, after a polite request, cab driver Tuncer Yilmaz watched in wonder as Schumacher took the wheel.
   ‘I found myself in the passenger seat, which was strange enough, but to have ‘Schumi’ behind the wheel of my cab was incredible,’ Mr Yilmaz told the Muenchner Abendzeitung.
   ‘He drove at full throttle around the corners and over-took in some unbelievable places.’
   Mr Yilmaz was well rewarded for the unusual journey - on top of the 60 euros (88 dollars) fare, he was also given a 100 euros (146 dollars) tip.
   Schumacher’s spokesperson Sabine Kehm later confirmed the story.
   The German track ace, who now lives in Switzerland, retired from Formula One in 2006 after a glittering career and, despite test drives for his old team Ferarri, has insisted there is no chance of a return to racing.

Mashrafee bin Murtaza plans to meet Grant Robinson, the batsman who injured his left eyebrow facing a bouncer from Bangladesh’s pace spearhead during the newest Test nation’s first tour of New Zealand in 2001.
   The Tigers left for New Zealand on Wednesday to play a three-ODI and a two-Test series against the Black Caps.
   ‘I want to meet him (Robinson) and I’m eager to know how he is doing,’ Mashrafee told bdnews24.com.
   ‘I believe I will get the opportunity to meet Robinson during the tour and would like to seek help from the New Zealand board to find him out,’ said the fast bowler.
   Robinson, the opener of the New Zealand District Association XI, had left the field shocked and bloodied after being struck in the face from a top edge while trying to hook Mashrafee in the warm-up match at Victoria Park, Wanganui, on December 7, 2001.
   Robinson was rushed to Wanganui Hospital for a preliminary scan that revealed a broken eye socket among other peripheral damages and was then taken to Palmerston North Hospital for urgent surgery.
   After being misinformed that Robinson might lose his eye, Mashrafee spent a sleepless night.
   ‘After learning that Robinson might lose his eye, I couldn’t go to bed in the night as I felt guilty. I, however, later came to know he was well,’ said the 24-year-old pacer, recalling that he was also gloomy on the field after the incident.
   Later, Mashrafee with then team manager Afzalur Rahman Sinha met the injured batsmen to apologise for the incident. The opener’s reply was, ‘It’s a part of cricket.’
   Remembering the incident, former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar said, ‘It was such a gory scene that anyone would get scared since a part of the wicket was soaked with Robinson’s blood.’

The Sri Lankan venue where Muttiah Muralitharan shattered the world bowling record could be re-named after the prolific off-spinner, the country’s sports minister said on Wednesday.
   Gamini Lokuge said he will ask the authorities that control Kandy’s Asgiriya stadium to re-name the ground after Sri Lanka’s most famous cricketer.
   ‘Asgiriya belongs to the Trinity College of Kandy and we have made a request to them,’ Lokuge told AFP.
   It was at that ground in the first Test against England last week that Muralitharan surpassed retired Australian Shane Warne’s world record tally of 708 wickets to become the leading Test bowler.
   Muralitharan, who hails from the hill town of Kandy, also claimed his 700th wicket at the same venue against Bangladesh in July. Trinity College vice-principal Gladwyn Kanagasabai, however, said no official request had been received from the government.
   ‘We have no plans so far to change the name of the venue,’ a bemused Kanagasabai told AFP by phone from Kandy.
   Asgiriya, a regular Test venue since 1983, is widely acclaimed as one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world, having been carved out from the hillside.

Chris Gayle’s West Indian touring team will attempt to succeed where their predecessors have failed when they take on South Africa over the next seven-and-a-half weeks.
   The odds appear to be stacked against the West Indies - but Gayle has the consolation of knowing that he can hardly do worse than previous sides from the Caribbean that have visited South Africa.
   In 1998/99 the West Indies lost all five Tests and were beaten 6-1 in a one-day series, despite having stars like captain Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in their side. Five seasons later Lara was again in charge but his team were beaten 3-0 in the Tests, with one drawn, and went down 3-1 in the one-day series.
   Gayle promised when his team arrived in South Africa Monday that the hosts would be ‘in for a fight’ despite the West Indies appearing to be weaker than previously.
   No successors have yet emerged to emulate Walsh and Ambrose as a new-ball pairing while Lara has retired and fellow batting star Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was named as Lara’s successor as captain, is out of the tour with a knee injury.
   Gayle himself will miss the opening matches of the tour - a limited overs match against a Makhaya Ntini Invitation XI in East London Friday and a Twenty20 international in Port Elizabeth Sunday - because of a hamstring injury. He hopes to be fit for the first Test starting in Port Elizabeth on December 26.
   South Africa will also be without their regular captain, with Graeme Smith advised to rest because of a virus he apparently contracted on a tour of Pakistan during October.
   Smith was withdrawn from the Ntini game - to mark the start of the South African fast bowler’s benefit season - and the first Twenty20 international.
   Former captain Shaun Pollock, who was replaced by Smith in 2003, will lead the Proteas Sunday. Smith is expected to return for the Test series.
   The declining status of the West Indies team is shown by the fact that the current tour includes only three Tests, down from five on the first tour and four in 2003/04.
   They will also play in five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals, as well as a four-day warm-up match against South Africa A in East London next week.
   Gayle said in a website column after the Zimbabwe tour: ‘I look forward to us benefiting from the momentum and confidence which the guys have gained with our 3-1 series victory against Zimbabwe.’
   Gayle said the Zimbabwe victory had been a team effort, although he singled out stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo, emerging batsman Runako Morton, veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who picked up two man of the match awards in Zimbabwe.
   

   Fixtures
   Dec 14: Makhaya Ntini Invitation XI, East London (D/N)
   Dec 16: First Twenty20 International, Port Elizabeth (D/N)
   Dec 19-22: South Africa A, East London
   Dec 26-30: First Test, Port Elizabeth
   Jan 2-6: Second Test, Cape Town
   Jan 10-14: Third Test, Durban
   Jan 18: Second Twenty20 International, Johannesburg (D/N)
   Jan 20: First ODI, Centurion
   Jan 25: Second ODI, Cape Town (D/N)
   Jan 27: Third ODI, Port Elizabeth
   Feb 1: Fourth ODI, Durban (D/N)
   Feb 3: Fifth ODI, Johannesburg

Andrew Symonds is expected to play the first match of the Chappell-Hadlee Series in Adelaide on Friday despite injuring his right ankle while fielding in the Twenty20 victory. Symonds has iced the ankle and will have further physio but should make it, a Cricket Australia spokesman told Cricinfo.
   The problem is not as serious as when he first hurt it in the second Test against Sri Lanka and Michael Hussey said the all-rounder’s condition was ‘pretty good’. ‘I know he will be getting physio over the next couple of days,’ Hussey said in Adelaide. ‘We’ll see how he goes at training [on Thursday].
   ‘He seemed pretty confident this morning, he wasn’t too worried at all. He’s obviously in great form and we want him in our team.’
   Symonds’ problem was the only cloud surrounding Australia’s thumping 54-run victory against New Zealand on Tuesday. Symonds hit a typically entertaining 85, which came from 46 balls, and Australia will rely on his input if he can recover in time to take part in the three-match series.
   The Twenty20 was Michael Clarke’s first match in charge and his usual captain Ricky Ponting, who sat out the match, was impressed with the appointment. ‘He’s 26 now, so in a few years, when I’m finished, he’ll be perfect age-wise and experience-wise to fit into the leadership roles,’ Ponting told the Australian.
   Justin Langer, Clarke’s former Test team-mate, also endorsed the view in the same paper. ‘I applaud the selectors for this short opportunity to give him a taste of it. It might just be the stepping stone for him to turn into the final product, as Steve [Waugh] and Punter have done.’
   Clarke has dismissed talk of future captaincy, especially with Ponting locked in for years, and he was ready to hand back the reins. ‘I will take one from one and give it back to Punter, I am quite happy with that,’ Clarke told Nine after the match. ‘It was a pretty easy team to captain, the guys were fantastic, and our energy out in the field was spot on.’

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke has warned this country’s Test squad is heading for an era of rotation to prevent player burn-out.
   Clarke believes resting players - and choosing ‘specialists’ for the different forms of international cricket - is the only way forward.
   To ensure England’s best players are available for the most difficult and high-profile assignments, it seems the team may have to take on the perceived lesser lights without their biggest and most marketable stars.
   ‘We’re heading towards rotation, more specialists and different sides put out in different forms of the game and against different types of opposition,’ Clarke has told The Wisden Cricketer.
   Clarke, who recently succeeded new International Cricket Council president David Morgan as chairman, acknowledges Australia may be the only Test-playing country currently able to rest key players and replace them with others without a significant dilution of overall performance.
   ‘That’s a perfectly legitimate comment - but all I can say is we’re going to have to (rotate),’ he said.
   ‘It’s not unreasonable to consider that England could field some highly effective XIs against some of the Test sides.’
   There seems little prospect of any reduction in the amount of international cricket being played - even though the crowded and exhausting calendar was a bone of contention identified in this year’s Schofield Report, a paper designed to pinpoint the future of English cricket.
   ‘Everyone recognises we have to fund the game,’ Clarke explained.
   ‘Funding is increasingly about academies and bigger grounds. If we are going to have bigger grounds, then we have to give them games to stage.’
   Clarke also revealed his hopes for a brave new world in the marketing and broadcasting of the English cricket package - with a worldwide audience and supporter base in his sights.
   ‘We are now in negotiations with two broadcasters in other parts of the world just for the Twenty20 Cup and the Pro40,’ he divulged.
   ‘I hope to build supporter bases for county cricket in the subcontinent, like football has done.’

Cricket’s world chief on Wednesday’s welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s move to grant recognition to his sport, saying it will help to boost cricket’s profile.
   ‘This is great news,’ International Cricket Council president Ray Mali said in a statement after cricket was given the status of a ‘recognised sport’ by the IOC.
   ‘The Olympic Movement is instantly recognisable around the world and for cricket to be a part of that again has to be a good thing,’ he said.
   The IOC said on Monday that cricket was accorded this status for two years, usually granted to sports that are not part of the Olympic programme but conform to its ideals of youth promotion and anti-doping policies.
   Cricket could receive permanent status in 2009 and then will be eligible to be part of the Olympics, as it was in the 1900 Paris Games.
   ‘Our goal has been to become an international federation that is recognised by the IOC and we are pleased to have achieved this target,’ said Mali.
   ‘We want to play an active role in the Olympic Movement and we will be looking at ways in which we can work with the IOC for the benefit of cricket, sport and society in general.
   ‘Cricket last featured in the Olympic Games in 1900. Maybe one day it will be right for cricket to return to the Olympic programme.’
   In the Paris Games, Britain—represented by a touring side called the Devon and Somerset Wanderers—beat a French team mainly made up of members of the British Embassy.
   Cricket was last seen at a major multi-sport event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, but was dropped for the next two editions in England and Australia.
   It is likely that Twenty20 cricket, the shortest format of the game, will be played at the 2010 Asian Games in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Sania Mirza at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad has sparked a row with the minorities welfare department seeking a report from the mosque officials.
   The ad was shot on Monday without the permission of the department, which is responsible for the upkeep of the 17th century mosque. The shooting also evoked protest from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a powerful Muslim political party in the Muslim-majority old city.
   MIM and some locals objected to the shooting and Sania Mirza’s participation in it.
   The advertisers had informed the police about the shooting and Sania’s arrival but did not bother to take permission from the minorities welfare department. The police reportedly used mild force twice to disperse locals objecting to the shooting.
   The mosque employees said the attitude of some of the members of shooting unit was also objectionable. They were reportedly wearing shoes when they entered the mosque and pushed away a mosque watchman who tried to stop them. Sheikh Karmeeullah, the district minority welfare officer, Hyderabad, has sought a report from the superintendent and manager of the mosque on the incident.
   Khaja Nayeemuddin, superintendent of the mosque, said he had no information about the film shooting. The two-hour shooting was over before the mosque custodians could reach the spot. The mosque officials pointed out that the shooting of films and commercials was not permitted in the mosque premises.
   MIM has protested to the minorities welfare department. ‘This is an attack on the sanctity of the mosque and it has hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims,’ said MIM legislator from Charminar Ahmed Pasha Khadri.
   He said while Sania was free to act in any commercial, the mosque could not be used for such activities.
   The mosque, located in the heart of the city, is a major tourist centre. Tight security is in place at the mosque since the May 18 bomb blast that killed nine people. Muslims constitute 40 percent of the city’s seven million population.

Former England great Tony Greig has criticised the BCCI’s decision to rope in Gary Kirsten as India’s cricket coach, saying the new-appointee would be nothing more than a puppet in the hands of senior players.
   ‘It (Kirsten’s appointment) came as a bit of a surprise to me. It probably has something to do with employing someone who is likely to let the senior players have their way and definitely not someone who will impose himself on the team the way Greg Chappell did,’ Greig was quoted as saying by ‘The Herald Sun’.
   Greig felt the Indian board was perhaps wary of having an assertive person at the helm after having to deal with umpteenth controversies during Chappell’s tenure, which ended with India’s disastrous World Cup campaign earlier this year.
   The former England player said he was surprised by the BCCI’s reluctance to go for more experienced coaches like Tom Moody, who has been with the Sri Lankan team, and John Buchanan, who guided Australia to back-to-back World Cup titles.
   ‘Why India didn’t go for someone like Tom Moody or John Buchanan is a mystery to me,’ he said. Greig said Kirsten would have a torrid time dealing with a lot of off-field issues while being with the Indian team and felt the internal ‘politics’ within the board was one of the reasons why Indian contenders were overlooked for the job.

Ace forward Shukhi of Naryanganj continued her scoring spree scoring two goals as Narayanganj moved into
   the semi-finals of the Inter-district Women’s Football Competition with a 4-0 win over Jessore at the Dhanmondi Women’s Sports Complex on Wednesday.
   Eti and Bithi netted one goal each for the winners while Sukhi for her double strike was adjudged player-of-the-match.
   Earlier, Dhaka, Rangamati and Khagrachari reached the last four.
   In today’s semi-finals Group C champions Rangamati meet Group B champions Khagrachari at 2:30pm and Group A champions Dhaka face Group D champions Narayanganj 3:50pm. The final is scheduled to be played on Saturday.

Bangladesh Police thrashed Eagles Club 85-27 in the Total Victory Day Basketball Tournament at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium, Mirpur on Wednesday.
   The winners led the first session 44-17.
   Harun caged 19 and Mahmudul 14 points for Police while Rahat scored 15 for the Eagles.
   In another match Bangladesh Navy defeated Dhumketu Club 63-42.

India on Wednesday named a 16-man squad for the upcoming four-Test series in Australia.
   Test squad: Anil Kumble (capt), Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Pankaj Singh.

First-half goals from Julio Baptista, Raul Gonzalez and Robinho secured the top spot for Real Madrid in the European Champions League Group C with an emphatic 3-1 win over Lazio here on Tuesday.
   ‘I’d seen that Lazio were not the typical Italian side with a very well-ordered defence and that they were much more offensive so I decided to put them under pressure from the start,’ said Real coach Bernd Schuster.
   ‘We put together some good combinations, scored goals quickly, so the tactic worked,’ reflected Schuster.
   The nine-time European champions finished with 11 points from their six group games. Olympiakos ended their campaign with the same number of points after beating Werder Bremen 3-0 on Tuesday but Real finished in front on the basis of their head-to-head results with the Greek side.
   Pole position in their group means that Real will now breathe a little easier and avoid former champions Manchester United, AC Milan and Inter Milan, as well as Chelsea, when the draw for the last 16 is made on December 21.
   ‘I don’t have any preferences about who we will face in the next round. Every team in the last 16 will be tough but the advantage of finishing first is that we get to play the second game at home,’ added Schuster.
   The victory also preserved Real’s 100 per cent home record, both in La Liga and in continental competition, and made it a miserable night for Lazio’s veteran goalkeeper Marco Ballotta despite him earning a memorable accolade.
   The balding 43-year-old Ballotta, affectionately known as Granddad by the Lazio players and fans, became the oldest player to appear in the Champions League when he started the game against the reigning Spanish champions. Both teams went close early before Real imposed their control.
   Lazio’s Tommasso Rocchi produced a defence-splitting pass nine minutes into the game to leave Mourad Maghni with only the Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas to beat but the French midfielder hurriedly sent his shot wide from close range.
   Seconds later a Raul header from a Wesley Sneijder corner went skimming past the post. However, the capacity 75,000 spectators in the Santiago Bernabeu didn’t have to wait much longer for Real to break the deadlock.
   After 12 minutes, Robinho found his Brazilian compatriot Julio Baptista in front of the goal just outside the area and the man nicknamed ‘The Beast’ produced a beautiful right-foot shot to find the net from 20 metres.
   Real then wrapped up the game as a contest, and their qualification for the last 16, three minutes later when Raul’s header was on target this time.
   Robinho was once again the service provider, finding the Real club captain with a chip across the area after Sneijder had sent a short corner to his feet.
   ‘Conceding two goals in the first 15 minutes is a blow that it’s almost impossible to recover from,’ admitted Lazio coach Delio Rossi.
   Robinho then deservedly got his own name on the score sheet nine minutes before halftime, stabbing the ball in with his left foot from 10 metres out after Ruud van Nistelrooy had almost stumbled over the ball before getting it across to him.
   ‘At the start of the season I thought Robinho had space for improvement and he’s proved it, especially in European games, where he’s been very impressive,’ said Schuster.
   Ballotta, who had been left as a hostage to fortune by some poor defending and could not be held responsible for the Real goals, then performed well to twice stop the hosts going further ahead from Arjen Robben efforts.
   Lazio then got a late consolation nine minutes from time when their Macedonian striker Goran Pandev was left unmarked by a Real defence and finished off a Rocchi cross.
   Real nearly conceded another goal in injury time when the Swiss referee Massimo Busacca rather questionably judged that their Portuguese defender Pepe had handled the ball in the box.
   However, Casillas superbly rose to the challenge and stopped Rocchi’s penalty. The Italians ended the night bottom of the group and did not even qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Real Madrid’s Raul Gonzalez gave another convincing demonstration of why many Spaniards believe he should be recalled to the national side in the Spanish giants’ 3-1 win over Lazio on Tuesday.
   The Real captain, as described by the Spanish sports daily Marca on Wednesday ‘scored one goal, had another disallowed, and also hit the post with a header. He had a great first half and, in the second, he showed his class.’
   Despite their 3-2 loss at Werder Bremen two weeks ago, Real Madrid remain among the favourites to win this season’s Champions League, partly thanks to Raul’s efforts.
   Raul himself knew after the game that the case is starting to become compelling for him to be recalled by Spanish coach Luis Aragones ahead of Euro 2008, especially with the falling form and injuries of Valencia’s David Villa.
   ‘I’ve still got dreams about the European Championships and I’m still working hard towards it,’ said Raul, after helping to secure Real’s place among the first seeds in the Champions League last 16 draw on December 21.
   ‘I’m looking ahead to Euro 2008 but so are also some other players who are doing well. I really don’t know what lies ahead in the coming year but, day-to-day, things could hardly be better at the moment,’ he added.
   The 30-year-old striker has eight goals in La Liga this season, only behind the tally of 10 notched up by Sevilla’s Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano, and he has been a key factor in Real once again leading the league.
   Raul has also another three goals in the Champions League and he leads the all-time scorers in the competition.
   His goal on Tuesday against the Italians was the 59th of his career in Europe’s top club show case.
   With Spain having lined up high-profile friendly fixtures at home against France and Italy early next year, if Raul can keep finding the net and avoid injury, the stage seems to be set for him to add to his 102 caps.
   He ranks only second to the goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta, who played 126 times for Spain, in appearances for the national side.
   ‘I don’t think a debate (about my recall) is good for Spanish football though.
   ‘The work should be done by Aragones and he takes the decisions. I think that would be best for everyone,’ said Raul on Tuesday, diplomatically not forcing the issue.
   His last game for Spain came 15 months ago in their embarrassing 3-2 loss in Northern Ireland.
   In the wake of Spain’s unimpressive display at the 2006 World Cup, he was made the scapegoat for Spain’s poor start to their Euro 2008 qualification campaign as Aragones desperately searched for radical solutions.
   The subsequent revival of Spain and their qualification for next summer’s finals gave Aragones the excuse to continue ignoring Raul but many pundits feel that the cracks are only being papered over.
   In front of a world-class midfield replete with outstanding playmakers like Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, only Liverpool’s Fernando Torres has consistently impressed.
   Aragones has used Villa regularly and recently experimented with the likes of Espanyol’s Raul Tamudo and Real Mallorca’s Daniel Guiza but none have transferred their club form to the international arena.
   ‘He (Raul) has been to three World Cups and two European Championships and won nothing,’ mocked Aragones in October but he changed his tune earlier this month, perhaps fearing another Spanish fiasco at a major championship final.
   ‘If I think Raul should go, then he’ll go. And why not? After the World Cup, I decided to shake up the side, and not only Raul but three or four other players were dropped and any of them can return,’ commented Aragones.
   And why not, indeed was the reaction of most pundits on Wednesday after Raul’s latest five-star performance.

Avram Grant believes Andriy Shevchenko will be ready to shoot down Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League showdown despite his lacklustre display against Valencia.
   Shevchenko has to shoulder the burden of leading Chelsea’s attack for the next two months as Didier Drogba recovers from knee surgery and then plays for the Ivory Coast in the African Nations Cup.
   It is a prospect that could give Grant a few sleepless nights because Shevchenko shows few signs of recapturing the lethal form that made him Europe’s finest striker at AC Milan.
   He was taken off at half-time in Tuesday’s 0-0 Champions League draw with Valencia to keep him fit for the showdown at Arsenal but hardly took the game by the scruff of the neck before making his exit.
   Shevchenko could have done with staying on and scoring a confidence-boosting goal, although Grant insisted it was better to rest him. ‘It was a decision taken before the game. We knew we had three games in eight days,’ he said. ‘We decided Shevchenko would not play 90 minutes because this game was not important for qualification. He knew this before the game started. ‘Maybe he could have scored if he had played in the second half but it is more important to keep his physical condition.
   ‘He has played many games for the full 90 minutes and we need to keep his shape. He is supposed to play Sunday so after a long time when you don’t play it is not good to play three games in a week.’
   A win against the Gunners at the weekend would bring Chelsea level on points with the Premier League leaders but, although Arsenal are stuttering, it is hard to see the Blues maintaining a title challenge without Drogba. Salomon Kalou and Claudio Pizarro fared no better than Shevchenko, so Grant may have to rely on Chelsea’s rock-solid defence to emerge unscathed from the Emirates Stadium.
   The Blues’ rearguard have conceded just one goal in their last eight matches and were bolstered further by the return of goalkeeper Petr Cech and right-back Paulo Ferreira against Valencia. Cech had been sidelined for a month with a calf injury and Grant acknowledged his presence could be crucial on Sunday.
   ‘We used this game not only for Petr but also for Paulo Ferreira,’ he said. ‘I’m very happy that a few of the injured players are coming back. It is very important.’
   Chelsea had already won Champions League Group B before Tuesday’s match. Now Grant is setting his sights on reaching next May’s final in Moscow after extending the club’s unbeaten home record to 50 matches in all competitions.
   ‘It is a good feeling to finish top of the group. But it is more important how we played in this group,’ he said. ‘We can to be at least in the final. This is our target for the next years but we want to do it this year.’
   Shevchenko set the tone for Chelsea’s night when his fourth minute shot was pushed away by Santiago Canizares.
   The Valencia keeper produced a superb stop to deny Frank Lampard and then pushed Joe Cole’s shot onto the post, while Kalou somehow missed an open goal.
   Valencia’s lacklustre display summed up a team who haven’t scored for their last five matches. Ronald Koeman’s side are free to concentrate on domestic issues after finishing bottom of the group and missing out on even a UEFA Cup place. Their cause wasn’t helped by an injury to David Villa that forced the Spain striker to come off at half-time and will rule him out of Saturday’s match against Barcelona.
   ‘In terms of David it doesn’t look as though he will be in condition for the game on Saturday,’ Koeman said. ‘It is a big blow to be without him. We have suffered with injuries this season and this is just another blow for us.’

Neri Cardozo struck home the sole goal to lead South American champions Boca Juniors of Argentina to a 1-0 win over Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
   The goal came in the 37th minute when Rodrigo Palacio sent a cross from the left for Cardozo, who hit an angled shot from outside the area.
   African champions Etoile Sahel suffered an early setback when they lost Muri Ola Ogunbiyi in the ninth minute as the midfielder hurt his eye when he crashed against a Boca attacker to be replaced by Afouan Gharbi.
   Boca Juniors encamped in the Tunisian field in the beginning, but their attacks resulted in two yellow cards to Fabian Vargas and Sebastian Battaglia, while Claudio Morel’s shot on a free kick went over the bar in the 31st minute.
   Boca Juniors were reduced to 10 men in the 65th minute when Fabian Vargas received a second yellow card of the day to be sent off.
   The South Americans made better chances with Hugo Ibarra hitting wide, while Palacio’s sizzling shot was saved by Etoile Sahel goalkeeper Aymen Balbouli.
   Boca Juniors will take on either Italian powerhouses AC Milan or Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds, who will face each other today, in the final at the Yokohama stadium on Sunday.

An early strike from captain Ste-ven Gerrard was followed by a superb solo effort from Ferna-ndo Torres, a Dirk Kuyt goal early in the second half and a stoppage time effort from substitute Ryan Babel as Liverpool became the first English club to win at the home of France’s best-supported club.
   From the fourth minute, when Gerrard knocked in the rebound from his own penalty, there was little doubt that Liverpool would complete a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes in group A.
   A 1-0 defeat by Marseille at Anfield in October had left Rafael Benitez’s side with just one point from their opening three matches.
   Since then, however, they have beaten Besiktas 8-0 and FC Porto 4-1 at home and the equally comfortable nature of this win will send them into the last 16 – and Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United – in confident mood.
   Having become the first French club to win at Anfield, as well as having won all six of their previous encounters with English opponents at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille kicked off with good reason to believe they could progress.
   But within 11 minutes, the home side’s confidence and chances of survival had both been shattered by a combination of some casual defending and the brilliance of Torres.
   Benitez’s decision to start Kuyt at the expense of Peter Crouch was vindicated inside three minutes when the Dutch striker clipped a simple ball beyond a flat-heeled back-four to send Gerrard steaming towards the Marseille goal.
   Tripped by Laurent Bonnart’s desperate lunge, the Liverpool captain got up to take the resulting penalty himself. Marseille’s goalkeeper, Steve Mandanda, did well to block a rising strike but the rebound fell kindly for Gerrard, who gratefully side-footed the ball home from six yards.
   Softened up by that sucker punch, Marseille were left reeling seven minutes later by the brilliance of Torres.
   Collecting a pass from Harry Kewell in the inside left channel just outside the box, the Spaniard swept past Lorik Cana, sidestepped Julien Rodriguez and coolly threaded his shot beyond Mandanda’s dive and into the far corner of the net.
   Torres’s 12th goal of his first season at Liverpool failed to silence the defiantly boisterous home supporters but it certainly drained the life out of their team.
   Not until mid-way through the half, when Karim Ziani’s clever pass put Mathieu Valbuena in on goal, did the home side managed to generate a sniff of a chance.
   Valbuena, Marseille’s match-winner at Anfield, was let down by a heavy first touch as he attempted to go round Pepe Reina and the ball trundled safely into touch.
   Facing defeat, Marseille opted to throw highly-rated young playmaker Samir Nasri into the fray ten minutes from the end of the half.
   But it was the visitors who continued to dominate and they might easily have added to their advantage in the minutes before the interval, a Gerrard freekick falling just the wrong side of Mandanda’s right-hand post before Kewell volleyed an inviting chance over the bar.
   The Australian winger made amends for that miss soon after the restart by smartly teeing up Kuyt for Liverpool’s third after Mandanda had sliced a clearance straight to him on the left touchline.
   Kewell gathered the ball and immediately picked out the unmarked Kuyt, who was left with only the goalkeeper to beat and calmly tucked his shot inside the near post.
   Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse went close with a header just after the hour mark but that was to be as near as Marseille came to mounting the fightback and Babel rounded off the rout in stoppage time after being sent clear by John Arne Riise.
   Liverpool were joined somewhat surprisingly in the last 16 by Greek side Olympiakos, whose 3-0 win over Werder Bremen was enough to see them move through.
   Midfielder Ieroklis Stoltidis’ double was the inspiration for the Greek side’s victory which sees them one step away from emulating their team-mates achievement of the 1998-99 season when they reached the last eight.
   Bremen’s disappointment was not mirrored by Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04, who are now the sole German side in the knockout stage after they beat Rosenborg 3-1.

Fabio Capello, amidst reports he would be flying into London on Wednesday, was tipped to succeed as England manager by two of the Premier League’s best imports.
   Gianfranco Zola became a fans’ favourite during his seven-year spell with Chelsea which ended four years ago.
   Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal, the current Premier League leaders, have been under the wise guidance of French manager Arsene Wenger since 1997.
   Both men are convinced that Capello has all the credentials required to be England manager even though Frenchman Wenger has, in the past, ruled himself out of the job because he isn’t English.
   Capello, 61, became the favourite to replace Steve McClaren after Portuguese former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of the running on Monday. Although he has never worked with Capello, reports suggest Zola would form part of a new backroom staff if his fellow Italian, formerly in charge of Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus got the England job.
   ‘Fabio Capello possesses the ideal pedigree to create a new era of success for England,’ Zola told the London Evening Standard on Tuesday.
   ‘Even when Jose Mourinho was in the running I believed that Capello had even more charisma, talent and experience for a challenging job like this one.’
   There is a vacancy because McClaren, in charge of the so-called ‘golden generation’, was sacked last month after England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals following a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley.
   Capello’s son, who is also his agent, indicated on Tuesday his father would be interested in becoming the new England manager although neither of them had then heard from the Football Association.
   ‘The England job is really special,’ Pierfilippo Capello told Sky Sports. ‘When the FA wants to speak to you, you have to listen, no contact has been made yet but we are waiting.’
   Wenger was one of several influential figures to be consulted by FA chief executive Brian Barwick before he began the search for McClaren’s successor.
   ‘I have known Fabio for a long time and the quality of the candidate is outstanding,’ Wenger said.
   A fluent English speaker himself, Wenger added, ‘The only problem I think he could have is with the language. I do not know how good his English is because a big part of the job is to deal with the media, which is a massive part.
   ‘However, he can deal with the media pressure as he has done that before.’
   The FA has made it clear they are looking for a world-class coach and Capello would appear to fit the bill. In 16 years as a coach Capello has won nine league titles and one Champions League. He made his managerial reputation at AC Milan, whom he guided to four domestic championships and European glory in the 1990s.
   He later steered Roma and Juventus to the Serie A title and twice topped the table in Spain with Real Madrid.
   Capello, capped 32 times by Italy, has already had a role in English football history.
   In 1973 he scored the winner in Italy’s 1-0 win over England at Wembley and helped hasten the end of Bobby Moore’s international career. That match marked the 108th and final international appearance by Moore, England’s 1966 World Cup-winning captain.
   England’s next match is a February 6 friendly international against Switzerland at Wembley where midfielder David Beckham, who forced his way back into Capello’s title-winning Real Madrid side last season before leaving the Spanish giants for LA Galaxy, could win his 100th cap.
   However, England don’t have a competitive fixture until the start of their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign in September.
   Capello, out of work since leading Real to the La Liga title in June, is renowned for his ability to deal with ‘big name’ players and Wenger was adamant he would have no problem in deflating the egos within the England squad for the greater good of a winning team.
   ‘I believe a manager is strong when he swims against the tide. I feel he can do that and that is quite a needed quality in this country.’

Rafael Benitez described Liverpool’s 4-0 demolition of Marseille as ‘almost perfect’– he could just as well have been talking about his own position in relation to the club’s owners.
   After watching his side book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a convincing win here, Benitez was predictably reluctant to get drawn into commenting on the extent to which his side’s form will have strengthened his bargaining power in relation to the Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks, with whom he is supposed to be holding clear-the-air talks this week.
   But the Spaniard insisted he was confident that his immediate future as Liverpool’s manager is not in doubt.
   ‘Always I have had confidence (about continuing),’ Benitez said.
   ‘You can see the players and supporters are happy. For me, that is the key for the future – to keep growing and keep improving.’
   Benitez added, ‘I am really proud to be the manager of this club. You can see tonight our supporters – they were fantastic but even more important were the players.
   ‘We knew before the game we had to work really hard as a team in defence and players with determination going forward,’ he said.
   ‘And they did that, we were compact as a unit and we took our chances. Almost everything was perfect.’
   With tensions over the size of his January transfer budget still lingering, the significance of Benitez’s meeting with the owners this week remains to be seen, but the manager insisted his primary focus would be preparing for Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United.
   ‘As I said before, I must think about United – other things are simple. I’m not thinking about my own situation every day. I think about my team and how to improve the performances.’
   Liverpool went into the match knowing they had to win to be sure of going through and the outcome was never in doubt after captain Steven Gerrard knocked in the rebound from his own penalty.
   That was followed by a superb solo effort from Fernando Torres, a Dirk Kuyt goal early in the second half and a stoppage time effort from substitute Ryan Babel as Liverpool became the first English club to win at the home of France’s best-supported club.
   The win completed a remarkable turnaround in Liverpool’s fortunes in Group A.
   A 1-0 defeat by Marseille at Anfield in October had left Benitez’s side with just one point from their opening three matches.
   Since then, however, they have beaten Besiktas 8-0 and FC Porto 4-1 at home and the equally comfortable nature of this win will send them into the last 16 – and Sunday’s showdown with United – in confident mood.
   Marseille coach Erik Gerets admitted, ‘My team went into shock after the first goal and never really recovered.
   ‘We went with one forward from the start and he was completely isolated. We tried two in the second half but tactics were not that important today (Tuesday) because our opponents were so much stronger.’
   Having become the first French club to win at Anfield, as well as having won all six of their previous encounters with English opponents at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille kicked off with good reason to believe they could progress at Liverpool’s expense.
   But within 11 minutes, the home side’s confidence and chances of survival had both been shattered by a combination of some casual defending and the brilliance of Torres.
   After Gerrard’s rebound from his own penalty had softened them up, Marseille were left reeling seven minutes later by Torres.
   Collecting a pass from Harry Kewell in the inside left channel just outside the box, the Spaniard swept past Lorik Cana, sidestepped Julien Rodriguez and coolly threaded his shot beyond Steve Mandanda’s dive and into the far corner of the net.
   Torres’s 12th goal of his first season at Liverpool failed to silence the defiantly boisterous home supporters but it certainly drained the life out of their team.
   Two minutes after the start of the second half, Kewell teed up Kuyt for Liverpool’s third after Mandanda had sliced a clearance straight to him on the left touchline.
   The Australian winger gathered the ball and immediately picked out the unmarked Kuyt, who was left with only the goalkeeper to beat and calmly tucked his shot inside the near post.
   Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse went close with a header just after the hour mark but that was to be as near as Marseille came to mounting the fightback and Babel rounded off the rout in stoppage time after being sent clear by John Arne Riise.

Sir Alex Ferguson on Tuesday gave his backing to bookies’ favourite Fabio Capello to take over as the new England manager.
   Speaking from Rome on Wednesday, Ferguson joined the chorus of voices – including Arsene Wenger, Gianfranco Zola and Terry Venables – in supporting Capello’s bid to take over from Steve McClaren. Press speculation suggests Capello is almost certain to be named as the next boss of England after Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of the running, and Ferguson thinks there’s no one better equipped for the job.
   In Italy, the Gazetta dello Sport newspaper suggested an announcement of Capello’s appointment could be made on Thursday. Asked if he thought Capello would be the new boss, Ferguson said, ‘I think it may be that way. It’s the same in Italy and England, the press tell everyone what’s happening,’ he quipped.
   ‘So by the way the press is portraying this thing, I think that Capello is possibly the coach for England. I think that obviously the thing for the national team manager, no matter who you talk about, to manage the national team you need to be of a certain age with plenty of experience, to have presence and a CV that is indisputable – and Capello has all that.’
   Ferguson said the next England manager has to be a seasoned coach and not someone who is fairly new to the role of coaching.
   ‘It’s very difficult for young managers to manage a country because when you’re young you want to work every day with the players,’ he said.
   ‘When you’ve completed your career like Capello or like Jock Stein and you’ve achieved everything, you’re not in search of day to day work like when you’re young. It’s important to have been through many situations through experience. Managing a national team is the right time for his (Capello’s) career.’
   Ferguson is someone who has often championed the idea of the England coach being English but he said that in this case it might not be the right answer.
   ‘In a perfect situation it’s correct that everyone in England would prefer that (an Englishman),’ he said.
   ‘But the most important criteria is that he is successful. The England team, for quite some time now, has not been successful enough, particularly for the media and the expectations of everyone in England.
   ‘It’s quite right that there should be the same demands in England as Italy, Germany and France. The pressure on the manager is very high. If you can get an Englishman that’s great but if not you need someone successful, whether he comes from Mongolia or Italy or Scotland,’ Fergie added with a wry smile.

Injury-plagued Ronaldo has lost his battle to be fit for AC Milan’s Club World Cup semi-final clash today with Japan’s Urawa Reds, and is now setting his sights on a weekend final.
   Coach Carlo Ancelotti said the Brazilian striker still needed more time to recover.
   ‘He cannot withstand 15 minutes on the pitch in his condition as it is now,’ Ancelotti said here Wednesday.
   ‘We made the decision at a meeting this morning with him and doctors to leave him from the semi-final.
   ‘But I believe he will recover and be ready to play sooner or later.
   ‘In any case, he will have ample time until Sunday.’
   Ronaldo had joined training Tuesday for the first time since the European Champions League winners arrived here last week.
   ‘I feel fine,’ he told reporters before working out alone with 30 minutes of light jogging.
   Asked then about his chances of playing in the final, he said, ‘I will see.
   ‘I will be trying in the next days.’
   Ronaldo has played in just one match this season, starting against Cagliari two weeks ago on his return from a thigh problem.
   He then injured his calf in training, and travelled here in pain with the rest of the team.
   Meanwhile, AC Milan have pinpointed Urawa Reds’ Brazilian connection as the key threat when the European champions line-up against Asia’s top team.
   Ancelotti named Brazilian striker Washington, Brazilian-born centre-back Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Japanese forward Yuichiro Nagai as the dangermen in Urawa’s arsenal.
   Both Washington and Nagai scored in the Japanese side’s 3-1 defeat of Iran’s Sepahan in Monday’s quarter-final, which was closely watched by the Serie A side.
   ‘They had good organisation in defence. Experienced players moved well. Tulio has character and is highly skilled,’ Ancelotti said.
   ‘Washington played at a high level and Nagai was also impressive.’
   Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo added winger Takahito Soma to the coach’s list of players to watch, describing him as ‘very good.’
   Pirlo also pointed to the noisy ‘Red Devils’ supporters as being a factor in Thursday’s game.
   ‘They are aggressive, have good players and great fans,’ he said.
   But the 28-year-old Italian added, ‘We are Milan. We do not need not to be worried about Urawa.’
   Milan, lurking in 10th spot in the Serie-A, are almost back to full strength with Croatian defender Dario Simic and Brazilian goalkeeper Dida rejoining training on Tuesday after being sidelined for injuries.
   Urawa, the first Japanese side to compete in the Club World Cup since the competition was created in 2005 by merging with the Europe-South America championship, admit they have nothing to lose.
   ‘It’s important to enjoy the game against Milan.
   ‘There may be a thing or two which we can’t do against them but we have nothing to lose,’ 26-year-old Tulio said.
   ‘The pressure is on our opponents to win,’ added Washington, a 32-year-old former Brazil international who is bound for Brazil’s Fluminense after this tournament.
   ‘Urawa are on the verge of making history. We want to take advantage of the momentum and go for it.’
   Urawa have been on a rollercoaster this past month.
   After beating Sepahan in the AFC Champions League final on November 14, they then lost their J-League title on the final day of the season and went out in the fourth round of the Emperor’s Cup tournament as holders.
   ‘It will be a tough game against Milan,’ Urawa’s German Holge Osieck said.
   ‘We need to do our job right as the representatives of Japan. ‘We must concentrate...we take it upon ourselves to put on a good performance.’

Ruud Gullit insists Fabio Capello is a winner but warned fans he does not play ‘for the beauty of the game’.
   Capello is reported to be flying into London on Wednesday for talks with the Football Association with a view to succeeding Steve McClaren as national team boss.
   Dutchman Gullit, who played under Capello at AC Milan in the 1990s, is confident the 61-year-old Italian will be a success as England boss but does not expect it to be easy on the eye.
   ‘He doesn’t play for the beauty of the game but to win,’ the Dutchman said.
   ‘You don’t see him laughing much - he’s moody. But he knows what he wants. You have to go his way or you will get in trouble. He screams at you. You need to be well drilled to play for him - very disciplined - and you certainly don’t fool around with him, that’s for sure.’
   Gullit insists the initial focus for Capello would be making sure England are watertight defensively.
   ‘Italians are all about looking good, defending your reputation. When you’ve got that you become very hard to beat. If you become that clinical, you don’t even have to play well to win - that’s how come they have won so many championships.’
   AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who played under Capello at Real Madrid when they won the Spanish league title in 1997, concurs with Gullit that the Italian is a no-nonsense boss.
   ‘He’s a tough guy, very straight. He’s very dedicated. Of course it has been quite a while since I worked with him in Madrid, but I think he has much more experience now than 10 years ago,’ Seedorf said.
   ‘He was then already one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.’
   World Cup winner Dino Zoff has also warned England’s stars they will need to perform. The goalkeeping great told The Sun: ‘If any England player fails to show enough guts with Capello as manager he will just find another player straightaway.
   ‘Capello will carry on getting the very best out of players as he has always done with all types. Capello has shown enough flair to win wherever he has been and he inspires quicker than any other manager. He would be a great acquisition for England.’
   Former Italy coach Arrigo Sacchi feels his fellow countryman can turn England into world beaters.
   He said: ‘I think Capello is really ideal for this job. If England are capable of winning something I truly believe Capello is the man who will bring it out of them.
   ‘If there are primma donnas to deal with, there is no one better in the world at dealing with them.’
   Ray Wilkins, who worked with Capello at Milan, believes there is a human touch beneath the steely exterior.
   ‘He’s an aggressive person; he always told it as he saw it,’ Wilkins told the Daily Mail.
   ‘In training he got what he wanted. He wanted you to work, that’s what you’re there for anyway, but he has a great sense of humour.’

The wife of Liverpool and England footballer Steven Gerrard was left shaken after coming face-to-face with four masked burglars at the couple’s luxury home, police said on Wednesday.
   Alex Curran was unhurt in the incident which took place as her husband was away playing in Liverpool’s Champions League victory at Marseille on Tuesday.
   Merseyside police said it was a ‘confrontational burglary’.
   ‘Four men, wearing dark clothing, hoods and balaclavas, entered the property and stole items of jewellery,’ a police spokesman said.
   Police said another woman had been in the house in Formby, northwest England, with Curran, but did not identify her. Curran became a minor celebrity when she joined the England players’ WAGs (wives and girlfriends) partying and shopping in Germany during the 2006 World Cup.
   Gerrard is the sixth Liverpool player to be burgled in 18 months. The homes of his current team-mates Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger, Pepe Reina and Peter Crouch were all targeted.
   And goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek had his Porsche car, jewellery and a range of football memorabilia including his 2005 European Cup winners’ medal stolen in a raid in June 2006 before he moved to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has been training with Argentine giants Boca Juniors as they target their first Club World Cup despite FIFA barring him from the tournament.
   The sport’s governing body ruled out Riquelme, who recently transferred from Spain’s Villarreal to his old club, because he missed the November 23 deadline to join Boca’s preliminary list of players.
   But he is in Japan to offer moral support. It is a very important tournament. I will stick together with team-mates and support them even though I am not allowed to play,’ the 29-year-old midfielder told Japanese reporters.
   Riquelme was seen training with the team on Tuesday for the first time since he arrived on Monday. He also played in a 20-minute mini-game.
   ‘Even if Riquelme doesn’t stand on the pitch, his presence is important. He can make us feel calm by just being here,’ Boca captain and striker Martin Palermo said.