Kings XI Punjab (162/6) beat Delhi Daredevils (158/8) four wickets
   Simon Katich’s last game of the IPL turned into a memorable one as he steered Punjab’s run-chase against a formidable Delhi bowling line-up in Mohali on Sunday.
   After a four-pronged pace attack had made use of a surface that offered bounce, keeping Delhi down to a modest total, Katich’s innovative methods helped Punjab to their second successive win in the competition. After watching two early losses, Priety Zinta has plenty of reasons to smile.
   Delhi’s bowlers had set up both their earlier wins but their batsmen squandered the early advantage at the toss here.
   A string of sketchy cameos allowed them to reach a competitive total but even the usually niggardly bowling line-up had no answer to Katich’s cheeky shuffles.
   Punjab might feel they under-used Katich - sent in at No.5 in their first game, where he was up against an near-impossible asking-rate, and missing out on the next two.
   Opening the innings here was the ideal platform, though, and he did what no other batsman has managed in the tournament: hit Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif off rhythm.
   The duo had got Delhi upbeat with a wicket apiece but none could contain Katich’s counter-attack.
   McGrath was struck for two successive fours twice while Asif was a bit confused after a hat-trick of boundaries - scooped over extra-cover, scooped over point and pulled to fine leg. Full or short, they were all put away.
   He should have been out on 26, when an inswinging yorker from McGrath had him plumb in front, but Rudi Koertzen the umpire, suggested there was an inside edge.
   Batsmen talk of playing in the V and Katich managed that both in front and behind the wicket. Two delectable straight drives, either side of the stumps at the non-striker’s end, had McGrath muttering.
   But what really messed with the bowlers’ plans were his nimble shuffles across the stumps, gliding and flicking past the keeper.
   Walking across the stumps, he regularly played the pick-up shot to fine leg and whenever offered width he didn’t waste the chance to angle the bat fine.
   He fell with just 40 needed, a task which Yuvraj Singh made sure was accomplished without too many jitters.
   The game had been set up by the bowlers earlier. Irfan Pathan and Brett Lee made the early breakthroughs and were well backed up by VRV Singh and legspinner Piyush Chawla.
   They used the short ball effectively, amply illustrated by Shoaib Malik’s tame upper-cut that sailed straight to Lee at third man.
   Pathan’s two wickets - one an in-ducker to nail Virender Sehwag, the other a quick one that knocked back Rajat Bhatia’s off stump - made him the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
   VRV was the most effective, ending with three wickets and conceding only 29. He hustled with pace and regularly surprised the batsmen with bounce.
   Dinesh Karthik had no clue to one that took off from a good length, flicked the glove and raced away over the keeper for four, and Tiwary too was in trouble against some well-directed bouncers.
   Sehwag threatened to carry on from where he left off in the previous match but was trapped in front while shuffling across to Pathan.
   Shikhar Dhawan was unlucky to be given out to a Lee bouncer, when the ball actually brushed his shoulder, but the rest didn’t have too many excuses.
   Malik, Karthik and Bhatia chipped in with cameos, all helping Tiwary in the rebuilding process but it was always going to be too little a total to defend, what with the fast outfield with the boundaries pulled in.
   Having done little of note in the tournament, Tiwary showed his ability to handle both spin and pace - sweeping Chawla and lofting Lee.
   He was in a good position to boost the total at the death - well set in the 18th over and striking it clean - but VRV’s short ball did for him as well, top-edging one straight to mid-on.
   Lee ended with only one wicket but he will leave for Australia with the satisfaction of playing a part in the side’s early revival.

India spinner Harbhajan Singh was facing a lengthy ban from cricket on Sunday after being accused of slapping national team-mate Shanthakumaran Sreesanth during a domestic Twenty20 match.
   Harbhajan allegedly slapped Sreesanth soon after a match in Mohali on Friday night, leaving the young paceman weeping inconsolably in full view of television cameras.
   Harbhajan, who was leading Mumbai, later apologised to Punjab’s Sreesanth and the two appeared to have made up by calling each other ‘brothers.’
   But the Punjab team management lodged a formal complaint against Harbhajan to tournament officials.
   The spinner, 27, was suspended from the tournament pending a hearing by match referee Farokh Engineer in New Delhi today, which means Harbhajan will miss Mumbai’s next match later on Sunday night.
   The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed it will take separate action against Harbhajan, who is on its payroll as a centrally contracted player, under International Cricket Council rules.
   ‘Indiscipline will not be tolerated and the player will face the consequences for what he has done,’ BCCI official Ratnakar Shetty told AFP.
   Harbhajan will be charged under level 4 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct which deals with assaulting a fellow player. If found guilty, he could be banned for life or five Test matches or 10 one-day internationals.
   BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement Harbhajan had been ‘called upon to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.’
   Harbhajan was banned for three Tests earlier this year after being found guilty of making racist remarks against Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but was let off with a fine following an appeal to the ICC.
   Sreesanth, 24, has also faced disciplinary action in the past for misbehaviour on the field, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the BCCI.
   ‘We have warned Sreesanth in the past to behave himself and will do so again,’ said Shetty. ‘We want to first find out what transpired on Friday night.’
   Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody, who is coaching the Punjab team, said the incident was ‘unacceptable.’
   ‘At the end of the day, players shake hands. But what we saw was something you don’t want to see,’ Moody said.
   ‘The positive thing is that Harbhajan had a long chat with Sreesanth. But I am not sure what ramifications this incident will have.’
   Harbhajan was quoted a saying that the media was trying to sensationalise the issue.
   ‘It is not such a big issue the way people are making it out to be,’ he said on television. ‘It is between me and Sree. What you’re showing on TV, it is between us.’

Ferdous Hasan lost his sight at the age of five after being attacked by typhoid, but he never lost his zeal for life.
   Like other children, he took admission in school and started learning in brail system. But the one thing that he was missing was cricket, a game played by almost every boy of his age in Bangladesh.
   ‘I hear a lot a about cricket from my friends, who play the game and also watch it on television. I wished I could join them, but unfortunately I can’t do it due to my visual imparity,’ Ferdous told New Age.
   ‘The only way for me to enjoy cricket was listening the running commentary of the game in television and radio. Sometime I played chess with other blind people, but my passion was always cricket,’ said 16-year-old Ferdous.
   The dream of Ferdous came true when National Association of Sports for the Persons with Disability introduced training camp for blind cricketers at the Dhanmondi Club ground this week with the help of some Pakistani coaches.
   ‘Cricket for the blind people is not new in the world, but it is something that our children hardly ever experienced,’ said MA Baten, the secretary general of NASPD.
   At the moment the UK-based World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) is overseeing the game worldwide with nine members under its wings. Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Nepal are currently its members.
   Since 1998, the WBCC has organised three World Cups. South Africa won the first edition in New Delhi before Pakistan bagging successive trophies at Chennai in 2002 and at Islamabad in 2006.
   ‘In Pakistan, it is huge game. Currently we have six national competitions and 18 players under national pay role,’ said Pakistani coach Syed Sultan Shah, himself blind.
   ‘We get 5 million rupees ($78,000) grant every year from the Pakistan Cricket Board to run blind cricket in our country,’ added Shah, a post-graduate of political science from Islamabad.
   The rules of blind cricket are largely different from that of original cricket. Bowlers bowl underarm and the batsmen and fielders react on the noise created by the specially designed ball.
   The moment a bowler bowls a delivery, he has to say ‘play’ loudly. If he doesn’t say it or say it belatedly, the ball will be considered as no-ball. The ball will also be considered as a no ball if it does not land in the first 11 yards of the pitch.
   There are three categories of players, who are fully blind, partially blind and partially sighted. A team must have four full blind players in the playing eleven. The partially blind or partially sighted players will run for the full blind player.
   Runs scored by full blind player will be considered as double. For example, if a full blind player hits a boundary, eight runs will be added to the team total.
   The first ever training camp for blind cricketer in Bangladesh has seen at least 33 participants of which 10 players are fully blind, though the game made its mark here way back in 2000.
   The NASPD, with the help of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, had demonstrated a game during the lunch break of the third day’s play in the inaugural Test against India at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
   ‘We never had a shortage of support from the BCB but for some reasons, we could not continue the initiative,’ said the
   NASPD secretary.
   ‘Only last November we wrote to the WBCC for their support to reintroduce the game here. They told us to contact Pakistan and we did accordingly. We are grateful that Pakistan extended all kind of co-operation to us,’ he said.
   A four-member delegate from Pakistan including Aga Shawkat Ali, the chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, has arrived in Bangladesh to oversee the training camp.
   ‘So far I know, the PCB has already written to the BCB for the funding of blind cricketers. I hope they will do it generously and help Bangladesh win the membership the WBCC. A national championship is a must for it,’ said Pakistani coach Shah.

International Cricket Council president-elect David Morgan has insisted the decision to have chief executive Malcolm Speed step down from his post ahead of schedule had not been imposed upon the Australian.
   In a dramatic move, cricket’s world governing body announced Friday that Speed was to go on paid leave for the final two months of his contract following a ‘fundamental breakdown’ between himself and several board members, including the current ICC president, South Africa’s Ray Mali, over the controversial issue of Zimbabwe.
   ‘That has not been imposed on him (Speed), it is something I have done with the president and chief executive,’ Morgan told a news conference at Lord’s here Saturday.
   Morgan confirmed the extraordinary development was prompted by Speed’s unhappiness at the way in which the ICC dealt with Zimbabwe.
   The 59-year-old Speed was particularly frustrated by the ICC board’s failure, following its March meeting, to take any significant action against Zimbabwe Cricket after an independent forensic audit carried out by leading accountants KPMG raised questions about the state of ZC’s finances.
   ‘Zimbabwe is an issue where the president and the chief executive have disagreed, there is no doubt about that,’ said Morgan, previously chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
   ‘You know what the board decision was in relation to the KPMG report, Mr Speed was clearly uncomfortable with that.’
   Defending the ICC’s decision not to publish the KPMG report, Morgan added: ‘The thinking behind that reflected the extremely difficult trading position that exists in Zimbabwe.
   ‘It was very clear the report identified no particular individuals who were guilty of any financial mismanagement or malpractice. It was against that background the board decided the report shouldn’t be made public.’
   Now, for the first time in its 99 year-history, the ICC’s annual conference is set to move away from Lord’s and instead be held at the organisation’s Dubai headquarters in July.
   That move has been prompted by doubts over whether Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman, would be admitted to Britain.
   ‘He applied to the British authorities in Harare to attend this year’s annual conference,’ Morgan explained.
   ‘That visa has neither been granted or refused. The ICC at its last board meeting took a decision that if it wasn’t certain that Mr Chingoka was going to be in possession of a visa by April 15 then the conference week would be relocated from here to Dubai.’
   England’s hosting of next year’s ICC World Twenty20 has been threatened by the British government’s hardline opposition to the regime of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.
   However, Morgan said: ‘The ICC World Twenty20, in my opinion, will go ahead at the two grounds in London (Lord’s and The Oval) and at Trent Bridge. I’d be very surprised if that didn’t happen.’
   Speed’s exit has again raised questions as to whether ICC can rise above the self-interest of its members and run world cricket effectively.
   Morgan, whilst insisting a ‘huge amount’ had been achieved during Speed’s seven years in charge, admitted the ICC’s image was ‘not good’.
   He added: ‘I do not believe at all times we govern in the optimum way but govern we certainly do.’
   David Richardson, the ICC’s general manager, will serve as interim chief executive until the former South Africa wicketkeeper’s compatriot Haroon Lorgat takes over as planned as chief executive in July.

The GP-BCB Cricket Academy are struggling to stamp an authority over their Pakistan counterparts in the first four-day match at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra as they ended Day Two on 144-5 in their second innings.
   The hosts, who conceded a 49-run deficit on the first innings, now lead the match by 95 runs with very little to offer with the bat in remaining two days. At stumps, Shamsur Rahman was batting on 22 with Nasir Hossain on one.
   Farhad Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim made 40 and 25 runs respectively among the top-order batsmen, who all have already been dismissed. Pakistan’s Anwar Ali and Yasir Shah shared two wickets each.
   Earlier, the bowlers restricted Pakistan’s first innings to 241 runs after they resumed the day at 95-4. Overnight not out batsman Asad Shafiq got the only half-century of the innings, 50 off 123 balls. Imad Wasim was unbeaten on 33.
   Mahbubul Alam, Sajidul Islam and Farhad Hossain all claimed two wickets apiece for the GP-BCB Academy.

SA Sultan, the long-serving president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, spent his last day in office at the BFF House on Sunday. An emotional Sultan vowed to work for football no matter whether he is involved with the federation or not.
   Sultan was elected as the president of the BFF in 2001 and went through many ups and downs.
   However, when his pictures with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and AFC supreme Mohammad bin Hammam were removed from the walls he could not contain his emotions.
   ‘I had many dreams with Bangladesh football but yet to realise them, I will continue to work for the development of the game with my best efforts.
   ‘I hope Bangladesh football goes up with the new committee,’ concluded Sultan.

The first meeting of the newly-elected executive committee of the Bangladesh Olympic Association was held at the BOA office on Saturday with its president General Moeen U Ahmed in the chair.
   The meeting changed renamed the Training and Monitoring Committee as Training and Development Committee and formed two new committees – Law and Ethics committee and Marketing committee.
   The meeting unanimously decided to hold the 2008 Bangladesh Games at the start of the next year instead of December 2008 because it will clash with the general election of the country. It was decided that the games will be held before the next Indo-Bangla Games.

Ferrari’s world champion Kimi Raikkonen stretched his Formula One lead to nine points with a dominant win from pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.
   Brazilian Felipe Massa sealed Ferrari’s second successive one-two finish, and third win in a row, with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton taking third place to revive his title challenge after a disappointing last race in Bahrain.
   Raikkonen’s 17th grand prix win left the Finn with 29 points, nine clear of closest rival Hamilton, and catapulted Ferrari back in front of BMW Sauber in the constructors’ standings.
   ‘If we wanted, we could have gone a bit faster but there was no point in pushing more than we need to,’ said Raikkonen,
    who still set the fastest lap.
   Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who started on the front row for Renault, retired on lap 35 with a blown engine but he had already fallen down the field after being the first driver to refuel.
   Massa, winner in Bahrain, had got past double world champion Alonso at the start while Hamilton slotted into fourth place after muscling past BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica from fifth.
   ‘When we qualified fifth we knew it would be very difficult to beat the Ferraris,’ said Hamilton. ‘The key was to get a good start and make up as many places as possible.
   ‘We had two bad races and to come back on the podium is fantastic.’
   While Raikkonen had an uneventful afternoon in the sunshine, his compatriot Heikki Kovalainen was flown to hospital with concussion after his McLaren plunged across the gravel and into a tyre wall. Kovalainen had been leading at the time after both Ferraris and Hamilton had made their first pitstops.
   ‘He banged his head in the accident and has concussion. As a precaution he is going to hospital to have more checks,’ McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh told reporters outside the circuit’s medical centre.
   Briton Hamilton, who suffered a similar accident at the Nuerburgring last year, said he had been concerned until team boss Ron Dennis had assured him on the radio that Kovalainen was conscious and stable.
   The safety car was deployed following Kovalainen’s crash, having already been brought out after Sebastian Vettel’s Toro Rosso and Force India’s Adrian Sutil collided on the first lap.
   Poland’s Kubica finished fourth, moving him up to third in the championship with 19 points, ahead of Massa on 18, with Australian Mark Webber fifth in a Red Bull.
   Britain’s Jenson Button finished sixth for Honda’s first points of the year while Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima was seventh for Williams and Italian Jarno Trulli eighth for Toyota.
   Ferrari lead the constructors’ standings with 47 points to BMW Sauber’s 35. McLaren have 34.
   The first European race of the season ended with an entirely predictable result, with the Circuit de Catalunya setting a record as the track with the longest run of successive winners from pole position.
   Raikkonen, the only driver to have won twice so far this season, was the eighth in a row to have triumphed in Barcelona from pole.

Left-handed opener John Campbell scored a brilliant century as West Indies beat Bangladesh by 37 runs in the opening round of the CLICO International Under-15 Championship at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain on Saturday.
   Campbell scored 112 from 120 balls with nine fours and a six enabling his team to post 237 off 49.5 overs. He was later adjudged man-of-the-match.
   In reply, Bangladesh were restricted to 200-8 after spinner Donovan Nelson took 3-43.
   After losing three wickets for 64, Campbell and captain Katwaroo contributed 49 runs for the fourth wicket to revive the innings. Shahariar Islam and Nazeef Ahmed captured three wickets each for 36 and 55 runs respectively for Bangladesh.
   In chasing the target, Ahamedul Kabir stroked a patient 80 off 100 balls with nine fours, but it was not enough. He shared a 59-run stand for the third wicket with Ratnak Saha (11) that steered Bangladesh to 82-2 and then added a further 55 runs for the fourth wicket with Rakin Ahmed (18). Kyle Mayers claimed 2-21.

Rajasthan Royals (138/3) beat Bangalore Royal Challengers (135/8) by seven wickets
   Rajasthan Royals continued to surge up the points table by beating Bangalore Royal Challengers comprehensively by seven wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday to draw level with the Chennai Super Kings with three wins each.
   The win was set up by their bowlers, after Shane Warne decided to field, who restricted Bangalore to 135, allowing the batsmen to chase at a comfortable pace.
   The contest wasn’t too dissimilar to the one between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata earlier in the day, where Chennai completed an easy win after their bowlers kept Kolkata to 147.
   Having been put in on a pitch with a bit of assistance for the fast bowlers, Bangalore, perhaps taking cue from Brendon McCullum’s 158, felt that being positive was the way to go but several aerial shots resulted in a flurry of wickets.
   Bangalore were forced to play catch up right from the start, a predicament brought about by their batsmen’s urge to attack.
   Rahul Dravid was the first of the top four batsmen to get caught in the deep square of the wicket.
   He pulled his first ball, off Shane Watson, straight to Ravindra Jadeja at long leg.
   Two overs later, Shivnarine Chanderpaul tried to pull too but the ball took the top edge and found Jadeja, this time at third man.
   Ross Taylor briefly threatened to repeat McCullum’s heroics: he hit Sohail Tanvir for two sixes in his first over - the first over the bowler’s head followed by an edge which flew over the third-man boundary - and two fours in his second.
   Munaf Patel came into the attack and Taylor lofted him over midwicket for four, bettered that with a six next ball and then edged to the third-man boundary to take 15 off the over.
   The Bangalore batsmen, ridiculed by many as a Test XI, seemed to be proving a point. However, just when they looked in command, Jacques Kallis stepped out to Siddharth Trivedi and pulled straight to Munaf on the deep square leg boundary.
   The crippling blow came when Taylor fell in identical fashion, pulling to Graeme Smith to reduce Bangalore to 65 for 4.
   The spate of wickets didn’t curb the stroke play and Virat Kohli, India’s Under-19 captain, was fortunate to survive a catch on the deep midwicket boundary.
   Jadeja held on splendidly to the skier that was sailing over his head but, while trying to gain control, he hit the ground and touched the advertisement hoardings, making it a six instead.
   However, Kohli didn’t capitalise and nicked one to the wicketkeeper Mahesh Rawat while trying to make room and cut.
   Warne had instant success when he brought himself in the 12th over.
   Mark Boucher got an inside-edge onto the pads, and Rawat dived to pouch after the ball after ballooned in the air.
   At 78 for 6, it was left to Praveen Kumar, the India allrounder, to salvage the situation.
   Praveen relied on big hits to boost the total, and he did it with success, and sometimes with luck.
   A thick top edge off an attempted slog off Warne cleared the short straight boundary but Praveen showed that he could hit cleanly too by depositing the next ball into the stands at midwicket.
   He went on to score 34, a knock that ensured Bangalore played out their overs.
   A target of 136 meant than Bangalore had to strike early to have any chance of a successful defense.
   Praveen had Rawat caught behind early and dismissed Yusuf Pathan with a bouncer, which was top-edged so high in the air that Mark Boucher had to run towards fine leg to take the catch.
   Two early wickets gave Bangalore a sniff but Smith emphasised how crucial his presence at the top order was for Rajasthan with a sensible innings. Against the Deccan Chargers, Smith batted aggressively because Rajasthan were chasing 200 plus but he focused on staying at the crease.
   Along with Watson he stabilised the innings, and soon Dravid had to turn to Anil Kumble, who was playing his first game in the IPL.
   Watson, though, greeted him with two pulled fours, and when victory was almost certain, he cut loose against Praveen taking 26 runs off an over which read 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4. One was left wondering where all the fielders were for the ball raced to the boundary without a Bangalore shirt in sight.
   Smith fell one short of his fifty, holing out to long-on, while attempting a third consecutive four off Sunil Joshi but Watson and Mohammad Kaif completed the chase with 17 balls to spare.

Somewhat to his bemusement, Ryan Sidebottom found himself this week sitting in a dusty toolshed explaining how his new-found celebrity status as England’s paramount bowler has changed his life.
   Not to any great extent, it would appear, as Sidebottom reflected on a year during which he has emerged from the international wilderness to lead his country’s attack.
   ‘I’m still a home bird,’ he told reporters. ‘I like to go and watch rugby league. I spend time at home with the two cats.
   ‘People in general have been nice. They come up to me and say ‘well done, keep going’. That has been really satisfying.’
   Until his recall to the national colours last year, Sidebottom appeared destined to become part of the answer to a sports quiz question.
   His father Arnie played one Test against Australia in 1985 and Ryan had similarly resigned himself to a life on the county circuit after failing to take a wicket in his only Test against Pakistan in 2001.
   To his frustration, Sidebottom’s brand of medium-fast left-arm swing was out of fashion as then England coach Duncan Fletcher searched for tall, young fast bowlers banging the ball hard into the pitch regularly in excess of 140 kph. Sidebottom, at around 130 kph, was considered too slow.
   In fact, as he showed in the series against New Zealand
   this year, Sidebottom can be deceptively quick, and at
   times he came close to the 140 mark.
   ‘I have always been able to bowl a little bit quicker but in county cricket you are bowling day in and day out and the body just won’t last,’ he said after launching an npower artificial practice area in the Yorkshire city of Sheffield. ‘I was disappointed when I was bowling well for Notts (Nottinghamshire) and nobody came to see me.
   ‘Duncan didn’t come down to see what I was capable of. That’s the way it goes. He’s been a good coach and he’s done well for England. I can bowl a little bit quicker and maybe I can surprise myself.’
   To the casual sports watcher, Sidebottom is the bowler with the long, ginger, curly hair worn in a style rarely seen outside heavy metal bands. Cricket fans relish his ability to move the ball late in the air and England supporters applaud the extra dimension he brings to
   an attack which has faltered since the heady Ashes triumph of 2005.
   The figures are compelling. In 12 Tests since his recall against West Indies last year Sidebottom has taken 53 wickets. In three Tests against New Zealand his tally was 24 and he was essentially the difference between the sides as England recovered from one down to win 2-1.
   ‘I have worked hard on my swing bowling,’ Sidebottom said. ‘I think swing bowling in general is coming back into cricket.
   ‘There was an era when there was swing bowling and then it went to 90 miles (140 kms) an hour. I think swing bowling has come back into it. I have always worked on that side of my game because balls are swinging in general.’
   Sidebottom’s emergence, and the return of Andy Flintoff to first-class cricket after a fourth ankle operation, have generated guarded optimism among England supporters with home series against New Zealand and South Africa and a tour of West Indies in sight before they challenge Australia for the Ashes next year.
   ‘There are good bowlers, great bowlers who have done well for England,’ Sidebottom said.
   ‘They have won the Ashes, they will be looking to take wickets, they will be knocking on the door, come selection day. I need to be ready and taking wickets.’
   Six years on the county circuit have kept the likeable Sidebottom firmly grounded and the family experience makes him fully aware of the fleeting glory of sporting fame.
   ‘I’m still learning to play Test cricket and it’s hard work and it’s tiring,’ he said.
   ‘Twelve months ago if
   someone was to say: ‘You are going to play for England
   again’ I suppose I would
   have laughed. All the talk was about every other bowler
   in county cricket but
   myself.
   ‘At the time I thought I was bowling well and I’m excited every time I play. My aim is to take wickets and I am enjoying every minute of it, interviews, people asking me to do things.
   ‘I couldn’t be happier and I would like it to continue.’

Matthew Hoggard rose to the challenge of regaining his England place last week, picking up match figures of 8 for 97 against Hampshire.
   He insisted, however, that although he was replaced by Stuart Broad for the second Test against New Zealand in the winter, he never considered himself out of the England reckoning.
   ‘People say I’m back, but I don’t think I’ve been anywhere,’ Hoggard told reporters after Yorkshire’s innings-and-27-run win at Headingley.
   ‘I just had one bad spell in the first Test in Hamilton, and that can happen to anyone; soon after I was bowling well in the nets and hitting the gloves hard.
   ‘All I’ve done over the past few days is close my eyes, wang the ball down and I’ve managed to pick up a few wickets.
   ‘Hopefully, I can maintain that form for the next couple of games, put some pressure on the England selectors and give them some headaches.’
   With the first Test against the returning New Zealanders just two-and-a-half weeks away, the selectors have a selection conundrum to resolve.
   Broad and James Anderson both did enough in New Zealand in place of Hoggard and Steve Harmison and, in addition, Andrew Flintoff appears set to regain his spot in the side for the first time since January 2006.
   Meanwhile Hoggard, who has never hidden his contempt for one-day cricket, is surplus to requirement for Yorkshire’s Friends Provident match today against Derbyshire, but maintains his focus is on returning to the Test side.
   ‘It’s just a club policy thing,’ Hoggard said.
   ‘I’m scared of the white ball, you know — I’m allergic to it. We’ve just got quite a few seamers at the club and Goughie is coming back.
   ‘I want to concentrate on getting back in the Test team and the white ball can take a jump as far as I’m concerned.
   ‘Anyway, it means I can spend a day with my family instead of watching the rain fall at Headingley.’

The Indian Premier League cheerleaders are set for a makeover and are planning to ‘cover up’ following the furore their skimpy outfits created among the country’s politicians.
   The cheerleaders, dubbed by the politicians as too ‘wild’ for the families who come to watch the IPL matches, have decided to change their clothes for the jigs that mark sixers and boundaries during the matches.
   ‘We don’t want to offend anybody. I think it’s a small minority view (about them being too wild). But we will take it on board and address what we are wearing. So we have got a new costume to show off,’ said the head of Hyderabad cheerleading squad.
   Another cheerleader said the fans have been appreciative of their work so far and she was a bit surprised at their clothes becoming headlines in the country.
   ‘We didn’t expect to be on front page of the papers here,’ quipped one cheerleader. ‘The fans seem to really enjoy our act but I am OK with any changes in our clothes. We will wear what our management tells us to wear. If they want us to be covered up, we are more than happy to do that,’ said another.
   Asked whether they have faced any snide remarks while performing, a cheerleader said there have been a few incidents but brushed them aside as occupational hazards.
   ‘The crowds have been good to us but there are always an odd person who may react in a different way. But India has been like just another country in this world,’ said a girl. Every IPL team has a cheerleading squad and most of them have been brought in from abroad.

An English cricket club has banned its players from hitting sixes to avoid complaints from the neighbours, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.
   Harrogate Cricket Club in Yorkshire, northern England, has told players they will automatically be given out if they loft the ball towards the surrounding houses and over the boundary.
   The ground’s owner, Harrogate Borough Council, has decided that the rule should be imposed on the club’s second pitch, which is used by the club’s third, fourth and junior teams. A council report said the decision had been taken to strike a balance with residents in the wealthy spa town.
   Harrogate Cricket Club chairman Mike Rawlings said the ruling had not infuriated batsmen — and few of them could hit a six anyway. ‘As long as everyone knows the rules at the start of the game then you just play to those rules,’ he said. ‘Most of the neighbours are very supportive of the club, but we have the odd person who complains.’

Narail DSA emerged Kha zone champions in the EXIM Bank 19th National Women’s Handball tournament beating Faridpur DSA by 23-15 goals in the last ‘super three’ match at the Bagerhat Stadium on Sunday.
   Deputy commissioner of Bagerhat Shahidul Islam was the chief guest at the day’s closing function and later distributed the prizes.
   Earlier in the morning, Narail DSA earned a 16-8 victory over Jessore DSA at the same venue.
   Three teams – champions Narail, runners-up Faridpur and third-placed Jessore DSA – earned the right to play in the final round of the meet to be held in Dhaka.

Vera Zvonareva beat Vania King 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first reverse singles on Sunday to give Russia an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the United States in their Fed Cup semi-final and send the holders into the final.
   Russia will appear in their fourth final in the last five years in September when they take on Spain, who beat China 4-1 in Beijing.
   Russia, who have won the trophy three times in the last four years, were expected to dominate a US team devoid of big-name players after former world number ones Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport decided against making the trip to Moscow.
   The hosts, who enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 lead after the first day, were looking for Zvonareva, a late addition to Russia’s line-up, to wrap up the tie against the 115th-ranked King.
   But Zvonareva, who replaced world number four Svetlana Kuznetsova for the match, had to work harder than expected to overcome the combative American.
   King stunned the world number 14 by winning the opening set after breaking her in the ninth game.
   It was the first set won by the US team in the two-day tie on the red clay of Moscow’s Luzhniki arena.
   The Russian broke in the sixth game of the second set to level the match.
   After regaining her confidence, Zvonareva broke the American to love in the third game of the final set, then repeated the trick four games later and went on to win the match after one hour 52 minutes.
   Meanwhile, five-time winners Spain reached the Fed Cup final Sunday thumping China.
   Nuria Llagostera Vives beat Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes to give Spain an unassailable 3-0 lead after the first match.
   China were without the injured Li Na, Asia’s top player, for the tie and also had to make changes to their doubles team.
   Spain did not lose a single set in the first three matches of their semi-final clash.
   In the first match on Sunday, Llagostera, ranked 76, was in the groove quickly, putting pressure on Peng’s serve in the opening game and breaking in game three for an early advantage.
   The single break was all the Spanish player needed to take the first set 6-4 in 43 minutes.
   Llagostera broke again in the third game of the second set but Peng, buoyed by the passionate crowd, broke back straight away to level at 2-2, forcing the dominant Spaniard on to the defensive.
   But Llagostera, who mixed crunching backhands with some delicate touches, including an exquisite lob, continued to play the big points well and broke again to take a 4-3 lead, going on to take the set 6-4.
   Peng, ranked 68, battled hard but could not gain a foothold in the match, with unforced errors proving costly against her more consistent opponent.
   In the final singles match of the tie, Zheng Zie pulled one back for China, beating Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6, 6-3.
   But in the doubles clash Llagostera and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez thrashed the Chinese pairing of Peng and Olympic doubles gold medallist Sun Tiantian 6-2, 6-1.
   Spain led 2-0 overnight after Llagostera beat Zheng 6-3, 6-4 and Suarez overcame Peng 6-3, 7-6 on Saturday.
   China, making their first ever semi-final appearance, were unable to make the most of the advantage of playing on the fast hard courts of the indoor International Tennis Centre against a Spanish side who prefer clay.

Muslim leaders on Sunday urged Malaysians to boycott a visit by English football
   giants Chelsea in protest
   at the move to let their Israeli coach and defender into the country.
   Spokesman Mohamad Azmi Abdul Hamid said the coalition of 21 Muslim groups would hold a mass protest at the tour match if the government did not bar coach Avram Grant and player Tal Ben Haim.
   ‘Malaysians should boycott the match,’ Mohamad Azmi said. ‘We should unite with the Palestinian people and fight for an independent homeland for them.’
   Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and its citizens must obtain special permission to travel here.
   On Friday, the group submitted a memorandum to the home ministry opposing the government’s decision to allow the Israeli pair into the country.
   ‘The reason for the travel ban to Malaysia is to isolate Israel which is a rogue state. If the Israeli footballers are allowed in, the government will be considered as being insensitive to the Palestinian people,’ Mohamad Azmi said.
   He warned that if Grant and Ben Haim are allowed into Malaysia, the coalition
   would picket Chelsea’s match against a Malaysian team on July 29.
   ‘Definitely, we will mobilise the public and hold a protest outside the stadium,’ he said.
   Foreign minister Rais Yatim has confirmed Malaysia had no ‘objections’ to admitting the two, allaying fears that Chelsea may cancel the visit.
   ‘They are a sports team with two Israeli members. We don’t see it as something wrong,’ he said.
   The English title contenders are among the most popular teams in Malaysia, where sports fans avidly follow the Premier League on satellite television.
   Chelsea are also planning to play in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on July 23 on their pre-season Asian tour.
   Malaysia’s population is dominated by Muslim Malays, but the nation is also home to large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Fabio Capello believes his biggest task is to help members of his England squad to convert their successful club form to the international stage.
   England infamously failed to progress to the finals of Euro 2008 following a lacklustre qualifying campaign, but the Premier League boasts three teams in the final four of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
   And England boss Capello is hoping he can succeed where others have failed over recent years as he attempts to replicate club success when the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup begin in September.
   ‘This is my toughest job, understanding why this happens and solving the problem,’ said Capello.
   ‘This is the problem that all my predecessors have had. I’m hoping I will be able to understand why and rectify it.
   ‘Because looking at the performance of the English teams in the Champions League then at the moment the Premier League is the best in the world. Absolutely.’
   But Capello, who replaced former boss Steve McClaren at the turn of the year, admits that he is facing a difficult task and has urged England supporters not to expect an immediate transformation.
   ‘I can’t perform miracles, these are the players we have and I can only call up the players we have,’ Capello continued.
   ‘Creating new players is a long process, it takes a lot of time and you need talent to begin with. It’s not going to be fast.
   ‘People talk about introducing quotas of foreign players but it’s not for me to decide, irrespective of what my thoughts are on the matter.’
   Capello is known as a tough disciplinarian, has also told his own players they must behave themselves off the pitch if they want to be part of his England revolution.
   ‘I believe players off the field should behave decently and normally and not do things that create problems and headlines,’ Capello added.
   ‘Normally I’m not influenced by their behaviour off the field but obviously if some player were to do something particularly big or out of the ordinary I would have to consider my actions.’

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted on Saturday that the reigning European champions were the only side on the continent that could afford to miss out on its premier competition.
   Milan trail Fiorentina by four points in the race for fourth place and Champions League football next season, with just four matches to play.
   The Milanese travel to Livorno on Sunday while the Viola host Sampdoria, who are also still in the hunt for fourth, sitting sixth and level on points with Milan.
   ‘If we don’t make it into the Champions League we won’t commit suicide,’ said Ancelotti. ‘We’re the only side in Europe that can allow ourselves to do that.
   ‘Don’t forget we were the last Italian team to win the Champions League.’
   The problem is Milan are running out of time to catch Fiorentina, having sat four points behind them for the last month.
   ‘The Viola have been very consistent this season but now it’s coming down to the wire and we have to hope they slip up,’ added Ancelotti.
   ‘If we claw back some points that would be positive, hence we hope for a draw between Fiorentina and Samp.’
   Sampdoria have to avoid defeat at Fiorentina or they would have no hope in the race for fourth, which may play into Milan’s hands.
   The worry for Milan, though, is that they play Inter next, with the possibility that their city rivals could clinch the title in the derby.
   Inter could have already claimed the title by then, but Ancelotti denied that could help Milan.
   ‘If Inter win the scudetto on Sunday, the derby will still be a derby,’ he added. ‘There’s too big a rivalry for it to be taken easily.’

Rafael Nadal won an historic fourth successive Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday as he defeated world number one Roger Federer 7-5, 7-5 in the latest thrilling instalment of their epic rivalry.
   The 21-year-old triple French Open champion came back from 0-4 down in the second set to achieve his third successive final victory over Federer in the principality. It was also his ninth win in 15 career meetings with the world’s top player and his seventh in eight claycourt clashes.
   The last man to win four Monte Carlo titles in a row was New Zealand’s Anthony Wilding in 1914 but Nadal, who now has 24 career titles, is the first man to complete the feat in the Open era.
   The two great rivals shared breaks in the first two games before the Swiss carved out three crucial break points in the seventh by twice enticing Nadal into the net and stunning his opponent with a couple of sweet volleys.
   The top seed grabbed the break, and a 4-3 lead, when Nadal, off balance, could only send a lob long. However, the 21-year-old Nadal again retrieved the break, helped by a fortunate net cord which wrong-footed the advancing Federer, to pull level at 4-4.
   Nadal was now in the ascendancy and created two set points in the 12th game when Federer, who hit 20 unforced errors to 11 in the opener, unleashed a sloppy backhand.
   The set was the Spaniard’s after 51 minutes when he met a deep Federer volley with a sliced backhand of his own.
   Federer, who had been within two points of a shock defeat in his opening match against another Spaniard, world number 137 Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, broke Nadal in the first game of the second set and backed it up with a hold to lead 2-0.
   In a topsy-turvy final, the 12-time Grand Slam title winner broke again to lead 3-0, held for 4-0 but then allowed his opponent to hit back to 4-4 on the back of two breaks of his own.
   Both men then held on but Federer cracked in the 12th game and handed Nadal the title with a loose backhand.
   The statistics told a depressing tale for Federer in a match where he sent down 44 unforced errors to Nadal’s 20.

David Beckham was delighted to taste derby victory for the first time since moving to Major League Soccer after his Los Angeles Galaxy beat Chivas USA 5-2 on Saturday.
   The midfielder helped LA avenge two heavy defeats to the same opponents last season and saw his side climb to an overall record of 2-2-1 and second place in the Western Conference.
    ‘It was a very good team performance against a good opponent,’ he said.
    ‘It is always very satisfying to win a derby game because of what it means to the club and the fans. It could be the best night I have had since I came over here. I am delighted for everyone at the Galaxy and my team-mates.’
   Last year Beckham played in a 3-0 defeat to Chivas, ending the game almost out on his feet following an exhausting return trip from international duty with England.
   He came through this contest with no injury concerns, though, and a Landon Donovan hat-trick and two goals from Alan Gordon sealed the win for Los Angeles. Sacha Kljestan and Ante Razov got the goals for Chivas.

Carlos Tevez has confirmed he wants to secure a permanent deal with Manchester United.
   Tevez joined United on a two-year loan from West Ham last summer and has played a key role in the team’s success this season. The Argentine is now eager to sort out a longer term contract sooner rather than later
   ‘I want to stay with Manchester United and I want to sign. I want to carry on here,’ he said in the News of the World.
   ‘I wouldn’t say I was in a hurry but I really do want to carry on with Manchester United.’
   Patrice Evra, meanwhile, has declared that he is willing to pick up a yellow card in the second leg of United’s UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona if it helps the progress to the Moscow showpiece.
   The left-back would miss the final if he received a booking and United won, but he is not prepared to be any more cautious than usual.

A legal loophole means Juventus’ next Scudetto could still earn them a third ‘star’ on the jersey, as the club can count it as their 30th.
   The Bianconeri were stripped of two titles in the Calciopoli scandal, the 2004-05 and 2005-06 campaigns, after former director general Luciano Moggi was found guilty of attempting to influence referees.
   The 2005 edition was left unassigned, but the 2006 title went to Inter, who had finished in third place, as runners-up Milan were also penalised in the Calciopoli trial.
   Clubs in Italy place a permanent star on their jersey for every 10 Serie A titles won and at the moment Juventus have two.
   Although their next Scudetto will legally be counted as the 28th, the club intends to mark the ‘lost’ seasons by putting on a third star.
   ‘Juventus have won 29 Scudetti and soon the third star will arrive,’ president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli was quoted as saying in Tuttosport.
   The real news is that legally there is nothing to prevent the Bianconeri from doing this.
   ‘A club can put, however, many stars it wants on its shirt. There are no rules defining the question and the Lega Calcio does not have it under its jurisdiction,’ explained undersecretary for the Lega Calcio, Fabio Santoro.
   ‘Let’s just say this is an ethical question. If Juventus wanted to put the third star when they won another Scudetto, it would be their choice and certainly not a violation of the rules.
   ‘The only thing we would point out is that for the official Lega Calcio history books the Bianconeri have 27 Scudetti right now and not 29.’

Thaksin Shinawatra insists he is at Manchester City for the long-term, but the former Thai Prime Minster is still to reveal whether Sven Goran Eriksson will be staying beyond the end of the season.
   Thaksin is due to meet Eriksson this weekend to discuss City’s disappointing form in the second half of the season, with reports suggesting the Swede could be sacked after failing to meet his owner’s expectations.
   Eriksson’s job prospects were hardly improved by Saturday’s 3-2 defeat against struggling Fulham in front of Thaksin, who flew in from Thailand especially to speak to the ex-England coach.
   ‘I felt very optimistic after I got Sven Goran Eriksson as coach,’ Thaksin said. ‘We also got some new players and even though it was quite heavy on my pocket, I was very confident the club would be moving forward.
   ‘At the start of the season we were playing exciting football and making new friends. I like that style and the way Sven was training them, the way the team came together and the way they played football.’

Sir Alex Ferguson hit out at the penalty decision which allowed Chelsea to claim a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday and has revived the Londoners’ chances of reclaiming the Premier League title.
   The 87th-minute penalty, converted by Michael Ballack after a Michael Essien cross struck the arm of Michael Carrick, was variously described by the United boss as ‘ridiculous,’ ‘disgraceful’ and ‘diabolical.’
   Ferguson insisted that Carrick should not have been penalised because the contact with the ball was not deliberate and Rio Ferdinand was waiting to clear the ball behind the midfielder.
   ‘It was absolutely diabolical,’ the United boss told United’s in-house television station.
   ‘It is a major decision. Granted, it hit his hand. But he has not lifted his hand above his shoulders, above his head, anything like that.
   ‘It is going straight to Rio Ferdinand. The referee should have seen that rather than the linesman.
   ‘If we’re not going to get those decisions then we are under pressure.’
   The penalty was not the only issue Ferguson had with referee Alan Wiley and his assistants.
   ‘If we’re not getting the decisions we deserve then we’re going to have to perform really well. In the context of today, when (Cristiano) Ronaldo comes on, in the first minute he’s grappled to the floor by Ballack.
   ‘It was a clear penalty kick but no penalty was given.’
   Ferguson was also upset by a challenge by Didier Drogba on Nemanja Vidic, which saw the defender come off after 14 minutes.
   The Serbian needed stitches and lost a tooth.
   ‘He got kneed in the face by Drogba – no foul given, ‘ said the Old Trafford boss. ‘He was dazed rather than concussed.’
   Ferguson maintains United are still in the driving seat - given their superior goal difference – with two games remaining.
   United face West Ham next Saturday before Chelsea travel to Newcastle two days later.
   It could even come down to the last game.
   United go to Wigan on May 11 while Chelsea face Bolton.
   Ferguson added, ‘It’s still in our hands. The players and the support are really fired up for the next game. Hopefully we can get the result we want.’
   The Scot acknowledged that Chelsea had dominated the first half but put that down to sluggishness in the wake of his own side’s Champions League encounter with Barcelona in midweek.
   ‘Sometimes, coming out of a European game, it takes a while to get it right. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen for us.’
   At the other end of the table, Fulham continued to cling on to their top flight status, albeit by the slenderest of threads, after fighting back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Manchester City.
   First-half goals from Stephen Ireland and Benjani Mwaruwari had put City in control at the break.
   But after Diomansy Kamara had grabbed Fulham a lifeline, Danny Murphy equalised with a rebound from a 79th-minute penalty and Kamara snatched the winner with his second goal right at the death.
   One place above Fulham, Birmingham squandered the chance to escape from the relegation zone by allowing Liverpool to overturn a two-goal lead at St Andrews.
   A first-half strike from Mikael Forssell and a superb free-kick from Sebastian Larsson had put Alex McLeish’s men in control. But Liverpool came back to claim a point thanks to Peter Crouch’s 11th goal of the season and a late strike from Yossi Benayoun.
   Bolton and Reading both remain one point ahead of third-from-bottom Birmingham after draws with, respectively, Tottenham and Wigan.
   Bolton took the lead at Spurs through Stelios Giannakopoulos but had to settle for a draw as a result of Steed Malbranque’s equaliser, while Wigan are virtually safe after holding Reading to a goalless draw at the JJB Stadium.
   Sunderland secured their Premier League status and left Middlesbrough still sweating after a dramatic 3-2 win at the Stadium of Light.
   A last-minute own goal by Emmanuel Pogatetz decided a rollercoaster derby, goals from Danny Higginbotham and Michael Chopra having allowed Roy Keane’s side to overturn the early lead Boro had taken through Turkish forward Tuncay Sanli before Alfonso Alves equalised for the visitors.
   In the day’s other game, Newcastle rallied from two goals down to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches with a 2-2 draw at West Ham.
   Mark Noble and Dean Ashton put the home side in charge but Obafemi Martins and Geremi secured a point for Kevin Keegan’s men.

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool’s chances of defeating Chelsea and making it to the Champions League final have been increased now that the pressure is off over qualifying for next season’s competition.
   A Peter Crouch strike and an own goal from Birmingham defender Rahdi Jaidi capped a second-half fight back by Liverpool at St Andrews on Saturday to gain the solitary point they required to effectively confirm a fourth-place finish ahead of Merseyside rivals Everton this season.
   Spanish striker Fernando Torres and England internationals Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher headed a list of no fewer than nine players who were wrapped in cotton wool ahead of Wednesday’s show-down with Premier League rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
   And Benitez is convinced the relief of no longer having to collect league points to stave off the pressure from Everton will give his rested players an extra edge for the return leg of the Champions League semi-final as Liverpool pursue a sixth European title.
   ‘Fourth place is always a minimum requirement. You must qualify for the Champions League. We will be there now and we have to be satisfied with that,’ said Benitez.
   ‘Obviously I would have liked to finish higher in the league and I would like to finish as high as possible in the future, but at the end you must be happy with fourth place, especially if you go on to win the Champions League.
   ‘The idea was to win the game at Birmingham, but the draw was always an option and now we can think about our next game and concentrate hard. We can focus everything on progress in the Champions League and focus hard on making the final.’
   Jermaine Pennant played a vital part in Liverpool’s revival from a two-goal deficit and he and Crouch could well have played themselves into Benitez’s thinking for his side for Liverpool’s most crucial game of the season in midweek.
   ‘We had some players that did very well and that is good for me as I consider Wednesday. That was the other positive thing to come out of the game, to know that we have options for the game with Chelsea,’ added Benitez.

John Terry has warned Manchester United that Chelsea are set to drag the Premier League title away from Old Trafford.
   Terry captained Chelsea to three points against reigning champions United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to allow the Blues to move level with the Red Devils at the top of the table.
   And now with two games left in the league season, Terry has warned United that Chelsea are set to deny Sir Alex Ferguson another English top-flight title.
   Chelsea travel to Newcastle on May 5 before completing their season at home to
   Bolton, while United host West Ham before finishing away to Wigan and Terry believes he and his team-mates are better prepared for the closing straight.
   ‘I still believe we can win the title,’ Terry said in the Daily Star. ‘Now let us see how they react.
   ‘We are confident we can win our next two games. Are they?
   ‘We are fired-up, breathing down their necks. Their title can’t be won now until the final day of the season and we showed why our home record is magnificent.
   ‘We’ve had to put up with a lot of things, like Chelsea being finished. We are far from that. Chelsea can’t win it? Let us see. Don’t bet against us.
   ‘We needed to show we can overcome bad times. We have to believe United can crack.’

Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced Manchester United’s sense of injustice at their 2-1 defeat against Chelsea will help carry them to the Premier League title.
   United face a nerve-jangling finale to the title race after Michael Ballack’s late penalty at Stamford Bridge moved Chelsea level on points with the champions.
   Ferguson’s team can still retain the crown if they win their last two matches against West Ham and Wigan, but United departed west London in a storm of acrimony that stemmed entirely from their anger at letting Chelsea off the hook.
   When Wayne Rooney punished Ricardo Carvalho’s error in the 57th minute to cancel out Ballack’s 45th-minute header, United had one hand on the trophy.
   Then Michael Carrick handled Michael Essien’s cross with four minutes left and Ballack stroked home the winner from the spot. Although United’s superior goal difference still makes them title favourites, they now have to win it the hard way.
   Their frustration boiled over after the final whistle. Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, John O’Shea and Gerard Pique were involved in an altercation with stewards and ground-staff after they refused to leave the pitch when asked to stop their post-match warm-down, while Rio Ferdinand had to apologise after accidently kicking a female steward as he lashed out in anger at the result.
   While his players were losing their cool, Ferguson was hardly any more philosophical. The Scot claimed Alan Wiley’s assistant was wrong to flag for a penalty for Carrick’s clear handball and insisted it was a decision that could wreck United’s season.
   Despite his own rage, Ferguson will now try to channel United’s frustration to get a positive reaction in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona and the two remaining league matches.
   ‘It’s still in our hands. The players and the support are really fired up for the next game. Hopefully we can get the result we want,’ he told MUTV. In fairness, Chelsea were the better team in the first half. Sometimes, coming out of a European game, it takes a while to get it right. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen for us.
   ‘But if we’re not getting the decisions we deserve then we’re going to have to perform really well. The penalty was absolutely diabolical. It is a major decision. Granted, it hit his hand. But he has not lifted his hand above his shoulders, above his head, anything like that.
   ‘It is going straight to Rio Ferdinand. The referee should have seen that rather than the linesman. If we’re not going to get those decisions then we are under pressure.’
   As if the defeat wasn’t bad enough, Ferguson will also have to wait anxiously for fitness bulletins about Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic.
   Rooney was replaced after taking a bang on the hip while scoring, while Vidic had to be stretchered off following a clash with Didier Drogba that knocked a tooth into his lip.
   United are stumbling towards the finish line after winning just one of their last four league games, but Chelsea are unbeaten in 19 matches and deserved their victory against a cautious, subdued United.
   Their fate is still in United’s hands, but Grant is confident they can go onto win the title.
   ‘I am optimistic but we need to win our last two games and hope Manchester lose one point,’ he said. ‘If you come to this stage and you are not optimistic you should not be in sport.
   ‘My players were very competitive. They wanted to win. When you concede a goal like we did it is a little bit disappointing but we were full of energy.
   ‘They wanted to win the game and football is a game of emotion. We competed against Arsenal and against United.’
   Chelsea’s last two matches are at Newcastle and at home to Bolton, but before that they face Liverpool in Europe.
   Grant fears they will be without Frank Lampard again as the England midfielder mourns his mother’s death on Thursday.
   ‘Football is exciting but there are things that are more important,’ he said. ‘I say to the players that on the way to excellence you need to be human, so I think we need to respect what has happened to him.
   ‘We will leave the decision about Wednesday to him. I will respect any decision he makes.’
   With or without Lampard, Chelsea have ensured the title race will go down to the wire.

A makeshift Barcelona team fell to a 2-0 loss at Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday meaning Real Madrid now have the chance to win the title on Sunday if results go their way.
   With one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final against Manchester United coach Frank Rijkaard rested several key players – such as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi – and the second string were second best against a motivated Depor team.
   Barca stay 11 points behind Real in third and the reigning champions can wrap up a 31st championship on Sunday if they beat Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal fail to win at Real Betis on the same day.
   Wresting second spot from Villarreal, a point ahead with a game in hand, is one challenge for Barca but top priority is now the Champions League.
   Barca drew 0-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou and go to Old Trafford looking for a vital away goal to help them reach the Moscow final.
   ‘If we create chances the goals will come,’ said Rijkaard. ‘We had a team out there to do a job but after the tough game a few days ago (against Manchester United) it was difficult.
   ‘We had players who had not played much and some missing for obvious reasons.’
   Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Iniesta, Gaby Milito, Deco and Victor Valdes were all notable absentees in the Barca line-up with Rijkaard clearly keeping them fresh for Manchester United.
   The second string team saw Spaniard Jose Pinto, virtually unknown to Barca supporters, start in goal but there was still some quality on show with three World Cup winners in Thierry Henry, Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram.
   Eidur Gudjohnsen, a fringe player hoping to impress, should have scored on 12 minutes but lifted an effort over the crossbar.
   Barca dominated possession but Depor went close to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark when Xisco hit the crossbar.
   Bojan Krkic then spurned a great chance delaying his shot too long.
   The misses proved costly as Juan Rodriguez side-footed home at the beginning of the second half with some woeful Barca marking.
   Pablo Amo added a second as Depor, who have been fighting relegation for most of the season, moved two points from the final UEFA Cup spot.
   Sevilla now have Depor breathing down their necks but they are more concerned about missing out on the Champions League following a 0-0 draw against Real Murcia on Saturday.
   ‘We have to believe we can make the Champions League but now it is going to be difficult,’ said Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano.
   Sevilla are two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid but the capital side can pull away with victory at derby rivals Getafe on Sunday.
   Racing Santander are just a point behind Atletico but also have a difficult trip to Real Mallorca on the same day.
   Valencia were in the Champions League quarter-finals last season but the Kings Cup winners are trying to stay in the league when they face Osasuna on Sunday.
   Valencia are just two points above the drop zone and hope the dismissal of under-performing manager Ronald Koeman can keep them in the top-flight.

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard took no risks ahead of Tuesday’s massive Champions League semi-final with Manchester United, resting most of his stars in a 2-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna that all but gifts the title to Real Madrid.
   Real can win the title on Sunday with victory over Athletic Bilbao - providing Villarreal fail to win - and Barca’s approach against Depor emphasised that they had waved the white flag and Europe is now the top priority.
   Barca are 11 points behind Real, who also have a game in hand, and face a fight to seal second place with Villarreal a point ahead having played one game less.
   But that pales in signifance to the trip to Old Trafford with Barca, who drew 0-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou, looking for a vital away goal to help them reach the Moscow final.
   Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gaby Milito, Deco and Victor Valdes were all notable absentees in the Barca line-up against Depor although Rijkaard claimed he was not resting them for Manchester United.
   ‘We put a team out there to do a job but before thinking about the result, I think about the health of my players,’ Rijkaard explained.
   ‘My decision is not influenced by being first or second or still in the Champions League.
   ‘Eto’o and Xavi are both in need of a rest to gain strength. As for Messi his case is different.’
   Argentine winger Messi, 20, played in the first leg against Manchester United but has only just returned to first team action after a torn muscle in his left leg back in March interrupted his season.
   ‘Some people are saying Messi is ready to play ninety minutes, but unfortunately that is not the case,’ Rijkaard added.
   ‘He has already suffered two very serious injuries and we must protect him - I no longer speak as the coach of Barça, but as a fan of football, because I would like to see Messi playing for many years.
   ‘I do not rest anyone thinking about another game, but only because the player needs it.’
   A concern for Barca is that despite having the likes of Henry, Messi and Eto’o the goals have dried up with three out of their last four league matches ending in scoreless draws.
   ‘If we create chances the goals will come,’ Rijkaard.
   ‘A lot of things have happened this season, like injuries for example, and these things affect you.’
   Against Manchester United they are desperate to get an away goal knowing Sir Alex Ferguson’s team will then have to score twice.
   Rijkaard won the Champions League with Barca two years ago - defeating Arsenal in the final - and may have to repeat that feat to save his job.

The Football Association confirmed Sunday they will be examining TV footage of the post-match bust-up between Manchester United players and Chelsea staff.
   United substitutes became embroiled in a scuffle with Stamford Bridge groundstaff and stewards in the warm-down following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.
   FA spokesman Andrin Cooper said, ‘This will have nothing to do with the referee’s report. He would have been in his dressing room a long way from the incident. ‘But we will obviously be asking Chelsea to let us see their CCTV footage of the incident.’
   Chelsea issued a statement after the game saying they would be ‘reviewing the relevant footage and will be considering the appropriate course of action’.
   United have also asked to see the pictures. Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes, John O’Shea, Gerard Pique and Gary Neville were taking part in the warm-down on the pitch when they were asked to move by Chelsea groundstaff.
   The row erupted when the players refused to come off the pitch and an altercation broke out between stewards, groundstaff and the United players.

Dubai International Capital, the investment company trying to buy Liverpool, have assured the Premier League club’s fans that they have no intention of offering Jose Mourinho the manager’s job if they do take over at Anfield.
   The Portuguese former Chelsea boss was reported to have recently met DIC representatives, who were keen to find out if he would be willing to succeed Rafa Benitez.

Spanish newspapers claim Milan have set an ultimatum to Barcelona – accept £10m for the player or abandon negotiations.
   So far the Rossoneri have baulked at the demands for the Brazilian player, said to be in the region of £40m.
   Although FIFA agent and Milan go-between Ernesto Bronzetti has publicly stated ‘Barca usually ask for at least double their real target,’ even £20m is considered too steep after Dinho’s dismal campaign.
   They have the will of the player on their side, as personal terms have already been agreed with Milan and Ronaldinho has made no secret of his desire to join the Club World Cup winners.
   Catalan newspaper Sport today claims that a new and final offer of £10m for Ronaldinho has been tabled, along with the absolute assertion there will not be a penny more.
   Although clubs such as Manchester City have offered considerably more for the Brazilian, his heart is set on Milan and attempting to force him into a move to the Premier League could spark a legal battle.
   After all, Ronaldinho could in theory cite FIFA’s Article 17 and extricate himself from his contract for just over £10m and all involved want to avoid such drastic action.