Glenn McGrath believes Australia are a class apart as they chase an unprecedented third successive World Cup title.
   The reigning champions, winners in 1999 and 2003, as well as 1987, have won their last 22 World Cup matches and fast bowler McGrath cannot see a reason for that run to end out in Caribbean.
   ‘I don’t say anything I don’t believe,’ said McGrath who is renowned for making predictions regarding series and tournament outcomes.
   ‘If we go and play the way we have I can’t really see any team getting close to us. In any Australian sport it seems that attitude is carried right across the board.’
   Before Australia’s 2005 tour of England, McGrath predicted they would retain the Ashes 5-0. In the end they surrendered them 2-1.
   But having seen Australia thrash hosts West Indies by 103 runs here on Wednesday, McGrath was in no mood to tone down his comments regarding Australia’s prospects.
   ‘We’ve been so successful over such a long time, we know how to win, what we’ve to do,’ said the veteran paceman.
   ‘When you walk on the field you just have to look around you, the guys that are walking with you. There are some amazing players, some of the greats of all time. It does give you a lot of confidence.’
   McGrath, the most successful fast bowler in the history of Test cricket with 563 wickets, retired from the five-day game after Australia’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing of England earlier this year.
   This tournament represents McGrath’s farewell to top-class cricket. But before he bows out there is every chance the 37-year-old New South Wales bowler will rewrite the record books yet again.
   McGrath heads into today’s Super Eights game against Bangladesh here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium just one wicket away from equalling Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s record of 55 World Cup wickets.
   If he does tie left-arm pace legend Akram, he will have reached the milestone in five fewer World Cup matches (33 compared to Akram’s 38).
   ‘Guys like Akram are sort of heroes of mine,’ McGrath said. ‘He is known as one of the best bowlers of all time.
   ‘To finally go past him, if I get a couple of more wickets, that would be something special.
   ‘It’s nice to get little milestones along the way but they are not the be-all and end-all.’
   Despite his form - he took three for 31 against the West Indies - McGrath said he’d no regrets about his decision to retire and so spend more time with his wife Jane, who has suffered several bouts of cancer, and their children.
   ‘If it was just about playing, I think I could continue all the time,’ he added.
   ‘It’s everything else that goes with it. The travel, the training, you name it, the time away from Jane and the kids. So I’ve been lucky enough to have 14 years at the top level so it’s my turn to move on.’
   Not many will give Bangladesh, who caused one of this World Cup’s biggest upsets by beating India, much of a chance at the weekend.
   Then again even fewer people fancied their prospects two years ago when - against an Australia side rated 1/500 to win - inspired by a hundred from Mohammad Ashraful they beat the world champions by five wickets in Cardiff.
   The most stunning victory in one-day international cricket history saw McGrath’s 10 wicket less overs cost 43 runs.
   Teams
   Australia (probable): Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath
   Bangladesh (from): Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Tapash Baisya, Saqibal Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Syed Rasal, Abdur Razzak, Rajin Saleh.

Awesome is perhaps the perfect word to describe the form of the Australian team but Bangladesh has nothing to fear or lose in Antigua today when they play their Super Eight opener.
   Why would Bangladesh feel any anxiety or apprehension? The Tigers have been enjoying a great time since their arrival in the Caribbean. Defeating New Zealand in a warm-up match instilled a new-found confidence in the team. Then gradually India and Bermuda were conquered. The defeat against Sri Lanka was a bad day’s cricket. It is always not about winning or losing, Bangladesh will pit their normal and natural abilities against the extraordinary Australians. These are expectations of the people who will be glued to the TV screens right throughout the night.
   In Mashrafee bin Murtaza Bangladesh has a genuine pacer who has consistently generated pace, sometimes above 80 miles per hour. On Caribbean pitches, no matter who the batsman is, he has to see off the shine of the ball if it is pitched in the appropriate spots. Mashrafee has already bowled against Australia on a number of occasions and he was also there when Bangladesh reached the pinnacle of its cricket achievements in Cardiff on June 18, 2005.
   The celebrations of Cardiff will surely spur the Tigers once more. ‘If I could do it once, why not again,’ will be the motto of the Tigers today. So, all it takes is one or two good balls and the scenario can change. Chasing Australia’s 249-5, Bangladesh recorded their most famous victory to date with four balls to spare after a brilliant hundred from Mohammad Ashraful. Team Bangladesh replied with 250-5.
   The pint-sized genius has again raised the hopes of nation. His belligerent batting against Bermuda when the team was a trembling ship showed why he is a class apart. His precisely placed and authoritative shots and of course cool temperament are all that Bangladesh need to slay the world-beaters.
   Let’s not forget the role of their young guns — Tamim Iqbal, hard-hitter Aftab Ahmed and confident Sakib al Hasan — they all have a job to do.
   After all, Australian cricket bluffs will not forget the huge six off Jason Gillespie that took Bangladesh to the brink of the famous victory. Aftab with the sweet spot of his willow is always a dangerous customer. Habibul Bashar has not enjoyed a good time with the bat so far in the competition but that can all change if he plays a captain’s knock. The Bangladesh bowlers must back their batsman by maintaining a disciplined line and length to put pressure on the impressive Australian batting machine.
   Bangladesh first played Australia on April 30, 1990 at Sharjah. On April 28, 2006 they were routed in a three-match home series. Now a vastly-improved Bangladesh face them again but with renewed hope, motivation and confidence.

The name Allen Stanford in future might have the same effect as Kerry Pecker in the Caribbean region if West Indian cricket returns to the glory days of the past albeit in a trendy modern way.
   A Texan businessman Stanford has been a leading investor in the Eastern Caribbean region, particularly in Antigua with his business interests ranging from banks and financial institutions to aviation, trusts, publishing and printing, restaurants and more recently cricket. You can see the Stanford-effect just upon landing in St John’s. Just around the bend from the airport is a work of art in the form of the Stanford Cricket Ground.
   This ground hosted the Stanford 20/20 Tournament last year involving 19 Caribbean islands and countries and before that had a $6-million refurbishment. This included replanting the turf and wickets with Bermuda grass which apparently grows faster and makes for speedier play. Another significant addition was two 35-foot wide and 19-foot high multipurpose electronic boards which displays the score and can also act as giant screens. The ground is more like a garden with grassy mounds and flower beds neatly trimmed and cared for.
   The standout is the Sticky Wicket Restaurant and Bar which has West Indies cricket Hall of Fame with metallic headshots of the greats of West Indies and Antigua greeting the visitors at the entrance. The inner part is a cricket viewers dream where you can just sit back, drink eat and enjoy cricket or just the scenery of the ground around you. At the other end there is the colonial-design Pavilion Antigua restaurant, the watch tower and a state of the art health club.
   The playing turf is a green carpet and the pitches nice and hard. Stanford has brought in past greats of West Indies cricket in his technical committee and there isn’t a living legend that has been left out. He has pledged some $28 million to reinvigorate West Indies cricket and it is all the more unique coming from an American. But Stanford has been doing business in this region for the last two decades and understands what cricket means to the people here and what can be done through cricket power. Many people have the money but Stanford has the vision to go along with it and a genuine passion to see wholesome development in the places he invests.
   The Bangladesh team trained at Stanford’s work of dream on Wednesday and it was a sprightly day’s effort under the sun for three hours. No wonder the players all want to come back but not on Thursday! It has been a long, long tour for the Tigers and about time they did something different. So no training on the menu today as the squad leaves for one of the many scenic locations on this calm island of 87,000.
   It will be a mini ‘picnic’ and the players are all up for it. Friday it will be business as usual and the Tigers will get their first taste of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium where they’ll practice from 12:00pm local time before returning to the venue today for the big game against Australia.

Finally its Bangladesh’s turn to turn up in Super Eight phase of the World Cup. The mighty Australians are waiting for us at the Sri Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today. No doubt, it is going to be the biggest test for our cricketers in the tournament. I hope they will stay cool, although there are plenty of reasons for them to get intimidated. The Australians are not only the champions of the last two editions, but also are flying very high in this tournament. They have scored 300-plus run in all of their four previous matches while opener Matthew Hayden will be looking for his third consecutive century in this match, something which definitely will make our bowlers nervous.
   Still there are some positives for us too. The Bangladesh players at least know it that the Australians are not unbeatable. We have done it once, so we can do it again. In fact, we have some very good memories against Australians in the recent past which many other teams don not have. We nearly pushed them to defeat in a Test match last year. In the subsequent one-day series, our bowlers showed they can contain the Australian batsmen if they bowl the right line and length. Just imagine what Mohammad Rafique did in the first match in Chittagong. He conceded only 14 runs in 10 overs, which is a record for most economical one-day bowling for Bangladesh.
   It must give the other bowlers some confidence. Mashrafee, Rafique, Razzak and Rasel all have showed against India if they can bowl in the right direction, they can hold back any batting line-up, no matter how strong it is. I am optimistic about Bangladesh because of the law of averages. History suggests, every team suffers at least one bad result in a major tournament. So, I hope Australia’s bad time will come today.
   But to make them a victim of law of averages, our batsmen need to play well. It is an area that really makes me worried. Except Sakib and Ashraful, I have not seen confidence in any other batsmen. It is time for Shariar, Aftab and Bashar to deliver. I am not very happy with the batting line-up too. In my opinion Bashar should come at number seven in the order thus giving Ashraful more chance to bat. Bashar is the most experience batsman of the side. If he comes down the order, he can guide the tail-enders too. I hope our team management will also give a rethink about it. I am really looking forward to Bangladesh playing well against Australia.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell on Friday suggested what millions of Indians had been dreading to hear – the great Sachin Tendulkar should hang up his boots.
   Chappell, whose younger brother Greg could be sacked as India’s coach next week following the team’s first round exit from the World Cup, said Tendulkar was past his prime and must retire.
   ‘At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career; build on a glittering array of statistics,’ the senior Chappell wrote in the Mumbai-based Mid-Day newspaper.
   ‘If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately.’
   Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s most successful batsman, managed only 64 runs in three World Cup matches, falling for seven against Bangladesh and clean bowled for zero against Sri Lanka.
   India’s stunning loss to Bangladesh and the subsequent defeat to Sri Lanka saw the 1983 champions and 2003 finalists crash out of the tournament in their worst World Cup performance since 1979.
   India’s cricket chiefs will meet in Mumbai on April 6 and 7 to discuss the World Cup debacle and decide if coach Greg Chappell’s two-year tenure is to be extended.
   Ian Chappell said Tendulkar, who turns 34 next month, must decide soon if he wanted to continue or end a brilliant 18-year career that has seen him score a record 35 Test and 41 one-day centuries.
   He compared the Indian to another ageing veteran, 37-year-old West Indian captain Brian Lara, who is Test cricket’s leading batsman with 11,953 runs from 131 matches.
   ‘When you think that for a decade Lara and Tendulkar went head to head in a wonderful battle of stroke play to establish who was the best batsman in the world, they are now worlds apart in effectiveness,’ Chappell wrote.
   ‘The amazing thing about Lara’s brilliant career is the fact that he hasn’t changed his style at all over 17 years.
   ‘This is a credit to his technique and mental strength, as the ageing process generally makes a player more progressively conservative.
   ‘Tendulkar hasn’t worn as well; his last three or four years have been a shadow of his former self.’
   Chappell said a string of tennis elbow, back and shoulder injuries in recent years had taken a toll on Tendulkar’s batting.
   ‘The Indian has suffered a lot of injuries where his play has deteriorated and there is nothing that melts your mental approach quicker than physical handicaps,’ he wrote.
   ‘For whatever reason, Tendulkar hasn’t been able to maintain his extremely high standards for the last few years and unless he can find a way to recapture this mental approach he’s not doing his team or himself any favours.
   ‘If Tendulkar had found an honest mirror three years ago and asked the question: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best batsman of all?”
   ‘It would’ve answered: “Brian Charles Lara.”
   ‘If he asked that same mirror right now: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, should I retire?”
   ‘The answer would be: “Yes”.’

Former prison guard Charl Langeveldt may not have the pace of South Africa team-mates Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, but he’s second to none when it comes to delivering in crunch situations.
   South Africa were fortunate to find Langeveldt in superb form in their opening World Cup Super Eights match against Sri Lanka, just when they needed it most.
   Sri Lanka were poised to launch a closing-overs onslaught when they ran into Langeveldt, who grabbed three wickets in his second spell to restrict the opposition to a modest total of 209.
   He finished with a career-best haul 5-39 off 10 disciplined overs, only the second time he had grabbed five wickets in an innings in 42 one-day internationals since making his debut in 2001.
   He shared the man-of-the-match award with Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga, who became the first bowler in the one-day history to take four wickets off successive balls.
   South Africa captain Graeme Smith was all praise for Langeveldt, saying he played a crucial role with both ball and bat in a tense match.
   ‘Charl has been bowling well for a while. He is a superbly-skilled bowler and he showed that,’ said Smith, whose team completed a thrilling one-wicket victory in the maiden one-day international at the Providence Stadium.
   ‘He got the ball to swing and he bowled very well at the death for us and he blocked out ten balls with the bat in the last few overs.’
   Langeveldt came in to bat in pressure situation after Malinga had rocked South Africa with four wickets in his second spell. He faced nine balls in scoring just one run before team-mate Robin Peterson hit the winning four.
   ‘When I was batting there at the end, my heart was in my ... I don’t know where it was. I was just thinking to get bat on ball but I never expected that I would have to bat,’ said Langeveldt, 32.
   ‘I had been saying to the other guys that I would not have to bat. But that’s cricket. You learn every day.’
   Langeveldt, who combined his first-class cricket with his job as a prison warder early in his career, caught the selectors’ eye with his ability to swing the ball. It was his movement that caught the Sri Lankans on the wrong-foot.
   When asked whether he would like to open the bowling, Langeveldt said, ‘No, I prefer first change. I like it when the ball’s swinging and it was moving around against Sri Lanka in overcast conditions but I prefer first change.’
   The Caribbean seems to be a happy hunting ground for Langeveldt, who took a hat-trick to script his team’s sensational one-run victory over the West Indies at Bridgetown in Barbados in 2005.

Murdered Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer is to be bid a final farewell at a public memorial service in Cape Town next Wednesday, organisers said.
   The event is to be held at the Wynberg Boy’s high school, with speakers to include former South African cricketer Allan Donald, and Tim Noakes of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa with whom Woolmer co-authored a book on the art and science of cricket.
   ‘The service will be led by Reverend Jerome Francis who was coached by Bob from the age of 11,’ said a statement issued on behalf of Woolmer’s family.
   There will be a separate designated area for close friends of the Woolmer family who live in the Cape Town area.
   Woolmer, also a former coach of South Africa, was found strangled in his Jamaican hotel room on March 18, one day after Pakistan were dramatically ousted from the cricket World Cup following a shock defeat to minnows Ireland.
   The killing has sparked one of the most complex murder investigations in Jamaican history and has triggered speculation about possible links to match-fixing and illegal betting in cricket.
   Around 50 officers are attempting to track down hundreds of potential witnesses who were either visiting or staying at Kingston’s Pegasus Hotel in the days leading up to Woolmer’s death.

Argentina’s most notorious soccer hooligan turned himself in on Thursday after three weeks on the run from a four-year sentence for crimes related to a 1999 stadium battle.
   Rafael Di Zeo, leader of the La Doce (The 12th Man) fans of Boca Juniors, turned himself in at the Federal Police Investigations Superintendency in Buenos Aires, a judicial source told Reuters.
   Dozens of Boca fans gathered outside the police building to cheer Di Zeo, who will be transferred to a high security prison to serve his sentence for a weapons-related crime.
   The conviction stems from a clash between La Doce and fans of Chacarita Juniors during a training match in 1999 in the Bombonera stadium.
   The sentences against Di Zeo and five other La Doce members – all but one has turned himself in – are seen as a test for a justice system trying to crack down on a wave of stadium violence.
   Argentine judges hand down preliminary convictions and the convicted criminal is often freed until a higher court confirms the sentence.
   After a superior court upheld the La Doce sentences early in March the six men went into hiding while their lawyers tried unsuccessfully to appeal.
   Di Zeo, 45, took over La Doce’s leadership from Jose Barrita, who was found guilty of the 1994 murder of two fans of River Plate, Boca’s bitter rivals.
   White-haired Di Zeo is a well-known figure in Argentina. News of his conviction and subsequent disappearance have hung over the soccer season and landed him on newspaper front pages.
   Only weeks ago, he posed on a magazine cover alongside a fancy sports utility vehicle and a bikini-clad woman. During matches, television cameras often focus on his group in the stands, and when he and the other convicted members of the group went underground, cameras focused on the empty spot kept there for them.
   Di Zeo, a Buenos Aires municipal employee, had boasted in the past that justice could not catch up with him because he had the phone numbers of the most powerful people in the country.
   He also boasted of teaching hooligans in other Latin American countries how to organise.
   Many organised hooligan groups in Argentina make money from extortion, threatening clubs with violence or mayhem unless they get kickbacks.

South African spinner Robin Peterson earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first player to get an official reprimand in the ongoing World Cup on Thursday.
   The 27-year-old from Eastern Province, smashed the stumps after hitting the winning boundary in South Africa’s nail-biting one-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Super Eight match at the Guyana National stadium here on Wednesday.
   ‘Peterson has been officially reprimanded for breaching the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka,’ the ICC said in a statement.
   Peterson, playing in his 34th one-day international, was wicketless in his five overs in Sri Lanka’s 209 all out.
   He went to the crease after Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga took four wickets off as many balls to set up an intriguing finish.
   Peterson survived four deliveries off Malinga and in his next over hit the winning boundary.
   In celebration, the South African demolished the stumps at the striker’s end.
   ‘Peterson immediately pleaded guilty to abuse of cricket equipment fixtures and fittings in a hearing the following day after play concluded in Georgetown on Wednesday,’ said ICC.
   ‘Peterson admitted to have breached 1.2 of the ICC Code which relates to actions outside the course of normal cricket such as hitting or kicking the wickets.
   ‘Peterson’s attitude in response to the breach was appreciated realising his momentary mistake in the heat of the moment after a dramatic finish. He apologised to the umpires on the field after the incident,’ said match referee Jeff Crowe.
   ‘It was reiterated by the umpires there was no malice in his actions but there is a responsibility to maintain standards of behaviour as well as potentially damaging the costly stump cameras,’ said Crowe, former New Zealand captain.
   ‘Also, I accepted that it was a momentary mistake in the heat of the moment, an out-pouring of relief after a tense and dramatic finish to the match.’
   ‘However, all players have a responsibility to maintain the highest standard of behaviour, no matter what the situation, as that is part and parcel of being a high-profile sportsman and hitting the stumps with the bat is not acceptable at any time.’

Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody on Thursday stressed his team needs to learn quickly from the mistakes made against South Africa during their one-wicket defeat in the Super Eights match.
   ‘It will be important how we come back in our match against the West Indies (on Sunday) who will also be looking for points,’ said Moody.
   Sri Lanka, on the verge of defeat with South Africa needing four runs with five wickets intact on Wednesday, hit back through paceman Lasith Malinga’s history-making four wickets off four balls before last man Robin Peterson hit the winning runs.
   Malinga became the first bowler in one-day international cricket to grab four wickets off successive deliveries and fifth to achieve a hat-trick in World Cup history.
   Earlier, Sri Lanka struggled to 209 all out with South African paceman Charl Langeveldt taking a career-best five for 39.
   Moody said his team failed to keep the momentum of the first round where they won all their Group B matches – including a crucial win over former champions India.
   ‘It was not a bad defeat, but it’s a defeat. I am disappointed the way we played. We did play well in the first 30 overs but against teams like South Africa you need to play lot more than 30 overs,’ Moody told the International Cricket Council website.
   ‘There are a lot more positives which we can take from the South Africa game but we need to learn very quickly from our mistakes and give a better account of ourselves on Sunday.’
   The 41-year-old Moody, who played eight Tests and 76 one-day internationals for Australia, said his team fell short by 20-30 runs which in the end were decisive factor.
   ‘The wicket was impressive and so was the outfield, and we were 20 to 30 runs light and considering it was a big match for both teams, South Africa were in a desperate situation and from our point of view we played good cricket up to Wednesday.’

Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster ITV and its partner Setanta Sports have won the rights to broadcast the English FA Cup and England’s home international matches, according to several British media reports.
   The BBC and satellite broadcaster BSkyB had previously shared the rights to the two sports offerings, and their four-year deal with the Football Association is set to expire next summer.
   The Football Association was reportedly set to announce the deal later on Friday. ‘This is a massive coup for both companies,’ an unnamed source close to the situation told the Financial Times.
   According to the reports, the winning bid came in at around 420 million pounds (619 million euros, 824 million dollars), about 50 million pounds more than the dual BBC-BSkyB offer.
   The Daily Telegraph reported that the ITV-Setanta deal means that ITV will broadcast 13 FA Cup matches, with its partner broadcasting 17, though ITV will have the first choice match in every round of the tournament.
   ITV will also have the majority of England matches.

India’s most successful bowler, Anil Kumble, officially announced his retirement from one-day cricket on Friday, but said he will remain available for Test matches.
   ‘It’s been a long, 17-year journey at the international level,’ Kumble told reporters here. ‘I may be over with one-dayers but I am definitely going to play Test cricket.’
   ‘I wanted to go out on a high after the World Cup, but that obviously did not happen,’ said Kumble.
   ‘Hopefully I will finish my Test career on a brighter note.
   ‘One-day cricket is not a bowler’s game, so I was always grateful when any wicket came my way.’
   Kumble, playing his fourth World Cup, got just one preliminary game against first-timers Bermuda as spin partner Harbhajan Singh was preferred for the more important matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
   Kumble is best known for taking all 10 wickets in an Test innings against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999, only the second bowler to achieve the feat after Englishman Jim Laker.
   His best one-day performance was six for 12 against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Hero Cup tournament in 1993.
   Indian captain Rahul Dravid led tributes from the cricketing fraternity for the soft-spoken veteran, who made his debut in 1990.
   ‘What Anil has performed for India over the last decade and a half has been legendary,’ said Dravid. ‘He is one of our greatest cricketers.’
   Former captain Kapil Dev, who held the previous Indian record of 434 Test wickets, said Kumble’s hard work and dedication was a lesson for youngsters.
   ‘Anil has really gone far than anybody could have imagined,’ he said. ‘I never thought he had so much ability, but with time and determination he went beyond anybody’s imagination.’

Bayern Munich will definitely be without captain Oliver Kahn for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan after the club decided to withdraw an appeal against a one-match ban.
   Kahn was sanctioned by UEFA after an incident in a doping control at the end of the match against Real Madrid earlier this month. It remains unclear exactly what happened, but Kahn admitted to losing his temper and has apologised to the doctor.
   Bayern originally lodged an appeal against the UEFA decision but the club said in a press release they had reconsidered their position in order to remove a possible distraction.
   The 22-year-old Michael Rensing will be in goal for the first leg in Milan on Tuesday.
   ‘I’ve no qualms about picking him at all,’ coach Ottmar Hitzfeld told reporters. ‘I have complete faith in him.’

Renowned footballer of the late sixties and early seventies Nazir Ahmed, also known as Baro Nazir, passed away at the age of 68 at his Nawabganj residence in Dhaka in the early hours of Friday. He was suffering from cancer. He was buried at the Azimpur graveyard. The dashing forward is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. The Bangladesh Football Federation condoled the death of Baro Nazir and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Doctors said Thursday they were concerned football legend Diego Maradona, who was rushed to hospital a day earlier and stabilised, may have traded cocaine addiction for alcohol abuse.
   The 46-year-old former football icon is being treated at Guemes Hospital in Buenos Aires, where he was taken against his will late Wednesday.
   Guemes Hospital director Hector Pezzella said Maradona did not currently have acute heart trouble or other system failure, that he was stable, and his life was not in danger.
   Voted one of the best players of the 20th century and venerated like a god in Argentina, Maradona has a history of drug addiction and was hospitalized in 2000 and 2004 for cocaine overdoses.
   While both Pezzella and Maradona’s personal physician Alfredo Cahe denied Maradona’s treatment was related to use of any illegal drugs, they said it was likely he had replaced a dependency on cocaine with alcohol.
   Though there was no new heart trouble, Pezzella said, ‘alcohol can contribute to (system) imbalances, especially when excess is involved. In this case, there was (excess). There were several (medical) imbalances, and that is what (Maradona) came to get back in order.’
   Pezzella also said Maradona was being treated with sedatives ‘because that is part of the tactics and (treatment) regime for patients (...) so they do not develop withdrawal symptoms.’
   Argentine television said Maradona was rushed to the hospital after feeling ill at his parents’ house.
   His ex-wife, daughters and Cahe later arrived at the hospital, and police threw up a line outside to hold back fans and well-wishers.
   Cahe later emerged to tell reporters that Maradona’s life was not in danger.
   ‘He didn’t have a very consistent lifestyle, in his eating habits, his drinking and the amount of cigars he smoked,’ Cahe said.
   ‘This, in addition to stress, was a logical reason to hospitalise him, and against his will,’ Cahe said.
   The ‘stress’ Cahe mentioned may well be linked to the star’s legal problems—in early March Argentina’s central bank began collecting information about Maradona’s bank accounts, suggesting the football great was under investigation for tax evasion.
   Born October 30, 1960 just outside Buenos Aires, Maradona shares the FIFA title of the 20th century’s best player with Brazil’s Pele after a stellar career with Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli.
   He scored 50 goals in 115 games for Argentina during his 21 years as a football star. He proved his genius in the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico, with a series of brilliant displays that led Argentina to the title.
   But like much of his career, even that star turn was dogged by controversy.
   His first goal was the notorious ‘Hand of God’ effort, which saw Maradona fist the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
   His second goal in that match, however, has been called one of the most brilliant ever in the game.
   Since Maradona’s retirement at 37, scandals have continued to surround him, including marital infidelity and drugs.
   In 2005 he found a new and successful career in television, hosting a widely watched show called ‘The Night of 10,’ referring to his iconic Argentina jersey number.
   In 2005 he underwent gastric bypass surgery in Colombia.
   Newspaper photographs early this month appeared to show he had regained many of the 50 kilograms (110 pounds) lost in his crash weight-loss treatment. Another showed him in a Buenos Aires nightclub with an injured nose after falling off a chair.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Paul Scholes is ready to give fresh impetus to Manchester United’s treble challenge.
   United midfielder Scholes will return to action against Blackburn today after three weeks on the sidelines while he served a suspension for his red card at Liverpool.
   Scholes, in self-imposed exile from England duty, was given an additional break by the recent international fixtures and Ferguson expects the 32-year-old to make up for lost time as the Premiership leaders resume their bid to win the title for the first time since 2003.
   Only the magnificent form of United’s imperious winger Cristano Ronaldo have overshadowed Scholes’ impressive contribution this season and he is certain to play a major role in his side’s push for a triple trophy haul.
   As well as trying to maintain their six-point advantage over Chelsea, the Premiership leaders also face a Champions League quarter-final against Roma and an FA Cup semi-final against Watford next month, so Scholes’s rest was perfectly timed.
   Ferguson said: ‘Paul regards family life as very important. He knows what the travelling with the international team is like and, coming to his age, I think he felt it was time to give more time to his family. That is the reason he gave up international football.
   ‘His form this season has been absolutely fantastic and now we are getting him back fresh after a little break.’
   A United victory over Rovers would pile the pressure back on Chelsea, who travel to struggling Watford in today’s late game knowing they can’t afford a single slip in their final eight matches.
   But Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho just wants his players to focus on their own game and not worry about United.
   ‘I keep saying to the players that we have to do our job,’ Mourinho said. ‘The only three points of Manchester United that we can control is the game we have against them.
   ‘After that we don’t have a direct relation with them. We have to do our job and win every game. Hopefully we can then play against them when we have chances.’
   Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant believes victory against Arsenal would be enough to ensure his side finish third in the Premiership.
   Rafa Benitez’s team will kick-off against Arsenal at Anfield a point behind the third-placed Londoners, who have a game in hand, but Pennant is convinced the match will effectively decide who ends up directly behind United and Chelsea.
   Pennant wants to finish above Arsenal to gain a measure of revenge for the FA and League Cup defeats, as well as a 3-0 league beating, that Arsene Wenger’s side inflicted on the Reds earlier this season.
   ‘Whoever wins this game will finish third,’ he told Liverpool’s website. ‘For that reason this is one of our biggest games of the season.
   ‘They have beaten us a few times this season so it’s time for us to get a victory.’
   History could be made at Craven Cottage, where Portsmouth goalkeeper David James will try to get the one cleansheet he needs to break David Seaman’s Premiership record of 140 shutouts.
   Charlton’s hopes of avoiding relegation will get a massive boost if they can beat fellow strugglers Wigan at The Valley. Alan Pardew’s third-bottom side have shown signs of mounting a sustained fight for survival and a win would close the gap on Wigan to three points.

Former England captain David Beckham believes Steve McClaren’s side can shrug off their recent poor form to reach the Euro 2008 finals next year.
   Beckham, 31, also reiterated his availability for the national side.
   Fans turned on the coach as England struggled to a win against Andorra on Wednesday in Barcelona and there were persistent calls for a return of Beckham and chanting of ‘We want McClaren out’.
   England, who also battled out a goalless draw with Israel on Saturday, lie fourth in Group E and are in serious danger of failing to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.
   But speaking at the Sport Industry Awards in London, where he was given an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Sport, Beckham said: ‘Qualification is very difficult but I’m 100 per cent behind these players and this team.
   ‘I was proud to see the way the players were fighting because it wasn’t an easy game. It wasn’t an easy atmosphere.
   ‘I’ve always wanted to play for my country since I was a young boy and that has never changed.’
   Beckham continued: ‘It’s always nice for me to have the support of the fans. That’s where the majority of the feeling of English football comes from.
   ‘It was nice to hear but it was also nice to see the lads get three points because there has been a huge amount of pressure on the team.
   ‘I know these players because I’ve played with the majority of them in an England shirt. I know the passion they’ve got and how much they want to win. ‘
   Concerning McClaren, Beckham said: ‘When you’re England manager you’ll always be criticised.
   ‘I’ve had a few England managers in my career. I went through it with Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson.
   ‘It’s part and parcel of being England manager. It’s unfair for me to comment on whether it’s fair because it’s nothing to do with me.’
   Beckham also suggested his availability for an international recall would continue for the foreseeable future.
   ‘When I stepped down as England captain I said I’ll always be available for my country,’ he said.
   ‘I also said it when I wasn’t announced in Steve McClaren’s first squad and I’ll say it again now.
   ‘I’m still playing football and I will be playing football for many more years to come. I’m still available.’
   Beckham received his award from Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe at the ceremony in central London on Thursday night.
   The footballer becomes the first individual to land the award with London 2012 (2006) and England Rugby (2004) among the previous winners.
   Beckham played for Manchester United from 1994 to 2003, and has played with Real Madrid since. He is set to join the LA Galaxy this summer.

Alex Ferguson claims Wayne Rooney is equipped to cope with the burden of carrying the hopes of a nation, despite extending his goalless run for England to 15 competitive games against Andorra in midweek.
   The Manchester United striker has failed to score in a competitive international for his country since Euro 2004 and his recent performances for the national team have been well below the standards he has set with his club this season.
   Rooney’s failure to produce the goods at international level has coincided with England’s dismal form under beleaguered coach Steve McClaren.
   But after arriving at Old Trafford in a 30million pound deal from Everton as a teenager, United boss Ferguson insists that Rooney has already proved his ability to cope with the expectancy and pressure.
   Ferguson said: ‘The expectancy that Wayne has to put up with as England’s best player shouldn’t be a burden for him because he has had the same thing at United ever since he joined us.
   ‘He has had to carry a weight on his shoulders here because ever since the day he arrived, people have been talking of him as being one of our greatest players. He has handled it, so I don’t see the England pressure being a big problem for him.
   ‘You cannot put all the responsibility on one player, though, because the team isn’t playing well. I think they have all put their hands up to that. Obviously, playing alongside players every week as he does here at United helps him play better, without question. But he is still a young lad and we have to remember that. We are trying to develop him.
   ‘But Wayne is back with us now and he will play against Blackburn on Saturday. Playing games all the time is no problem for him because he is as strong as a bull and he could play every day.’
   Ferguson’s former Old Trafford assistant McClaren has been subjected to intense criticism from fans following the 0-0 draw in Israel last week and the dismal 3-0 win against Andorra.
   But the United boss claims that McClaren is purely the victim of the ‘mocking’ culture in England.

England captain John Terry led a chorus of approval for Steve McClaren as the beleaguered coach fights to save his job.
   McClaren’s future as England manager has come under increasing scrutiny in the aftermath of yet another lacklustre display by his side against Andorra.
   England laboured for long periods before seeing off their part-time opponents 3-0 in a Euro 2008 qualifier played out to a backdrop of furious protests from large sections of the 15,000 English fans in Barcelona.
   Their calls for McClaren to be sacked were echoed in the English media, but Terry and Steven Gerrard, who scored twice against Andorra, both believe the former Middlesbrough chief is still the right man for the job.
   Terry said: ‘Fifteen minutes into the game we heard certain things and every one of us took it in - and it’s not nice. During the game that is not going to help the England players or us going forward to the finals.
   ‘It is fully worth it coming here and playing for your country. There is nothing better. But it is not fair what they were singing about the manager on Wednesday night.
   ‘We came here as a group of players, came out and said ‘it’s us, not the manager who is to blame.’ He has prepared us and did everything he could coming into these games with Israel and Andorra.
   ‘We felt as a group of players coming out and saying that, it was us who should have taken the flak. It is just not fair on the manager especially during the games. I would like to reiterate we are behind him 100 per cent.’
   Terry saluted Gerrard’s display - which was the only bright spot on a dispiriting evening for England - and he said: ‘Steve was magnificent and again showed what a world class player he is.’
   Liverpool midfielder Gerrard insists England’s players are united behind McClaren despite reports of dressing room unrest, including a row between the boss and striker Wayne Rooney after last Saturday’s draw in Israel.
   He said: ‘We are in it together. Steve McClaren is our manager, we believe in him.
   ‘We are the players he has picked and we are the players that have let the country down over the last seven or eight performances.
   ‘He is getting all the stick from the fans and media and as a player you want to help him and stick together and that is what we are trying to do to turn it around.
   ‘It is difficult to concentrate when the manager is getting so much stick. As a player you try and focus on the game and try and blank out what the fans are singing but you can’t.
   ‘You can here it but you’ve got to get on with it. I’ve never played in that kind of atmosphere before but I understand it.’

League leaders Barcelona will be looking to put space between themselves and their main rivals for the La Liga title with a convincing victory over erratic Deportivo la Coruna today.
   The reigning Spanish champions have not always looked convincing in their quest for a third successive crown but are still unbeaten at home in the league this season while Deportivo have only won two of their away games.
   Nevertheless, hardly a day goes by without Barca coach Frank Rijkaard having to respond to speculation of dressing room disharmony.
   This week has been no different with rumours that Ronaldinho will leave in the summer, perhaps for AC Milan, circulating in the Catalan capital and beyond while the player has been on international duty with Brazil.
   ‘I desire with all my heart that Ronaldinho continues here and he’s always told me that he’s happy here,’ said Rijkaard.
   ‘Ronnie is a player who has allowed people at this club to dream, and our supporters as well. I also think he knows how much he’s appreciated.
   ‘But, like all the players, he’s got a contract (until 2010) to comply with,’ added Rijkaard, reminding the former World Player of the Year as well as his agent and brother Roberto de Assis of the situation.
   Ronaldinho earlier on Thursday had sought to smooth things out but only succeeded in adding to the doubts about his future.
   ‘I only think about playing, the rest I leave to my brother. The only thing I’m worried about is the rest of this season,’ said Ronaldinho, although his words were rather less than a whole-hearted statement of commitment to the club.
   The distraction over the future of Ronaldinho is hardly what Rijkaard wants as he takes stock of the bumps and bruises acquired by his men while playing for their countries in the last week.
   One man definately missing against Deportivo is the Barca’s suspended Portuguese winger Deco.
   Barcelona lead Sevilla on goal difference with both clubs having 53 points from 27 games.

Barcelona star Ronaldinho has overtaken David Beckham as the best paid footballer in the world, according to annual listings published in Forbes magazine Friday.
   Brazilian Ronaldinho earned 23.5 million euros (31.3m dollars) for 2006 with former England captain Beckham earning 23.2 million euros (30.9m dollars).
   But Real Madrid player Beckham should recapture the top spot next year after his move to Los Angles Galaxy this summer in a five-year deal worth 250 million dollars.
   Manchester United remain the richest club in the world ahead of Real Madrid with Arsenal moving up to third at the expense of AC Milan who drop to fifth.
   Of the 25 biggest earning clubs in the world, 10 are English.
   
   Highest paid footballers
   1 Ronaldinho (BRA) 23.5 million euros (31.3m dollars)
   2 David Beckham (ENG) 23.2
   3 Ronaldo (BRA) 18.6
   4 Wayne Rooney (ENG) 13.7
   5 Michael Ballack (GER) 13.4
   6 Thierry Henry (FRA) 12.6
   7 Zinedine Zidane (FRA) 12.4
   8 Fabio Cannavaro (ITA) 11.6
   9 John Terry (ENG) 11.4
   10 Steven Gerrard (ENG) 11.3
   
   Richest clubs
   1 Manchester United (ENG) 1,137 billion euro (-)
   2 Real Madrid (ESP) 811 million euro (-)
   3 Arsenal (ENG) 716 million euro (+1)
   4 Bayern Munich (GER) 655 (+1)
   5 AC Milan (ITA) 644 (-2)
   6 Juventus Turin (ITA) 443 (-)
   7 Inter Milan (ITA) 434 (+1)
   8 Chelsea (ENG) 420 (-1)
   9 Barcelona (ESP) 418 (-)
   10 Schalke 04 (GER) 369 (+1)

John Terry ripped an England shirt from the hands of Andorra’s skipper.
   England captain Terry clashed with Oscar Sonejee in an angry tunnel bust-up after his rival had swapped shirts with Jermain Defoe.
   Whinger Sonejee rapped: ‘It was a really ugly moment. I had Defoe’s shirt in my hand to swap for mine. But Terry rammed into me with a really hard shove and snatched it.’
   Fuming Terry was reacting to Andorra’s play-acting and fouling during the 3-0 Euro qualifying win for Steve McClaren’s men on Wednesday.
   Sonejee, who also upset England with the way he marked Wayne Rooney, added: ‘We were down the tunnel. Terry took the shirt and ordered all the England players into the dressing room.
   ‘I was stunned. It was humiliating.
   ‘No team has ever refused to honour the custom of exchanging shirts with us before.’
   Terry’s actions were similar to Sir Alf Ramsey’s, who refused to let his men swap shirts with Argentina after a bitter World Cup quarter-final in 1966.
   Sonejee admitted: ‘Our plan was to make England lose their tempers.
   ‘Rooney loses his temper very quickly and I think that happened again.’

A record 204 countries have entered the qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup finals, FIFA said in a statement on Friday.
   The number beats the previous record of 199 teams which entered for the 2002 World Cup finals and only Bhutan, Brunei, Laos and the Philippines have not registered to take part.
   The number of entrants for 2010 includes host nation South Africa and Montenegro, which became the 53rd member of UEFA in January and is expected to be admitted as the 208th member of FIFA at the world governing body’s Congress in Zurich in May.
   The qualifying competition starts in August 2007 with the Oceania confederation using matches played in the South Pacific Games as a preliminary qualifying tournament for their region.
   South Africa have automatically qualified as hosts for the finals which begin on June 11, 2010 with the final scheduled for July 11. Of the 31 places available for the qualifiers, 13 will go to European teams and five will be taken by African qualifiers.

Bob Woolmer’s killer used twisted towel to throttle him, which explains the absence of any marks on the neck of the slain Pakistan cricket coach, according to local media reports.
   The Sun claimed that Woolmer was strangulated with a towel, or ligature, in what seemed a mafia-style killing probably to prevent the coach from blowing the whistle on match-fixing.
   The tabloid quoted Jamaica deputy police commissioner Mark Shields saying that it was ‘common sense’ that something was used to prevent the throat being marked.
   ‘If it is some form of manual strangulation and there are no physical marks, there may have been something between the hands of the assailant and the neck. That’s as far as I will go,’ Shields said.
   He also confirmed that towels were found in the room. The fact that the killer wanted not to leave any mark suggests it was a well-planned murder.
   Shields reiterated that it was a murder case but added that he ‘had to keep an open mind’ and ‘had to be led by the scientists’.
   Forensic pathologists Ere Seshaiah, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, said in his report that Woolmer had died of ‘asphyxia caused by manual strangulation’.
   Shields said the chambermaid who discovered Woolmer’s naked body in a pool of his own vomit at Kingston’s Pegasus hotel was traumatised. The report claimed he was taken back to room 374 where Woolmer was murdered.
   Police were also probing reports about a match-fixer, linked to Dawood Ibrahim, who reportedly was thrown out of Woolmer’s room after a spat with the coach.
   Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday called on Jamaican authorities to complete the probe into the murder of coach Bob Woolmer as quickly as possible following reports that it may take months to resolve the mystery.
   ‘The PCB is perturbed to know that the ongoing investigations regarding Bob Woolmer’s death in Jamaica will take several months as stated by the Jamaican authorities,’ the board’s chairman Nasim Ashraf said.
   The killing has sparked one of the most complex murder investigations in Jamaican history and has triggered speculation about possible links to match-fixing and illegal betting in cricket.
   Around 50 officers are now attempting to track down hundreds of potential witnesses who were either visiting or staying at the Pegasus Hotel in the days leading up to Woolmer’s death.
   Jamaica deputy police commissioner Mark Shields on Tuesday warned that the murder investigation was not going to be solved ‘in 45 minutes,’ describing the inquiry as a slow, arduous process.
   ‘We are going to do it properly, thoroughly and professionally and at the end of it, it may be that we might identify a suspect,’ said Shields.
   ‘It really is down to the painstaking work of trying to sift through as much information as we can to try and track down the killer or killers.’
   The Pakistan Cricket Board has also received clearance from its government to send a three-member delegation to Jamaica to assist in the investigations into the murder of coach Bob Woolmer.
   PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf told Reuters on Friday that while Pakistan was keen to send the party it would be dependent on the Jamaican authorities agreeing to it.
   ‘I met with the prime minister and he has agreed to our proposal, to send a delegation to Jamaica to help out in the investigations,’ he said.
   The panel would include one senior diplomat, a PCB official and a senior investigating officer.
   Ashraf said Pakistan believed that its delegation, if allowed to help in the investigations, would prove helpful for the Jamaican authorities.
   ‘Woolmer was our man and we also want to get to the bottom of this mystery of how he died, why he was killed and who is responsible for it,’ he added.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming believes his side have never been as well prepared as they are now to win a World Cup in the 10 years he has been leading the one-day side.
   Fleming’s team took a big stride towards the semi-finals with a crushing seven-wicket win against West Indies in their opening Super Eights match where they bowled out the hosts for a meagre 177 before knocking off the winning runs with more than 10 overs to spare.
   New Zealand have never won the World Cup and last reached the semi-finals in 1992 but Fleming, after a dominating win at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, told reporters, ‘We’ve never been as prepared as this, we’ve looked at pretty much every scenario and some of them twice.’
   New Zealand carried forward two points into the second phase after beating fellow Group C qualifiers England and Fleming reckoned they would need 10 in all to be certain of a last four spot.
   ‘Ideally we need 10, eight will be close, it could be a logjam,’ the opening batsman, who made 45 against the West Indies before being run out, explained.
   ‘It’s still a little bit hard to work out. Part of the reason we put the foot down today is run rates may come into it as well so we wanted to finish the game after we felt we’d got in a position where we couldn’t lose it.’
   New Zealand return here on Monday to face a Bangladesh side that beat them by two wickets in a warm-up match earlier this month.
   ‘We know we’ve got a couple of tricky encounters. Bangladesh tripped us up in the warm-up match and Ireland have obviously tested Pakistan and in the right conditions can be tricky.
   ‘But if we continue the way we’re playing we’re not far away (from the semis). I think that’s the exciting thing, each game you tick off it becomes one closer to the semi-finals, but the final is what we’re after.’
   All-rounder Jacob Oram led New Zealand’s attack against the West Indies with three for 23.
   The giant paceman broke the ring finger on his left hand taking a catch on the boundary during last month’s Chappell-Hadlee series and had been uncertain over how much he would contribute to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign.
   But Fleming was in no doubt about Oram’s current worth.
   ‘That all-rounder spot is crucial,’ said the captain.
   ‘Jacob’s batting has been outstanding since his return and his bowling today was just as effective as what it was when he left the side a while back.
   ‘To be able to generate the extra bounce on pitches like this is going to be important.’
   The modest Oram said of his haul, ‘There was movement in the air and off the pitch. If you got it in the right areas and hit the right locations you were going to be in business.
   ‘It just rounds off what I do in the team. I feel in the recent past I’ve been playing with half my skills and since coming back into the team against Australia I couldn’t be happier with my batting. Bowling has been the issue and I’ve been working hard on that.’
   Other players who had fine displays against the West Indies were wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum, who grabbed four catches, and Scott Styris, who saw New Zealand home with 80 not out.
   ‘His keeping was pretty special,’ said Fleming of McCullum.
   ‘It’s the little things he’s doing not just the catches, the catches and work up at the stumps has been very good, the work he’s doing off the ball and the energy he’s generating is very important to the side.’
   As for Styris, Fleming said, ‘He’s playing very well. We’re delighted with our all-round players at the moment and the qualities they bring to the side.’

West Indies captain Brian Lara issued an appeal for unity as tensions within the World Cup hosts’ camp surfaced after their seven-wicket Super Eights defeat by New Zealand.
   This latest loss came hot on the heels of a 103-run thrashing by world champions Australia.
   Lara’s men have now lost both their first two matches in the second phase of the tournament and face an uphill task in qualifying for the semi-finals
   West Indies selector Andy Roberts, during the New Zealand match, gave an interview on local radio saying the five-man panel as whole had, since February, no say in the make-up of the team.
   The comments from the former West Indies fast bowler came amidst suggestions that only Lara and coach Bennett King were currently picking the side.
   ‘Bennett King is best to answer that,’ Lara told reporters after Thursday’s match.
   ‘I think we picked the best team possible. I can simply say to Andy Roberts that I did not select this World Cup team. I was not there at the meeting.
   ‘The team was selected without me but I still go out there and fight my best with the 15 players (World Cup squads are 15 strong) given to me.
   ‘Everybody has West Indies’ interests at heart and if people want to be critical at this point in time, I don’t think it’s fair. We just have to try to play to the best of our ability and get to the semi-finals.’
   New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was among those surprised by the omission of fast bowler Jerome Taylor, which meant the West Indies attack had just one genuine quick in Daren Powell, on a pitch Lara had labelled a ‘batting paradise’ after the Australia game.
   ‘We were scouting for three seamers playing but we were able to get best use of the pitch and our boys bowled incredibly well,’ Fleming said.
   But Lara, after seeing West Indies bowled out for 177, said batting, not bowling, was the team’s biggest problem.
   ‘We haven’t scored 250 runs yet in any of our games at the tournament,’ said Lara.
   ‘The significance today (Thursday) was in scoring 177. You can have 10 bowlers and you are not going to defend it.
   ‘We’ve just got to look at where we are going wrong – on this track we’ve lost our top order twice and today it was 81 for four. We are putting the rope around our necks.
   ‘If we are going to perform then we need one of the top three or four batting through and getting a score.’
   Lara added there was only so much he could do as captain to improve the batting.
   ‘You can’t pat people on their backs if they are not doing well. You’ve got to look at the mistakes and correct them.
   ‘We didn’t play to our full potential and the guys have to be told that.’
   But Lara, whose 37 against the Black Caps was surpassed only by opener Chris Gayle’s 44, said a lack of patience with the bat was proving costly.
   ‘I just think on a couple of occasions guys got set and we didn’t go on – Chris Gayle was looking good, (Ramnaresh) Sarwan and all of a sudden in a matter of three or four overs we had lost wickets.
   ‘I think maybe the guys are not looking at the fact we’ve got 300 balls to face.’
   Lara, asked if he was batting himself too low at No 5, said the likes of Marlon Samuels, who’d made great play of batting at four following a hundred against Kenya in a warm-up match, had to produce in the tournament proper.
   ‘If we are going to win the World Cup it’s not going to be on the back of one or two of them or myself, it’s got to be the entire team,’ said Lara, again disappointed with another meagre crowd at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
   ‘We’ve got to get into the frame of mind of winning everything from now on. This is really a desperate time.’
   West Indies’ next match is against Sri Lanka in Guyana on Sunday.

They were showered with love and flowers when India were playing well, but now they are abused and taunted on the streets after the national cricket team crashed out of the World Cup in the Caribbean.
   Look-alikes of Indian cricketing superstars in Gujarat are diving for cover after the team’s shock defeat to lowly Bangladesh and subsequent loss to Sri Lanka forced the 1983 champions to slink home in disgrace.
   Some men who bear more than a passing resemblance to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni say angry fans now hurl insults and sometimes even stones at them.
   ‘I can’t walk on the streets, people jeer and threaten me,’ said Tendulkar look-alike Suresh Rathod in Ahmedabad.
   Until just a few days ago, 35-year-old Rathod would don the sky blue Indian team uniform and inaugurate restaurants and beauty parlours in Ahmedabad.
   ‘People paid me and invited me to attend programmes and parties, today they are all venting their anger,’ he said.
   Cricket is taken very seriously in India, where top players are huge celebrities with astronomical earnings to match.
   Hundreds of fans across India burnt effigies, defaced posters and held mock funeral processions for the national team, a day after last week’s ignominious World Cup exit.
   Yogendra Shah, who looks a lot like batsman Virender Sehwag, said his neighbours on the outskirts of Ahmedabad threw stones at him after India’s defeat, but later apologised to him and his family.
   ‘The extreme reaction of people is understandable. The Indian team betrayed the trust of the millions who worship them and pray for them,’ said Shah, who works in a private firm.
   Some people who resemble top cricketers and Bollywood actors find work in small-budget Hindi films and television serials and enjoy celebrity status themselves in Indian towns and villages.
   After the Caribbean debacle, disappointed fans gathered outside the home of Mukesh Soni, a dead ringer for glamorous wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and burnt posters of the player.
   ‘I got lots of attention when Dhoni played well, girls came to me for my autograph. Now they don’t,’ Soni said.

Defender Nazrul arrived as the rescuer of Dhaka Abahani scoring the winner in the second minute of the stoppage time after breaking the resolute defence of Rahmatganj in a thrilling match of the B league at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday. After a goalless 90 minutes when the game was veering towards a draw Nazrul secured a 1-0 victory for the sky-blue outfit.
   Overall it was a one-sided affair. Abahani attacked from the very first minute pushing all the Rahmanganj players back into their half. Rahmatganj adopted a defensive strategy and played their heart out not to allow any free spaces to their opponents. Abahani continued to increase the pressure and their efforts produced 20 corners and numerous free-kicks.
   All the three Argentine players – defender Caporale, midfielder Sanchez and forward Parodi – were in the starting eleven but Abahani had to wait for the goal till the last minute of the match. Parodi unleashed a cracker in the 7th minute that was timely punched away by Rahmatganj custodian Apel. Apel, who last played for Abahani in 2002, along with his defender skipper Sony were the constant wall against Abahani’s attacks. He cleared Emily’s header off a Parvez corner in the 13th minute.
   The failure of the Abahani forwards to convert the chances into a goal continued after the break. Parodi and Emily squandered another two sure sitters midway through the second-half. When the Rahmatganj defenders were preparing to celebrate the success of their hard work, Nazrul changed the scenario.
   Uzzal curved a free-kick from the top of the box over the defensive wall and Rahmatganj defenders reacted late hoping for an offside call. A bunch of Abahani players rushed for the ball and Nazrul’s delicate touch sent the ball home.
   Abahani have eight points from four matches while Rahmatganj have only one.
   In the day’s other match at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong, Dhaka Mohammedan drew goalless with Chittagong Mohammedan.

England skipper Michael Vaughan has shrugged of his team’s lack of a big-hitter at the top of the batting order at the World Cup.
   England have a host of technically correct players, but none who have threatened to set the tournament alight by taking the fight to the opposition in the manner of Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya or Matthew Hayden of Australia.
   ‘We just try to play to what we feel are our strengths. We naturally don’t have a (Sanath) Jayasuriya or (Adam) Gilchrist or (Matthew) Hayden, but at the moment we are quite happy with the way we are playing,’ said Vaughan.
   ‘We have not been bogged down as yet in the first 15-20 overs. We have played our natural cricket and we have done okay.
   ‘Later on in the tournament, if we feel there is an option for change and we need to use the first 20 overs more, there are players in our team who we feel could do that.’
   England were due to open their Super Eights campaign at Providence here on Friday against neighbours Ireland who have reached the second round on their debut World Cup appearance.
   Despite entering the Super Eights without a point having lost to fellow qualifiers New Zealand in the opening group stage, Vaughan said he believed the destination of the World Cup title was still impossible to predict.
   ‘I still think the World Cup is open, but the Australians are looking stronger.

Former Sri Lanka batsman Ranjan Madugalle reached a landmark here on Friday when he officiated in his 200th one-dayer as a match referee during the World Cup Super Eight game between England and Ireland.
   ‘It’s always good to reach a landmark,’ said Madugalle, whose first outing as a match referee was between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Karachi in 1993.
   ‘I would still look at it as another one-day international but, yes, when I look back and reflect on the journey I feel that it’s something I enjoyed and will continue to enjoy.’
   Madugalle, who will turn 48 six days before the World Cup final on April 28, needs another six matches to complete a century of Tests as match referee.
   ‘There’s no substitute for playing for your country, it is the single greatest honour. I’m also enjoying my current role and do it with a passion,’ said Madugalle, who became chief referee in 2001.