Golam Mabud struck a century to give Sylhet some breathing space against Chittagong while Khulna and Rajshahi are firmly in control of their respective games after the end of third day’s play of the National Cricket League fifth round on Tuesday.
   At the Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Sylhet, who were following on, scored 339 in their second innings thanks to Mabud’s 110 and thus avoided an innings defeat, though a loss is still on the cards. Chittagong need 148 runs to win on the final day with all 10 wickets remaining intact after finishing the day on 11-0.
   Barisal were struggling against Khulna at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra after being asked to bat again following a 190-run deficit in the first innings. At stumps, they scored 133-6 and it left the side still trailing by 57 runs.
   At the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, Farhad Reza remained unbeaten on 98 to help the hosts end the day on 229, which extended their lead against Dhaka to 322. Dhaka declared their first innings on 205-9.
   Chittagong v Sylhet
   An innings defeat looked all but certain for Sylhet, when they conceded a 181-run deficit in the first innings and then had been reduced to 76-4 before the start of the third day’s play. However, Mabud, who scored a century in the limited-overs match of the previous round, had a different idea.
   Mabud who played 199 balls and stroked 11 fours and two sixes, gave Sylhet two solid partnerships in the second innings first 71 runs with Alok Kapali (36) for the fifth wicket and then 89 runs with Mushfiqur Rahim (43) for the sixth wicket to keep Chittagong still waiting for their first four-day win of the season.
   With support from tail-enders Enamul Haque (25), Nabil Samad (33) and Rashidur Rahman (22), Mabud took Sylhet to a position from where now they even can dream of winning the game.
   Khulna v Barisal
   Left-arm spinner Murad Khan grabbed 7-53 to wrap up Barisal’s first innings on 206 before adding another two wickets to his tally in the second innings to give Khulna a glimmer of hope of posting their second consecutive win.
   Barisal still need 57 runs to make Khulna bat again after they were reduced to 133-6 by the close. Roquibul Hasan made highest 57 runs for them in the innings before he was run out.
   Dhaka v Rajshahi
   Dhaka surprisingly declared their first innings on the overnight total of 205 and the decision looked successful as pacer Mahbubul Alam made early inroads to reduce Rajshahi to 66-6. But all-rounder Farhad Reza stood firm to steer the hosts out of danger with his unbeaten 98. He hit eight fours and a six in his 171 ball innings. Mahbub returned with 4-47 for Dhaka.

Kumar Sangakkara posted the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Australia and Sri Lanka achieved their highest fourth innings total but still lost the second Test by 96 runs to Australia at Bellerive Oval here Tuesday.
   Sangakkara was in line for his seventh Test double-century before his contentious dismissal on 192 and with it went Sri Lanka’s remote chance of running down Australia’s huge 507-run target on a flat wicket.
   The elegant left-hander passed Aravinda de Silva’s 167 in Brisbane in 1989 as the highest score by a Sri Lankan in this country.
   He faced 282 balls and hit 28 boundaries and a six in his 431-minute vigil at the crease.
   The Sri Lankans amassed 410 in the final innings, surpassing the 352 for nine they scored to beat South Africa in Colombo last year.
   Australia steamed to victory on the back of man-of-the-series fast bowler Brett Lee, whose 4-87 off 26.3 overs included the crucial wickets of Marvan Atapattu (80), first-innings centurion Mahela Jayawardene (0) and experienced Sanath Jayasuriya (45).
   Lee finished the two-match series with 16 wickets and was by far the outstanding bowler of the two sides as he seeks to take over the new-ball attack from the retired Glenn McGrath. He now has 247 Test career wickets.
   South African umpire Rudi Koertzen later apologised to Sangakkara for giving him out after television replays showed that the ball appeared to deflect off his shoulder to Ponting at second slip.
   But the Sri Lankans took it all with good grace with skipper Mahela Jayawardene calling it a human error.
   ‘Rudi came and said sorry to him. But that’s it. Kumar being Kumar was fine with it,’ Jayawardene said.
   ‘He was very disappointed at the particular moment but when you sit back after half an hour, you know it’s a mistake made by a human and that’s it.’
   In any case, Australia sailed on to their 14th consecutive Test victory and are looking ahead to next month’s four-Test series with India at home to push them past their own record of 16 straight wins.
   ‘We still had 260 runs in the bank when the day started,’ Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said.
   ‘Once we got that (Jayasuriya) wicket I didn’t think we had any chance of losing the game whatsoever.
   ‘I thought our batting on day one and most of day two was absolutely outstanding and set the game up early and Brett Lee led the way again with the ball.’
   Jayawardene was disappointed with the outcome of the series.
   ‘I felt we had a very good team. Good attack. But the way we played wasn’t very consistent,’ he said.
   ‘We couldn’t penetrate their top order, which was very disappointing. And the way we batted was disappointing as well—particularly the first innings we played in both Test matches.
   ‘That gave us a lot of problems in the whole series.’
   Sri Lanka’s winning chances nosedived with the loss of quick five wickets in the morning.
   Lee gained the vital breakthrough with the wicket of Jayasuriya 20 minutes into the day.
   The 38-year-old left-hander, playing in his last Test match in Australia, played a loose shot outside off-stump and was snapped up by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist low down for 45.
   Sri Lanka’s fragile middle order was exposed as Chamara Silva lasted nine balls before he edged to Ponting at second slip off left-armer Mitchell Johnson for a duck.
   Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene was out next ball, shouldering arms and not offering a shot to Johnson and was leg before wicket as the tourists lost 3-7 in three overs.
   Injured paceman Farveez Maharoof played an attempted pull shot and was caught overhead by Lee at deep mid-on for four.
   Dilhara Fernando showed poor judgement when he failed to run at full pace attempting a third run and was run out by a throw from the deep by substitute Rhett Lockyer.
   The end came 15 balls after lunch on the final day when Lee bowled Muttiah Muralitharan for 15.
   Lasith Malinga blasted medium-pacer Stuart Clark for three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 42 off 58 balls.

Ricky Ponting believes India will provide a stronger contest than Sri Lanka and has warned the new captain Anil Kumble to expect extra heat during the four-Test series. Due to a change in the traditional itinerary, Australia now have a five-week break before Boxing Day and Ponting hopes it won’t disrupt the team’s momentum.
   ‘It’s up to us to start the Melbourne Test the same way we started in Brisbane,’ Ponting said after the 96-run win over Sri Lanka in Hobart. ‘Hopefully we can get on top of them early and stay there for the rest of the summer. At the moment India are probably a slightly stronger side than Sri Lanka and last time India were here they played very well against us.’
   India start their three-match series against Pakistan on Thursday and Australia will be watching Kumble in his new role. ‘Kumble will be under pressure coming to Australia,’ Ponting said. ‘Anyone who captains India is always under a lot of pressure. A lot of very, very good players in the past haven’t been able to cope with that.
   ‘Sachin Tendulkar probably didn’t ever really want to do it, I don’t think. Rahul Dravid did it for a short period of time. When he resigned he said he just wasn’t enjoying the role.’
   Ponting is already aiming for a strong opening when the teams meet in Melbourne. ‘If we play well and start the series well,’ he said, ‘generally we can put the captain under pressure.’
   However, he was wary of India’s ageing stars. ‘Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and Tendulkar are all very good players and they have all done well against Australia in the past,’ he said. ‘We know how dangerous they can be.’
   Ponting also believes his team’s 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka could be the start of another golden era for Australian cricket despite predictions their domination of the game could end following the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer.
   Ponting said he was always thought Australia would make a successful transition but even he was surprised at how quickly the players had stepped up for the series.
   ‘I was very satisfied with the way they all played in Brisbane but I didn’t want to get too carried away too early,’ Ponting told a news conference.
   ‘It was important that we came here and played well again and we’ve done that so I’m probably more satisfied now.
   ‘I think the guys that played their first games up there probably had better games down here. Jaques played better here than he did in Brisbane, I think Mitchell (Johnson) bowled better here than he did in Brisbane so they’re really good signs.’
   Australia’s latest Test win was their 14th consecutive Test victory, just two short of the world record they set under Steve Waugh’s leadership between 1999 and 2001.
   They will get the chance to break the record in the home series against India, which starts in Melbourne on December 26, and Ponting sees no reason why they would not go on winning.
   ‘When you’ve got younger guys coming in who keep improving then that’s a good sign for us,’ he said.

The world’s former number one tennis player was no match for the current champion when they met on court Tuesday for only the second time.
   In an exhibition match in the South Korean capital, Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3 in a match lasting just 61 minutes.
   Serving for the match leading 5-3, Federer was stretched to deuce when he badly mishit a return on 40-30. But he won the next two points for the victory.
   After taking the first set 6-4, Federer took four of the first five games in the second set. Sampras showed signs of life in the sixth, winning it easily with the help of his booming serve.
   But the 36-year-old American could only muster one more game against the 26-year-old Swiss, whose effortless performance demonstrated why he has been the world number one for four years running.
   The Swiss ace is at the peak of his powers, lifting his fourth Masters Cup title on Sunday, whereas Sampras retired from the professional game in 2002.
   But the American legend had been working hard on getting back in shape and is unbeaten in three starts on the Jim Courier Outback Champions seniors tour, his first serious tennis since hanging up his racket.
   ‘It was a little tricky situation. I’d been playing well and Pete’s been retired for five years,’ Federer said. ‘I expected myself to win tonight.
   ‘I am very happy with my performance but I think Pete’s still playing very, very well.’
   In a fast-paced opening set the two players traded two games apiece before Sampras broke Federer’s serve in the fifth game. The American won the following game with his signature serve and volley attack to establish an early advantage.
   But Federer came back to win the next four games and the set, breaking his opponent’s serve twice in the process with an array of shots.
   Sampras, known for his powerful serve in his playing days, hit 10 aces in the match compared to Federer’s six and put up a good fight. But it was not enough.
   ‘I feel a little disappointed,’ Sampras said. ‘But I made Roger sweat a little bit tonight.
   ‘I can still serve quite well but the hardest thing for me is movement,’ the former number one said. ‘I was a little careless up on the net and missed a few easy balls. But I think I will play well in the next match.’
   Federer admitted he was ‘tensed up a bit’ because he was facing one of his heroes. But once he found his rhythm, the Swiss was off and running.
   ‘When I found my range, Pete missed a few too many shots,’ Federer said. ‘I was maybe lucky to win the first set. Then I got on a roll and started to relax. I enjoyed the match very much.’
   The two met at competitive level only once in their careers, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001.
   Next up for Sampras and Federer in their three-match exhibition series is Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Their final Asian stop is Macau on Saturday.

South African umpire Rudi Koertzen apologised to Kumar Sangakkara for giving him out in controversial circumstances within sight of his seventh Test double-century here Tuesday.
   The star batsman was stunned when Koertzen gave him out to a catch by Ricky Ponting, which effectively ended Sri Lanka’s remote chances of snatching victory from the Australians after being set a massive 507 runs to win.
   Australia won the second Test by 96 runs to clinch the series 2-0.
   Television replays showed the ball bowled by Stuart Clark appeared to deflect off Sangakkara’s shoulder to Ponting at second slip.
   During his innings, the elegant 30-year-old right-hander passed Aravinda de Silva’s 167 in Brisbane in 1989 as the highest score by a Sri Lankan in this country.
   Sangakkara faced 282 balls and hit 28 boundaries and a six in his 431-minute vigil at the crease.
   He came on to the field after the fall of the last wicket and put his arm around Koertzen’s shoulder.
   Skipper Mahela Jayawardene said Koertzen had apologised to Sangakkara for giving him out.
   ‘Rudi came and said sorry to him. But that’s it. Kumar being Kumar was fine with it,’ Jayawardene said.
   ‘He was very disappointed at the particular moment but when you sit back after half an hour, you know it’s a mistake made by a human and that’s it.’
   Sangakkara’s sublime innings was the talk of the final day.
   ‘Kumar’s innings was fantastic. One of the best I’ve seen. He batted the plan we had for him after he got his hundred yesterday, to bat through the day today while the other guys rotate around him so that we can challenge the 500-run total,’ Jayawardene said.
   ‘Unfortunately, the other guys couldn’t do it. But Kumar batted exceptionally well. The way he handled the situation was brilliant.
   ‘I was very disappointed the way we got out. He’s very upset about it, but that’s how the game goes I guess.’
   Ricky Ponting, who led Australia to their 14th consecutive Test win, was also lavish in his praise of Sangakkara.
   ‘He played beautifully today. I thought the way he struck the ball from about 120 onwards was some of the best hitting that you’ll probably ever see with his back to the wall and running out of partners,’ Ponting said.
   ‘It was a terrific knock. He’s obviously been in great form lately. I read in the paper this morning that’s six hundreds in his last 12 innings so he’s in some good touch.
   ‘He’s a very, very good player, he’s one of the best Test batsmen going around.’
   Sangakkara has now scored 5,741 runs in 68 Tests at an average of 55.73.

The Premier Division Cricket League will begin with a Twenty20 competition in the third week of January and the competition will be followed by the league, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Tuesday.
   The decision was taken in a meeting between representatives of the clubs and the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) on Monday night.
   The players’ transfer for the league will be held from January 8-10. However, players, who will be on international duty in New Zealand and South Africa for the national and under-19 teams respectively, will be given two days upon return to complete their transfers.
   The cricket operations committee of the BCB will finalise a national pool before the CCDM sits with the clubs in a further meeting on November 27. The First Division Cricket League 2007-2008 is expected to start on 25 January.
   The CCDM has discussed the feasibility of holding the transfers of the 2nd & 3rd Division Leagues before the Premier Division and First Division transfers and the Premier Division and First Division clubs said that they have no any reservations regarding the matter, the BCB said.
   The clubs in the meeting requested the CCDM to ensure proper outfield and wickets for the leagues.

Ashraful Aziz’s belligerent 77 helped Bangladesh U-19 to post a total of 273 for seven in 86.1 overs at the end of the first day of the four-day match against their Pakistan counterparts at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday.
   Tamim Iqbal returned to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, but thanks to Ashraful the middle order managed to dominate. Mithun Ali scored 41, Limon added 31, Nasir Hossain put 19 and skipper Sohrawardi Shuvo added 17.
   Rony Talukder was batting on 52 and Dollar Mahmud was unbeaten on 17 when stumps were drawn. Earlier, the Pakistan U-19 team won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat.

The Bangladesh Football Federation may defer the Divisional and District Football Association election in the wake of Cyclone Sidr. The BFF has called an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue.
   The district level election was scheduled to be held on December 5 and the divisional level on December 14. ‘As many districts have been absolutely shattered, we doubt whether they can hold the elections in time. We will discuss the scenario and take a final decision,’ said Monjur Hossain Malu, the acting general secretary of BFF.
   He however did not comment whether any rescheduling of the DFA election will affect the BFF election scheduled to be held on January 19.
   Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Barguna, Barisal, Jhalkathi, Pirojpur, Gopalganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Khulna, Bhola, Faridpur, Satkhira are the severely affected districts.

Dhaka Abahani moved into the semi-finals of the 56th Bordoloi Trophy after playing out a goalless draw with defending champions Assam Electricity Board at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati, Assam on Tuesday.
   Abahani needed a draw in the last match of Group B to advance. The result meant the holders were eliminated from the tournament.
   Abahani emerged as champions of Group B with Oil India as the runners-up. The Sky Blues will play ONGC of Mumbai in the semi-finals on Thursday. Port Authority of Thailand emerged as the top team of Group A.
   Dhaka Abahani won their first match against Oil India 2-0. Muktijoddha striker Saifur Rahman Moni playing on loan for Abahani, scored both goals.
   Abahani earlier finished runners-up in the Bordoloi Trophy in 1992 while Brothers Union remains the only Bangladesh team to have won the prestigious tournament in 2004.

The Bangladesh Olympic Association has arranged a month-long football training camp for age-level teams in the Tata Football Academy and Bangladesh Football Federation prefers to send the U-16 team for the training.
   The Tata Football Academy was established by the Tata Steel Sports Foundation in 1987. The Academy was conceived to nurture budding Indian footballers in a scientific way and raise the overall standard of Indian football.
   Initially the BOA opted to send the U-19 team which is preparing for the upcoming Dhaka Indo-Bangla Games in January, but the BFF thought it would be more beneficial for the U-16 team. As the U-19 team has been through a residential camp so the BFF thought it better to send the U-16 team instead for training.

Barisal batsman Roquibul Hasan and Rajshahi batsman Junaed Siddique have been fined 75 and 10 per cent of their match fees for breaching code of conduct in their respective National Cricket League matches on Tuesday.
   Hassan was penalised for showing dissent after he was given run out in the match against Khulna at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra.
   Junaed was fined for questioning the umpire after his batting partner Jahirul Islam was given out.

Reigning champions Viqarunnisa Noon School and College meets Scholastica College in the last super three match to decide the title of the 11th Delta Life women’s handball competition at the Paltan Maidan today.
   Chairman of Delta Life Insurance, Syed Moazzem Hossain, will be the chief guest on the occasion.

Senior Sri Lankan opening batsman Marvan Atapattu announced his retirement from international cricket here Tuesday.
   The 36-year-old opener issued an open letter to Duleep Mendis, chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket, informing him of his decision.
   Atapattu raised a storm during the first Brisbane Test against Australia earlier this month when he called his national selectors ‘muppets headed by a joker.’
   The former skipper hit out at the politics that he said were ruining Sri Lankan cricket and let his frustration out on the selection panel, which initially overlooked the right-hander for the two-Test tour to Australia.
   He was only added to the squad when Sri Lanka’s sports minister intervened and he cemented a place in the Test side with good form after premier batsman Kumar Sangakarra was injured.
   The Sri Lankan board ruled out sending Atapattu home during the series, which Australia won 2-0 here Tuesday, and said the matter would be dealt with after the tour.
   But Atapattu got in first with the announcement of his retirement.
   Atapattu will now not feature in next month’s three-Test home series against England.
   He scored 51 in the first innings in Brisbane and 80 in the second innings in Hobart, and is reportedly interested in playing club cricket in Sydney.
   Atapattu bows out after 90 Tests since 1990, scoring 5,422 runs at 38.73.
   Skipper Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to the opener and said it had been an emotional dressing room after the 96-run loss to Australia.
   ‘It’s emotional. It was a bit of a surprise for us as well because he made a strong comeback after not playing for some time and was very determined to show what he was capable of,’ Jayawardene said.
   ‘He proved that to a lot of people. The work ethic he had was incredible. It’s sad, but he made a very good speech in the dressing room.
   ‘He’s got a lot of future plans. I wish him the best.’

England’s cricketers had an early sighting of Sri Lanka’s conditions—and its wildlife—as they opened their six-week tour on Tuesday with a tough day in the field.
   The bowlers toiled hard on the slow wicket at the Colombo Cricket Club as the Sri Lanka Cricket XI scored 218-3 by stumps on the first day of the three-day practice match.
   Left-handed opener Upul Tharanga, sent back early from the Test tour of Australia to tune up for the home series, was unbeaten on 92 when heavy rain ended play 29 overs early.
   Tharanga put on 82 for the second wicket with Malinda Warnapura (48) and 92 in an unbroken fourth wicket stand with Chamara Kapugedara, who was unbeaten on 48 at the close.
   Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar picked up a wicket each, while off-spinner Graeme Swann proved the most expensive with 0-65 from his 12 overs.
   The home team’s batting skills were not the only thing that caught the attention of the tourists.
   Broad was chasing the ball in the outfield in the morning session when he spotted a giant cobra snake a few yards outside the boundary ropes.
   As soon as lunch was called, inquisitive England players rushed to the spot to get a glimpse of the deadly snake, which had wriggled itself into a hole in the club walls.
   When play resumed after lunch, the snake was forgotten as the local batsmen went after the English bowling.
   Panesar, regarded by coach Peter Moores as the team’s first-choice spinner, was thrashed for five boundaries in his opening over by Warnapura.
   Panesar earned some consolation when he removed Test contender Tillekeratne Dilshan for nought as the batsman skied an easy catch to Ravi Bopara in the covers.
   ‘We had seen a snake during the one-day series in October in Dambulla and that brought us some luck because we won 3-2,’ said Swann.
   ‘Hopefully we will have some luck this time also.’
   Meanwhile, fast bowler Steve Harmison joined the touring party on Tuesday morning after proving his fitness playing domestic cricket in South Africa.
   Harmison, who arrived a few hours before play started, could still take the field in this practice game, where England have been allowed to rotate all their 16 players.
   The tourists will also play a first-class match against the same opposition in Colombo from November 25-27 before the first Test begins in Kandy on December 1.
   The second Test will be played in Colombo from Dec 9-13 and the third in Galle from Dec 18-22.
   Brief scores:
   SLC XI 218-3 (U Tharanga 92 not out, M Warnapura 48, C Kapugedara 48 not out, R Sidebottom 1-24, S Broad 1-20, M Panesar 1-43).

Sri Lanka were unable to hide their disappointment after their brave but ultimately fruitless fightback in the second Test against Australia on Tuesday.
    ‘I felt we had a very good team, a good attack but the way we played was not very consistent,’ he told a news conference.
   ‘We couldn’t penetrate that top order, which was very disappointing. And the way we batted was disappointing as well _ particularly the first innings we played in both Test matches.
   ‘That gave us a lot of problems in the whole series. It’s a very disappointing series.’
   Jayawardene, who had publicly criticised his players during the series for their lack of application, said their only consolation was they were beaten by a great side and he hoped his own team would learn something from the Australians.
   ‘When you came across a side like Australia, you want to challenge yourself and see how far you’ve come and where you need to improve,’ he said.
   ‘There’s a lot of areas we need to improve but we have to sit down and talk about where we are as a group, show character as a group.
   ‘We have to realise we played against the best team in the world right now and they were in form as well.’
   Jaywardene nominated Kumar Sangakkara’s batting in the second Test as the highlight of the series for the Sri Lankans.
   Sangakkara made 57 in the first innings then 192 in the second—the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Australia - and was unlucky not to get a doublecentury when he was given out to a catch that came off his shoulder.
   ‘Kumar’s innings was fantastic. One of the best I’ve seen,’ Jayawardene said. ‘He batted exceptionally well. The way he handled the situation was brilliant.
   ‘I was very disappointed the way we got out. He is very upset about it, but that’s how the game goes I guess.’

Brett Lee says he will never replace fast bowling titan Glenn McGrath but his performances in the winning series over Sri Lanka point to a successful transition for Australian cricket.
   McGrath retired from Test cricket along with leg-spinning great Shane Warne after last January’s fifth Ashes Test against England in Sydney with 563 wickets, the most in history by a fast bowler.
   This is the first Test series since McGrath’s retirement and 31-year-old Lee has come through with flying colours, claiming man-of-the-series honours with 16 wickets in two Tests at 17.56.
   Lee has grown into a great fast bowler and was instrumental in the 96-run victory in the second and final Test with the crucial wickets of Marvan Atapattu (80), first-innings centurion Mahela Jayawardene (0) and Sanath Jayasuriya (45) in Sri Lanka’s second innings.
   Lee, who has taken over the role of Australia’s premier strike bowler, plays down any comparison with McGrath.
   ‘Well, they are massive shoes to fill and I will never ever try to fill Glenn’s shoes. We are different bowlers,’ Lee said after his 4-87 in Tuesday’s second innings.
   ‘The thing that I can only do is really focus on trying to lead the Australian attack the best way I possibly can and that’s building partnerships and bowling with the rest of the guys.
   ‘I’m really happy with my own personal performance and the way the ball came out, but it was a brilliant team effort.’
   Skipper Ricky Ponting believes Lee, once a firebrand speedster, has become a smarter bowler.
   ‘The more you play the smarter you become and the more you understand what you have to do to be successful. I think that’s where it is with Brett at the moment,’ Ponting said.
   ‘He knows now that if he bowls enough balls in the right areas... he’s giving himself the best chance of taking wickets.
   ‘If you look at what Glenn McGrath did over the years, he really didn’t do anything special. He kept the ball in the right area and took away the batsman’s scoring shots.
   ‘I think Brett’s just getting the ball in the right areas for longer periods of time and luckily enough we are hanging on to a few catches for him.’

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson was given 24 hours jail and ordered to perform 360 hours of community service here Monday after pleading guilty to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence.
   Tyson, 41, who also received three years probation, had faced a lengthy spell behind bars after prosecutors demanded he be jailed for one year in connection with an incident outside a nightclub in December 2006.
   However, Tyson escaped with only one day behind bars after winning praise from Maricopa County Superior Court judge Helene Abrams for his enrolment in a rehabilitation program.
   ‘Mr Tyson I am very impressed with the letters I have received ... probation is warranted,’ Abrams told the boxer.
   Tyson spoke in a barely audible whisper during the proceedings, telling officials: ‘I would like to apologize for my actions.’
   Tyson was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 29 last year after nearly crashing his car into a police car as he left a bar.

Fast bowler Dale Steyn has been included in the South African squad for a Twenty20 international and three one-day internationals against New Zealand following his match-winning efforts in the Test series against the same opponents.
   Steyn is the only change from the squad which won a one-day series in Pakistan last month. He replaces all-rounder Justin Kemp, who has indicated he wants to retire from international cricket.
   Steyn, who took 20 wickets at an average of 9.20 in two Tests against New Zealand, has only played in seven one-day internationals because of concerns that his ability to take wickets is offset by a tendency to concede too many runs.
   Morne van Wyk is on standby for Gibbs for the three one-day internationals after Gibbs suffered a knee injury during the second Test against New Zealand. The first one-day international is in Durban Sunday following a Twenty20 international in Johannesburg Friday.
   Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Albie Morkel, Vernon Philander, Johan Botha, Andre Nel, Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn.

The quarter-final line-up of the Goldsmith inter-club snooker tournament was finalised after Tamim Touhid of Narayanganj Club defeated Uttara Club’s Yakub Sattar by 3-2 frames in the day’s only match at the Uttara Club on Tuesday.
   In the quarter-finals, Ashfarul Islam of Dhaka Club plays Reza Pahalovi of Narayanganj Club, Ahsan Afzal of Uttara Club meets Abdul Nasir of Uttara Club, M Masudul Alam (Bappy) of Uttara Club takes on Mostaqur Rahman of Gulshan Club and Tamim Touhid of Narayanganj Club plays Riaz Hossain (Dhaka Club).

Bob Woolmer was a ‘little depressed’ following his team’s exit from the World Cup and he was looking forward to going home, according to an email that may have been his final words before his death in Kingston, Jamaica last March.
   The email, which was sent to his wife, Gill, was read to jurors at the inquest into Woolmer’s death. ‘Hi, darling, feeling a little depressed currently as you might imagine,’ the message started. ‘I am not sure which is worse, being knocked out in the semi-final at Edgbaston or now in the first round. Our batting performance was abysmal and my worse fears were realised ... I could tell the players were for some reason not able to fire themselves up.’
   He went on to say that he was glad not to have to travel to Guyana and was looking forward to seeing his family again. ‘I hope your day was better but I doubt it as you were probably watching ... not much more to add I am afraid but I still love you lots.’
   Mark Shields, Jamaica’s deputy police commissioner who was at the heart of the investigation, read the email to jurors. He is among the final witnesses in the inquest which is expected to finish this week.
   The fifth week of the inquest got off to a bizarre start when a subpoenaed witness failed to turn up. David Wong Ken, a local DJ who claimed to have evidence about Woolmer’s death, failed to appear under instruction from his lawyer. ‘I take full responsibility for him not being here,’ his representative said. ‘It would be an exercise in futility, and a side-show that should not be allowed.’

Former East German football clubs are becoming increasingly concerned about the rising tide of hoolinganism and violence amongst their supporters, with experts fearing it could disrupt Euro 2008.
   Directors of Dynamo Dresden, whose supporters are seen as the most violent in Germany, seem almost powerless and they have taken the unprecedented step of meeting with their supporters to discuss the future of the club.
   Dynamo, the leading club of the former East Germany with eight league titles recently had to forfeit from an indoor tournament for fear of a repetition of the violent incidents which occurred on November 4.
   On that occasion, a division five match between a reserve Dresden team and another leading club from the Soviet era, Lokomotiv Leipzig, erupted in violent confrontations. Police used tear gas to quell some 600 supporters who attacked each other by throwing rocks and launching smoke bombs.
   The day before there had been similar violent incidents during a third division match between Dresden and FC Union Berlin.
   For these two matches, 1,500 police were deployed and 250 people were arrested during an operation which cost two million euros including damage caused by the hooligans.
   These type of incidents are causing concern but not surprise amongst German football officials.
   ‘To do more in terms of security, isn’t possible. In the stadiums, everything is going fine, it’s outside and after the matches that things are getting out of hand,’ said Klaus Reichenbach, president of the Football league of Saxony.
   Gunter A. Pilz, a sociologist specialised in football violence from the university of Hanover said that the football hooliganism is an old problem.
   ‘The phenomenon isn’t new: we can’t say there has been a resurgence of hooliganism in Germany, in particular in the new regions coming from the ex-DDR (east),’ Pilz said.
   Dresden supporters have cultivated their nasty reputation, based on racism, anti-semitism and references to nazism, throughout the 1990’s, but gained further notoriety with a number of violent incidents in 2006.
   ‘We are witnessing, in the new states, the same thing that happnened in the 1980’s and 90’s in the west of the country. It’s an expression of frustration with unemployment, the absence of infrastructure or a future - the football is only a pretext,’ said Pilz.
   The sociologist points out that problems of violence, in particular in the Ruhr industrial heartland in western Germany, had been controlled by a national approach to security initiated in 1992 which ‘balanced repression and prevention’.
   The approach included stadium bans for violent supporters and putting the obligation on the cities which had first or second division clubs to take responsibility for their supporters.
   Over the past three years, Dynamo Dresden has employed three social workers to try and create links with the infamous hooligan group the ‘Ultras’, but due to a lack of financial support, one of these posts will be abolished in 2008.
   ‘The public authorities must do more,’ said Pilz, who fears that Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland on June 7 to 29 will see violent confrontations between supporters, especially amongst those who don’t have match tickets and converge on the city centres.
   ‘Just because the World Cup was conducted in a peaceful and festive atmosphere in Germany doesn’t mean that Austria and Switzerland won’t see violent incidents, especially with their easily accessible position in central Europe and their small capacity stadiums,’ warned Pilz.
   ‘The conditions will be completely different than they were for the World Cup,’ he warned.

Germany’s hot-shot striker Miroslav Klose is looking forward to concluding his country’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a goal bonanza today when they take on minnows Wales.
   Klose, top scorer at last year’s World Cup, netted his 36th international goal in Saturday’s 4-0 qualifier win over Cyprus on Saturday and says Germany should have no problems against John Toshack’s side in Frankfurt.
   Germany have already qualified for next June’s tournament in Austria and Switzerland, while Wales have missed their chance to progress.
   The Welsh showed some fighting spirit with a 2-2 draw against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff last Saturday as Jason Koumas converted an 89th minute penalty.
   But Germany humbled the Welsh 2-0 in Cardiff when the sides met in September with Klose slotting home both goals at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
   ‘If we play as we did against Cyprus, we should have no problems,’ said Bayern Munich’s Klose.
   ‘Wales are a bit weaker than Cyprus, so we should be able to score a few goals.
   ‘Right now, we have a full choice of quality forwards.
   ‘Despite their young age, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez already show tremendous skills.’
   Despite having struggled for first-team football at Bayern Munich, Podolski has impressed recently with a brace of goals in Bayern’s 2-2 UEFA Cup draw against Bolton, scored on Saturday and set up two goals against Cyprus.
   German coach Joachim Low played Podolski, voted the best young player at last year’s World Cup, in a supporting role just behind the two strikers and the new ploy caused Cyprus all sorts of problems.
   In contrast, Wales are struggling with injuries.
   Striker Freddy Eastwood has a knee injury with the Welsh attack already weakened by the absence of Craig Bellamy (groin) and Jason Koumas (suspension).
   But striker Rob Earnshaw, who missed Saturday’s draw with flu, travelled with the squad to Germany on Monday.
   Carl Robinson (ankle) misses out after being injured against the Irish but teenager Lewin Nyatanga (groin) is available to join an inexperienced squad.
   Defender Sam Ricketts is available again after suspension but Gareth Bale (foot) is still missing.
   Germany will rest defender Arne Friedrich who plays for Hertha Berlin in Friday night’s Bundesliga clash with Karlsruhe.
   Defender Clemens Fritz and right-sided midfielder Roberto Hilbert are both expected to start against the Welsh.
   Both Klose and Podolski are fit to play after running off slight knocks from Saturday’s game in training on Monday.

Roma captain and talisman Francesco Totti has ruled out a return to the Italian national team, despite the world champions’ qualification for Euro 2008.
   Totti’s international retirement has been one of the major talking points in Italy ever since Roberto Donadoni’s team got off to a dreadful start in their qualification campaign.
   And even after a 2-1 victory in Scotland on Saturday secured the Azzurri’s passage to Austria and Switzerland, Donadoni has come under fire for not doing more to hold onto Totti and Alessandro Nesta, who also retired from international football.
   But Totti told the Gazzetta dello Sport that he has no intention of coming back into the international fold.
   ‘I know the rules of the group and out of respect for that I would never think of returning to the Azzurri squad,’ said the 31-year-old.
   ‘I made my decision to retire from international football straight after the World Cup Final in Berlin.
   ‘The (Italian) Federation asked me to take some time and I did, but at the start of last season I told them that I wanted to quit and I have never reconsidered since, whether we qualified for Euro 2008 or not.
   ‘My relationship with Donadoni and the Federation is clear and civil. I wish my former teammates all the best for the European Championship.’
   Under-fire Donadoni had insisted that both Totti and Nesta could be welcomed back into the squad, but claimed that decision was out of his hands.
   ‘I did everything possible,’ said Donadoni. ‘How can I force them to return to the national side if they aren’t motivated? It would be counterproductive.
   ‘If they change their minds I would listen to them, but certain choices deserve to be respected.’

Rising French stars Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri will head the shopping lists of Italy’s top sides during the January transfer window, according to Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport.
   The sports newspaper listed the five players it considers to be the most wanted in the transfer market, with Lyon’s Benzema and Marseille’s Nasri, valued at 30 million euros apiece, topping the list.
   The other three are Roma’s Brazilian forward Alessandro Mancini, Chelsea’s Portuguese centre-back Ricardo Carvalho and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic.
   Champions Inter Milan are set to do battle with Real Madrid for midfielder Nasri while AC Milan will be battling it out with the Spanish giants for French league top goalscorer Benzema’s signature.
   Juventus want Ivanovic while Inter are also apparently leading the chase for both Mancini and Carvalho, although there is allegedly interest in those two from Juventus and Fiorentina respectively.
   ‘Roma, Mancini will not renew (his contract): Lyon are waiting but (Inter president Massimo) Moratti will try to hijack (the transfer),’ said Gazzetta.
   ‘Chelsea are proposing a swap-deal with the black-and-blues (Inter) for Carvalho and (Walter) Samuel.’
   Mancini will fetch a reported 22 million euros with Ivanovic costing 15 million euros and Carvalho 10 million euros.
   The main interest, though, will centre on 19-year-old Benzema, the new striking star of French football, and 20-year-old Nasri, hailed in the French press as the new Zinedine Zidane - due in no small part to both players having Algerian heritage.

The final cost of staging the 2010 football World Cup could be up to 500 million dollars more than previous estimates, the South African government said on Tuesday.
   ‘Current projections by host cities show that we might be facing an escalation of anything estimated between 2.8 billion (417 million dollars) to 3.4 billion rand (507 million dollars),’ deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi told reporters in Pretoria.
   ‘We have dispatched all our technical teams to look into the projected escalation and put in extra capacity to interrogate on the spot the nature of the problem and what it means,’ he added.
   The central government has so far made available a budget of 17.4 billion rand for the World Cup and Moleketi said it would work out how to finance the shortfall after coming up with a more detailed cost calculation next month.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said on Tuesday that he has not permanently closed the door on Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero.
   Donadoni dropped Del Piero in the latter stages of the Euro 2008 qualification campaign and put his faith in Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale, who made a difference with his tricky runs and ability to play on the left.
   The coach said he will not make any big changes to the squad that qualified for Euro 2008 with a game to spare after a 2-1 win over Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday.
   But he also stressed there is still hope for Del Piero and for 25-year-old forward Antonio Cassano, who is trying to
   revive his career during a loan stint at Sampdoria after failing to make an impression at Real Madrid.
   ‘It depends on Cassano and Del Piero, on their heads first of all and then on their legs,’ Donadoni told Rai radio.
   ‘My bad luck, if you like, is that I have so many good players at my disposal.’

Germany’s head coach Joachim Low and DFB president Theo Zwanziger moved on Tuesday to calm the troubled waters between German team manager Oliver Bierhoff and former national coach Rudi Voller.
   Voller, Bayer Leverkusen’s director of football, attacked Bierhoff on Monday in German sports magazine Kicker accusing him of being a big-headed after Bierhoff criticised the work of Bundesliga clubs at the weekend.
   ‘I would advise Bierhoff to show more humility and reserve: he should have himself examined by Dr Muller-Wohlfahrt (German team doctor),’ Voller told Kicker.
   ‘His constant use of the term ‘Me, I’ is beginning to have an effect on him,’ he said.
   The former Germany boss was also scathing of Bierhoff’s performance when he played and captained Germany during Voller’s term as coach from 2000 to 2004.
   ‘We couldn’t play like the Brazilians with a player worthy of the Maltese championship.’
   But after Voller’s volley of insults, Low, who is preparing the national side for their final Euro 2008 qualifier against Wales in Frankfurt on Wednesday, played down the spat, talking up the relationship between clubs and country.
   ‘The relationship between the national side and the federal league is outstanding,’ said Low.

An Italian sports judge on Monday ordered the postponed league match between Atalanta and AC Milan to be replayed behind closed doors.
   The original match on November 11 was abandoned after just seven minutes following crowd violence linked to the tragic fatal shooting of a Lazio supporter by a policeman earlier in the day.
   Atalanta fans in the north stand turned violent in protest at the police shooting and smashed a safety glass separating them from the pitch, despite the attempts of Atalanta players to calm them.
   The match will now be replayed at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia in front of empty stands while the north stand will also be closed until March 31 next year.
   Atalanta have taken the punishment on the chin, having been roundly criticised by the press and football community.
   ‘We will not appeal, no. We accept the sport judge’s decisions,’ said club president Ivan Ruggeri.
   ‘I thank those that have put us in this situation,’ he added sarcastically. ‘I take it upon myself to be held accountable for the damage that they done to society.
   ‘Perhaps I didn’t expect such a strong sanction but given that this incident has been seen all over the world, we cannot close our eyes.’

A Russian billionaire has offered incentives to Croatia for beating England in their final Euro 2008 Group E qualifier on Wednesday, a result that would give Russia a chance to reach the finals.
   Spartak Moscow owner Leonid Fedun said he would donate four Mercedes cars to Croatia’s best players if their team comes away with a win at Wembley.
   Fedun said he simply wanted to boost Croatia’s morale by offering their goalkeeper and the top three field players each a Mercedes. Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa plays for Spartak.
   ‘I’m doing this strictly as a fan,’ Fedun was quoted as saying by the Russian media.
   ‘If we have even a small chance we must try to use it.’
   Israeli media reported that an English businessman had promised a Mercedes to the Israel player, who scored a winning goal against Russia.
   However, the Israeli FA said Omer Golan, who struck the injury-time winner, would not be able to accept the gift because it was deemed to be ‘beyond the bounds of sportsmanship’.

The cast list for Euro 2008 will be completed today with England, Northern Ireland and Portugal among those nations scrapping it out for one of the four remaining places.
   The treacherous business of qualifying began 15 months ago and now, after over 3,000 minutes of play, it’s make or break time for teams like England who face Croatia at Wembley requiring a point to avoid the humiliation of missing the Euro boat.
   After a roller coaster journey Steve McClaren’s side are lying second in Group E on 23 points, three behind already qualified Croatia and two clear of Russia.
   McClaren said: ‘This is the last game. There are no excuses. We have got ourselves in this position and we have to get the job done.’
   With strike pair Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen injured Peter Crouch has been handed the task of leading England’s attack against the Croats with McClaren contemplating a 4-5-1 formation.
   ‘Of course I relish the responsibility. I’ve done it before in big games with Liverpool and England,’ said Crouch. ‘I’ve always managed to cope and I’m sure I’ll do it again if I’m selected on Wednesday,’ he added.
   If things go pear-shaped at Wembley McClaren knows he could well find himself searching out his local job centre.
   While England are once again masters of their own destiny thanks to Israel’s upset win over Guus Hiddink’s Russians in Tel Aviv on Saturday - Northern Ireland’s fate is out of their hands.
   Back in the frame for a trip to Austria and Switzerland after defeating Denmark on Saturday they need to beat Group F winners Spain and pray that Latvia ‘do an Israel’ by defeating Sweden.
   Manager Nigel Worthington will be without suspended duo Keith Gillespie and Jonny Evans but on the plus side Kyle Lafferty returns after a ban.
   His side are arguably favourites having dished out a 3-2 beating of Luis Aragones’ team at Windsor Park in the first leg in September last year, with David Healy memorably getting a hat-trick.
   But Spain are anxious to wind up as group leaders with Valencia striker David Villa saying: ‘Against Northern Ireland we will fight to be first in the group.’
   In Group A Euro 2004 hosts and beaten finalists Portugal are in pole to qualify as runners-up behind Poland who secured their first ever ticket to a European championships at the weekend.
   The Portuguese need a point against Finland in Porto to ensure their presence at next year’s finals.
   Serbia have an outside chance of pipping this duo if they come away with wins against Poland on Wednesday and Kazakhstan on Saturday and Finland take all three points in Porto.
   Elsewhere Greece, who stunned Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Portugal to win Euro 2004, have ensured they’ll be in place to defend their title as winners of Group C leaving Turkey and Norway chasing second spot.
   The Turks, semi-finalists at the 2004 World Cup, are in the driving seat after beating Norway on Saturday.
   Victory over Bosnia will do it for Fatih Terman’s men while the Scandinavians need to beat Malta and hope Bosnia take at least a point off their Group C rivals.
   The 12 nations already in possession of their boarding passes to next year’s finals are: Poland, Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands and co-hosts Austria and Switzerland.
   

   Fixtures
   Wednesday
   Group A
   Armenia v Kazakhstan
   Azerbaijan v Belgium
   Serbia v Poland
   Portugal v Finland
   
   Group B
   Georgia v Lithuania
   Ukraine v France
   Italy v Faroe Islands
   
   Group C
   Turkey v Bosnia-Herzegovina
   Malta v Norway
   Hungary v Greece
   
   Group D
   Cyprus v Czech Republic
   Germany v Wales
   San Marino v Slovakia
   
   Group E
   Israel v Macedonia
   Andorra v Russia
   England v Croatia
   
   Group F
   Spain v Northern Ireland
   Denmark v Iceland
   Sweden v Latvia
   
   Group G
   Romania v Albania
   Slovenia v Bulgaria
   Belarus v Netherlands

Steven Gerrard has warned his England team-mates that they cannot afford to waste the second chance they have been granted in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
   Israel’s surprise win over Russia at the weekend has left Gerrard and his teammates needing a draw against Croatia at Wembley today to book their passage to a tournament they had looked destined to miss.
   And the Liverpool midfielder knows that this ‘golden’ generation of England players will never be taken seriously again if they fluff the opportunity against a Croatian side with nothing but pride to play for.
   ‘It was a difficult weekend when it wasn’t in our hands,’ Gerrard admitted.
   ‘But as soon as we knew we had a lifeline we were 100 per cent focused on the Croatia game. Now it’s time to deliver on the pitch.’
   Gerrard added: ‘I suppose we can feel slightly fortunate; we had a bit of luck and we did need other people to help us. But tables don’t lie - everybody in football knows that. If we qualify on Wednesday we will deserve it.’
   Gerrard will again captain the side in the absence of regular skipper John Terry. The Chelsea centreback joined in the squad’s training session on Tuesday but is not yet match fit after a month out of action following knee surgery.
   ‘I’ve spoken to John and he tells us he’s not ready but he’ll still be there and be a big help to all the players,’ Gerrard said.
   With Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen both out injured, England are expected to go into the match with Peter Crouch as a sole striker ahead of a five-man midfield.
   That will put more onus on Gerrard and Frank Lampard to get forward and support the striker, the captain admitted.
   ‘I’m sure Peter can handle that and it’s down to the other players to make sure he’s not isolated.’
   Gerrard went on to highlight the significance of former captain David Beckham’s experience of such important matches, in comments which suggest the LA Galaxy midfielder has won his personal battle with Shaun Wright-Phillips for a berth on the right flank of Steve McClaren’s side.
   ‘I’m very proud to lead this side. For England it probably is my biggest game as captain. But I’ve captained Liverpool in enough big games to know what it’s all about,’ Gerrard said.
   ‘To come off the pitch on Wednesday night knowing we’d qualified would be great. David’s a big player too, and he was the captain of this side for a long time.
   ‘He’s got experience and he’s very important, especially for the younger boys who he is a great help to. ‘But whoever the manager chooses will have to be ready. It’s not just about 11 players - every single player has to be ready.’
   McClaren, who has admitted that nervous tension left him unable to watch the final moments of the Israel-Russia match on Saturday, also dropped a broad hint that Beckham would start.
   ‘Experience is a key thing in big games,’ the manager said.
   Although Beckham looked short of match fitness in a 1-0 friendly win over Austria in Vienna on Friday, it was his
   ever-reliable delivery from a corner that allowed Crouch to head the winning goal and McClaren will be hoping for something similar at Wembley this night.
   The manager would not be drawn on whether he intends to drop under-pressure goalkeeper Paul Robinson in favour of Aston Villa’s Scott Carson, who kept a clean sheet on his international debut in Vienna but was never really tested by the limited Austrians.
   ‘I’m not revealing the team at all,’ McClaren said when invited to give Robinson a vote of confidence.
   ‘The players might have an idea but they won’t know until 6.30 tonight.’

Peter Crouch believes he can fire England to Euro 2008 as long as David Beckham is given the chance to supply the ammunition.
   Steve McClaren must decide whether to keep faith with Beckham in England’s decisive showdown against Croatia today after the midfielder’s lethargic display in Austria last week.
   Beckham has hardly played for LA Galaxy this season after a series of injuries and McClaren could opt to bring in Shaun Wright-Phillips for the former Manchester United star.
   But Beckham can still present a persuasive case to win his 99th cap.
   Despite his lack of match fitness, he delivered the corner that led to Crouch’s headed winner in Vienna. And he has plenty of experience of this kind of crunch match, with his last-minute free-kick against Greece that booked England’s passage to the 2002 World Cup still a vivid memory.
   Crouch is convinced his best chance of scoring the goals today that would make him an England hero lie with Beckham.
   ‘He’s still one of the best at delivering from set-pieces or out wide, so for someone like me who scores the majority of my goals from crosses he certainly a player to have,’ Crouch said.
   ‘He’s a fantastic player for me. The last time I started for England against Estonia he created a goal for me.
   ‘With someone like him, I just know I need to get into the box because, given half a yard, he is going to whip a cross in. An early cross is perfect for me and David always provides that.’
   Injuries to Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney have left Crouch to shoulder England’s attacking responsibilities. It is a challenge he is relishing.
   After several years as a figure of fun in the English game, the giant forward’s record of 13 goals in 23 internationals has earned him respect but now he wants to be the main man.
   ‘It’s exciting for the players who are picked on Wednesday,’ he said. ‘They will have a huge chance to be a hero and put England through to the tournament.
   ‘It’s something you dream of. It would be nice to be remembered for the sort of goals that Michael Owen scored in the World Cup or David Beckham against Greece.
   ‘Apart from a silly dance there’s been a few great moments. But I haven’t had a chance to play in a defining match when we can get to the finals. When given the chance I’m sure I’ll be capable of doing that.’
   Under Sven Goran Eriksson England were serial quarter-finalists in major tournaments but, if they do make it to next year’s finals in Austria and Switzerland, Crouch has no doubts McClaren’s team can win the competition.
   ‘We’ve got good enough players. It’s time to show how good we can be,’ he said. ‘We all believe we have the capabilities to win it and there’s no reason why we can’t.’
   While Joe Cole hopes to spend next June and July helping England live up to Crouch’s boast, the winger is ready to send his Chelsea team-mate Tal Ben Haim for a more low-key holiday.
   Cole promised to pay for Israel defender Ben Haim’s vacation if his country did England a favour by beating Russia on Saturday.
   Ben Haim duly obliged and Cole has lined up a trip to one of England’s less glamourous seaside resorts. He said: ‘Yeah, I’ve got him a few brochures for Clacton-on-Sea. He’ll have a great time.
   ‘Seriously, I’m a man of my word. It started off as a joke, and he’ll probably say I don’t have to do that, but I’ll send him and his wife somewhere nice. I’m sure we can cut a few corners!’

Steve McClaren has struggled to keep England on course for Euro 2008 despite having a so-called golden generation to call on.
   But, in the view of many involved in the English game, the current head coach’s eventual successor could face a far more daunting task if there is no let-up in the influx of foreign players into the Premier League.
   Of the 220 players who started in the ten Premier League fixtures on the weekend beginning November 10, only 74 were qualified to play for England.
   The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo have undeniably helped to make the English top flight the most popular league in the world.
   But it is also a trend that some feel should be concerning the English Football Association even more than the immediate future of the team under McClaren.
   Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, believes international football is in danger of being marginalized and has proposed the introduction of quotas that would require a minimum of six England-qualified players in each team.
   His suggestion has won influential backing in recent weeks, with both Steven Gerrard and Sir Alex Ferguson speaking out in support of his stance.
   Liverpool captain Gerrard fears England’s hopes of success are in danger of being eroded further unless the clubs regularly competing in the Champions League are forced to include local players in their squads.
   There are only 12 English players on view among the 32 teams involved in this season’s Champions League group stages. By contrast, there are 53 Brazilians involved and the Ivory Coast, with 11 players, comes close to matching England’s representation.
   To see the positive effects of nurturing talent from within your own borders, English football only needs to look across the border to Scotland.
   As a consequence of a financial crisis triggered by a lost broadcasting deal five years ago, Scottish clubs have been forced to concentrate on the development of home-grown players and that trend has been encouraged by rules stipulating that at least three under-21 players must be in every club’s 18-man matchday squad in the Scottish Premier League.
   Supporters believe the changes have underpinned the current revival in the Scottish game with both Rangers and Celtic involved in the group stages of the Champions League this season—for the first time—and the national side having pushed Italy and France all the way in Euro 2008 qualifying.
   Gerrard is convinced that English clubs must act now if the upturn in Scotland’s fortunes is not to be mirrored by a downturn in England’s prospects.
   ‘I believe if foreigners do take over completely it will affect our national team even worse than it is now,’ Gerrard said. ‘I sit here and proudly say I’m playing in one of the best leagues in the world but the important thing is to have one of the best national teams as well as one of the best leagues.
   ‘It’s no good having the best Premier League and a national team that’s suffering. It is important to keep bringing quality players through, the likes of your Wayne Rooneys and Michael Owens. Otherwise the national team will suffer.
   ‘I support the Liverpool academy now and I’m desperate for another young English player to come through into the Liverpool team.
   ‘It certainly helps the team because they help foreign players. And it’s a connection to the supporters if you like of what’s needed at that club.’
   Ferguson agrees with Gerrard. He said: ‘For the good of the game in England, it would be good to see more home-based players at the top clubs.
   ‘I totally agree with Blatter, but there would be opposition from clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal.’
   Not surprisingly, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger disagrees. The Gunners boss has built a superb team that sits top of the Premier League and refuses to apologise for the fact that there is rarely an Englishman in his starting line-up.
   ‘I find the whole proposal completely ridiculous,’ the Frenchman said. ‘The thinking behind it, I believe, is to protect the national teams.
   ‘But it won’t protect the best players, it will protect the mediocre ones and you don’t win a World Cup with mediocre players, you win it with world-class ones.
   ‘The best English players - the Rooneys, the Owens, the Gerrards, the Lampards - they are all playing for their clubs anyway.’
   Wenger will be relieved to hear that Blatter’s plan is unlikely to prosper in its current format. Although England could make changes based on age as the Scots have done, any quotas based on nationality will fall foul of European Union law.
   There have been suggestions that an exception for sport could be granted in a new treaty currently being negotiated by the bloc’s member states but the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, has made it clear it sees no case for footballers being made a special case.

Under fire Italy boss Roberto Donadoni may have thought that leading the world champions to the Euro 2008 finals would give him some breathing space from his detractors, but he has quickly found out otherwise.
   Ahead of a somewhat meaningless qualifying group B clash here today against minnows the Faroe Islands, Donadoni has not even had time to bask in his success before the blunted knives started being sharpened once again.
   The dramatic last gasp 2-1 victory in Scotland ensured Italy’s passage to Austria and Switzerland next year but Donadoni still cannot escape criticism from the press and leading figures in Italian football.
   Most notably, he is being blamed for the international retirements of Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti. But even so, the players are still behind him.
   ‘We are happy for him and he deserved this great achievement. They tell me he got very emotional in the locker room (after the Scotland match), but I did not see that,’ said goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
   ‘It was not easy to replace Marcello Lippi (who guided Italy to World Cup victory in Germany last year), but he took full responsibility. He convinced us because he is a great coach and a consistent man who knows how to make the right decisions at the right time.
   ‘He certainly worked well both for the present and the future. Continuing this way we can have some more wonderful moments in Austria and Switzerland, considering how much we have improved over the past year.’
   Donadoni has been forced on the defensive, though, with even veteran boss Carlo Mazzone having a dig at him over the Totti and Nesta retirements.
   ‘I did everything possible,’ said Donadoni. ‘How can I force them to return to the national side if they aren’t motivated? It would be counterproductive.
   ‘If they change their minds I would listen to them, but certain choices deserve to be respected.’
   This night will give Italian football fans and players a chance to enjoy their qualification for a little longer as they will be expected to romp to victory against the Faroes, who have lost all their group games, scoring a paltry three goals in 11 games while conceeding 40.

Italian champions Inter Milan and Juventus are set to battle it out for the signature of Argentina playmaker Juan-Roman Riquelme in the January transfer window, press reports suggested here Monday.
   Riquelme, who once forged a formidable forward pairing with Uruguay striker Diego Forlan at Villarreal, is due to leave the Yellow Submarines in January after failing to patch-up his differences with coach Manuel Pellegrini.
   The Argentine forward went out on loan last season after falling out of favour with Pellegrini, despite being the team’s star man the season before.
   He came close to joining Atletico Madrid in the summer for around nine million euros and it is believed that a similar sum could tempt Villarreal into letting him leave for Italy.
   Riquelme’s international team-mate Walter Samuel, a centre-back, said he would love to see the 29-year-old join him at Inter, particularly with right-winger Luis Figo injured.
   ‘They say that Riquelme is slow and it makes me laugh,’ Samuel told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
   ‘With him the ball goes so quickly. He is a great three-quarter (attacking midfielder) and the kind of player you can rely on - I’d love to have him here at Inter.’
   Riquelme is in fine form having scored twice in Argentina’s win over Bolivia at the weekend.
   Juventus reportedly have first refusal on Riquelme, although Inter may be able to outbid them and some reports suggest Real Madrid are also interested.

Nearly 30,000 football fans attended Monday’s fifth edition of the Match Against Poverty organised here by football legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo as part of their work with the United Nations Development Programme.
   Former France captain and Real Madrid star Zidane
   and Brazil striker Ronaldo, who are both Goodwill Ambassadors for the UNDP, have been the driving forces behind this initiative since 2003.
   Spectators paid between 10 and 25 euros for tickets for the game which was played between ‘Friends of Zidane’ and the ‘Friends of Ronaldo’ and ended in a 2-2 draw.
   ‘The aim of such a match is to make people aware of the problem of poverty in the world,’ said AC Milan star Ronaldo, who is making his way back from injury and was substituted in the first half by seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher.
   Proceeds will as in previous years benefit anti-poverty projects in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

England are set for a cash injection of up to 24 million pounds if they qualify for the Euro 2008 Championships.
   Under-pressure coach Steve McClaren’s side now need just a draw in their final qualifying match against Croatia at Wembley today to book their place at next year’s tournament in Austria and Switzerland after they were thrown a lifeline by Israel’s victory at home to Russia last weekend.
   The Football Association, England’s national governing body, have 45 licensing deals with a variety of companies which will generate some eight million pounds from England-endorsed products should the team get the point they need against the Croats.
   European football chiefs at UEFA will also give prize money to the 16 finalists with a minimum payment of around
   four million pounds, which will be topped up by win
   bonuses in group games and additional cash for countries that make it through to the knockout stages.
   If England or any other team win all their matches and the final they can expect to earn a total of approximately 16 million pounds.
   But regardless of whether or not England qualify, the FA are in a strong financial position after recently signing a television deal with British terrestrial broadcaster ITV and satellite channel Setanta worth a huge 425 million pounds which will last until 2012.