South Africa (459) lead Australia (394 & 4/0) by 61 runs at stumps, day 3
   JP Duminy’s outstanding maiden century provided more evidence for South African claims they are the best side in the world on a day when Australia flopped, fumbled and allowed a stunning recovery that almost certainly ended their chances of winning the series. While the hosts were lifeless, the visitors were inspired by Duminy’s fresh 166 in his second Test and Dale Steyn and Paul Harris followed in exceptional and irritating stands that stole the game from Australia.
   South Africa started the morning 196 behind with only three wickets - and a wobbly tail - remaining and wanted a miracle to avoid a large deficit in reply to Australia’s 394. It came through Duminy and his bowlers as they controlled an under-manned attack and posted a magnificent 459. Even a year ago this sort of charity would have been unthinkable, but the Australians had another long day in the field to consider their revised position in the world order.
   Ricky Ponting was missing Brett Lee, who had a sore left foot, but given the way he has bowled during the series it was not as costly as it would have been six months earlier. Most of their pain came from Duminy, but he was joined by the No. 10 Steyn, who gathered an unlikely 76 in a performance that exposed the young attack and rallied South Africa to the point where when they were finally dismissed they owned a 65-run lead.
   A day earlier there was the threat of the follow-on, but at stumps they were in charge. Australia survived three overs and picked up four runs, while Matthew Hayden gained a bruise on his chest from Makhaya Ntini.
   In a courageous partnership of 180, the third-highest ninth-wicket stand in history, Duminy stayed cool and Steyn battled through the pain of a stinging blow on each hand to frustrate the home side and delight their own. Duminy, 24, continued his amazing start after being a key component in the record-breaking chase in Perth last Sunday.
   Duminy looked as nerveless as a veteran such as Graeme Smith or Jacques Kallis while he carefully added to his collection and continued his rapid development. A couple of pull shots went for four off Nathan Hauritz, but it was not really a day for flourishes, and he nudged and scampered towards three figures. He spent half an hour in the 90s - not that the time mattered - and there was relief when he cut Peter Siddle through gully for four, raised both arms and kissed his helmet badge.
   His team-mates lined up to cheer as they wondered at the effort that gone into the recovery. Duminy appeared fresh despite staying throughout the day, facing 340 balls and hitting 18 fours, including fine cover drives from Siddle and Mitchell Johnson after his century. A sweep to Hauritz (3 for 98) lobbed to Siddle to extinguish the excellence and Duminy left the ground with people lining up to congratulate him.
   Steyn, who could have retired hurt after being struck on the left hand by Johnson, continued to expand on his personal best. His peak came when he hit Johnson for two straight drives for four and mirrored the shot off Siddle to bring up his half-century. His memorable innings, which ended when bowled by Siddle, took 191 balls and included nine fours and the six off Hauritz.
   Not only did South Africa add 261 runs on the third day, but they took significant time away from Ponting’s team, which needs a victory to level the three-match contest. Ponting is unlikely to be generous with a target following South Africa’s pursuit of 414 at the WACA, although he might be left with no option with only six sessions remaining. However, these scenarios rely on Australia’s under-pressure order performing strongly.
   If the batsmen copy the effort in the field South Africa will own the series by Tuesday. The same attack that was so potent on day two was able to manage only one wicket - the No. 9 Harris - in the first four hours. It was Michael Hussey, the most casual of part-timers, who broke through the 67-run stand that started the revival, with Johnson taking a fine running catch when Harris (39) heaved to deep mid-on.
   There were misfields, penalty runs for hitting an unused helmet, overthrows and missed catches, including Ponting dropping Steyn on 32. Poor Hussey could not get within two metres of a Steyn shot that went straight up and followed the path of the sun, and Hauritz spilt a caught-and-bowled.
   Siddle finished with 4 for 81, taking a day between his third and fourth wickets, while Johnson was used heavily in gaining 2 for 127 in 39 overs. The inexperienced men tried but were ineffective in dealing with a side that is more talented and committed than its hosts.

Last Sunday Australia were shocked by South Africa chasing down 414 and exactly a week later they have again been humbled by the team that is challenging for the No. 1 ranking. Australia entered the day wanting three quick wickets to give their batsmen a healthy lead to build on; the openers did not take guard until ten minutes before stumps.
   ‘Definitely one of our most disappointing days for a long time in Test cricket,’ the vice-captain Michael Clarke said. ‘Obviously turning up this morning I think we had a 196-run lead and now we’re 60 behind, so a very disappointing day. It’s another example of how fast things can change in Test cricket.’
   JP Duminy was brilliant in compiling 166 while batting mostly with the last three lower-order men and the final three partnerships were worth 275. But Australia contributed to their problems by fielding poorly and Dale Steyn went on to finish with 76 having given three opportunities.
   Ricky Ponting put down a simple chance at second slip when Steyn had 32 and Nathan Hauritz grassed an opportunity off his own bowling with Steyn on 57. In between, Steyn skied one to mid-on where Michael Hussey’s sunglasses failed to live up to their job; he completely lost the ball in the sun and it landed two metres away.
   There were also problems with the attack after Brett Lee failed to take the field due to a foot injury. The three specialists - Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Hauritz - needed part-time backup and Clarke and Michael Hussey provided the bulk of the assistance while onlookers wondered why Simon Katich was not handed the ball.
   ‘I actually asked Simon at some stage late in the day if he was okay to bowl,’ Clarke said. ‘He said he hadn’t been bowling in the nets because his shoulder was a little bit sore. But in saying that I think if he had have been asked to bowl I think he would have done that.’
   Andrew Symonds entered the game carrying a knee injury that meant he was unable to bowl his medium-pacers but it appeared his offspin was also out of the question until he was given a chance in the 125th over of the innings. Alex Kountouris, the team physio, said Symonds could have bowled spin at any stage.
   ‘He’s a little bit restricted in what he can do but he can bowl his offspinners and bat comfortably and he says he feels reasonably comfortable running,’ Kountouris said. ‘We’ll reassess him at the end of the game. He’s not in a lot of pain, no. I think he’s a bit hesitant because he got quite sore in the last game but he’s reasonably good compared to where he was last game.’
   The one-sided day has left Australia with little chance of levelling the series in the next two days. However, South Africa have repeatedly shown in Perth and Melbourne that the state of a game can rapidly change and Clarke wants Australia to take heart from that on the fourth day.
   ‘We’ve got a big day tomorrow,’ Clarke said. ‘We’re going to have to come out and bat really well and then we’ll wait and see what happens. I still believe if we bat well tomorrow we can get ourselves into a position to win this Test match.’

It is a measure of South Africa’s batting strength that JP Duminy was not in their starting line-up when the tour began. In a similar way that Michael Hussey’s first few months of Test cricket left non-Australians wondering how on earth he had been overlooked for so long, Duminy’s initial Tests have prompted the same thoughts from Australian cricket followers. How good is your top six when this guy can’t find a place?
   The same question was asked of Hussey in 2005 and the same answer applies to Duminy - damn good. When they arrived in Australia, South Africa boasted five of the top 11 run scorers in Tests in 2008. Only when one of those men, Ashwell Prince, cracked his thumb, did Duminy get a look in. If Prince is fit for the third Test in Sydney the selectors will face a tough decision on who to leave out. Duminy must play. He believes he won’t.
   ‘I probably came out here thinking I wouldn’t play, being that I’ve travelled now for a year without getting a game,’ Duminy said. ‘But stranger things have happened in life. Ashwell gets hit the day before the first Test on the thumb and fractured finger and there I was in the Test.
   ‘It probably will happen [that I will be dropped]. If Ashwell’s fit to play I’m sure he will play. But I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I’ve got a taste of Test cricket so I’m just looking forward to the next game.’
   It’s hard to remember a player who has enjoyed a pair of such priceless performances in his first two Tests. His debut effort in Perth was an unbeaten 50 that included striking the winning runs in the second-highest chase of all time. At the MCG he followed with an incredible 166 that in the space of a day took South Africa from a position of extreme vulnerability to a point where they can dream of securing a 2-0 victory by Tuesday.
   That in itself is testament to Duminy’s ability. His 180-run partnership with Dale Steyn - whose courage in a near four-hour stay cannot be underestimated - was the third-highest ninth-wicket stand of all-time in Tests. It was so unexpected that even the 42,079-strong MCG crowd got behind the pair, despite the consequences for Australia. Duminy said his century at the ‘colosseum of all grounds’ eclipsed his Perth performance and the support of the spectators must have been a factor.
   Melbourne fans love to back the underdog - they were captivated by a similarly surprising 107-run last-wicket stand between Hussey and Glenn McGrath against South Africa three years ago. This time they gave Steyn a standing ovation after he was out for 76 and earlier had drummed the advertising boards when Duminy was on 99, roaring their approval when he reached his hundred even though it was off the hometown hero Peter Siddle.
   The biggest cheers came from Duminy’s team-mates, who had made their way down to the boundary to show their appreciation with whooping and clapping. It was the best they could do without running onto the ground to shower him with hugs and kisses. That most of his batting colleagues had failed should not be forgotten.
   The most noticeable thing about the celebrations was Duminy’s calmness. He kissed his helmet, raised his arms and acknowledged the applause but not once looked overawed by the moment. Here was a man ready to bat on, and whose maturity belied his 24 years. He did exactly that, guiding South Africa to within 20 minutes of stumps on a day when batting until lunch had been an initial lofty goal.
   His century had come with a back-foot cut for four, typical of his strength square of the wicket throughout the innings. He clipped off his pads superbly, defended patiently and displayed the kind of precision placement that marks true class. Australia fielded poorly and dropped catches but none came off Duminy; he was chanceless until the top-edged sweep that ended his innings.
   Duminy’s other great strength was the faith he showed in his lower-order colleagues Paul Harris, Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, who helped the last three partnerships add up to 275. Singles were taken to expose Steyn, who drove down the ground like a proper specialist and fought through two painful blows on his fingers.
   ‘He showed a hell of a lot of guts today,’ Duminy said of Steyn. ‘He got hit quite a bit but also he played and missed quite a bit, so a lot of luck went our way as well. He stuck it out and we kept talking to each other, trying to motivate each other to stay calm, play the moment, play the ball and it worked out for us today.’
   The South African tail batted like batsmen, comprehensively outperforming the Australian lower order that so frustrated the coach Mickey Arthur on the second day. There are no such concerns for Arthur now. His biggest worry over the next few days could be working out who to drop if Prince recovers for Sydney and it is a pleasing problem to have. It will be a travesty of justice if it’s Duminy who misses out.

New Zealand (191) beat West Indies (155/7) by 36 runs
   A 130-run onslaught by Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum led New Zealand to victory over the West Indies by 36 runs in their Twenty20 match here Sunday.
   Man-of-the-match Ryder posted 62 and McCullum 59 in a record Twenty20 stand for New Zealand.
   It came at a shade under 12 runs an over and ensured a formidable target as New Zealand reached 191 for nine, despite a meltdown after the opening partnership ended.
   When the West Indies looked to their talisman Chris Gayle to save the day—after he had dismissed both Ryder and McCullum—they found his usually dependable batting talents were absent.
   He was out for one in the second over and the West Indies never came close to the required run rate, finishing at 155 for seven.
   It was the first decisive result in the West Indies tour of New Zealand after the two Tests earlier in the month were drawn and the first Twenty20 went to a one-over tiebreaker, won by the West Indies.
   It also snapped New Zealand’s eight-game losing streak in Twenty20 fixtures.
   New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who said he believed his side should have won the first match, was happy with this result, but had reservations.
   ‘I was very pleased with the performance bar four or five overs of batting. It was an outstanding start from Jesse and Brendon,’ he said.
   Gayle said the New Zealand pair’s opening stand made the difference in the match.
   ‘Brendon and Jesse batted really well and took the game away from us by setting it up for the batters to come,’ he said.
   ‘Our bowlers came back strong but when batting we lost early wickets and it set us on the back foot and so it was difficult to get 191.’
   The Seddon Park wicket has proved a happy hunting ground for the McCullum-Ryder pairing as they backed up from an unbroken 165-run stand in a one-day match against England here earlier this year.
   Their spectacular opening against the West Indies after New Zealand won the toss included 24 off one Fidel Edwards over and put the home side on target for an innings well in excess of 200.
   New Zealand marked three milestones in Gayle’s first over, starting with a single to McCullum to bring up his 50, a four to Ryder for the 100 partnership and then a single to Ryder for his half century.
   But Gayle made the breakthrough in his next over when he had McCullum caught by Shivarine Chanderpaul at ground level for 59.
   McCullum’s dismissal, after a 34-ball innings which included six fours and four sixes triggered a New Zealand collapse that saw nine wickets fall in 51 balls for 61 runs.
   Ross Taylor was out for six in the next over to a stunning catch when he clouted Jerome Taylor for what seemed a certain six only to be caught on the boundary by a diving Xavier Marshall.
   Gayle, who had Ryder dropped by Shawn Findlay with his fourth ball, found success in his second over when the big-hitting left-hander was caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan at long-on for 62,
   Ryder, who had been dropped on nine when Pollard put down a sitter, notched up seven fours and three sixes from the 41 balls he faced.
   New Zealand continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and went six overs without a boundary before James Franklin took two sixes and a four off Suleiman Benn in the penultimate over.
   Benn had the final say when Franklin, the only New Zealand batsman apart from McCullum and Ryder to reach double figures, was caught by Findlay at long-off for 20.
   The West Indies were rocked at the start of their run chase when Gayle went for one off Ewan Thompson’s second delivery in international cricket.
   Gayle hooked a delivery from the New Zealand debutant over midwicket and was caught by Jacob Oram on the boundary.
   Marshall went in the seventh over for 10 and Chanderpaul was out for five, leaving Sarwan (53) to hold the innings together at the top.
   Denesh Ramdin and Kieron Pollard produced a rollicking 68-run stand at the end of the innings before both fell in Jeetan Patel’s two-wicket maiden that ended the match.
   The West Indies tour now moves to Queenstown for the first of five one-day internationals on Wednesday.

Sheikh Russell KC will field five new overseas footballers in their next second phase match of the Citycell B League which resumes on January 1. The club have already sent their Moroccan trio back home after the league was suspended on December 26 for the national elections.
   The new recruits are Serbian attacking midfielder Marco Marich and another four Moroccan players – forward Samir Omari, defensive midfielder Hisham Admi, attacking midfielder Ahmed al Mujahid and defensive midfielder Mohamed Reza. Sheikh Russell will register them before the second transfer window closes on January 31.
   In the first phase, Moroccan defender Bourdif Mohammed, midfielder Yighir Mohammed and forward Twati Youness played for the club.

Batsman Neil Broom is the one new face in the New Zealand cricket side named Sunday for the first two one-day internationals against the West Indies.
   The squad contains three changes from the Twenty20 side with Grant Elliott and Jamie How recalled to the team.
   Broom comes in for the injured Scott Styris, who broke a thumb in the first Twenty20 match on Friday, while James Franklin and Ewen Thompson are the two players omitted.
   The head of the selection panel, Glenn Turner, said Broom had shown his potential as an international batsman playing in Australia and India with the Emerging Players and New Zealand A sides.
   The second and final Twenty20 match is to be played in Hamilton on Sunday evening with the first one-day international in Queenstown on Wednesday.
   New Zealand ODI squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Neil Broom, Grant Elliott, Daniel Flynn, Mark Gillespie, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Australia will almost certainly enter the series finale in Sydney next week with a vastly inexperienced attack after learning Brett Lee faces a month out of the game due to a foot injury. Lee has been out of form and was unable to improve his series figures of 1 for 200 when the problem kept him off the ground for the entire third day against South Africa at the MCG.
   Lee has what the team physio Alex Kountouris described as a stress reaction - ‘on the way to being a stress fracture’ - in the fourth metatarsal in his left foot. While there is a chance Lee could bowl in the second innings, it could take as little as one ball to turn the small crack into a stress fracture and a four- to six-week layoff is probably required either way.
   ‘I don’t think he’ll be able to play the Sydney Test,’ Kountouris said. ‘We’ll wait and reassess at the end of the game but if he’s got what we think he’s got and it’s been confirmed by scans that he’s got a stress fracture, it’ll probably mean we’re going to have to rest him for a period of time to let it settle. We’ll probably get a specialist opinion but it will be something between four and six weeks I think.’
   That would rule Lee out of Australia’s ODIs against South Africa and New Zealand and would mean a potential return in the Test series in South Africa that begins in late February.
   Kountouris said the injury was caused by overuse and was not uncommon in fast bowlers. Lee has also had problems with his left ankle and has had four operations on the joint, the most recent of which kept him out of last year’s World Cup.
   Lee’s lack of penetration has been a concern against South Africa and he leaked 68 runs from 13 overs as the pain increased throughout the second day at the MCG. Losing him for the Sydney Test would take the heat off the selectors to justify his inclusion but it would also leave Mitchell Johnson in charge of a young attack. Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, said a lack of Test experience in the bowling group would not be a major worry.
   ‘I think I look at it the other way,’ Clarke said. ‘I remember when I got my opportunity to play Test cricket, it’s a great feeling and you really look forward to that day and I think whoever - if somebody does come in for Brett Lee - I know they’ll be looking forward to that opportunity and hopefully they can get hold of it with both hands.’
   Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz are each in their third Test and the candidates to replace Lee include the uncapped Ben Hilfenhaus, who joined the squad after the WACA loss. The Sydney local Doug Bollinger will also come into the equation, as will Shane Watson, who filled in as 12th man while Lee rested in Melbourne.

Sports and politics should be kept apart and cricket would be poorer without Indo-Pak contests, according to banned Pakistani batsman Mohammad Yousuf.
   Disappointed after India cancelled its Pakistan tour in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, Yousuf, who has been banned after joining the Indian Cricket League, said nothing really can match the excitement and euphoria that surround an Indo-Pak contest.
   ‘I just think both countries need to keep sports and politics apart. I would hope they would soon start working on resuming sporting ties and allowing bilateral cricket matches, because the cricket world needs to have Indo-Pak contests,’ Yousuf said.
   Yousuf also refused to buy the argument that an Indo-Australian series has now replaced an Indo-Pak contest as the most intense cricketing battle. ‘Tell me was there a bigger series then when India toured Pakistan in 2004? Cricket does not get bigger than that,’ he argued.
   Noting India’s recent string of extraordinary performances, Yousuf said as a player, he saw playing India at present as a big challenge.
   ‘Playing India has always been a high point for me,’ said the right-hander.
   Yousuf, however, was happy that Sri Lanka has finally agreed to come and play a full series here.
   ‘It will be a close contest against them and Pakistan should win as it has a very good team with good performers. But negating the wicket taking abilities of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis will be the key to the outcome of the series,’ Yousuf said.
   Personally, Yousuf still yearns for Test cricket and he once again made himself available for national duty.
   ‘I am still available for my country but that is something for the board and selectors to decide. They need to rethink their policy on banning the players who have played for the ICL,’ he said.

The offspinner Jason Krejza has vowed to regain his Test spot despite his sudden axing following the defeat to South Africa in Perth. Krejza was the only change after the record-breaking loss and was replaced by Nathan Hauritz, who was considered a better defensive option, for the second match in Melbourne.
   ‘It all came to an abrupt end, but I’ll be back,’ Krejza said in the Sun-Herald. ‘I try to see a positive out of everything and see that everything happens for a reason. As much as I’d like to be playing in Melbourne, it’s happened and there’s no use sulking about it.’
   Krejza, who gained 12 wickets on debut in Nagpur, is now hoping to get a chance in Sydney for the final Test of the South Africa series. ‘If I get that opportunity I’ll grab it,’ he said. ‘It would be brilliant to play in front of everyone in Sydney.
   ‘My brother had booked a ticket [to travel to Melbourne], my family and some friends were going to get to the game, so to play in Sydney and have all those people there would be very special. I’ve got time to work on my bowling now and practice a lot more in the nets and get my batting going again. Hopefully then, playing in Sydney won’t be such a stupid idea.’
   Krejza’s performance in the final game in India lifted him in the pecking order, but he was dropped for the opening match against New Zealand and then suffered an ankle injury to miss the second contest. When he came back in Perth he had match figures of 1 for 204 and the selectors judged him unable to contain.
   ‘It didn’t even cross my mind through the [first Test] that I was going to be dropped,’ Krejza said in the Sunday Telegraph.’

Fabio Capello admits he will never be one of the lads in the England camp - but it was all part of changing the squad’s mentality during his first year as boss.
   Capello could reflect on a successful 2008 where his side made huge strides towards the World Cup and altered the atmosphere of Steve McClaren’s disastrous reign where the boss larked around in training and called players by their nicknames.
   The days of ‘Stevie G’, ‘Wazza’ and ‘Lamps’ are now a thing of the past - and Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard have been among the players to help England maintain a 100 per cent record in qualifiers this season.
   ‘I am a friend of the players but I prefer to stay (at a distance),’ Capello said.
   ‘I stay with the players sometimes in the medical room with the physios but it’s not important to play cards or games with the players. It’s not important to me to be one of the lads.
   ‘The important thing is respect. I always say a manager is one against 24 always - there is one boss, one leader being judged by 24 players, in every moment he is under scrutiny and it’s important the players know that is my role. The leader is the leader.’
   Another part of Capello’s managerial style is holding team meetings rather than speaking one on one with players.
   It is not a case of naming and shaming but a method to make sure the whole squad is clear about his intentions.
   ‘I prefer to speak together in a meeting,’ the Italian said. ‘My meetings are focused on different points. Five, seven, eight or sometimes 10 points.
   ‘I speak alone with a player when I can understand he is not in a good moment, to help him. And sometimes you want to speak to players individually when you want different things in a game. Only this.
   ‘But I prefer the meeting always together with different points. Sometimes in the same meeting I speak about the keeper, I speak about defenders, forwards, the movement of the team.
   ‘I think it’s very important all the players understand what I want and can see the mistakes we did. It’s very important.’
   England have been singing from the same hymn sheet after Capello got to work.
   Their only defeat was against France and Capello rates that loss as a turning point as he saw his team play well for half an hour. His view was that if they could play well for 30 minutes, they could also play well for 90.
   ‘This year we work a lot around the mind of the players,’ Capello said.
   ‘But sometimes when you arrive at World Cups - I’ve played there - it’s different.’
   However, fans have been thinking about the finals in South Africa and their hopes of success have been boosted by the friendly win in Germany where Capello’s second string impressed.
   ‘It’s been step forward, step forward,’ Capello said.
   ‘I’m very happy because the last game against Germany we played very well.
   ‘The first 11 was new players, some players who hadn’t played a lot of games for us, and we won and this is very important for the future.
   ‘We had another (stepping) stone for the future.’
   Progress this year has seen Capello compared to World Cup-winning boss Sir Alf Ramsey, but Capello says there is plenty of work ahead if the England of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney are to be kings of the world.
   ‘Someone spoke to me about this big manager (Ramsey) but we have to wait. He’s up here – I’m still down here,’ said Capello.
   ‘It’s a very long way to arrive at the level of Sir Alf Ramsey – it is difficult and very, very long.’
   Capello has overseen a dramatic improvement in the national team’s fortunes in 2008.
   After the low of failing to qualify for Euro 2008 under Steve McClaren, England have reached the end of the year on course for the World Cup finals boasting a perfect record in the qualifiers.
   For good measure, they ended 2008 with a 2-1 friendly win over Germany in Berlin with their only loss in the year coming against France.
   ‘It’s been step forward, step forward,’ Capello said.
   ‘I’m very happy because the last game against Germany we played very well. The first 11 was new players, some players who hadn’t played a lot of games, and we won and this is very important for the future.
   ‘We had another (stepping) stone for the future.’
   Capello added that unlike McClaren, he was determined to maintain barriers between himself and his players.
   ‘It’s not important to play cards or games with the players. It’s not important to me to be one of the lads,’ said the Italian.
   ‘The important thing is respect. I always say a manager is one against 24 always – there is one boss, one leader bein judged by 24 players, in every moment he is under scrutiny and it’s important the players know that is my role. The leader is the leader.’

Gary Neville believes the clash with Middlesbrough today could put Manchester United on the home straight in the Premier League title run-in.
   Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has always maintained his side will be favourites for the championship if they reach the new year in touch with the leading group.
   And after ending the Boxing Day round of matches seven points behind leaders Liverpool with two games in hand, the confidence is growing at Old Trafford that the title can once again be theirs.
   Both Liverpool and Chelsea failed to take full advantage of United’s recent trip to Japan for the Club World Cup which forced them to reschedule a league fixture.
   United returned from the Far East to claim a hard-fought victory at Stoke City –the first win for one of the established ‘big four’ clubs in twenty days.
   And with Ferguson’s side set to face all the current top six at home in the second half of the season, club captain Neville believes United are best placed of all the main challengers to go on and seal the trophy in May.
   ‘The first half of the season was always going to be difficult with the Super Cup and World Championship,’ said Neville.
   ‘We have got through that now and are no worse off. If we can get those two home matches in hand won and win the games in between, we are in a great position.
   ‘The manager made the point in his team talk at Stoke that we are starting the league from that point. We would have taken the position at the start of the season with all the fixtures difficulties we have had.’
   Ferguson agreed with his skipper despite suffering the disappointment of seeing centre-back Rio Ferdinand ruled out for ten days with a back problem.
   The manager said: ‘We have a long programme of home games in the run-in against the top teams. If we get to New Year’s Day within a point or so of the leaders, I think we will have a massive chance.’
   Jonny Evans deputised for Ferdinand at the Britannia Stadium and the Northern Ireland international will start against Middlesbrough.
   Ferguson added: ‘Jonny is an outstanding talent and we are fortunate to have such a boy to come in. He’s only 20 years of age but shows such maturity. He reads the game well, uses the ball well and his pace his good. He has all the attributes to be a top player.’
   At the other end of the scale, Gareth Southgate admits he’s living on borrowed time at Middlesbrough if he can’t arrest their nosedive towards the Championship.
   Despite his close working relationship with Steve Gibson, Southgate knows the club’s current barren run is testing the resolve of a chairman who has a track record for backing struggling bosses.
   Today’s daunting trip to Old Trafford looks like plunging the Teessiders into further trouble, and Southgate admits he has to start producing the results to rely on Gibson’s sustained support. ‘Steve’s been loyal because we’ve done what’s been asked of us and he knows the circumstances we’re working under,’ he said.
   ‘But if we’re not doing the job and not getting results, then I don’t expect him to treat me any differently to any other chairman. It’s not something I take for granted.’
   After two-and-a-half years in the job, Southgate has been given more time than many of his rivals in the cut-throat world of management.

Liverpool maintained their grip on first place the Premier League table with a stunning 5-1 win against a toothless Newcastle United here at St James’ Park on Sunday.
   Reds captain Steven Gerrard scored twice and had had it not been for Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given, the hosts could have been on the wrong end of a double-figure disaster after being completely outclassed.
   Republic of Ireland international Given made five world-class saves in 10 minutes to prevent Newcastle from total capitulation before the midway point of the first-half.
   The Arsenal target began his run of jaw-dropping stops in the 10th minute as he pushed away a fierce near post strike from lone Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt.
   Within a minute England midfielder Gerrard weaved his way around three United defenders only to see his left foot shot palmed away by Given.
   However, the onslaught had only just begun and in the 14th minute the Magpies No 1 denied Gerrard again as he sprung to his right to claw away a rising left footed shot.
   But that stunning save was eclipsed by an even better show of agility five minutes later as Given denied the Brazilian midfielder Lucas from point-blank range.
   When the former Gremio player saw his header, from a Gerrard corner, beaten away by the Newcastle goalkeeper moments later, the visitors must have begun to fear this would be no easy win on Tyneside.
   United, for their part, had barely managed to break beyond halfway and the Magpies’ owner, Mike Ashley, must have been wondering whether he had been premature in announcing his decision to take the club off the market for the foreseeable future.
   If his aim had been to usher in a period of calm at St James’ Park, the effect had not extended to the pitch.
   Liverpool continued to press forward at will and two goals before half-time appeared to end the game as a contest.
   Inevitably, given his sensational start to the match, it was Gerrard who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when he drilled Yossi Benayoun’s pass in off the post.
   Poor Given had no opportunity to reprise his heroics and the Irishman was stranded again five minutes later when defender Sami Hyypia was given the freedom of the Newcastle penalty area to head home Gerrard’s corner.
   The experienced Finn could have grabbed a second three minutes before the break only for a diving Given to push the ball into the path of Newcastle’s Charles N’Zogbia, who cleared.
   These were torrid times for United but, incredibly, Canada international defender David Edgar reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time by heading in Danny Guthrie’s corner.
   Liverpool’s third, five minutes after the restart, had an element of luck about it, with referee Mark Halsey failing to spot Lucas’s hand ball, but Dutch international Ryan Babel tapped-in from five yards despite being surrounded by several Newcastle players.
   Gerrard grabbed his second from Lucas’s astute through ball in the 66th minute.
   And when substitute Xabi Alonso wrapped things up with a well taken penalty 13 minutes from time with Gerrard off the field, after his fellow replacement David Ngog had been brought down by Edgar, Liverpool could celebrate heading into 2009 on top of the Premier League pile.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is confident his side will overcome Real Madrid in their Champions League last 16 clash.
   Torres faced European heartbreak last season as Liverpool were knocked out in the semi-finals by Chelsea.
   The Reds are unbeaten in this year’s competition but now face a tricky test against the reigning La Liga champions.
   However, Torres believes his team will book their place in the quarter-finals.
   ‘We all realise that it is going to be a tough tie against Real Madrid,’ he wrote on his personal site.
   ‘I don’t like talking about a possible favourite, but I am sure that we are going to qualify for the next round.’
   However, the former Atletico Madrid player admitted he has not had much luck against the Spanish giants previously.
   He said: ‘When I was playing my football in Spain, I used to score a lot against Barcelona, but found it harder when playing versus Real Madrid.’
   Torres also looked back on a fantastic first season for Liverpool and is hoping for more of the same in the new year.
   It has been a mixed start to this campaign for the 24-year-old who has been blighted by injury.
   However, Torres will have been buoyed to see his team sitting pretty at the top of the table and the Euro 2008 winner admits that the Premier League remains Liverpool’s priority.
   ‘I’m a bit sad to be coming to the end of this year,’ he wrote.
   ‘The first nine months were unbelievable and at the end, even though I could not play regularly because of injury, there was recognition in the form of awards and nominations, like the PFA’s, L’Equipe and being a finalist in the FIFA World Player award.
   ‘I have said before that this has been my best
   year as a professional footballer.
   ‘I adapted to Liverpool far quicker than expected, and to end the 2007-08 season winning Euro 2008 was a perfect finish.
   ‘I hope that at the end of 2009 we can say the same celebrating another title.
   ‘I hope to avoid injuries and that we win the Premier League title; it is the dream of every ‘Red’ - fans, coaching staff and players.
   ‘And it would be great to sign off the season lifting the Confederations Cup with Spain in South Africa.’

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes winning four more trophies this season is not a ‘realistic’ target.
   The Red Devils are currently playing catch-up in the defence of their Premier League title and are also in contention for more silverware.
   Derby County await in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, Inter Milan are last-16 opponents in the Champions League and United start out in the FA Cup against Southampton next weekend.
   United have already scooped the Club World Cup this month, but Ferguson is not getting carried away by dreams of a further four trophies this season.
   ‘To win one major trophy is unusual but nice all the time,’ said Ferguson in the Daily Star.
   ‘But there is no chance of winning all four competitions we are left in this season. It is appetising and we will have that opportunity if we are still in them all come March and April, but it is not realistic.
   ‘I won’t be making any ridiculous statements about winning the lot.
   ‘We would have to be very lucky in terms of everyone still being fit and we have got a job to do in the league.
   ‘Our start has been very difficult. Every game we have had after a European match has been away from home. And when we came back from Japan we were away again at Stoke on Boxing Day.
   ‘We have also had away games against all the top sides.
   ‘So our start has been satisfactory, but not perfect at the moment. We are in a very competitive league, but we still have a good chance of keeping our title.’

Corinthians head coach Mano Menezes Saturday compared his star forward Ronaldo to one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game – Michael Jordan.
   Words often repeated by Menezes in Saturday’s post-training press conference were hard work, sacrifice and responsibility.
   In Ronaldo’s second day of training with Corinthians team-mates, the team looks at him as an idol rather than a fellow player. Due to this large amount of admiration for the player, Menezes used the relationship of the Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson with Michael Jordan during their decade of dominance in the 1990’s
   ‘Great players do not want privileges, they want responsibility. This is true for Ronaldo as well,’ said Menezes.
   ‘In his book entitled Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson told how some players of the Bulls team simply stood by and watched in awe rather than actually playing. With Ronaldo, I hope that things will become normalised sooner than later. Once everyone plays together, then we will achieve the results we are after,’ said Menezes.
   ‘We need some good old sacrifice, lots of hard work and dedication from Ronaldo as well as the rest of the team and coaching staff,’ he said. ‘Everyone needs to be patient, especially Ronaldo, who is returning to the sport after nearly one year. I know he is anxious to return as soon as possible, but we will have to control his anxiety in order to avoid any further injuries.’

Wayne Rooney has revealed he considers himself a shy person but warned he will never change his ultra-competitive approach to football on the pitch.
   The Manchester United and England forward insists he does not have a problem with his temperament because he always feels in control of his emotions.
   Rooney told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I do get stuck in during matches, but I like to think that I keep calm both on the pitch and off it.’
   Rooney had his name cleared after a UEFA investigation into his clash with Aalborg defender Kasper Risgaard this month.
   And there were claims he threw his elbow at Stoke’s Abdoulaye Faye in United’s Boxing Day victory. But the man who scored the goal that made United world club champions last week revealed: ‘People who know me will tell you that I am a quiet and shy person at heart.
   ‘In real life I am the complete opposite of the image that some people have of me.’
   Rooney refuses to accept the popular perception that he is a flawed genius.
   In a remarkable and revealing interview with Sunday Mirror Sport, the Manchester United striker insisted he is in full control of both his talent and his temperament.
   His month began with UEFA launching an investigation into an alleged stamp on Aalborg defender Kasper Risgaard.
   It ended with the 23-year-old having his name cleared and his reputation enhanced by scoring the goal that made United club champions of the world.
   And when Rooney explains the unique pressures that he has been forced to live under since the age of 16, it is easy to understand why he feels that he is more sinned against than sinning.
   Rooney said: ‘I don’t need anyone telling me how to behave or how to live my life as a professional footballer.
   ‘I know when I am doing things the right way and I know when I’ve got things wrong.
   ‘I don’t think there is a problem with my temperament. I don’t accept that I need to learn to count to 10 in certain situations because I always feel in control of myself.
   ‘I do get stuck in during matches, but I like to think that I keep calm both on the pitch and off it.
   ‘It’s people who don’t know me who like to have a go at me. But I don’t give them a moment’s thought because they’re just not important to me.
   ‘I wouldn’t like to let my family or my friends down and as long as they’re proud of me that’s all that matters.
   ‘People who know me will tell you that I am a quiet and shy person at heart.
   ‘In real life I am the complete opposite of the image that some people have of me.’
   Rooney added: ‘Sure, I am a very competitive person.
   ‘I’m a player with lots of energy and aggression and I am never going to stop putting in tackles.
   ‘That’s who I am. I can’t change that, I don’t want to change it, and I don’t think the managers I play for would want to take that away from my game either.
   ‘I know some people were looking to blame me for the incident against Aalborg.
   ‘All I can say is that it was 100 per cent right that UEFA didn’t take any action against me.
   ‘I wasn’t being aggressive. I didn’t mean to stamp on the fella and it was right that no punishment was handed down.’
   Rooney’s rise from Croxteth schoolboy to £30million footballer was meteoric.
   Within months of leaving school he was realising his ambition of playing for boyhood heroes Everton.
   At 17 he was an England international and a year later on his way to Manchester.
   Rooney said: ‘People forget that I am still quite young. I have been put under the spotlight ever since I broke into the Everton first team at 16.
   ‘Even then there was a tendency to try to find fault with my temperament rather than concentrate on what I was bringing to the game.
   ‘That’s sad, but I suppose it is part of football. It doesn’t matter if you are only 16 or 18 and still learning about life, as soon as you become a Premier League footballer you are immediately under the spotlight.
   ‘Sometimes it doesn’t work out. There are occasions when you do make mistakes and you do step out of line, but you learn from these experiences and you eventually learn how to deal with the criticism.’
   He added: ‘I get the feeling sometimes that people just look for the negatives with me.
   ‘When I was 18 I couldn’t understand why people wanted to highlight my faults.
   ‘It used to get to me, but I have just learned to deal with it.
   ‘All I’ve ever wanted to do was play football, win games and win major trophies.’
   ‘Winning the Club World Cup has made it the perfect end to a perfect year, but I want more.
   ‘We all do.’

Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro insists he wants to remain at the Bernabeu, claiming his first priority is to extend his contract.
   Cannavaro’s contract is set to expire next year and speculation is rife that the Italy captain could return to his homeland.
   Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport reported earlier this week that Milan are preparing a bid for the 35-year-old, but the man himself insists he is happy to remain in the Spanish capital.
   ‘I didn’t read anything of that,’ Cannavaro told Spanish sports daily AS.
   ‘At the moment I’m concentrating on taking advantage of the holiday with my family and I have one thing that’s clear: I’m only thinking about Madrid and I feel madridista.
   ‘The first thing I am going to do is talk with Madrid because I have already said many times that staying here is my first choice.
   ‘At the moment I don’t want to talk about Milan nor about any other club.
   ‘Recently it hasn’t been a good time to talk about renewing. Everyone has to know that first comes the team and then personnel.
   ‘When January comes we’ll talk with Madrid with more intensity. I’m not in a rush because I know that the club and my team-mates want me.’
   Cannavaro has also been heavily linked with a return to his hometown club Napoli in the winter, a move the Italians have admitted they would love to complete but which they feel Real would not agree too.
   And, while the World Cup winner maintains he wants to remain at Madrid, he has not totally ruled out a move back to Italy.
   ‘I think that I will stay at Madrid but it’s clear that anything can happen in football,’ added Cannavaro.
   ‘For example, Roberto Carlos who played here for 11 years left Real Madrid.’

Brazilian World Cup winner Denilson claims English clubs are chasing him after being released by Palmeiras.
   The 31-year-old, who was once the most expensive player in the world when Real Betis paid a then-record £21.5 million to sign him from Sao Paulo in 1998, is targeting a return to Europe in a bid to resurrect his career.
   ‘Football does not end with Palmeiras,’ he told gazetasportiva.net.
   ‘I am going to continue playing. The decision
   was not mine, but the club’s.
   ‘Palmeiras have the right to do what they did and I am not in pain or anything like that. I have a clean conscience as I did my job and I would return to the side if I have the chance.
   ‘I want to play in Europe, but I am not in a rush.
   ‘I have received proposals from England, Greece, Turkey and Germany. I am studying them.
   ‘I understand that this is the time to return to European football, but if I am not convinced by any offer I hope to continue in Brazil, where there are also clubs interested in me.’
   Denilson moved to Palmeiras after a disappointing spell in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas while he’s also played for Flamengo, Bordeaux and Al-Nasr in recent years.

Thousands of people marched through the northern Spanish city of Bilbao Saturday to demand the Basque football team be allowed to take part in international competitions.
   Britain is allowed ‘to have teams from Scotland or from Wales play at international level and we are demanding that that same right within the states of Spain and France,’ said Elisa Sainz de Murieta, the head of the Basque Solidarity political party.
   She said the march was aimed at ‘demanding the official recognition of the Basque team ... within a European framework,’ and called for the ‘political will’ to make this happen.
   The demonstrators marched behind a banner reading ‘Basque Nation, one nation, one national team, one federation.’
   A Basque football team, drawn from the Basque regions of both Spain and France, does exist but it is not officially recognised by the game’s authorities, including European football’s governing body UEFA, and is restricted to occasional friendly games.
   Spain’s wealthy northern Basque Country, which has its own distinct language and culture, enjoys a high level of self-government and polls show the majority of Basques do not want to secede outright from Spain.
   However, the armed separatist group ETA has been fighting for 40 years for an independent state comprising the Basque regions of northern Spain and southwestern France.

English Premiership club Newcastle United is no longer for sale, owner Mike Ashley said Sunday after failing to find a buyer.
   The billionaire sportswear magnate has decided to push ahead with his own plans for the club following a fruitless three-month campaign to find an interested party.
   Ashley engaged the services of investment bank Seymour Pierce after deciding to call it a day at St James’ Park in September following mass protests against his regime in the wake of Kevin Keegan’s departure as manager.
   Ashley said in a statement on the club’s official website: ‘I am happy to end the uncertainty the fans may have had about the future direction of Newcastle United.
   ‘I know just how important that is to you.
   ‘I have withdrawn Newcastle United from the market, and for me 2009 will be the year in which we drive the club forward together.
   ‘Even when I haven’t been at games I have remained a keen supporter, kicking and heading every ball and cheering the team on TV and being first to congratulate (manager) Joe (Kinnear) whenever there’s a good result.’
   Ashley revealed the club had failed to find a suitable buyer.
   ‘When I took the decision to put the club up for sale in September I made a point of saying two things were very important.
   ‘Firstly any potential buyer would have to show they had the best interests of Newcastle United at heart and had both the commitment and finance to be worthy custodians of such a fine football club before I would even consider doing a deal.
   ‘And secondly, I gave you my word that as long as I remain owner, this club would continue to be run responsibly at all levels. I hope you will accept that I have stood by that pledge.’
   Ashley launched a 134.4-million-pound takeover of the club in May last year and has since invested around a further 100 millon pounds in servicing the debt burden and attempting to strengthen the playing squad.
   Michael Ord, a spokesman for the Newcastle United Supporters’ Club, insists the news will be unwelcome to many on Tyneside.
   ‘It’s the most unwelcome late Christmas present Newcastle United supporters could have,’ he told Sky Sports.
   ‘He needs to start thinking long and hard about what he is saying, because I don’t think Mike Ashley will take Newcastle forward at all.’

Jose Mourinho has emerged as the managerial target for Manchester City and their fabulously rich Arab owners.
   Current manager Mark Hughes is believed to have until the end of the season to convince Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, that he is the man to satisfy their lofty football ambitions.
   But if Hughes fails, then City will make serious efforts towards securing a big-name appointment.
   Discreet soundings have already been made in the direction of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, but he has made it known that he would not be interested in switching to another Premier League club.
   City’s new target is former Chelsea boss Mourinho, now in Italy with Inter Milan. And the charismatic Portuguese would surely find the temptation to go head-to-head with Sir Alex Ferguson in the battle to become Manchester’s managerial top dog too much to resist.
   In an interview last week, Mourinho made no attempt to hide his love of English football - or his ambition to return to the Premier League one day soon.
   Mourinho said: ‘I never hide. I’m in love with the English game and, one day, I will go back to England.
   ‘I am really, really happy with Inter - it’s a ‘victory machine’ - but I want to win the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga - the three big championships in Europe. Therefore, I will also go to Spain.’
   Friday’s 5-1 drubbing of Hull City has bought Hughes valuable time. But his judgment will be tested in next month’s transfer window, when he will be handed a £40million treasure chest to make the short-term improvements to get City climbing the table.

Spanish giants Real Madrid are keen to sign Ecuadorean international wing Luis Antonio Valencia, As newspaper reported here on Sunday.
   The 23-year-old Wigan Athletic star has become Real’s preferred target after they dropped their interest in Aston Villa’s Ashley Young and having pulled out of a deal for Liverpool’s Jermaine Pennant because of his wage demands.
   Valencia - scorer of three goals in 20 matches this term - would cost Real 17.5million euros and they could face stiff competition for the former Villarreal player from several of Wigan’s Premier League rivals.
   Real - who are fifth in the title race some 12 points adrift of Barcelona - are in desperate need of reinforcements to their squad after several key players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Malian midfielder Mahamadou Diarra suffered season ending injuries.
   They have already signed French international midfielder Lassana Diarra from FA Cup holders Portsmouth for 20million euros.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona has hit back at Alfio Basile’s claim that players only appear for the national team because they are forced to. Maradona’s predecessor, who resigned in October after losing 1-0 to Chile in Santiago, believed players had no love for international competition, saying: ‘They have to travel a lot and a lot of them only play for the national team as an obligation.’
   Speaking at a charity event organised by Javier Zanetti’s foundation, Maradona insisted his players were proud to wear the national shirt.
   ‘I would not permit anybody to say that,’ he said. ‘When I was a player, I was very proud of playing for Argentina. My players will play for the honour of wearing this glorious shirt.’
   Maradona also confirmed he will travel to Europe to talk to players in the frame for the February 11 friendly against France in Marseille.

AC Milan midfielder David Beckham and the rest of the team could be targeted by terrorists when they travel to Dubai next week for the club’s annual tour.
   The Daily Star claims extra security measures have been taken to protect the Englishman while he is away with the club as Islamic terrorists are planning an attack.
   Reports suggest Beckham will be an ideal target and thus a special security team will be dragged in.
   A member of the Beckham security team told the London Daily Star: ‘This is a big headache for us and we are taking his visit as if he was a head of state.
   ‘The security measures will be stepped up and we are concerned about public appearances for example when meeting fans or signing autographs. The fans want to meet Beckham and this is a great risk for us. The risk of an attack is potentially high.’
   Milan will train in Dubai and play a friendly against German side Hamburg on January 6.
   However, Beckham is unlikely to play.

Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp said Saturday that he will not be forced to pay an inflated transfer fee to bring England striker Jermain Defoe back to White Hart Lane from Premier League rivals Portsmouth.
   Redknapp took Defoe to Portsmouth in January when he was in charge at Fratton Park, but admitted he may now switch his attention to Middlesbrough’s international winger Stuart Downing.
   ‘I think they have a massive offer from somebody for him (Defoe). I paid about nine million pounds for him,’ Redknapp said.
   ‘He is a good player but we’re not going to pay over the top for anyone. I like Downing but I don’t know whether Middlesbrough want to sell him.’

Paul Scholes is confident Manchester United will benefit from a more ‘normal’ second half to the season.
   ‘It is nice to be back and be able to concentrate on the other competitions,’ he said.
   ‘That is not to say anything about the Japan trip. But now we can really concentrate on the league, the Champions League and the two domestic cups - which are important to us.’
   As Scholes was dismissive of the Japan jaunt before departure, his stance is hardly a surprise.
   However, what the 34-year-old was able to do in Yokohama was get a full game under his belt - hastening a return to full fitness following knee surgery in September.
   The comeback, which extended into the Boxing Day win over Stoke, came a couple of weeks earlier than expected - maintaining Scholes’ reputation as a quick healer. That is not to say the former England midfielder felt his presence was missed.