Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic thundered into the Australian Open quarter-finals and Roger Federer overcome his second stern test of the tournament to reach the last eight on Monday.
   Lleyton Hewitt’s tournament hit the buffers, however, Australia’s remaining hope skidding out 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 to third seed Novak Djokovic.
   While Wimbledon champion Williams and fourth seed Ivanovic made light work of their opposition, world number one Federer was again made to fight hard to defend his title.
   Pushed to five sets on Saturday, he prevailed 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 against 13th seed Tomas Berdych but did not have things all his own way.
   ‘He was playing better (than me) in the second set, honestly,’ Federer said in a courtside interview.
   ‘He got an early lead, then played well in the breaker. In the end, maybe he made a wrong shot selection. It’s unfortunate for him, but jeez, it’s good for me to win in straight sets.’
   Next up for the Swiss is American James Blake who reached his first grand slam quarter-final outside the United States with a solid 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Croatia’s Marin Cilic. While Federer put Saturday’s epic behind him, Hewitt was unable to bounce back from his five-set third-round thriller.
   The former world number one took until 4:33am on Sunday morning to oust Marcos Baghdatis and failed to rouse himself for the Djokovic challenge.
   Serbian Djokovic overcame a nervy start to clinch victory in two hours, 26 minutes and set up a last-eight clash with fifth seed David Ferrer of Spain.
   ‘In the first set I was lucky, but then afterwards I relaxed and tried to be aggressive and take control of the match which I did,’ Djokovic said.
   ‘Of course, Lleyton was very tired from the Baghdatis match a couple of nights ago, so I took my opportunities.’
   Ferrer beat almost-namesake Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the last eight.
   ‘I beat Juan Carlos playing very well, it was a very tough match,’ Ferrer told reporters. ‘I am very happy. Now I am a little bit tired.’
   Djokovic’s fellow Serb Ivanovic booked her quarter-final with Venus by ousting Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 7-6.
   The world number three has not lost a set during the tournament and is relishing the prospect of playing the American.
   Williams advanced with a routine 6-4, 6-4 victory over talented Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska. Agnieszka Radwanska became the first Polish woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final when she came from a set and 3-0 down to beat an ailing Nadia Petrova.
   Russian 14th seed Petrova led 6-1, 3-0 but a groin strain hampered her movement in the third set and Radwanska stormed back to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-0 and set up a clash with ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
   The 18-year-old Radwanska is the youngest of the eight quarter-finalists. Slovak Hantuchova recovered from a slow start to beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

India’s cricket selectors on Sunday ignored Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for next month’s triangular series in Australia, raising doubts over the veteran batsmen’s one-day careers.
   Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a 16-man squad in the tri-series, also featuring World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka, and a Twenty20 match against the hosts.
   Former captains Ganguly and Dravid, both 35, are among seven batsmen in the world to have completed 10,000 runs in the shorter version of the game.
   Left-handed Ganguly, with 11,363 runs in 311 matches, played his last one-dayer against Pakistan at home two months ago.
   Middle-order batsman Dravid was axed for a second successive one-day series. He played his last match against Australia at home in October before being dropped against Pakistan. He has so far scored 10,585 runs in 333 matches.
   Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement the selection committee looked to the future and provided youngsters with a chance after their impressive performances in domestic cricket.
   ‘The emphasis was on fielding and the selectors wanted a young fielding side for the series. That’s why there are a lot of youngsters in the side,’ he said.
   Batsman Suresh Raina, 21, returned to the one-day side after nearly a year, while 19-year-old paceman Ishant Sharma regained his berth after an excellent display in the ongoing Test series in Australia.
   Sharma, who dismissed Australia captain Ricky Ponting twice during his team’s impressive 72-run win in the third Test at Perth on Saturday, has so far figured in just one one-day international.
   Fast bowler Pravin Kumar won a place after grabbing eight wickets in one innings in the final of India’s premier first-class Ranji Trophy tournament, which ended here on Saturday.
   Paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was also named in the squad after missing the current Test series in Australia due to a shoulder injury.
   Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla, Pravin Kumar.

The Indian media on Sunday joined former players in saluting the brilliant win in over Australia in Perth, saying it was the cricket-mad nation’s greatest Test victory.
   Leading newspapers front-paged Saturday’s 72-run triumph in the third Test on Australia’s favourite hunting ground that ended the world champions’ 16-match winning streak.
   For most, it seemed the perfect response after the acrimonious second Test in Sydney which ended with Indian captain Anil Kumble saying ‘only one team was playing in the spirit of the game.’
   India, having lost the Sydney match in the penultimate over of the final day, were angered by dubious umpiring and the three-Test ban handed out to Harbhajan Singh for alleged racial abuse towards Andrew Symonds.
   Former captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar was convinced it was India’s greatest Test win since he began playing international cricket in 1970.
   ‘For a team to come back after being 2-0 down in the world champions’ own backyard and win on what is regarded as the fastest wicket in the world is an unbelievable achievement,’ Gavaskar said on television.
   ‘I have not seen anything like this in the last 40 years.’
   Gavaskar’s sentiment was shared by the Hindustan Times whose front page headline read: ‘Ecstasy - India’s greatest Test win ever.’
   ‘In a way it all began in Sydney,’ the newspaper’s correspondent wrote. ‘Done in by atrocious umpiring and reeling from the three-match ban on Harbhajan Singh, Team India closed ranks.
   ‘Perth, reputedly the world’s fastest pitch, was supposed to be Australia’s impregnable bastion, the battleground where India would be humiliated.
   ‘Instead, the entire squad combined to script one of the most romantic tales in a sport replete with instances of the improbable - and posted one of India’s finest victories ever.’
   ‘Indians Fix Cocky Aussies’, screamed the banner headline in the Mail Today tabloid, adding ‘it was sweet revenge after being done in by the umpires in Sydney.’
   ‘Aussies knocked off their Perth,’ said the Times of India while the Indian Express called it the ‘Sweetest Revenge.’
   The Hindu wrote: ‘Divorced from context, the third Test rates as a fabulous game of cricket, contested by two exceptionally gifted sides.
   ‘Seen in the light of last fortnight’s tumult, its significance is elevated. The firmness of purpose India exhibited had a certain nobility to it.’
   Former captain Kapil Dev, who led India to its only limited-overs World Cup title in 1983, said Kumble’s team deserved all the accolades that came its way.
   ‘One of the best no doubt, but Kolkata was better,’ the legendary all-rounder said, referring to the 2001 series in which India fought back to record a 2-1 win over Steve Waugh’s Australians.
   Having lost the first Test and made to follow-on 274 runs behind in the second Test in Kolkata, the Indians rode on an extraordinary 281 from Venkatsai Laxman to turn the tables on the world conquering Aussies.
   The Indians not only ended a previous 16-match winning streak by the Australians, but went on to win the final Test in Chennai, prompting Waugh to dub India as the ‘final frontier.’
   Kapil hoped Kumble’s side will go on to win the final Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday and square the series 2-2.
   ‘The boys should not let up from here,’ he said. ‘The entire country is behind them and there is no reason why we cannot win in Adelaide where the wicket suits us.’
   India had won the Adelaide Test on the previous tour of Australia in 2003-04 under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy.

Pakistan (347/5) beat Zimbabwe (243/7) by 104 runs
   A record five half-centuries in a single innings propelled Pakistan to a thumping 104-run win over Zimbabwe in the first one-day international here.
   Skipper Shoaib Malik hit a 56-ball 63 in Pakistan’s mammoth total of 347-5 in 50 overs before capturing 3-34 with his off-spin to restrict the tourists to 243-7.
   Opener Nasir Jamshed smashed a 48-ball 61 on his debut, while Younis Khan (79), Mohammad Yousuf (72) and Misbah-ul Haq (55 not out) made significant contributions after Pakistan were put into bat at Karachi’s National Stadium.
   It is the first time in one-day international history that five half-centuries have been scored in an innings and eight in a match.
   The total was always beyond Zimbabwe’s reach despite a bright start for the tourists, with an opening stand of 47.
   Vusi Sibanda (59) and Chamu Chibhabha (52) added 56 for the second wicket but the tourists lost their rhythm against Pakistan’s spinners.
   Sean Williams was also among the runs, hitting an unbeaten 51, but the asking rate continued to climb and the task proved too much.
   Earlier, the foundations for Pakistan’s big total were laid by the 18-year-old left-hander Jamshed, who hit six boundaries and three towering sixes during his swashbuckling knock.
   Jamshed, who broke into the team on the back of a brilliant 182 against the tourists in a four-day match here last week, made his more experienced partner Salman Butt (four) a mere spectator in a brisk 45-run stand for the first wicket.
   Jamshed was finally caught off medium-pacer Chibhabha in the 15th over. Younis and Yousuf then put on 113 for the third wicket to further punish the hapless tourists’ attack.
   Younis hit seven boundaries and a six off 68 balls, while Yousuf’s 74-ball knock included five boundaries and a six.
   Left-arm spinner Ray Price, who finished with 2-61, dismissed both Younis and Yousuf before Malik and Misbah gave the innings fresh impetus.
   Malik, who completed 4,000 one-day runs when he reached 16, put on a brisk 99 runs for the fifth wicket with Misbah. Malik hit two sixes and a four before he became Chibhabha’s second wicket.
   Misbah hit four boundaries and a six in his 38-ball knock as Pakistan totted up 52 in the last five overs.
   The second encounter in the five-match series will be played at Hyderabad on Thursday.

Nearly a week has passed since Bangladesh ended their disastrous tour of New Zealand, yet fans and experts at home have found very little clues why the players suffered such a humiliation.
   ‘I can’t explain how unhappy I am with the team. I never expected them to win the one-day and Test series against New Zealand in their condition at this stage. But a little fight and a more prolonged Test would have done nicely,’ said Chaitee, a fanatic follower of Tigers.
   She is not alone to tell these words to cricketers, who are being taunted almost every time they face a fan since returning home on January 18. Some of the players tried to defend themselves citing the difficult conditions of New Zealand, but it hardly brought any mercy for them.
   Experts mostly highlighted their inability to cope with the pace and bounce the Zealand bowlers generated in favourable conditions while a few also blamed some tactical blunders for the debacle. The team selection and batting order were also questioned by some experts.
   ‘I don’t see any reason for Habibul Bashar to bat at number three in New Zealand condition. He is a compulsive puller and hooker, two shots always difficult to play when the wicket offers too much movement,’ said former national skipper Shafiqul Haque.
   ‘Instead of Bashar, Shahriar Nafees should have batted at number three. He played as an opener in the past, so he must have an idea how to handle the initial movement. Bashar should have batted at number five,’ Shafiqul pointed out.
   ‘I would have loved to see Rajin Saleh in the starting line up. I know it might have been all the same as Rajin has had many failures. But at least he could have stayed at the crease a bit longer. With him in the line up we might have played a little longer than 46 overs,’ said the former wicketkeeper.
   Shafiqul, who also acted as the selector and manager of the national team in the past, hailed the cricketing philosophy of coach Jamie Siddons, who wanted the players to score as many runs as they could and at the same time try to occupy the crease.
   ‘I can’t really blame Jamie, because he is new. But he should have been well informed of our strengths and weaknesses. Someone should have been with the team, who could tell the coach who is who. I am sure he had little idea about Bashar, Shahriar and Rajin before the Test series. You can’t always relay on statistics,’ said Shafiqul.
   Former national captain Roquibul Hassan blamed the technical disability and lack of tenacity among the players for the poor batting performance in the Test series.
   ‘If you look at the dismissals, you will find 75 per cent batsmen got out offering a catch at slip cordon or to the wicketkeeper. It exposes their technical disability,’ said Roqibul.
   ‘I also found lack of tenacity among the players. We have always talked about their patience, but it is not all about that. To be successful in Test cricket one must have the courage to take a few blows on the body,’ added the former captain.
   While criticism was coming from sides, a few former cricketers came to the defensive of the players, most of whom played in such alien conditions for the first time in their careers.
   ‘Playing against New Zealand in New Zealand is difficult for many teams. Barring Australia and Pakistan no team has managed to beat them at home in the recent time, so you can’t blame the Tigers alone,’ said a former cricketer asking not to be named.
   ‘Besides, it can always happen when a team goes through a transitional period. We have just seen a new set up in coaching staff, a lot of new players also came in the side. You have to give them few time to get success,’ he said.
   ‘A 14-month gap in Test cricket last year also went against them. It happened at a time when they just started playing well in Test cricket. Now they need to do afresh,’ he said.
   ‘The sign of improvement in one-day cricket was also clear in New Zealand. In the first one-day match they scored 200-plus run against New Zealand for the first time in the history,’ he said
   ‘If there was no rain, we could have seen a similar score in the second one-day match as well. So don’t blame the Tigers always. They have lost in New Zealand, truly badly. But it is not the end of the world.
   ‘They have a chance to make amends in the near future. Let’s hope for the best,’ added the former cricketer.

Ansar and VDP defeated Ispahani Sporting Club by seven runs in the keenly contested inaugural match of the final round of the Women’s Open Cricket tournament at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
   Batting first Ansar and VDP scored 133-9 in the stipulated 35 overs and later restricted Ispahani Sporting to 126 with one ball to spare. Chamely of Ansar scored 19, Shamima also added 19, while Sohely scored 14 and 27 runs were came from extras. Salma and Rumana both grabbed two wickets each conceding 20 and 27 runs respectively.
   Later Salma fought a lone battle for Ispahani scoring 41. Jahanara added 17 and Monjila contributed 11. Shamima and Soheli captured two wickets each giving away 27 and 26 runs respectively.

Heavyweights Abahani face minnows Badda Jagarani in the inaugural match of the Protiti Pharma Victory Day Football tournament, organised by Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club, on January 26 at 6:00pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
   Before the kick-off the organisers have planned an attractive opening ceremony. On the second day of the tournament on Jan 27, Arambagh will meet Victoria in the first match and Muktijoddha will take on Dhaka Wanderers in the second. Dhaka Mohammedan will open their campaign on January 28.
   Mohammedan have drawn up an approximate budget of Tk 15 lakh for the tournament with the title sponsors Protiti Pharma contributing Tk 3 lakh. Co-sponsors Walton and G-Heize will provide the prizes of the man of the tournament, highest scorer, best coach, best referee and best organiser. The organisers hope to earn the rest of the budget amount through the sale of tickets valued at Tk 20, Tk 30 and Tk 100.
   In this connection a press conference was held at the Mohammedan SC premises where the club’s general secretary Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan disclosed the details of tournament. MSC additional general secretary Mostaqur
   Rahman, director of Protiti Pharma Habibur Rahman and Humayun Kabir of Walton were present.

Naow Amer of Syria and Merzuki Md Asri of Malaysia will lock horns in the boys’ final of the Mobil ITF U-14 Tennis at the National Tennis Complex at Ramna today. In the girls’ final Boey Adelle of Malaysia will face her compatriot Selvarajoo Theiviya.
   In the semi-finals on Monday, Naow Amer ousted Syed Naguib of Malaysia 6-4, 6-1 while Merzuki Md Asri dumped Reda Mohammed of Kuwait 6-3, 6-2 to seal the final berths.
   In the girls’ section semis, Boey Adelle overcame the challenge of her colleague Choon Lyn Lee 6-1, 0-6, 6-2 while Selvarajoo Theiviya overpowered Htwe Zin Mar of Myanmar 6-4, 6-2.

ATN Bangla clinched the title of the Pepsi Media Cricket by defeating Channel 1 by one wicket in a keenly-contested final at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Monday.
   ATN Bangla scored 88 for four in 5.5 overs in reply to Channel 1’s 86 for one in the stipulated six overs.
   Tushar, who scored 34 with five sixes and one four for the winners, was adjudged man of the final. Rtv finished third and Banglavision won the Fair Play trophy.
   Earlier in the semifinals, ATN Bangla (43/2) trounced Rtv (41/5) by three wickets and Channel 1(93/2) overcame Channel i (89/4) by four runs. Shumon of ATN Bangla and Himel of Channel 1 were named the men of the matches.
   Latifur Rahman, the chairman of the Transcom Group,
   distributed the prizes as the chief guest.
   Former national captain Habibul Bashar, chief executive of Transcom Beverages Ltd Golam Quddus Chowdhury, former BCB general secretary Aminul Huq Moni, renowned cricket coach Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury were present on the occasion.

India have earned the right to be considered the biggest threat to cricketing powerhouse Australia in Tests, star batsman Mike Hussey said on Monday.
   The Aussies have for several years been cricket’s top dogs, their 2005 Ashes loss to England a rare hiccup that was followed by a record-equalling 16-match winning streak.
   England and South Africa have at different times threatened to challenge Australia’s dominance, but neither have been able to maintain their form.
   But now India have staked their claim with a remarkable 72-run win in the third Test at Perth’s WACA ground, ending the hosts’ winning run of 16 matches and handing them their first defeat since the 2005 Ashes. It was also Australia’s first defeat at home since 2003.
   India’s win followed their defeat in the controversial second Test in Sydney and was based on the effort of a young and largely unheralded seam attack.
   Speaking in Adelaide as both teams arrived to prepare for the fourth and final Test, Hussey said the tourists deserved to be recognised as one of the best sides in the world.
   The days of India being considered easy pickings away from home are long gone, he said, adding: ‘India have to be right up there because they’re playing so well away from home.
   ‘You know they’re always going to be hard to beat in India, but they’ve had a good result in England during the winter and now they’re playing good cricket here in Australia and they did four years ago as well.
   ‘I would hold them in high regard and with more respect because they have that ability and the team to play in all conditions.’
   However, Australian veteran opening batsman Matthew Hayden warned against reading too much into the result in Perth.
   ‘There’s no other side in the world comes close to us when we’re playing at our best,’ Hayden said.
   The swing bowling of Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh did most of the damage in Perth, but Hussey believes it
   will be a different story in Adelaide, where India are looking to level the series at 2-2 in the final Test.
   Hussey said the probable return of Harbhajan Singh to form a twin spin partnership with captain Anil Kumble offered another challenge.
   ‘They used the conditions very well in Perth, but I don’t think it’s going to swing as much in Adelaide,’ Hussey said.
   ‘Having said that, they are obviously a very fine bowling unit, very balanced, be it a matter of swing, seam or spin.’
   Meanwhile, South Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait believes he is almost certain to be dropped for his home Test. He bowled just 21 overs in Perth and told Adelaide’s Advertiser newspaper he was ‘underdone.’
   He said he expected to be replaced by spinner Brad Hogg.
   The fourth and final Test starts on Thursday.

Jean-Paul Duminy was hailed a potential future star after guiding South Africa to a six-wicket win in the first one-day international against the West Indies at Centurion Park Sunday.
   The left-hander made a career-best unbeaten 79 as South Africa overhauled a West Indian total of 175 with two overs to spare in a match reduced by rain to 36 overs a side.
   Duminy, 23, came in after South Africa lost their first two wickets for four runs. He shared stands of 55 for the third wicket with Jacques Kallis, 59 for the fourth wicket with Justin Ontong and an unbeaten 58 for the fifth wicket with Mark Boucher.
   ‘Full credit to JP as a youngster under pressure,’ said Boucher, speaking on behalf of captain Graeme Smith, who was receiving treatment after suffering a knee injury while fielding.
   ‘This innings is going to go a long way to building a lot of confidence for the future.’
   Man-of-the-match Duminy said: ‘I’m very happy so see the team through and hopefully this is the start of things to come.’
   The Duminy-Ontong stand was crucial. The two inexperienced batsmen came together when rain was falling and South Africa were behind according to the Duckworth/Lewis method.
   ‘My heart was pumping at about 180,’ said Duminy of the pressure-packed period when it looked as though rain could stop play at any moment. He and Ontong first got South Africa ahead of the required rate, then set up a comfortable win as the weather improved, with the West Indians having increasing difficulty in controlling a wet ball.
   West Indian captain Dwayne Bravo, who said before the match he did not expect to bowl for another week because of a side strain, brought himself on and after starting with a wide dismissed Ontong for 23 with a spectacular catch off his own bowling, racing down the pitch and diving full length after the ball looped up off the splice of the bat.
   ‘We were a bowler short and it would have been difficult for (off-spinner) Marlon (Samuels) to bowl in these conditions,’ he said.
   The West Indies were floundering at 81 for six after being sent in to bat in seam-friendly conditions when play started three-and-a-quarter hours late. They achieved a competitive total through a 69-run seventh wicket stand between Runako Morton (41) and Darren Sammy (51), the last reputable batsmen in their side.
   Sammy reached a maiden international half-century with a flurry of hitting. His innings included three sixes, including two off successive balls from Albie Morkel in the penultimate over.
   Sammy was dropped at long-on by substitute fielder Johan Botha off Morkel when he was on 23 and should have been run out on 49 by a flick onto the stumps by Boucher when he was casual about making his ground.
   Umpire Rudi Koerten did not call for a decision by the television umpire but a replay showed his foot was in the air. Sammy was run out soon afterwards, one of three men dismissed in the final over.
   The bowlers dominated on a lively pitch until Morton and Sammy effected a revival.
   Fast bowler Dale Steyn took two for 24 and Andre Nel two for 36.
   Shaun Pollock, playing in his final series after announcing his retirement from international cricket, took one for 19 with an immaculate spell with the new ball and contributed to two run-outs with accurate throws from the deep.

Australia’s shock loss to India in the third Test plunged several members of the usually all-conquering team into uncharted territory, bowler Stuart Clark admitted Sunday.
   As they trudged from the WACA Ground late on Saturday, Clark, Mike Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Mitchell Johnson, Phil Jaques and Chris Rogers, making his debut, were all contemplating defeat in the Test arena for the first time.
   It was Australia’s first Test defeat since the ill-fated Ashes tour of England in August, 2005.
   Clark, who debuted in the third match of Australia’s record-equalling 16-Test winning streak, said contemplating defeat was a ‘horrible’ feeling that he didn’t enjoy. The 72-run loss was made even worse by the fact that it ended their dream of a record 17th straight Test win.
   ‘It was my first loss, I had never played in a losing game,’ the fast-medium bowler said. ‘Any time you lose anything, whether it be a game of cricket or a game of tiddly-winks, it is disappointing.
   ‘We sat down, had a beer, and tried to make sure that next time we play that doesn’t happen again.’
   At the other end of the scale, Shaun Tait is yet to taste victory from three Test appearances in one of Australia’s richest eras—his previous two Tests were losses during the 2005 Ashes tour.
   The build-up to the Perth Test was dominated by repercussions from the controversies of the second Test in Sydney, but Clark dismissed suggestions the dramas affected the team’s performance.
   ‘There was a lot written and a lot said, but when we got on the field it was all behind us,’ said Clark, who bowled even better than his match haul of six wickets might indicate.
   ‘We took care of that early in the week and tried to focus on our cricket.
   ‘I don’t think it played a major part at all.
   ‘Maybe our cricket skills let us down rather than anything else.’
   Clark and fellow tail-ender Johnson briefly threatened to pull off a miraculous win as they rode their luck to thrash Australia to within a hundred runs of their target with a 73-run ninth-wicket stand.
   However, all hope was lost when Clark was caught behind for 32, with only Tait, noted for his weak batting, left.
   ‘We knew it was going to be one of those miracle things if it did happen,’ said Clark.
   ‘We were enjoying ourselves and we knew if we got close, the pressure would start reverting back to India. When I got out it was disappointing.
   ‘Shaun’s a great cricketer but I’m not sure whether he had 50 or 60 in him.’

Seamer Irfan Pathan tormented Australia’s top order with his hooping new ball swing in India’s memorable third Test win to announce his renaissance as a Test cricketer.
   With five wickets and the man-of-the-match accolade, it was a remarkable comeback for Pathan after being an onlooker in India’s losses in the first two Tests.
   Pathan’s previous Test appearance was against Pakistan in December, when he reinforced his claim to being recognised as a genuine all-rounder by making his maiden Test century, but claimed just one wicket.
   As the left-hander ripped through Australia’s top order in each innings, removing both openers twice, it was hard to believe his career had been at the crossroads a year earlier as he struggled to get the ball to swing.
   Pathan had burst onto the scene as a gifted teenager on the previous Australian tour in 2003-2004, but lost his way in 2006 and spent almost 18 months out of the Indian team.
   After what he described as a ‘special’ win, the 23-year-old said here late Saturday that the key to his return was simple hard work.
   ‘It was a tough time for me, and I worked hard on my action and game and it’s showing up.
   ‘The hard work of the last year is paying off for me now,’ he said.
   ‘I love bowling with the new ball for my country and in Test matches getting the new ball is special.’
   Sent home from a tour of South Africa to work on his game at a low point of his career, Pathan admits he was struggling.
   ‘When I was out of the team, I always asked myself when I would play for India again,’ he said.
   ‘Last year I didn’t bowl well and that was the reason why I was dropped.’

Syed Shah Amanullah Aman and Mizanur Rahman Mizan were elected as the president and the general secretary of Prantik Krira Chakra for the year 2008-09 on Sunday. The new committee of the club, situated at West Tejturi Bazar, also has 28 members.

Ricky Ponting and his men probably have a fellow Australian, Dennis Lillee, to blame for their stunning defeat against India in the Perth Test.
   As revealed by India’s bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad, Lillee agreed to provide crucial information about the wind at the WACA ground, which helped the Indian seamers come up with an extraordinary display of swing bowling to mow down the Australian batting line-up.
   ‘He told me about the winds and how to use them,’ Prasad was quoted as saying in Herald Sun.
   ‘I worked under Dennis (at the MRF pace foundation in India) and he is a very, very good friend of mine,’ he said. ‘Dennis told me about the winds but our pace bowlers had to go out there and do the job,’ he said.

Eastern Bank Limited defeated Standard Chartered Bank by five wickets in a friendly cricket match at the Abahani cricket ground recently.
   EBL scored 193-5 in 34.2 overs chasing SCB’s 190 all out in 34.5 overs in the 35-over-a-side affair.
   Kiron top-scored for EBL with 37 runs. Saad Ullah and Shuvro followed him with 36 and 24 respectively. Mostafa of SCB grabbed three for 32.
   Earlier, Mostafa hit highest 45 for SCB. Shuvro picked up three for 41 while Talha and Rana both had a two-wicket haul for 24 and 37 runs respectively. Later, Suvro was named man-of-the-match for his all-round performance.
   Managing director Ali Reza Iftekhar was present among other EBL top officials at the ground to enjoy the friendly game.

Ten-man Parma came within minutes of inflicting a first league defeat on champions Inter Milan this season but were robbed by a refereeing error at the San Siro on Sunday, losing 3-2.
   Parma had put in a spirited performance and with the clock ticking down, they held a slender 2-1 advantage.
   But a dreadful penalty decision gave Inter the chance to equalise and then top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic snatched the three points deep into injury-time to leave Parma broken-hearted and the rest of Serie A despondent.
   Inter coach Roberto Mancini admitted his side had been lucky.
   ‘We didn’t play particularly well, Parma fully deserved a draw,’ he said.
   Esteban Cambiasso had escaped in the box to fire Inter in front on the half hour but a clinical finish from Luca Cigarini 10 minutes later restored parity and 21 minutes from time Andrea Gasbarroni fired Parma in front.
   Inter turned on the pressure and in the dying minutes were awarded a highly controversial penalty for an apparent goal-saving handball by veteran Portuguese defender Fernando Couto.
   Swede Ibrahimovic stepped up to blast home the spot-kick on 88 minutes but television replays showed it should never have been awarded.
   Despite having an out-stretched arm, Couto got his head to the ball to divert an Ibrahimovic shot wide but the linesman signalled a penalty and Couto was red-carded.
   While that goal was contentious, the winner was emphatic.
   Ibrahimovic controlled a cross from substitute Julio Cruz before thrashing the ball home from close range.
   Ibrahimovic praised his team’s never-say-die attitude.
   ‘We won thanks to our hard work and desire which are our qualities,’ he said.
   That result will not only have upset Parma, but also Roma, who comfortably beat Catania 2-0 at home, as they were minutes away from finally cutting Inter’s seven-point lead at the top, but it was not to be.
   In a game marred by crowd violence before the game, with three Catania fans suffering stab wounds, Frenchman Ludovic Giuly opened the scoring on eight minutes, mopping up the loose ball after Rodrigo Taddei’s shot came back off the post.
   Daniele De Rossi made the points safe just before the hour, scoring from the penalty spot after Taddei had been fouled in the area.
   Alberto Gilardino scored an injury-time winner to give AC Milan a vital boost in their bid to secure Champions League qualification for next season as they won 1-0 at Udinese.
   The three points meant Milan closed the gap on fourth-placed Fiorentina, who beat Torino 2-1 on Saturday, to 10 points, although the European champions still have three games in hand.
   Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti allowed himself to get a little carried away as he praised his match-winner, whom he only introduced for the final eight minutes.
   ‘Gilardino is a great player, in eight minutes he did more than Pato and Ronaldo did in 90 minutes,’ he said.
   ‘I’ve always said it’s not the amount of playing time that counts but the quality for a player who is getting less playing time. But he is a great player and is always ready when called upon.’
   Milan had the first clear sight of goal in Udine on 26 minutes when Brazilian superstar Ronaldo broke free and crashed a fierce drive against the upright but then it was Milan’s stand-in Australian goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac who kept the scores even.
   He made saves from Simone Pepe and Italy international pair Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella to keep the scores even at the break.
   Quagliarella had two chances to break the deadlock after half-time but missed the ball with the first and blazed over the bar with the second.
   But then substitute Gilardino stole the show in the dying moments, finishing off a sumptuous move that saw teenage Brazilian starlet Pato back-heel the ball to world player of the year Kaka, who flicked it through for the Italy striker to hold off Christian Zapata and finish low past Samir Handanovic.
   Juventus stayed third but dropped to 12 points off Inter’s pace as they were held 0-0 at home to Sampdoria.

Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted Manchester City were fortunate to preserve their unbeaten home record after Darius Vassell’s controversial equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
   City trailed to Carlton Cole’s excellent early goal at Eastlands on Sunday but Vassell was given the benefit of a debatable offside decision to level and extend the unbeaten league run in front of their own fans to 12 matches.
   The point was also enough to send City up to fifth in the Premier League, while Alan Curbishley’s team remain marooned in mid-table despite having the better of a scrappy encounter.
   Eriksson conceded that Vassell’s goal was probably offside and called for a clearer interpretation of the rule.
   ‘We didn’t play good football. The spirit is good and we are fighting but we had to be lucky and we have to be happy to take one point,’ Eriksson said. ‘I think they have to decide whether it is offside or it’s not. For me it is offside.’
   Curbishley felt the Hammers deserved more from the match and he was scathing about the failure to rule out Vassell’s goal.
   But the West Ham boss will be relieved to see the back of City. His side had crashed out of the FA Cup at Eastlands four days previously and this draw left them without a win over Eriksson’s team in four attempts this season.
   ‘We deserved to be the first team to win here and I think Sven agreed with us when we came off. We should have got more out of the two games,’ Curbishley said.
   ‘I think the linesman said he didn’t interfere with the first phase of play but he is standing in the six-yard box,’ Curbishley said. ‘All of us are a bit bemused by “is he interfering with play or is he not?” Sometimes you get the rub of the green, but today I don’t think we did.’
   Former Chelsea striker Cole had come in for Dean Ashton and made an instant impact in the eighth minute.
   Richard Dunne has been in fine form for City this season but the Irish defender was guilty of a costly error as he carelessly surrendered possession.
   Mark Noble took advantage as he picked out Freddie Ljungberg and the Swede’s cross was brilliantly finished by Cole, who turned and beat Joe Hart with a close-range overhead kick.
   It was West Ham’s first goal against City in four matches this season but the lead was shortlived.
   Eriksson’s side equalised eight minutes later when West Ham failed to clear Martin Petrov’s cross and Vassell was on hand to poke the ball home from close range. Television replays suggested Vassell was offside but the goal was allowed to stand.
   After that early flurry of action, both teams settled in an uninspired stalemate of poor passing and little imagination.
   The war of attrition continued in the second half after Mullins forced Hart to save with a low long-range strike.
   City only threatened when Rolando Bianchi capitalised on Matthew Upson’s misjudgement to test Green with a dipping long range volley.
   Luis Boa Morte was fortunate to avoid a red card when, after he had already been booked, he caught Didi Hamann with a stray elbow. Curbishley had seen enough and quickly substituted the striker.
   West Ham should have been in front with 15 minutes to go after an incisive move cut through the home defence. But Cole’s pass was slightly too far ahead of Noble and the midfielder’s lunging effort was parried by Hart.
   The Hammers had one final chance to win it in stoppage time when Cole rose above Micah Richards, but Hart tipped his header over the bar.

Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri admitted his team simply aren’t good enough to win the Serie A crown after a second successive draw virtually killed off their title hopes.
   Juve were held 0-0 at home by Sampdoria on Sunday, a week after they needed a last-gasp Alessandro Del Piero penalty to salvage a point and a 1-1 draw at Catania.
   Those two results have left them 12 points behind champions and leaders Inter Milan and with little chance of finishing top of the pile come May.
   ‘We’re not at the same level as the big teams,’ admitted Ranieri after watching his team be frustrated by a dogged rearguard action from Sampdoria.
   ‘Congratulations to Sampdoria, they played well. We had the chances but we needed to convert them. Of course, we can’t always win but our position in the league hasn’t changed much.’
   Despite being held to the goalless draw Ranieri’s team were a little gung-ho going forward and the former Chelsea boss defended that approach.
   ‘I’ve said before that if you want to try to fight for the Scudetto you have to fire-up the players,’ he explained.
   ‘Today the game reminded me a lot of the one against Udinese (a 1-0 loss at home), frantically trying to score a goal and taking the risk to concede one.’
   With Inter, who came from behind to beat struggling Parma 3-2, disappearing over the hill, Ranieri admitted he is keen to dip into the January transfer window to bolster his squad.
   ‘We will certainly do something but we have to find the right player for us. If they’re looking at Milan or Inter, then they certainly won’t be joining us.’
   Rather than looking above them to try to catch Inter, or even second-placed Roma, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon admitted the Old Lady of Turin were more worried with the teams behind them in the race for the four Champions League berths.
   Fiorentina’s third successive victory cut their gap to Juve to three points while European champions AC Milan are resurgent, despite sitting down in ninth place - they have three games in hand on their rivals.
   ‘I’ve said before that we expect Milan to come back into the Champions League race and they’ve proved me right and are looking dangerous once again,’ said Buffon.
   Milan have won both their matches since the season resumed following a three-week winter break.
   And there is also Udinese, who are just five points behind Juventus in fifth place, in the race.

Tottenham Hotspur and Everton must overcome physical and psychological barriers this week if they are to give English soccer a rare cup final involving none of the established big four.
   The League Cup semi-finals are delicately poised with Everton needing to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit against Chelsea at Goodison Park on Wednesday and Tottenham hosting north London rivals Arsenal with their tie balanced at 1-1.
   Since Middlesbrough beat Bolton Wanderers in the 2004 final, the competition, which had appeared to be rapidly declining in importance, has tickled the fancy of the heavyweights with Chelsea (twice) and Manchester United winning the last three editions.
   It would be a brave man who bets against a repeat of last year’s final when Chelsea beat a youthful Arsenal side in a bad-tempered affair at Wembley.
   Tottenham have not beaten Arsenal in their last 20 meetings in all competitions, a dismal run stretching back to 1999.
   Last year they led 2-0 at home in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, only to draw 2-2. The Gunners won the second leg 3-1 before losing to Chelsea in the final.
   Tottenham also led in a League Cup semi-final replay in 1987 after the two legs had ended 2-2 on aggregate, but their hopes of reaching the final were shattered by two late Arsenal goals at White Hart Lane.
   This season, Tottenham again took the lead in the first leg at The Emirates Stadium but the hoodoo returned in the form of a fortunate Theo Walcott equaliser.
   Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has vowed to continue his policy of using his squad players in the second leg, which should, in theory, tip the balance slightly in Tottenham’s favour – if Spurs can finally shake off their inferiority complex.
   ‘There is another game to be played and that’s what we’ll focus on,’ Jermaine Jenas, scorer of Tottenham’s goal in the first leg, told the club’s website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com).
   ‘We had the chances to maybe put the tie to bed but it’s difficult to say that when you play against a team like Arsenal because they are always likely to score goals.’
   Everton will take on Chelsea full of self confidence after moving into the top four of the English Premier League on Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Wigan Athletic – a result manager David Moyes described as ‘second fiddle’ to Wednesday’s League Cup clash.
   They have never won the competition and it is 24 years since they last appeared in the final, although there is quiet optimism that they can overcome a Chelsea side missing several key players through injury and African Nations Cup duty.
   Then again, their record against Chelsea is nearly as bad as Tottenham against Arsenal.
   They have not beaten the Londoners in their last 18 meetings stretching back seven years and have not won any silverware since the 1995 FA Cup.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose owner Malcolm Glazer also owns Manchester United, head four US gridiron teams that could play in the UK in 2008, ESPN reported Sunday.
   The report, citing an unnamed source, also said that National Football League owners will almost certainly approve a request by Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson to play one regular-season game in Toronto.
   ESPN said the Bucs top a list that also includes the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks as leading candidates for an NFL game in Europe next season, likely in October.
   The Miami Dolphins and New York Giants played last year at London’s Wembley Stadium but the league has not announced the site of a 2008 UK game, saying two or three large stadiums are being considered.
   If the report is accurate and Tampa Bay heads the list of possible US teams making the trek across the Atlantic, it could mean Manchester would be the site for the regular-season matchup given the Glazer’s links to both.

Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari struck in the last minute to lift hosts Ghana to a 2-1 win against Guinea in the opening game of the African Nations Cup here on Sunday.
   Udinese forward Asamoah Gyan put Ghana in front from the penalty spot early in the second half only for Guinea’s Oumar Kalabane to equalise.
   But just as it looked as though the hosts would have to settle for a share of the points up popped Muntari with a long-range, left-footed, angled shot to send the capacity crowd at the 44,000 Ohene Djan Stadium wild.
   Ghana’s Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, awarded the fair play award, said, ‘It’s a good start for us. The game was very difficult but we’re happy we won. This will help our confidence.’
   Winning coach Claude Le Roy added, ‘It’s a long way to February 10 (the final) but we knew it was very important to win the opening game, now we can concentrate on our next match against Namibia.’
   Guinea coach Robert Nouzaret insisted his team will bounce back in Group A which also includes Namibia and Morocco.
   ‘I’m disappointed because we didn’t show our true character today,’ said the Frenchman.
   ‘We are in a difficult position but I am still optimistic because we can’t play that badly again.’
   The sides were all square after the first half, but it was a mystery how Ghana hadn’t scored.
   LeRoy’s men hit the post three times, had a goal disallowed and an adventurous overhead scissor-kick edged wide.
   Credit for the goalless scoreline should also go to Guinea keeper Kemoko Camara, who was up to grabbing Muntari’s early dangerous floating shot from the left.
   Nottingham Forest’s Junior Agogo then had his head in his hands after his angled header ricocheted off the inside of the far post and away to safety.
   Minutes later Gyan, allowed to play despite being sent off in Ghana’s last competitive match against Brazil at the 2006 World Cup for diving, came up with his scissors-kick which inched the wrong side of the far post.
   Another shot hit the woodwork before Ghana had the ball in the back of Camara’s net but Gyan’s effort was disallowed after Seychelles’ referee Eddy Maillet caught the forward pushing the Guinea defender.
   It was Muntari’s turn to test the solidity of the Guinea goal frame in the 40th minute when the Pompey man shot from the left, but again Guinea’s luck held.
   Ghana finally got the goal they deserved eight minutes after the break when Kalabane brought down the charging Agogo with Maillet immediately pointing to the spot. Up stepped Gyan to convert with a curling kick into the top left corner to send a deafening roar into the sky above the packed stadium where Ghana president John Kufuor was watching.
   However, in the 65th minute the crowd’s celebrations were cut short when Guinea drew level. Kalabane made up for his earlier indiscretion when heading straight at Richard Kingston in the Ghana goal, the Birmingham City stopper fumbling the ball over the line.
   That left a nerve-jangling final quarter of an hour for the hosts who had identified this as a must-win match in their bid for a record-equalling fifth title.
   LeRoy brought on Andre Ayew as a late substitute and the move almost proved inspirational as, with his first kick, the Marseille midfielder forced Camara into a brilliant reflex save from close range.
   But in the end it was Muntari who saved the day, his 89th-minute shot flying past the diving Camara to give LeRoy and the rest of the crowd the perfect result.

A Wayne Rooney-inspired late show enabled Manchester United to finally overcome Reading and hold on to pole position in the Premier League title battle on Saturday.
   But there was precious little inspiration on show at St James’ Park, where Kevin Keegan’s second stint as Newcastle manager got underway with a subdued performance that ended in a goalless draw with Bolton.
   ‘Bolton were very organised and we just were not good enough to break them down,’ Keegan admitted. ‘But it’s great to be back and there will be better days ahead.’
   United had looked as if they would be forced to settle for a draw at the Madejski stadium.
   But with 13 minutes left, Rooney found some space inside the six-yard box and finished off a chip from Carlos Tevez with a superb flick.
   The England forward then set up Cristiano Ronaldo for the Portuguese winger’s 23rd goal of the season in the final minute.
   The win ensured United remain above Arsenal — 3-0 winners at relegation-threatened Fulham—on goal difference, and Sir Alex Ferguson believes the three hard-won points could prove crucial at the end of the season.
   ‘You do start to worry as the game goes on and on whether you are going to get the goal and it has taken a lovely flick from Wayne to open them up,’ said the Scot.
   ‘Reading really do make you work and I think it is a very important result for us.’
   Elsewhere, third-placed Chelsea could count themselves fortunate to come away from Birmingham with all the points.
   Birmingham had the better of their clash with Chelsea for long periods but were left with nothing when Peruvian forward Claudio Pizarro headed in his first goal for the visitors since the opening day of the season, in the 79th minute.
   Two first-half headers from Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor and a late strike by midfielder Tomas Rosicky on his return from injury allowed Arsenal to stroll to victory over relegation-threatened London rivals Fulham.
   Adebayor has now scored 15 Premier League goals this season and Saturday’s performance will have added to Gunners boss Arsene Wenger’s relief that he has retained the striker’s services for the next month because of Togo’s failure to qualify for the African Nations Cup.
   Wenger was delighted to see his side bounce back to their best after dropping points at home to Birmingham last weekend.
   ‘The way we came out today after last weekend’s disappointing result gave a strong message about how much this team wants it,’ the Frenchman said.
   Keegan was given a predictably rapturous reception at the start of Newcastle’s match but that was as excited as the crowd was to get all match as Bolton produced an obdurate display to frustrate their hosts.
   Newcastle had several penalty claims turned down but that was as close as they got to scoring and Bolton might have claimed all three points but for Shay Given’s fine 90th-minute save from JLloyd Samuel.
   Blackburn’s three-match winning run came to an end when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough.
   David Wheater headed in a Stewart Downing free-kick in the 13th minute to give Boro the lead. But Matt Derbyshire equalised with quarter of an hour left to salvage a point for the home side.
   Benjani Mwaruwari scored a hat-trick as Portsmouth came from behind to beat bottom side Derby 3-1, drawing a line under a run of seven home matches without a win. Lewis Nyatanga had given Derby the lead after three minutes.
   Tottenham’s steady climb up the table under new boss Juande Ramos continued with a 2-0 win over Sunderland that leaves Roy Keane’s side mired in the relegation zone.
   Aaron Lennon’s toe-poked shot had given the home side the lead and, as Sunderland pressed for an equaliser, substitute Robbie Keane made sure of all three points by firing in his 100th goal for the White Hart Lane outfit.

Cameroon will begin their quest for a record-equalling fifth African Nations Cup title here today with a Group C clash against defending champions Egypt, the tournament’s most successful team who denied them a place at the 2006 World Cup.
   In October 2005, Cameroon needed to win their final qualifier for a place in the World Cup but could only force Egypt to a 1-1 draw, a result which paved the way for Ivory Coast to feature at their first-ever finals.
   Cameroon then put that failure behind them as they won their first five matches in a 2008 Nations Cup qualifying group that included Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia to book a place at these finals.
   Cameroon will be led by Otto Pfister, who has replaced Jules Nyongha, himself a replacement for frustrated Dutch coach Arie Haan.
   A familiar face in African football, the 70-year old German is widely-travelled, having coached the national teams of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Sudan, Rwanda, DR Congo, Burkina Faso and Senegal.
   The Indomitable Lions’ job, regarded as one of the toughest in Africa.
   His achievements in Africa include the 1991 U-17 World Cup title with Ghana and several domestic and continental titles with Zamalek of Egypt.
   ‘It is certainly one of the highlights of my career to handle a team like Cameroon,’ said Pfister.
   ‘And now if we can avoid injuries, we have a good chance to win the trophy for the fifth time. That would be most fulfilling.’
   Cameroon and Egypt have clashed a total of 21 times
   with the Pharaohs coming
   out on top on the head-to-
   head table, winning on nine occasions while seven have been drawn.
   The 2000 Olympic champions have often been derided
   for parading a team of ageing stars but a younger generation
   of players like the nephew
   of skipper Rigobert Song, Alexandre, Reading defender Andre Bikey and Olympic
   team star Landry Nguemo is slowly making its way into the main team.
   Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o remains the star of the team.
   The three-time African Player of the Year has shown he
   has fully recovered from a
   thigh injury he suffered in September with a couple of goals on his recent return to action.
   With 24 goals in 60 appearances for the Lions, many more goals will be expected from this proven scorer as he aims to surpass Cameroon’s all-time international record of 33 goals set by Patrick Mboma.
   Crowned champions of Africa in Burkina Faso 10 years ago, Egypt return to west Africa hoping for more success.
   Besides their dismal showing at Senegal 1992, past records have shown that the Egyptians have a good track record playing in this sub-region.
   They reached the semi-finals in 1980 (hosted by Nigeria), 1984 (Ivory Coast) and finished fifth both in 2000 (Ghana/Nigeria) and 2002 (Mali).
   Unlike group rivals Cameroon, the road to Ghana was not plain sailing for Hassan Shehata’s men and the unconvincing manner of securing a ticket only on the last day of the campaign was very much uncharacteristic of the five-time champions.
   Egypt are still favoured to advance to the quarter-finals even though they will be without several key players like Middlesbrough striker Mido, Mohamed Barakat and Hossam Ghaly, who has chosen club over country.
   The Pharaohs’ star attraction is captain Ahmed Hassan, who was voted the best player at the last tournament on home soil two years ago.
   However, the Anderlecht midfielder will miss this opening match after he bagged a three-match ban for attacking an opponent during a goalless draw with Burundi in September.
   This ban was later reduced to two matches on appeal and he has already served out half of this sanction.

Firs-half goals from Raul Gonzalez and Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Spanish league leaders Real Madrid a 2-0 derby victory at neighbours Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
   The Spanish giants now have 50 points from 20 games and a 10-point lead over their nearest rivals Barcelona, although the Catalan club can close the gap when they play host to Racing Santander later on Sunday.
   Raul got Real off to the best possible start by finding the net after just 32 seconds, with Atletico leaving him unmarked to side-foot the ball into the net from two metres after Robinho had done the hard work down the left wing. Atletico immediately went on the attack to try to get back on level terms and relentlessly kept the pressure on for the next 40 minutes.
   Thiago Motta put a header against the bar, Raul Garcia forced an outstanding save from Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Kun Aguero saw a sizzling shot from the edge of the area also skim the bar.
   However, against the run of play, Real added a second when van Nistelrooy got his 12th goal of the season four minutes before the break.
   The Dutchman was on target after a corner from his compatriot Wesley Sneijder.
   Atletico goalkeeper Christian Abbiati succeeded in getting a hand to the left-foot effort but he could only push the ball onto the post and it rebounded into the net.
   Sneijder nearly added a third just before the hour when his shot had Abbiati beaten but was just a little too high.
   No less than six yellow cards were brandished in a 15-minute period in the second half, mainly for niggling fouls, before things settled down.
   The Spanish headlines in the coming days are likely to be about Real’s two goal scorers but huge credit should also go to their goalkeeper Casillas who kept a clean sheet for the sixth consecutive league game.
   One negative note for Real coach Bernd Schuster was that he had to replace his Portuguese central defender Pepe, who suffered a calf strain after 15 minutes.
   With Gabriel Heinze and Christophe Metzelder already injured, Schuster is starting to run short of first choice defenders.
   Atletico now lie in fourth place, 13 points off the lead, and have not won a derby clash with Real in front of their own fans since October 1999.
   Goals from Robert Pires, Joan Capdevila and Nihat Kahveci helped Villarreal to an emphatic 3-0 victory over local rivals Valencia on Saturday.
   The win meant Villarreal move up to third while Valencia’s winless streak, which began in November, has now gone to eight league games.
   Espanyol’s ambitions of moving up to third virtually vanished around seven seconds into their game at Valladolid on Sunday, when Joseba Llorente equalled the record for the fastest goal scored in the Spanish first division.
   He got another after 33 minutes, to help Valladolid on their way to a 2-1 win over the Barcelona-based side.
   Malaga’s Dario Silva was generally accepted, at least until Sunday, to have scored the fastest goal in La Liga when he found the net after 7.2 seconds, ironically against Valladolid on December 10, 2000.
   Some pundits believe Llorente’s goal may have beaten that record by just a hundredth of a second.
   Espanyol’s Marc Torrejon got one back for the visitors after 58 minutes but they couldn’t find an equaliser and remain fifth while Valladolid, after their fourth successive win, climb to seventh.

Sania Mirza bows out of the Australian Open facing a court case that in theory could see her jailed, but the Indian star says she has grown up over the past week and is determined to fight on.
   The 21-year-old, a youth icon in her homeland, was knocked out in straight sets on Saturday evening by six-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, but said she took a lot of positives out of her progress.
   She put up a credible battle against one of the biggest hitters and most experienced players in the game.
   ‘I take a lot of positives out of it. I mean, she’s supposed to be one of the biggest hitters of the game, and I was outhitting her. And I think that’s a very good thing for me, for my confidence,’ she said after the third round loss.
   Mirza is a unique position in tennis. Few other women have to deal with the off-court dramas that regularly confront her as she seeks to promote the sport in a country where cricket is king while dealing with the wrath of Muslim fundamentalists.
   In the past she has been criticised by ultra nationalists for wearing short skirts and sleeveless tops on court, and before the Australian Open a row flared after she was shown with her bare feet resting near the Indian flag.
   A complaint was filed in the Hyderabad High Court demanding action under India’s Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act, which can carry a three-year jail term.
   Reports said a hearing had been set for March 3 and Mirza revealed before the tournament she had considered quitting the game, but instead has decided to deal with the issues.
   ‘Yeah, it is painful, but I’m used to it now,’ she said of the accusations, before thinking again.
   ‘No, you know you can never get used to things like that. Of course, it does hurt you, because you are playing for your country. Like I said, I’m a very proud Indian.
   ‘If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be playing these tournaments, I wouldn’t be feeling the way I feel about my country, and I would not be living in India right now with all this.
   ‘I would have moved out a long time ago, but I’m proud to live in India and whatever I am I am because I have grown up in India. So I’m going to fight through it, I am fighting through it. You know, it will come and go. A lot of things have come and gone, and this will come and go as well.’
   Mirza repeatedly makes the point about being a proud Indian, but she has come to realise it is impossible to please everyone in a diverse country of 1.2 billion people.
   ‘1.2 billion, I mean, there are going to be a couple of people that don’t like you. That’s very hard, but it’s very hard for everyone to like you as well,’ she said.
   ‘But I don’t take it personally, to be honest. They obviously have good enough reasons for whatever they’re doing.
   ‘At the end of the day, yeah, I am 21, and it is very hard for me to deal with stuff like that sometimes and I feel very down. But like I played against Venus, I think matches like this just give me confidence.
   ‘After having all that at the back of my head I’m just playing good matches and I’m still trying my best and still doing the right things. And I think that’s the most important thing in my life right now is tennis. Yes, I’m fighting (court) cases, but I guess it’s fine. I mean, it’s just life.’
   Mirza remains alive in the doubles here. Following Melbourne, she travels to Bangkok to represent India in the Fed Cup.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has refuted allegations that he made offensive gestures to Reading fans as his team battled to a 2-0 Premier League victory at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.
   Television pictures showed Ferguson pumping his fists and putting his left hand on to his right arm after Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal secured all three points to keep the champions at the top. Wayne Rooney had broken the deadlock after 77 minutes.
   An FA spokesman confirmed that they would study video evidence of the incident, but Ferguson denied he was responding to taunts from the home fans.
   ‘All I was doing was expressing my relief at winning what was one of our hardest games of the season,’ the United boss told reporters in Riyadh where United are playing in a testimonial match for former Saudi Arabia skipper Sami Al-Jaber.
   ‘Reading always make it tough for us. We ran so much that we clocked up more kilometres than we have in any game this season.’
   United also defended the club’s 6,500-mile round trip to the Middle East to play in a the match which will earn United around 1.0 million pounds.
   United’s chief executive Daid Gill told reporters: ‘We get lots of opportunities to play overseas. I always discuss them with Alex and if it didn’t work out on the football side, we wouldn’t do it.’
   Manchester United return from Saudi Arabia on Thursday and face Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup fourth round tie at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Inter outcast Adriano insists that he wants to return to the Nerazzurri, but hints that may not happen with Roberto Mancini at the helm.
   The Brazilian marksman is currently on loan to Sao Paulo - where he bagged a brace on his debut – as he looks to revitalise his career after a tough spell at San Siro.
   Having dropped out of
   contention for a starting spot and been dogged by depression, Adriano vowed to re-launch
   his career with the Beneamata last summer, but a rift with coach Roberto Mancini saw him frozen out of the side.
   ‘I have admitted I have screwed up the last year and a half,’ Adriano told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
   ‘But last summer I tried to turn over a new leaf and I worked hard. Mancini played me two or three times and that was it - he dropped me with no reason.
   ‘I asked him why and he never explained. Naturally it didn’t help that Inter have so many good strikers and that was another reason to think that the right thing to do was to leave for a bit.’
   Mancini has been keen to play down talk of a rift between the two and has described
   his relationship to the troubled hitman as an ‘older brother’s role’, but it seems that Adri disagrees.
   ‘If someone is a brother then they act like a brother all the time,’ he said.
   ‘This year I needed help and perhaps I didn’t get it.’