Reigning Olympic champions Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva got their US Opens off and running Monday, facing stiff challenges from a pair of unseeded players.
   Nadal, who goes into a Grand Slam ranked No 1 in the world for the first time, outlasted Bjorn Phau 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) on day one of the 20.6 million dollar tournament.
   ‘When you win in three sets it is a good results,’ Nadal said. ‘I had some difficult moments in the match so that is going to help me be prepared for the pressure moments later on.’
   Like Nadal, Dementieva came out shaky but finished on a winning note by brushing aside Akgul Amanmuradova in straight sets.
   The fifth seed Dementieva hopes her 6-4, 7-5 victory is a stepping stone to better things.
   ‘The first round is never easy,’ said Dementieva, who stopped Serena Williams and Vera Zvonareva before beating Russian compatriot Dinara Safina in the gold medal match at the Olympics.
   The 22-year-old Nadal, of Spain, fired seven aces and hammered 37 winners but it wasn’t the opening statement he had hoped for as he needed almost three hours to beat 146th ranked journeyman Phau.
   ‘I tried to keep my level up. I tried to hurry him,’ said Phau who plays mainly on the lower level Challenger circuit.
   Nadal moves through to the second round where he will face Ryler De Heart who surprised Belgium’s Olivier Rochus in a five setter 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
   Nadal has his gold medal to go with his victories at the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
   Last week he surpassed Roger Federer as the world’s top ranked player after spending a record 160 weeks as No. 2.
   The sky is the limit for Nadal who has eight titles this season but has never made it to a hardcourt Grand Slam final.
   Scottish sixth seed Andy Murray, who is looking to improve on his fourth-round finish last year, rolled to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 win over Sergio Roitman in his opening match in the final Grand Slam of the season.
   ‘I didn’t lose a serve the whole match,’ Murray said. ‘He was hitting his forehand really hard and making me do a bit of running.
   ‘It was a decent test and I came through it pretty well.’
   On the women’s side of the draw, Dementieva, second seed Jelena Jankovic, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, China’s Li Na and 23rd seeded Lindsay Davenport, of the US, all advanced.
   Dementieva had four double faults and only three aces but made less unforced errors, 20 to 32, than her opponent in the 88 minute match on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium.
   Dementieva next faces France’s Pauline Parmentier, who beat Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).
   Li got off to a disastrous start before coming from behind to beat Israel’s Shahar Peer 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 on the Grandstand court.
   True to her history of not surrendering easily, Li converted five of six break point chances and won 58 percent of her second serve points to Peer’s 42 percent.
   Li made 20 of her 40 total unforced errors in a sloppy first set before she rounded into form in the second and third sets.
   ‘In the first set I felt like I was playing against a wall,’ Li said. ‘In the second set I told myself to just play your game and don’t give up.’
   The lowest seed to get knocked out on the opening day was 10th ranked Anna Chakvetadze who lost to Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
   In the night match, former world number one Jankovic launched her quest to reach her first Grand Slam final, cruising past American wild card Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-1.
   The 23-year-old Serbian has already reached two semi-finals in Grand Slams this year (French Open and Australian Open) but has never made it to a final in 20 career major appearances.
   This is the sixth straight US Open for second seeded Jankovic who moves through to the second round where she will face Swede Sofia Arvidsson who beat China’s Yan Zi 6-2, 6-4.
   Jankovic needed just 27 minutes to win the second set on Monday, forcing the 16-year-old Vandeweghe into making mistakes especially when the American attacked the net.
   ‘It is tough to play opponent who doesn’t have anything to lose,’ Jankovic said. ‘I didn’t know she was 16 until they made the announcement before the match. I did as much as I needed to win the match.’
   Men’s second seed Federer, women’s world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic and the Williams sisters play their first round matches on Tuesday.

A short one-day series against Bangladesh in Darwin might not sound tempting for some of Australia’s seasoned international cricketers, but wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin can’t wait.
   The three-match series, which was to be a warm-up for the now-postponed Champions Trophy, starts on Saturday.
   Haddin has recovered from a fractured finger suffered during the recent tour of the West Indies, on which he made his long-awaited Test debut following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist.
   The 30-year-old said motivation would not be a problem.
   Although the veteran of 30 one-day internationals has kept wicket for Australia at home before, it will be the first time he has done so as the country’s No1 gloveman.
   ‘For me personally it’s another international,’ he said.
   ‘It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to keep in Australia since Adam (Gilchrist) retired. I’m jumping at the bit to have an opportunity to play in front of an Australian crowd.’
   Haddin said he tested the lingering finger injury during Australia’s two-day training camp in Brisbane without any dramas.
   ‘I got the cast off last week, the results were good. The fracture is stable and I’m right to get back into cricket,’ Haddin said.
   ‘It was frustrating for a while because it took a little bit longer to get right.
   ‘Over the last two days I’ve had a great chance to test it out and I’ve had no problems.’
   With veteran opener Matthew Hayden (achilles) ruled out of the series, the free-scoring Haddin could also find himself promoted up the order.
   ‘I’ve been lucky I’ve batted from one to seven,’ he said.
   ‘In the early days it was a little difficult getting used to that. But I think as you get older and you mature more for a personal point of view, I’m not really fussed these days.
   ‘I’m pretty comfortable in the role I’ve been playing at six and seven in the middle order.’

Australia will celebrate the centenary of their greatest sporting legend Donald Bradman today by naming the star batsman’s sleepy boyhood town ‘the world’s spiritual home of cricket’.
   Schoolchildren, cricketers and Australians of all walks of life were expected to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of the famed cricketer on August 27. Bradman died in 2001 aged 92.
   The accolades were already pouring in Tuesday, with Australia’s current cricket captain Ricky Ponting praising the man known here simply as ‘The Don’ as the game’s untouchable superhero.
   ‘It’s almost like he’s separate from the game,’ Ponting said.
   ‘His name and what he achieved, it’s so far out of any player’s reach, in his time or any player who has played since, it’s almost like he played a different game to what we’re playing.
   ‘He would have been the stand-out player whatever generation he played in.’
   The chairman of the Bradman Foundation, Michael Ball, said excitement was building south of Sydney in Bowral, population 11,500, where Bradman spent his early years and where a cricketing museum bears his name.
   Ball said that among the celebrations, the Bradman Museum would announce that it would be expanded to include an international cricket Hall of Fame.
   It would become ‘the world’s spiritual home of cricket—Don being by far the best cricketer of all time,’ Ball told AFP.
   ‘It will not only be the Bradman Museum but it will be the international cricket Hall of Fame whose captain will be Don Bradman and the team will be obviously the best,’ Ball said.
   ‘The initial team of 12 people will be from all over the world—I don’t know exactly who they will be but they will include people like (Sachin) Tendulkar from India.’
   The first 12 would be chosen by a panel of selectors headed by former Australian captain and long-time commentator Richie Benaud.
   Among those likely to feature on the list would be West Indian all-rounder Garfield Sobers and Britain’s Leonard Hutton and Wally Hammond, Ball said.
   ‘As the Hall of the Fame is implemented we will be setting up to embrace the other cricket nations like India and Pakistan,’ Ball said of the project which will be independent of the International Cricket Council.
   Bradman—batsman, captain, selector, administrator—was Australia’s first global superstar and has left an indelible imprint on the national psyche.
   ‘He gave Australia pride and hope at a time when, through the depression and WWII we really needed it,’ Ball said of the man who led the Australian team of ‘Invincibles’ on their 1948 tour of England.
   ‘We had a tiny population then and the fact that he could go out and be the world’s best gave a lot of hope to Australia.
   ‘I think it’s one of the reasons why Australia does so well in sport now. We can approach any sport and challenge the world’s best. We don’t feel diffident, we don’t feel that we can’t win at any sport that we do.’
   Bradman was born in the town of Cootamundra but it was in Bowral where he first learned to play cricket.
   As a boy, he honed his reflexes and strokes by hitting a golf ball against a water tank with a cricket stump.
   He played for Australia for 20 years, playing 52 Tests from 1928/29-1948 and retiring with an unbeaten batting average of 99.94.
   Ball said that besides his natural ability, Bradman stood for the principles of cricket, ‘the wonderful values that cricket has and how it helps society, helps young people, learn fairness and competition’.
   Bradman’s centenary will be marked by school children singing ‘Happy Birthday’ on Bradman Oval in Bowral.
   Events will be held around the country, including a dinner hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman in Sydney. Ball admits the carpenter’s son from rural New South Wales might have been embarrassed by so much fanfare.
   ‘He would have been quite shy about it,’ he said. ‘I actually have a letter from him where he talks about fame being his unsought companion all his years and that’s how he felt. A very modest man.’
   Bradman’s son, John Bradman, said the family was still amazed at the high regard Australians have for The Don.
   ‘We are of course extremely proud of him, proud of his achievements, but more proud of him as a person, for the way he coped with those achievements,’ John Bradman told national news agency AAP.

Australia’s Olympic team returned home on Tuesday to a rapturous welcome, even as the country urgently began seeking ways of boosting its flagging medals ranking at the 2012 Games in London.
   The team, led by triple gold medallist swimmer Stephanie Rice, were greeted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and a crowd of about 500 well-wishers and media as they stepped off two chartered Qantas jets from Beijing just after dawn.
   ‘Welcome home to Australia,’ Rudd told the 435 athletes. ‘Every Australian is proud of you. Every man, woman and child in this nation is proud of each and every one of you.’
   ‘On behalf of the Australian nation, well done,’ he said, exhorting the team to start preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London, where Australia hopes to do better than it did in Beijing.
   Australia won sixth place in the medals stakes in Beijing, down from fourth in Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000, while Britain—Australia’s traditional sporting rival—rose from 10th place in Athens to fourth.
   The prime minister urged those athletes not retiring after Beijing to ‘spoil the party’ for the British in 2012.
   ‘For those of us who may be going to London, start preparing,’ he said.
   Australia places enormous importance on projecting its image to the world through its sporting endeavours, whether in cricket, rugby, tennis, golf or at the Olympics.
   But Australia’s haul of 46 medals in Beijing — 14 gold, 15 silver and 17 bronze—was fewer than the 58 from Sydney and the 49 from Athens four years ago.
   While the country of just 21 million people prides itself on punching above its weight in the Olympic medal stakes, top sports officials say more funding is urgently needed to curb Australia’s slide on the medals table.
   More galling yet for many Australians is Britain’s best Olympic performance in decades after pouring millions into sport through its national lottery.
   The Australian government has promised to review sports funding, and Rudd confirmed it would be boosted ahead of the London Games.
   ‘When it comes to sports funding, it’s not either or—either community sport or elite sport—we’ll be doing both,’ he told Nine Network television.
   ‘The kids who are engaging in community sport, a lot of them want to have the hope in their eyes that they can rise to elite representational levels as well.
   ‘The government is funding a large slab of investment in community level sport, school sports, indigenous sports, but also we’re not going to be back-tracking when it comes to funding for Olympic level sports either.’
   Rudd said Sports Minister Kate Ellis would consider whether Australia should adopt the British model of using lottery revenue to fund elite sport.
   ‘We want to have another look at it because it’s a positive, constructive idea, let’s see if it works,’ he said.
   But the British were already rubbing salt in Australia’s open wounds, with the tabloid Sun newspaper parading truck-mounted billboards around London and Sydney gloating about Britain’s gold medal success over Australia.
   ‘Where the bloody hell were you?’ screamed the billboards that featured a Union Jack flag background and Britain and Australia’s relative gold medal tallies: 19 for Britain and just 14 for Australia.
   Australians won six gold medals at Beijing’s Water Cube, all by its women swimmers, with Rice snaring the medley double and helping the 4x200m freestyle team to victory, all in world record time.
   But the male swimmers failed to win a gold medal for the first time since the 1976 Montreal Games.
   As she descended from the Boeing 747 in Sydney, Rice said her performance in Beijing had ‘exceeded my expectations’.
   ‘I’m just looking forward to seeing my mum and having a holiday,’ she told the crowd.
   Fellow gold medal-winning swimmer Leisel Jones was overwhelmed by the rock star welcome. ‘It is really nice to come home to a nice reception and there’s nothing better than coming home,’ she said.

Swimming sensation Michael Phelps said in an interview published Tuesday that he may challenge French Olympic champion Alain Bernard in the 100m freestyle at next year’s World Championships.
   Phelps set a record of eight Olympic gold medals - beating Mark Spitz’s mark of seven from Munich in 1972 - at the Beijing Games.
   But the 100m freestyle was not among his conquests as former world record-holder Bernard claimed that ahead of Australia’s Eamon Sullivan.
   Bernard actually set a world record in the semi-finals in China only to be bettered by Sullivan in the very next semi, although the Frenchman had the last laugh when he won the gold medal the next day.
   Now Phelps told Gazzetta dello Sport that he may take on Bernard in next July’s World Championships in Rome.
   ‘Someone like Bernard is right on my heels; I missed his (former) world record by a hundreth of a second, it could be a great challenge in Rome,’ said Phelps.
   ‘There are lots of competitors. I also respect your (Italian Filippo) Magnini (a double world champion at 100m free) who left me fifth in Montreal (the 2005 World Championships).
   ‘But right now swimming is a world away from my thoughts although I still want to push myself to the limits.’
   Phelps said he and his coach Bob Bowman would be taking a substantial period of time off.
   ‘We both need it, we’ve finished a huge workload,’ he added.
   Phelps also said he would change his focus from longer to shorter races.
   In Beijing he won the 400m medley, 200m freestyle, butterfly and medley, 100m butterfly as well as three relays.
   But when asked what other challenges lay ahead he focussed on the shorter distances.
   ‘The 50m freestyle; I know my coach doesn’t think it’s the event for me but at this point in swimming I just want to have fun and get less tired.
   ‘I won’t do the 400m medley any more as it devours my soul. Maybe also the 200m medley where I think (US team-mate Ryan) Lochte will become the number one.’

Cricket South Africa have announced changes to the itinerary for the home series against Bangladesh in November. The warm-up match between the Bangladeshis and South Africa A will now be a two-day fixture with the two Tests starting a couple of days earlier, on November 19.
   The revised itinerary is as follows:
   November 5: Twenty20 International, Johannesburg (D/N)
   November 7: 1st ODI, Potchefstroom (D/N)
   November 9: 2nd ODI, Bloemfontein
   November 12: 3rd ODI, East London (D/N)
   November 15-16: Against South Africa A, Kimberley
   November 19: 1st Test, Bloemfontein
   November 26: 2nd Test, Centurion

   Visiting Bangladesh national cricket team face Northern Territory Chief Minister XI in the 5th one-day practice match at the Garden’s Oval in Darwin today.
   The Chief Minister’s XI is coached by former Bangladesh and GP-BCB National Cricket Academy trainer Shane McDermott, who will also play in the match.
   Earlier, in the four practice matches against Australian Institute of Sports, the visiting side conceded three defeats against a win.
   The Tigers earned a three-wicket victory over AIS in the 2nd practice match after suffering a 14-run defeat in the first match against the same team. They then conceded a five-wicket defeat in the 3rd match and suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the 4th match.
   On completion of the practice matches, Bangladesh team will start their three-match ODI series against mighty Australia on Aug 30 at the TIO Stadium in Darwin. The remaining two ODI matches will be held on September 3 and 6 at the same venue.

The 1st Diamond Melamine School Rugby Tournament, organised by Bangladesh Rugby Association, began Tuesday at the Outer Stadium rugby ground with both the opening day’s matches ending in draws.
   In the opening match, St Gregory High School played to a goalless draw with Rahmatullah Model High School.
   The day’s other match between Nawabpur Govt Boys High School and Heart to Reach School, also ended in 0-0 draw.
   Earlier, Bangladesh Football Federation senior Vice-President Abdus Salam Murshedi formally inaugurated the meet as chief guest.
   Bangladesh Rugby Association president Khandaker Jamiluddin, general secretary Mousum Ali and managing director of Diamond Melamine Industries Ltd Mohammad Mokhter Hossain were present on the occasion.

Old Ideals defeated Victoria Sporting Club 27-14 in the Cute Premier Handball League at the handball ground adjacent to the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
   In the other match of the day, Dhaka Mariners drew 22-22 with Surjodoy KC at the same venue.
   Mamun of Old Ideals scored 13 goals for his team while Faruk of Dhaka Mariners slammed six and Liakat of Surjodoy netted seven goals.

Former England opener Marcus Trescothick’s revelation that he illegally used breath mints to help his bowlers gain extra swing during the 2005 Ashes series has received a mixed reaction in Australia.
   Trescothick admitted in his new autobiography that his chief job in the field was to shine the ball using ‘a bit of spit and a lot of polish’ with the aid of the breath sweets.
   But former Australian swing bowler Terry Alderman, who had an exceptional record in England, poured cold water on the claims and questioned Trescothick’s motives for going public with the story.
   ‘He has retired now and he has just written that to sell the book,’ Alderman told AFP on Wednesday.
   ‘I’ve never heard of that working. How much difference could a breath mint make?’
   England stunned the cricket world with a 2-1 win in the 2005 Ashes, their first series win against the Australians in 18 years.
   The reverse swing achieved by England’s bowlers, led by Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones, was a major factor in the upset victory.
   Former Australian pace bowler and current national selector Merv Hughes said the tactic was unethical, but there was little point worrying about it.
   ‘If he’s come out and said that he’s used it, yes, it’s unethical,’ he told the Melbourne Age newspaper.
   ‘Yes, he got away with it, good luck to him. You can’t change the result of the Test series, so it’s no good worrying about it.’
   Another former Australian swing bowler, Damien Fleming, told the Melbourne Age the revelations took some of the gloss off England’s win.
   ‘For me, it doesn’t totally tarnish it because what I did like about the England bowlers in that series was their wrist release, and for the first 10 overs Jones and Flintoff got the new ball to swing beautifully, but from the 20 to 45-over mark, that is where the mints are helping.
   ‘And they bowled better reverse swing than us. They definitely got an illegal advantage over us in those overs.
   ‘At least now we know why England lost the (next) Ashes: they lost their minty guy.’
   Fleming believes the Australians were aware of England’s tactics, but didn’t want to raise it for fear of being seen as sore losers.
   Current Australian Test batsman Simon Katich, who struggled to handle the English swing bowling during the 2005 Ashes, was blunt.
   ‘If it was proved they cheated, we would have a right to be upset,’ he said.
   Australia’s current bowling coach, Troy Cooley, was the man credited with England’s mastery of reverse swing during the 2005 series, but has denied any knowledge of Trescothick’s tactics.
   Current Australian batsman Michael Clarke shrugged off the news on Tuesday, declaring that he wasn’t concerned with the past.

A lingering heel injury has forced Matthew Hayden to consider his limited-overs future, but he says he still has the desire to continue in the format despite having to pull out of the series against Bangladesh. Hayden, who picked up the problem in April, said he was keen to keep appearing in coloured clothes - ‘at least for this summer’.
   ‘I really enjoy it so providing I can hold my spot I will definitely be playing more one-day cricket,’ he told the Australian. ‘It’s not like I’ve played 300 games. I came late to one-day cricket and have played about 150 [161] games.’
   Hayden was the player of the 2007 World Cup and is the ICC’s one-day player of the year, but he will turn 37 in October and knows time is running out. ‘I want to finish off the desire I have to play one-day cricket without being selfish because it’s important the team has plenty of time to prepare for the next World Cup,’ he said. ‘That’s still a long way off, but I won’t be ruthless about trying to push on. I don’t want to hang on too long.’
   Australia will have another look at the future during the three matches against Bangladesh in Darwin, starting from Saturday. Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin are contenders for the opening spots while David Hussey and Cameron White may also receive significant game time. The cancellation of the Champions Trophy has disrupted Australia’s pre-season, but given Hayden a greater opportunity to recover from the Achilles problem.
   ‘In the short term it’s disappointing, but in the longer term it’s really good because it gives me extra time to get right for India,’ Hayden said.

Arsene Wenger insists he won’t rush into the transfer market despite Arsenal’s spluttering start to the season.
   Wenger was furious with his players after Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Fulham and was expected to respond by stepping up his attempt to sign a new midfielder.
   The Gunners boss has been linked with Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso and Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry and the transfer window shuts on Monday, but he has no intention of losing faith in his squad.
   ‘I believe we have a strong squad and I believe in the players I have instead of always looking at who might be coming in,’ he said. ‘It is not one player who makes a difference.
   ‘It is up to us as a team to show personality, strength and belief within the squad. That will make the difference.
   ‘We just look at the right player and if we can get him, we get him. If we don’t, we don’t.
   ‘If nothing is done, it will not limit our ambitions because of it.’
   Arsenal lacked any urgency on Saturday but the expected return of Cesc Fabregas after a hamstring injury for Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier against FC Twente should provide a much-needed boost.
   Wenger held a meeting with his players on Monday when he made it clear some players hadn’t given enough at Craven Cottage and he won’t tolerate a repeat performance.
   ‘We have talked about everything needed to be successful in a team, and commitment is needed for any success, no matter how much quality you have,’ Wenger said.
   ‘We live in a world now where you have to accept the critics and a definite conclusion from everybody.
   ‘But I know my squad is good, my team is good, our spirit is good.
   ‘We are intelligent enough to know we did not play well on Saturday, but we know as well we have the needed quality to respond.
   ‘We completely understand the critics because we were not good - but we promise we will come back and play well tomorrow, to put a good performance in.’
   Although the Gunners hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg that should be enough to book their place in the lucrative group stage, Wenger warned his players not to underestimate Steve McClaren’s side.
   ‘We have done the job well at Twente, but the job is not over,’ he said. ‘We have to respect Twente and come into the game with a desire to win.
   ‘It is not always easy to go into a match when you lead 2-0, but I want us to be positive and to win it.’
   Wenger admitted he let Swiss centre-back Philippe Senderos join AC Milan because Mikael Silvestre’s arrival from Manchester United has given him enough defensive options.
   The 23-year-old, who endured an erratic five-year spell with the Gunners, was due to undergo a medical with the Serie A club on Tuesday.
   ‘Senderos has gone to Milan and will complete a medical,’ Wenger said. ‘At the moment, he does not get the games here, and so now he can play somewhere and remains in a top-level club.
   ‘We have Johan Djourou, we have Kolo Toure, we have Senderos, we have Alex Song, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre now who can play centre-back so we have a congestion there. We want him to play without losing him.
   ‘It has not been decided yet whether the transfer will be permanent.’

It’s not been long since Mahendra Dhoni took charge of the Indian one-day team. And the young captain hasn’t let his team down. From being an explosive batsman, Dhoni has altered his batting style to suit the needs of his side. Thanks to his new role, he is no longer the daring Dhoni who used to attack from the word go.
   In the ongoing Sri Lanka ODI series, Dhoni has been the backbone of the Indian batting and in the two games the tourists won in Dambulla and R. Premadasa Stadium, he top- scored with 39 and 76 runs, respectively.
   ‘I had a different role when I made my debut. I was batting at a different slot. We had a person who would carry on an innings and be there till the end. I was among those batsmen who will go out and look to accelerate. Even if I get out, it was okay,’ Dhoni said.
   In Sri Lanka, the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag has forced Dhoni to bat at number five at times and he admitted that his style of play has undergone significant changes since he made his debut in 2004.
   ‘There’s been a transformation in my career. I am playing for the last four years and during the latter half of my career, I was under a bit of pressure to take up the responsibility and play through the innings,’ he said.
   And unlike in most cases, captaincy has made Dhoni a better batsman. The 27-year-old has a much better average as a batsman while captaining India. His average while captaining the side in 34 ODIs has been an impressive 56:54, during which he has scored over 1200 runs and it’s way above his career average of 47.70. Whereas before being a captain, Dhoni averaged 44.23.
   No doubt, the captaincy has brought more responsibility in his game.
   Hailed by the bigwigs of Indian cricket for his commitment to the game, Dhoni has made rapid improvement as a wicketkeeper and captain too. He captained India to victory in the inaugural ICC Twenty-20 Championship in South Africa and then won the tri-nation ODI tournament in Australia beating the World Champions in straight finals.
   He has not been afraid to back his young side and has defended the players whenever they have been under pressure and resisted calls for seniors to be recalled for ODIs.
   India’s youngsters were criticized for their sloppy fielding during the third ODI, where they dropped three catches, but Dhoni blamed the spectators instead of his fielders for the misfields.

China’s Olympic gold medallists will get cash rewards of 350,000 yuan (51,000 dollars), nearly twice the amount given for the Athens 2004 Games, state media reported on Tuesday.
   The figure was given by Xiao Shan, deputy head of the country’s sports ministry, the Beijing News reported.
   Chinese gold-medal winners at the 2004 Games were given 200,000 yuan, Xiao said.
   China displaced the
   United States as the world’s premier sporting nation by winning 51 gold medals, its best Olympic showing ever, at the just-completed Beijing Games.

Former WAA world and EBU European boxing champion Edip Sekowitsch has been found stabbed to death in front of the cafe he owned in Vienna, police said Tuesday.
   Initial indications suggest the 50-year-old Serbian-born boxer died after being stabbed four times during a fight early Tuesday, police said. A suspect has been arrested.
   Sekowitsch, who emigrated to Austria in the early 1980s, became world boxing champion in the light middleweight division in 1988 when he beat Bryan Grant of the United States.
   He won the European title the following year.
   Nick-named the ‘Serbian bull’, Sekowitsch retired from boxing in 2002 and then opened a cafe in Vienna. He was married and had three children.

The fourth one-day international between India and Sri Lanka at the Premadasa Stadium was called off without a ball being bowled due to rain here on Tuesday.
   The match will now be played on Wednesday—the reserve day.
   India lead 2-1 in the five-match series, winning the second one-dayer by three wickets in Dambulla and the third game here by 33 runs. The hosts posted an eight-wicket win in the opening match in Dambulla.

Satkhira DSA thrashed Jhenidah DSA by 77-18 points with five creditable ‘lonas’ in a final phase match of the 28th National Kabaddi Competition at the Comilla Stadium on Tuesday.
   In another match, Satkhira DSA again beat Dinajpur DSA by 23-17 points, also at the same venue.
   In the day’s other matches, Meherpur DSA beat Kishoreganj DSA by 50-46 points and Mymensingh DSA crushed Sylhet DSA by 40-14 points.

Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Army and Khulna DSA ensured the semi-final berths in the Premier Bank 23rd National Basketball Championship winning their respective quarter-final matches at the Rajshahi Divisional Sports Complex and District Gymnasium Tuesday.
   In the quarterfinals, Bangladesh Navy crushed hosts Rajshahi by 109-58 points, Bangladesh Rifles outclassed Chandpur DSA by 83-55 points, Bangladesh Army beat BKSP by 91-47 points and Khulna DSA defeated Bangladesh Police by 96-81 points.
   Wednesday’s semis: Bangladesh Navy v Khulna DSA, Bangladesh Army v Bangladesh Rifles.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be motivated by revenge in Friday’s Super Cup showdown against Zenit St Petersburg.
   Ferguson is still bitter about Lazio’s post-match celebrations when the Italian club beat United in their last Super Cup appearance in 1999 and has no intention of suffering a repeat in Monaco.
   ‘I want to win. I remember the last time we went there I only played half a team because we had a Monday league game against Newcastle,’ Ferguson said.
   ‘When I saw Lazio celebrating at the end, it was like they had won the World Cup. I was not too pleased. I thought: ‘That will not happen again’.’
   Ferguson has pledged to send out a strong team against UEFA Cup holders Zenit, with England duo Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves set to feature after injury.
   Hargreaves has been trying to overcome a tendinitis problem, while Neville is still working his way to full match fitness after an ankle injury.
   Nani is also available having completed a three-match ban for his dismissal against West Ham last season. Ryan Giggs should be fit as well after missing Monday’s win at Portsmouth with a hamstring problem.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association is planning to build a stadium which will have ‘more seating capacity Eden Gardens or the Melbourne Cricket Ground’ in Chennai for the 2011 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
   The stadium, which will also have a retractable roof to prevent wash-outs, will be located on a 50-acre site in Karunkuzhipallam village in Kanchipuram district which is 25 kilometers outside Chennai. The TNCA is yet to find a contractor for the project.

The Federation Cup Invitational Table Tennis will commence on Thursday at the Paltan Wooden Floor Gymnasium with 99 players contesting in seven events.
   The participating teams are: Bangladesh Biman, Brothers Union, Wari Club, Mariners, Abahani Limited, Feni, Pabna, Dinajpur, Narial, Bagerhat, Gaibandha, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Chittagong, Khulna and Rangpur.

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal must use today’s Champions League qualifier against FC Twente to get back on track after their shock defeat at Fulham.
   The Gunners produced one of their worst performances in recent memory in Saturday’s 1-0 loss and Wenger left Craven Cottage with a multitude of problems to contemplate.
   With Cesc Fabregas injured, Arsenal lacked any creativity, leaving Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor starved of service. That might have been surmountable if Kolo Toure and William Gallas hadn’t been so sloppy at the back.
   Such an unsettling result so early in the season - after two underwhelming victories - has left Wenger concerned about his young team’s ability to fulfil their potential.
   Arsenal hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg against Steve McClaren’s Twente and that should be enough to cruise through to the lucrative group stage.
   But Wenger can’t afford another morale-denting defeat so the Dutch visitors will be greeted by a full-strength team at the Emirates Stadium.
   ‘When you lose a game the solution is not always to buy. Did we play at our best? I say ‘no’ and so we have to look at why,’ Wenger said.
   ‘We had problems to win our first few games last year but we won them. This year we did not win, that is the reality. We had 60 minutes to come back on Fulham and we did not do it.
   ‘Is that down to Fulham’s quality or the fact we were not good enough? Only the future will tell us that.’
   Even if Wenger wanted to shake up his team, there are few options available.
   New signing Mikael Silvestre will be sidelined again as the France defender recovers from muscle strain, while Philippe Senderos was set for a medical at AC Milan on Tuesday ahead of a loan move to the Serie A club.
   If Wenger feels the need for reassurance that his position is still brighter than most of his rivals he need only look across to the other bench on Wednesday.
   McClaren will be in north London for his first competitive match in the UK since the end of his dismal reign as England manager.
   The Twente boss must have thought the abuse that cascaded down on him after England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 would finally cease when he moved to the Netherlands. But he has had no such luck.
   Not only is McClaren struggling to shake off the ‘wally with the brolly’ nickname he earned after sheltering under an umbrella during England’s loss to Croatia, now he has to contend with ridicule of the slight Dutch twang in his accent during a Dutch television interview before the first leg.
   The only way to silence the English critics would have been to knock out Arsenal but, although his young team troubled the Gunners in the first leg, even McClaren concedes that is an unrealistic aim now.
   ‘It’s a massive mountain to climb. It’s bigger than Everest but we take heart from the performance (in the first leg),’ he said.
   ‘I’ve said before that this tie isn’t just about now but also the future. I like what I see of this team. We showed we are a good team who can compete with the likes of Arsenal.’

Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel has been told he must be more careful on the field or risk losing the captain’s armband he has only just inherited.
   Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann named the Dutchman as his captain following Oliver Kahn’s retirement at the end of last season, but Van Bommel was far from a responsible leader last in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund as he was sent off after just 23 minutes.
   Van Bommel received two yellow card in as many minutes, the first for a dangerous foul on Sebastian Kehl before the linesman spotted an act of violent conduct on Tamas Hajnal to force referee Herbert Fandel to send off the Holland midfielder.
   That was his third red card in his previous 10 games for the club and he has been ordered to change his ways.
   ‘The first yellow card is acceptable, but you should never get a second yellow card like that and Mark has got to learn that,’ said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to the Bild newspaper.
   ‘It is for his own good and for the good of the team (that he learns).
   ‘The important thing is that he realises that he has made an error, but I think he knows himself that he has left the rest of the team in the lurch.’
   However, the 31-year-old was showing no remorse after being dismissed by Fandel, claiming he is being victimised.
   ‘There is a saying in Holland that the bigger trees catch more wind,’ he explained.
   ‘Maybe I have an image problem. When other players do that, then the game is allowed to play on.
   ‘It is possible that I am being watched particularly closely.’
   Despite Van Bommel’s protests, Rummenigge believes the referee made the correct decision.
   ‘I have seen the scene several times in TV, even in the super-slow-motion, and I have to say that, unfortunately, both yellow cards are correct,’ he said.
   ‘The referee has made the right decision.’
   Bayern’s management will now be seeking to remind Van Bommel of his responsibilities as club captain, but for club president Franz Beckenbauer, that is akin to taming a lion.
   ‘Van Bommel is a short-tempered character who does not have control over himself and, therefore, does not do himself nor the team any favours,’ he told Premiere television.
   ‘He must learn to control himself.’
   As a result of the red card, Van Bommel automatically misses next Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with Hertha Berlin when either Lucio or Philipp Lahm will be given the captain’s armband.

Manchester United will travel to Monaco on Thursday with a spring in their step after avoiding a potential banana skin at Fratton Park on Monday night, a 1-0 victory moving the Barclays Premier League champions to within two points of Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the table.
   It is a measure of how little United relish trips to their bogey ground that Sir Alex Ferguson described the three points as a ‘bonus’, although with his team not in league action for another 18 days because of their participation in the European Super Cup against Zenit St Petersburg on Friday and the subsequent international break, they could ill afford to have lost further ground on the leaders, especially as their next two matches are away to Liverpool and Chelsea.
   However, while the narrow score-line will only strengthen Ferguson’s desire to bring Dimitar Berbatov on board sooner rather than later, it flattered Portsmouth, who are bottom after two defeats. Harry Redknapp’s team may have beaten United on three of their past five visits to Fratton Park, but the gulf between the sides was greater than Darren Fletcher’s 32nd-minute goal, the culmination of a wonderful 13-pass move, suggested.
   ‘We played some excellent football,’ Ferguson said. ‘It’s a difficult place to come. Last year we drew here, the year before we lost, so it’s a bonus. We tried to get a system where players were comfortable in their positions and we used them in the right way.’ With Cristiano Ronaldo unlikely to return from injury before October - ‘I have never experienced a situation like this, being two months without kicking a ball,’ the Portugal winger said last night. ‘I am not used to being sidelined’ - Ferguson will now focus his attentions on attempting to prise Berbatov away from Tottenham Hotspur, who have threatened to let the Bulgaria striker rot in the reserves should his proposed move not be completed before the close of the transfer window on Monday.
   United remain hopeful that a deal can be struck, even though Ferguson expressed ‘concern’ on Monday that time was running out, with Tottenham continuing to play hard-ball despite the Old Trafford club lodging an improved offer of £25 million over the weekend.
   Emil Dantchev, Berbatov’s agent, is in England trying to broker a deal, but while Tottenham are demanding more than £30 million and are reluctant to release the player until a successor has been lined up, a breakthrough is thought to be imminent.
   ‘There’s only a week and you start to concern yourself, but we’ve shown tonight we’ve got a good quality of player here,’ Ferguson said. ‘We would like to add to that, but we’ll have to see what happens.’
   Berbatov was left out of the Tottenham squad for the 2-1 home defeat by Sunderland on Saturday because he was considered psychologically unfit to play and Juande Ramos, the North London club’s head coach, has said that he will monitor the player during training this week before deciding whether he is able to play against Chelsea on Sunday.
   If Berbatov’s attitude does not change, Ramos has intimated that he will play the forward in the reserve team until there is an improvement.
   Having lost 4-0 to Chelsea last Sunday, Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, believes that his team have already played the two main contenders for the championship. ‘I was pleased at half-time, but we ran out of steam against their movement and passing,’ he said. ‘They pop up from everywhere.
   ‘There is not much difference between the two teams [United and Chelsea]. I do think United will be fine with the squad they have got, but I’m sure they will get Dimitar Berbatov and that will make them stronger.
   ‘It looks as if two teams will slug it out and we have played them both. Liverpool and Arsenal have got it all to do to finish above them. The sign of a good team is that when they are passing, they have always got two or three options because their movement is so good and that’s what United had tonight.’

Jose Mourinho’s arrival as Inter coach and AC Milan buying Ronaldinho should add extra flair to Serie A this season and prompt a more exciting title race.
   Inter won their third straight scudetto with a pedestrian season only coming to life in the final weeks when they contrived to throw away an 11-point lead before edging AS Roma to the championship on the last day.
   Coach Roberto Mancini paid the price for Inter’s stuttering finish and was sacked by club president Massimo Moratti.
   Mancini’s outburst in March when he said he was quitting, before changing his mind, was another factor in the dismissal, as was Moratti’s eagerness to work with the charismatic Mourinho.
   The Portuguese had been linked with Inter ever since he left Chelsea last September so he had plenty of time to hone his plans ahead of the season starting this weekend.
   ‘My Inter will play better than the opposition and win 3-0,’ Mourinho said when predicting the outcome of each league match.
   ‘This is a great group of players, an exceptional group.’
   However, Mourinho is fully aware the squad is ageing with winger Luis Figo, 35, well past his best.
   Mourinho’s pursuit of Frank Lampard, with whom he won two Premier League titles at Chelsea, showed he wanted big reinforcements and the England player’s decision to stay in London leaves Inter short of inspiration in midfield.
   Brazilian winger Mancini has arrived from Roma but Mourinho’s favoured three-pronged attack will not look complete unless Inter can prise target Ricardo Quaresma from Porto.
   Milan did finally bag their number one target after months of talks with Barcelona but Ronaldinho has work to do if he can restore his reputation as one of the game’s great entertainers.
   He went badly off the boil in his last two seasons at Barca and Milan need the Brazilian to quickly rediscover his best form after they limped home fifth in May.
   An ageing defence and lack of a world class goalkeeper hampered Carlo Ancelotti’s side and could do again.
   Milan last won Serie A in 2004 and their attack will have to carry the whole team if they are to mount a serious title tilt.
   Playmaker Kaka was below par last season after suffering knee trouble and though his injury problems are not over, fans have high hopes for his partnership with Ronaldinho.
   Andriy Shevchenko’s return to the San Siro after a torrid two-year spell at Chelsea has also enthused Rossoneri supporters but they know the Ukraine striker is not the player he once was.
   Juventus did well to finish third in their first season back in Serie A since their 2006 match-fixing demotion.
   The 23 million euro ($34 million) purchase of Palermo striker Amauri puts Claudio Ranieri’s side in the title running.
   Fiorentina have also spent big, with former AC Milan striker Alberto Gilardino one of a raft of new signings. They will hope to at least repeat last season’s fourth place.
   Roma failed to persuade Fiorentina to sell skilful forward Adrian Mutu and could struggle having sold Mancini to Inter.
   Napoli are the best outside bet for a Champions League spot after shrewd buys, including Sampdoria winger Christian Maggio.

Andriy Shevchenko has vowed to put his nightmare spell at Chelsea behind him after completing his move back to AC Milan.
   The Ukraine striker passed a medical at AC Milan’s Milanello training complex on Monday to put the finishing touch to his return to the club he left in 2006.
   Shevchenko endured a difficult two years in London following a £30 million move from the Rossoneri, finding the net just nine times in two Premier League campaigns, and has vowed to do his utmost to get back to his world-beating best.
   ‘Now I have returned home, we will not look back anymore but forwards,’ Shevchenko told Milan Channel. ‘I will give anything to score immediately.
   ‘I want to start again. I hope that the injuries I had in recent seasons won’t be repeated, but here I have everything to do well and it depends only on me.’
   Shevchenko spent seven seasons at the San Siro before his move to the Premier League and although he insists he has no regrets about his time in England, he is delighted to be returning to Milan.
   And the 31-year-old - Milan’s second all-time leading goalscorer with 173 - has his sights firmly set on Gunnar Nordahl’s 210-goal tally.
   ‘In these two years I felt that here they loved me and they were waiting for me,’ added Shevchenko.
   When questioned about Nordahl’s record he said: ‘I will have time to make amends and to score more goals.’
   Shevchenko is also looking forward to facing old rivals Inter Milan, in a derby that will have added spice with his former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho at the Nerazzurri helm.
   ‘I always felt really good whenever that match happened, I hope that it can still be like that.’
   Meanwhile, before leaving Chelsea on Monday night Shevchenko gave a final expression of gratitude towards Roman Abramovich for the ‘help and encouragement’ that got him through his nightmare spell in west London.
   Shevchenko, 31, endured a difficult two years in London following a big-money transfer from the Rossoneri, finding the net just nine times in two Premier League campaigns.
   But he had nothing but warm praise for the Blues as he ended his disappointing spell.
   ‘I would like to thank Chelsea Football Club - the fans, staff, players and management - for all the support you gave me during my time at the club,’ he told www.chelseafc.com.
   ‘I would also like to express my gratitude to Roman Abramovich for all his help and encouragement.
   ‘It was unfortunate I suffered a number of injuries during my time here but I always gave my all, whatever the circumstances.
   ‘I really have enjoyed playing in England and have made many friendships that will stay with me forever. I will always look back with fond memories of my time at this really great club. Thank you.’

Brazilian legend Ronaldo could be on the verge of a move to Manchester City, with the Daily Telegraph claiming that the former Milan man has held talks with the Premiership club over a possible transfer.
   The 31-year-old free agent is currently recovering from injury after he severed a tendon in his knee playing for Milan against Livorno in February.
   After a successful operation in Paris, it was revealed that he would be out of action for at least nine months. Ronaldo’s rehabilitation is said to be going well, and well ahead of schedule, but after his contract at Milan expired at the end of June, the Italian club refused to offer him a new deal.
   Man. City is looking for a big international name, for commercial reasons, and there are few bigger in the game than Ronaldo, who is a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and the top scorer in the history of the World Cup.
   The Telegraph claims that Ronaldo has held informal talks over a possible move before the end of this week, but first the Brazilian must prove his fitness, as there are concerns over his weight.
   City’s executive chairman Garry Cook appeared to admit an imminent move for Ronaldo when he told the Telegraph:
   ‘I’ve got to change the culture here. Today you can grow quicker than it took Manchester United. We just need a superstar. China and India are gagging for football content to watch and we’re going to tell them that City is their great content. We are a global franchise entity. We told [manager] Mark Hughes not to come here if he thought we didn’t need a superstar.’

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken of his frustration at being on the sidelines as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery.
   Ronaldo was pictured jogging round United’s Carrington training base last week after being given the green light to step up his rehabilitation.
   United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has suggested the Portugal star will be out of action until the beginning of October although Ronaldo is targeting a return before then.
   ‘I have never experienced a situation like this, being two months without kicking a ball. I just want to be fully recovered,’ he told Portuguese broadcaster SIC.
   ‘I am not used to being sidelined. I feel sad, but the worst moment has already gone and I recognise that I must patient.
   ‘I feel well, and the time of kicking a ball is coming. Playing football - this is what makes me happy.’
   Ronaldo has also been widely touted as a strong candidate for the FIFA world player of the year award and the 23-year-old believes he has a good chance.
   He added: ‘I think that I had very positive campaign last season. It would be a dream that becomes reality to win it. Not any player has done what I did last season.
   ‘I believe I can win it this year.’

It is a name that Napoli legend Diego Maradona would never want associated with his beloved club but, according to reports in Italy, the Azzurri are fighting for the signature of the Argentine’s enemy namesake Pele, from Inter Milan.
   Maradona is undoubtedly the greatest player ever to wear the Napoli shirt, having led the southerners to two Scudetti in 1987 and 1990, and a UEFA Cup in 1989.
   The Argentine has had an infamous, long-running feud with Brazilian icon Pele, but it seems he may have to get used to his beloved former club having a Pele among their ranks.
   According to reports in Italy, Napoli are fighting it out with Genoa for the signing of Inter’s Portuguese youngster Pele.
   The 20-year-old only arrived at San Siro last summer from Vitoria Guimares, but he is likely to exit Inter before the end of the transfer window either on loan or in a co-ownership arrangement.
   Napoli and Genoa are looking to strengthen their midfields, and both have requested the player, thus leading to a fascinating tussle in the final hours of the market.
   However Pele, who made 15 Serie A appearances last season, could still be used as a pawn in Inter’s deal for Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma.
   Napoli have had an impressive transfer campaign this summer so far, bringing in Rinaudo (Palermo), Maggio (Sampdoria), Denis (Independiente), and Russotto (Bellinzona).

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury insists Craig Bellamy is not for sale after reports claimed Manchester City were set to bid for the Wales striker.
   City are believed to be keen to land Bellamy before the transfer window closes next week but Duxbury is adamant there is no chance of the former Liverpool star being allowed to leave.
   ‘West Ham United have absolutely no intention of selling Craig Bellamy,’ he told the club’s website. ‘He is under contract and is committed to the club. Craig remains a very important part of our plans for the future.
   ‘The club is being run on sound football and business principles in order to develop a squad which can deliver success this season. No player would be bought or sold unless that helped to achieve that aim.’
   Anton Ferdinand’s imminent move to Sunderland and Freddie Ljungberg’s recent release had led to suggestion the Hammers were trying to off-load their top earners.
   But Duxbury said: ‘If a player refuses to sign a new contract or is not crucial to the manager’s plans then we will look at offers on a case-by-case basis. It is the only sensible way to build for the future.’

Britain’s most successful Olympic team for 100 years arrived back home on Monday after winning 47 medals in Beijing but team bosses warned that the coaches behind the medal haul could be poached by other nations.
   Britain’s collection of 19 gold medals lifted it to fourth in the medals table and raised expectations of home success at the 2012 Olympics in London.
   A jubilant Team GB touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport from Beijing on a Boeing 747 renamed ‘Pride’ and with its nose cone repainted gold for the occasion.
   The biggest cheer was for the first sight on the plane’s steps of the gold medallists, led by Chris Hoy, who won three golds in track cycling, and 19-year-old swimmer Rebecca Adlington, a double gold medallist.
   Hoy said: ‘It has been an incredible reception. It is amazing, it’s just fantastic.
   ‘I’m going to take a couple of months off but it hasn’t really sunk in yet.’
   He said reports that he would be given the title ‘Sir’ in the Queen’s Honours List in recognition of his achievements in Beijing were ‘crazy’.
   ‘It’s such a nice thing to think that we are getting a bit of attention for minority sports,’ the 32-year-old Scot told BBC television.
   Adlington, a virtual unknown outside swimming circles before the Games but now rapidly on her way to becoming a household name in Britain, has been promised a pair of her favourite designer shoes by the mayor of her home town.
   ‘We’ve just done our best to get a medal, anything else that comes our way is just a bonus,’ she said, before joking that there was ‘no way’ she would share the shoes with her sisters.
   Adlington said she would soon be back in the pool in her bid to repeat her success in 2012.
   ‘I’m getting back (to training) at the end of September,’ she added.
   Although the team was given a rapturous welcome from airport staff and Prime Minister Gordon Brown greeted ever competitor individually, people were discouraged from coming to the airport.
   Heathrow said it could not accommodate a large crowd on Monday, a national holiday and one of its busiest days of the year.
   Instead, the Olympians will be given a homecoming victory parade through London in October.
   But as Britain basked in its success, British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said he feared the brains behind the success would be poached by high-paying rivals.
   The injection of funding generated by the national lottery over the past decade is credited with revamping Britain’s Olympic fortunes, but Moynihan urged the government to quickly agree a four-year funding plan for 2012.
   He said that working on a year-to-year basis could lead to key coaches with the British team being tempted away by rivals such as Australia, which is smarting from Britain’s new-found success.
   ‘A lot of our performance directors have really delivered so it’s not going to be surprising for their phones to be ringing,’ Moynihan told The Times newspaper.
   ‘We have some of the best in the world—there will be many other countries who will want to poach them from us.
   ‘We need four years of funding in place for the national governing bodies so they can negotiate contracts to sign them up now for 2012. It cannot be done on a year-by-year basis.’
   Dave Brailsford, the performance director of the British cycling team which dominated its sport by winning 14 medals, is reportedly yet to commit his future to the British team.
   The 2012 organisers threw a giant street party in the shadow of Buckingham Palace on Sunday to celebrate the official handover of the Olympic flag to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, during the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony.

Darren Fletcher was the unlikely goal hero for the second match in a row as Manchester United got their Premier League title defence up and running with a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth on Monday.
   But the sooner Dimitar Berbatov becomes an Old Trafford player the better for Sir Alex Ferguson.
   ‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with that,’ was all Sir Alex would say on the subject afterwards as he spoke to Sky Sports, neatly batting away the question of new potential recruits before the transfer window closes on September 1.
   Fletcher handed United their first win of the season with a fortuitous 32nd-minute strike, which may yet be credited as a Sylvain Distin own goal, as the champions produced another toothless attacking display.
   Ferguson nonetheless was able to look on the bright side.
   ‘We played some excellent football. It’s a difficult place to come. Last year we drew here, the year before we lost, so it’s a bonus,’ said the United boss.
   ‘We tried to get a system where the players were comfortable in their positions. We used the players in the right way.’
   United welcomed back Carlos Tevez after the Argentine missed their 1-1 opening day draw with Newcastle due to a family bereavement.
   Injured star midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo remained on the sidelines.
   Portsmouth, who paraded the FA Cup in front of the Fratton Park fans before kick off, handed an immediate debut to French left back Armand Traore following his loan move from Arsenal.
   Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop came close to giving Harry Redknapp’s side a dream start when he shot inches wide of Edwin Van der Saar’s right hand post with only ten seconds on the clock.
   Paul Scholes forced David James into his first meaningful save in the 19th minute with a swerving 30-yard piledriver, which saw the veteran goalkeeper dive full length to his left to keep out.
   Peter Crouch should have put Portsmouth in front six minutes later after being presented with a golden chance by some comical United defending.
   Scholes inexplicably smashed a 40-yard back pass straight into touch and a quick throw-in set Jermaine Defoe away down the left.
   Defoe’s cross bounced off Patrice Evra to the feet of Nemanja Vidic, who slipped in front of Crouch, but the former Liverpool striker shot straight into the chest of United goalkeeper Edwin van Der Saar.
   United were given another let off from the resulting corner when Younes Kaboul was left totally unmarked only to head wide from Sean Davis’s centre.
   The European Cup holders finally showed their class by taking the lead 13 minutes before half time, allbeit with a huge helping hand from Portsmouth defenders Sol Campbell and Distin.
   Patrice Evra was played through by Tevez on the left wing and whipped in a teasing low cross, which Campbell played against Fletcher’s knee and a desperate Distin could only lash the ball into the roof of his own net from the goalline.
   Rooney was furious with himself for not extending the lead in the 41st minute. Scholes and Anderson linked up brilliantly down the right before the Brazilian pulled the ball back for Rooney, who dragged his shot wide from 16 yards with only James to beat.
   United hope to finally bring their summer long pursuit of Tottenham striker Berbatov to a successful conclusion this week and could have done with some of the Bulgarian’s guile and craft as they badly lacked any cutting edge in the second half.
   Fletcher, who also netted against Newcastle last weekend, came closest to adding to the scoreline in the 70th minute when his fierce right foot volley was charged down by Glen Johnson after the impressive Anderson had danced his way through the home defence.
   Portsmouth had beaten United in three of the pair’s five Premier League meetings at Fratton Park but never looked likely to extend that proud record as their expensively-assembled front two of Crouch and Defoe were stifled by Rio Ferdinand and Vidic.

Ukraine forward Andrei Shevchenko completed his move to AC Milan on Monday after passing a medical and his arrival is set to spark some last ditched transfer activity in the country.
   According to Tuesday’s press the big four are all going to bring in players before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
   Both major daily sports newspapers Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport claim that Milan will add Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos to their roster this week.
   Gazzetta says the Italians will pay 2 million euros (2.9 million dollars) to take the big Swiss centre-back on loan for one season with an option to buy him in a year’s time for 8 million euros.
   It says Senderos was due in Milan on Tuesday to undergo a medical.
   Gazzetta also claims Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma’s on-off transfer to Inter Milan is 80 per cent certain to go through during the next 48 hours.
   Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho admitted following his side’s Supercup victory over AS Roma at the weekend that he wanted to bring in his 24-year-old countryman.
   Gazzetta also claims Juventus are 80 per cent sure to bring back Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah from Turkish team Fenerbahce.
   Appiah spent two seasons at Juve from 2003-05 before leaving for Turkey.
   But Gazzetta notes that his arrival could be jeopardised by the foreigner ruling in Italy limiting the number of non-European Union players allowed in the match-day squad.
   It also says players would need to be shipped out before he can arrive with Portuguese midfielder Tiago, who has rejected a move to Everton, possibly heading to Porto or Atletico Madrid.
   Corriere dello Sport, meanwhile, claims Roma will sign one of Chelsea’s Florent Malouda, Inter’s David Suazo and Monaco’s Jeremy Menez before the window closes.
   Honduran Suazo is likely to struggle to break into Mourinho’s Inter while Malouda has found himself on the bench in both of Chelsea’s first two Premier League games this season.
   With Chelsea also chasing the signature of Real Madrid’s Robinho, he is likely to find a first XI berth even harder to come by.
   Menez is rumoured to be Roma’s preferred option but with Monaco reportedly looking for 25 million euros, Roma could be priced out of that deal.
   Corriere also says Roma’s city neighbours Lazio are trying to tie up a deal for Milan’s Cristian Brocchi and Inter’s Hernan Crespo.

After a clear-out of several high-profile players, the appointment of a new coach and a series of astute signings Barcelona should have a good chance of stopping Real Madrid from winning a hat-trick of league titles.
   Real took full advantage of Barca’s woes to wrap up an easy victory in the last title race, but a second season without a trophy prompted a minor revolution at Barcelona.
   Mild mannered Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard was jettisoned in favour of former Nou Camp favourite Pep Guardiola.
   The ex-midfielder has limited coaching experience but possesses the sort of inside knowledge that should enable him to handle the fraught atmosphere that so often prevails at the Catalan club.
   Out have gone the under-performing Ronaldinho and the unwanted Deco, together with the fading defensive talents of Edmilson, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta.
   In have come the dynamic Daniel Alves and the assured Martin Caceres to bolster a shaky-looking back four, while Seydou Keita and Aleksandr Hleb have been brought in from Sevilla and Arsenal to add some much needed bite to the midfield.
   Although he was initially seen as surplus to requirements by Guardiola, the explosive Samuel Eto’o earned a reprieve with a succession of impressive pre-season performances.
   If he avoids a repetition of the injuries that have hampered his progress in the past two seasons, the Cameroon striker could prove to be one of Guardiola’s most important players.
   Even though they failed to hit it off last season, Eto’o, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry remain three of the most feared forwards in world football. While Barca have concentrated on rebuilding both their squad and team morale, Real appear to have been distracted by their fruitless summer romance with Cristiano Ronaldo.
   With the Portuguese winger deciding to stay at Manchester United, Real missed out on their man and also managed to put Robinho’s nose out of joint following reports that they were prepared to use the Brazilian to raise funds for the deal.
   As a result Robinho is angling for a move to Chelsea and the champions have reinforced their squad with just one recruit, Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from SV Hamburg.
   Real have a wealth of resources in midfield, with Spain international Ruben de la Red back after a successful loan spell at Getafe and Arjen Robben back fit following a series of injury problems last season.
   Unless they make a late swoop for a new striker, however, they look short-staffed up front and dangerously over-reliant on Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raul for goals.
   Villarreal, who pipped Barca to the runners-up spot last season, have made their usual raft of astute signings and are likely to challenge for the Champions League berths once again, but they will have to do without injured Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci for the early part of the campaign.
   Sevilla have been in scintillating form in pre-season despite losing the influential Alves and Keita to Barcelona and Christian Poulsen to Juventus. Last season the Andalucians’ ambitions were dealt a hammer blow by the tragic death of Antonio Puerta and the departure of coach Juande Ramos, but with morale restored they should be battling for the top places in the table.

Rafa Benitez insists his spending plans will not be affected should Liverpool crash out of the Champions League in today’s qualifying tie against Standard Liege.
   Benitez’s side go into the second leg on level terms after narrowly escaping with a goalless draw in Belgium two weeks ago.
   Only a penalty save by Reds keeper Jose Reina prevented the Anfield team from slumping to a demoralising defeat that would have cast serious doubts over their ability to progress to the lucrative group stages of the competition.
   Failure to qualify would cost the club up to 20 million pounds (25 million euros) in lost revenue - and that would come as a body-blow at a time when Benitez is trying to finalise deals for his remaining transfer targets before the September 1 deadline.
   Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry remains a target despite his 18 million pounds (22.5 million euros) price-tag while Espanyol have quoted a 16 million pounds fee for winger Albert Riera.
   But while the Liverpool manager is refusing to contemplate defeat, he is adamant that even if the Reds did suffer a shock reverse it would not force him to scrap his transfer targets.
   ‘I don’t think, at least for me, that it will make any difference. We know the money is really important but now we are so close to the end of the transfer window it won’t make a massive difference,’ he said.
   ‘So the key for me will be to do the right things in the game and have enough confidence so that we aren’t talking about if we have money or not.’
   Question marks still remain over the Liverpool futures of Arsenal target Xabi Alonso, defender Sami Hyypia and winger Jermaine Pennant, who has been linked with a move to Blackburn.
   But the manager refused to expand on the player’s futures on the eve of the European clash, preferring instead to focus on his team’s recent failings.
   Benitez’s side have stuttered through their opening two league games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough yet still managed to claim two crucial victories.
   The manager admits that with a number of new players in his squad, his side is still struggling to gel.
   But he claims he saw enough signs in the 2-1 weekend victory over Boro to suggest that his new-look strike-force of Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres is starting to click.
   ‘The team wasn’t good enough around them but I think both players were linking well and the understanding is improving,’ the manager said. ‘I think they will get better.
   ‘We know we have enough quality and good players to win this game.
   ‘I’ve seen a lot of areas we need to improve in over the last three games. We have been analysing the games and the reasons why and we need to get back to our form in the pre-season games when we were scoring lots of goals.’

Tottenham will dump striker Dimitar Berbatov in the reserves if Manchester United do not come up with the 30million pounds (42
   million euros) they want for
   the 27-year-old Bulgarian
   striker who has handed in a transfer request to try to force a move.
   With the transfer window to close on September 1, United will have to look sharp if they are to make a move for the sharpshooter, whose unsettled stance led coach Juande Ramos to leave him on the bench for Saturday’s defeat to Sunderland.
   Ramos deemed him psychologically unfit to play and a threat to dressing-room harmony - and media reports in London on Monday said he faced being banished from the first team altogether.
   Ramos and Berbatov held talks Sunday but the key to the outcome is whether United can come up with the cash to land their man.
   Earlier this summer,
   Spurs had complained to the Premier League in the belief United had tapped up the forward.
   With Robbie Keane having joined Liverpool, Spurs, who have lost their opening two league fixtures, would have only Darren Bent as an out-and-out striker should they offload Berbatov.
   Radamel Falcao of Argentine side River Plate has been linked with a move to White Hart Lane, as has Wigan’s veteran front man Emile Heskey.

Robinho is closing in on a move to Chelsea after the Brazilian winger’s agent admitted the Real Madrid star is about to leave the Bernabeu.
   Chelsea have had several bids for Robinho turned down by the Spanish champions, but coach Luiz Felipe Scolari wants a deal done and the Blues are ready with another offer of around 27 million pounds (33 million euros).
   Robinho, who is desperate to leave Spain, was booed by Real fans during a match at the weekend and his agent Wagner Ribeiro expects the matter to be resolved before the close of the transfer window.
   ‘The deal is about to be reached,’ Ribeiro said in the Daily Mirror. ‘Robinho’s cycle in Spain has come to an end and he is looking forward to a new project.’
   Meanwhile, Chelsea are reported to be ready to let Shaun Wright-Phillips join Manchester City to clear space in the squad for Robinho.

Spanish side Villarreal have received an offer from Real Madrid for their attacking midfielder Santi Cazorla, who helped lead Spain to victory at Euro 2008, according to reports here on Tuesday.
   The Spanish champions are willing to pay the 23-year-old player’s buyout clause of 16 million euros (23.6 million dollars), sports daily Marca reported.
   ‘If Madrid came in and paid my buyout clause fee then that would be a great moment for me,’ the newspaper quoted the player as telling reporters.
   ‘When Real Madrid are interested in you it is very difficult to take in. They are the best team in Spain and the truth is that it would be very difficult to say no to. I am still in a state of shock,’ he added.
   Real have offered over 45 million euros for Valencia striker David Villa, the top scorer at Euro 2008, Spanish media reported Monday.
   Valencia have so far rejected the offer but a meeting between officials from both clubs and the player’s agent has been scheduled for Tuesday, AS reported.
   Real’s German coach Bernd Schuster has insistently demanded that the club recruit a striker if Robinho leaves the club as appears increasingly likely.
   The club failed to recruit Manchester United’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo and have so far not been very active in the transfer period which ends at the end of the month.