Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group for this year’s Asia Cup, the Asian Cricket Council announced on Thursday.
   Hong Kong complete the group B line-up, while defending champions Sri Lanka are joined by Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates in Group A for the ninth edition of the tournament, to be hosted by Pakistan in June-July.
   ‘All the participating nations have confirmed their participation and we hope to have a safe and highly competitive Asia Cup in three months’ time,’ ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq told AFP.
   The Asia Cup, originally supposed to held every two years, did not take place in 2006 due to a hectic international schedule. Sri Lanka won the tournament on home soil in 2004.
   Ashraful dispelled fears the 200,000 dollar event was in doubt after Australia postponed their tour of Pakistan over security fears earlier this month following a wave of Islamic militant attacks.
   ‘The Australians are unaware of our culture and they don’t have an idea that no sporting activity has ever been hurt in Asia. All the teams are going to take part barring any major disaster,’ he said.
   And Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf promised ‘extraordinary security reserved for state heads in the past’ for the event.
   After a round-robin first stage, the top two nations in each group qualify for the second phase, where the teams play each other once. The top two then qualify for the final.
   ‘Karachi will host ten of the 13 matches, while Lahore will host three and, since the event is played in the summer season, all matches will be day-night, starting late in the afternoon,’ Ashraful later said in a press conference.
   ‘Karachi will host the final, while the Pakistan Cricket Board will announce the full schedule of the event in due course.’
   The first Asia Cup was held in 1984 at Sharjah in the UAE. India have won it four times, Sri Lanka three times and Pakistan once.
   It is the first time Pakistan ahs hosted the event. The 1993 edition was to be played there but was cancelled after India refused to tour for political reasons.
   ACC President Arjuna Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to their only Asia Cup in 1996, said: ‘Being a player I was lucky to play in the first Asia Cup and now as an administrator I feel this is the most prestigious
   event in Asia and all the nations will ensure to send their best teams.’

After two convincing wins in the first two one-day matches, Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful is now eying to whitewash the visiting Ireland in the three-match series.
   ‘Definitely it is now our main objective and I think if we can continue to play in the way we played the first two matches, it will not be impossible to come away with a 3-0 victory,’ Ashraful said in the post-match press briefing on Thursday.
   Bangladesh will take on Ireland in the third game on Saturday at the same venue knowing full well that the series has already been won and any pressure they have had before facing the visitors has evaporated totally.
   Ashraful still believes wining the third match is equally important for the side to get into a winning habit, which could be useful for the future series especially against Pakistan next month.
   ‘We have an important tour ahead of us to Pakistan next month. So it was crucial for us to restore our confidence. I think this series will help us get back our winning habit,’ Ashraful said.
   ‘Before going to the World Cup in 2007 we played a lot of matches against fringe sides. We picked up a winning habit which helped us move into the second round,’ Ashraful pointed out.
   The 23-year-old batman praised man-of-the-match Farhad Reza for his outstanding effort that earned him five wickets for 42 runs in the second match. Pace bowler Mashrafee bin Murtaza was also lauded by the skipper despite not getting any wicket.
   ‘Both Mashrafee and Farhad did well with the ball. Farhad deserves some special credit because he worked really hard for his reward. He bowled exactly in the same area where he was asked to,’ said Ashraful.
   ‘It was not a very easy sailing for us. At one stage they needed 120 runs from 121 balls with five wickets in hand. Anything could happen from that position,’ said Ashraful.
   ‘I don’t like to say they (Ireland) are a bad team. Maybe the weather did not suit them. But I think they can make a comeback anytime,’ added Ashraful.
   Ireland coach Phil Simmons said losing more wickets has made all the difference between his side and Bangladesh, who won the game by 84 runs.
   ‘When their 100 runs came, Bangladesh were only wicket down and at the same stage we lost five. That made all the differences,’ said the former West Indian all-rounder, who took over the charge of Ireland after the last World Cup.
   Simmons and his skipper Trent Johnston have now set their eyes on Saturday’s third game to get some consolation.
   ‘The third game is massive for us. We are looking forward to winning that game because we really want to leave Bangladesh with our heads high,’ said Johnston.

India’s one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the tri-series victory in Australia has vindicated his decision to leave out premier batsmen Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the competition.
   India beat world champions Australia 2-0 in the finals earlier this month after the selectors pitched for youth at Dhoni’s behest and controversially dropped former captain Ganguly despite the
   left-hander’s consistency at Test level.
   Ganguly and Dravid, who was the first to feel the heat of the one-day shake-up late last year, are two of just three Indians to score over 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.
   ‘I was pretty clear about the players I wanted in the side,’ Dhoni told Cricinfo web site.’ That’s what I said to the selectors as well. You can see the kind of team I got.’
   The axing of Ganguly and Dravid set off a nation-wide debate in cricket-mad India given the challenge of playing in Australia.
   ‘It’s very important because the process and the timing were criticised a lot,’ Dhoni said. ‘But sometimes it is very important to send the message across, because sometimes people neglect the answer.’
   Dhoni, 26, was made one-day captain after Dravid quit following the England tour in September last year and guided a young team to a surprise triumph at the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.
   Dhoni said he had asked his players in Australia to stand up with questions being raised about his team selection.
   ‘What now? Why are people not asking the same questions now? Because if the result was not in our favour, what would have happened?’ he said.
   ‘Would the people have been really behind this side or behind individuals?’

Monde Zondeki was Wednesday named as the replacement for fellow fast bowler Charl Langeveldt as the controversy over South Africa’s selection policy continued.
   Andre Nel, who was controversially left out for Langeveldt to conform with Cricket South Africa’s transformation policy, was again overlooked. Zondeki’s selection maintained the target of six players of colour in the 14-man squad.
   The SA Cricketers’ Association meanwhile condemned political interference in team selection which it said could cause South Africa to lose two of its premier fast bowlers, Langeveldt and Nel.
   ‘Charl Langeveldt’s request to be removed from the squad to tour India is the desperate unhappiness of a player who knows that he has been selected for this tour for quota reasons,’ said Tony Irish, chief executive of SACA.
   ‘Charl spoke to both (Cricket SA chief executive) Gerald Majola and to me yesterday to say that he was so upset that he did not feel that he could give his best for South Africa on the tour under these circumstances’.
   A SACA statement quoted Langeveldt as saying: ‘As players we all have a good idea of when we are clearly in the running for selection and when we aren’t. You just have to look at Andre’s Test record compared to mine and the fact that he has been part of all the Test match plans while I haven’t played a Test match for two years.
   ‘I have always fought for a place in the team but I don’t want to be put there because of my colour. Up to now I have been very happy in my role in the ODI team and I know my value there. I’m quite upset by this now and I’m going to need a bit of time to consider my future.’
   The future of Nel is also uncertain.
   ‘I’m as upset for Langes as I am for myself’, said Nel.
   ‘We are good teammates and I have a lot of respect for him. We are both passionate about playing for South Africa and neither of us deserves to feel like this. It is hard to just shrug it all off.’
   Irish said: ‘Any form of veto, interference or involvement in the selection of the Proteas by anyone who is not a selector should be abolished.
   The Players’ Association recently made that recommendation to Cricket South Africa’s transformation review committee relating to selection of the Proteas team. The players believe in the goals of transformation but all of them, black and white, are adamant that this should not be achieved by interfering in the selection of the national team.
   ‘South Africa could be in the process of losing two of its best cricketers,’ said Irish.
   ‘Surely it’s time to realise that the selectors must be allowed to get on with selection of the team.’
   Zondeki, 25, played the most recent of his five Test matches in 2005 but was the leading wicket-taker in South African first-class cricket this season with 62 wickets at an average of 19.16.
   He was a contender for the recent tour of Bangladesh but suffered an ankle injury in a car accident.
   ‘Monde has shown outstanding form this season to establish himself as the leading bowler in the domestic game. His form for the South African A side has also been outstanding,’ said selection convener Joubert Strydom. ‘He has made a good recovery from injury and is back to full match fitness.’
   Zondeki will play for English county Warwickshire as an overseas signing this year.
   The South African team leave for a three-Test tour today.

Controversial Australian umpire Darrell Hair said on Thursday he will focus on improved communication with players after his enforced spell away from top-level cricket.
   Hair was recalled to the elite panel of umpires on Tuesday after the International Cricket Council decided to reinstate him at a board meeting held in Dubai.
   Hair was dumped from the panel following an abandoned match between England and Pakistan at The Oval in 2006, which ended with the tourists conceding the first Test forfeit in the game’s history.
   His reinstatement after a ‘rehabilitation’ course, has been heavily criticised by Pakistan.
   ‘It caused me a lot of stress, I suppose it caused a lot of people some stress along the way,’ Hair told radio here Thursday.
   ‘The laws now have been changed to take those decisions out of the hands of the umpires and I fully support the way that that’s going to happen in future. So, it’s time to move on.
   ‘Every day in life you like to pick up something and move forward, so I won’t say my whole attitude to umpiring has changed but I think I have picked up a few things that are going to be very helpful to me in the future.
   ‘Probably just... having a broader understanding of what everybody else is thinking and the old communication issue of making sure that what you say and what you want is understood by the other people.
   ‘I’ve always been a little bit ... stand-offish in that I’ve always preferred to let them play the game themselves and only get involved when things go overboard, but maybe there’s a case to be made for a little bit more work in that area.’
   Hair, 55, said he was available to umpire in Pakistan.
   ‘Part of my contract is that I’m available now to umpire Test matches and one-day internationals,’ he said.
   ‘Now whether that (umpiring in Pakistan) is going to happen I think you’ll need to ask the people who make the appointments.’
   Reuters adds: International Cricket Council general manager Dave Richardson said on Thursday that Hair may umpire in England’s three-test home series against New Zealand this year.
   Richardson told Skysports television in Dubai that Hair’s first real opportunity would be in the England-New Zealand series starting at Lord’s on May 15.
   ‘Both teams rate Darrell Hair very highly,’ Richardson said. ‘It’s likely that he will get an opportunity.’

West Indies return to home international action for the first time since last year’s World Cup when they take on Sri Lanka in Guyana from Saturday in the first of a two-Test series.
   Since their poor showing at the one-day showpiece, West Indies have shown sparks of a revival only for disappointment to quickly follow.
   Following last year’s 3-0 Test defeat by England, the Caribbean side claimed their first ever Test win in South Africa - their first Test win since May 2005 - but then lost the next two Tests and all five matches in the one-day series.
   Spinners Sulieman Benn and Amit Jaggernauth are included in the squad for the first time, while captain Chris Gayle has Barbados all-rounder Ryan Hinds back in the side for the first time in nearly three years.
   The biggest boost though is the return from injury of Guyanese batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, who will share the top-order pressure with Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
   ‘It is a pretty balanced team, it’s a good all round team, the expectation is high and we’re looking forward to it,’ said Gayle.
   ‘Sri Lanka is a good team, they have been playing terrific cricket and it is up to us now to play some good cricket and back our talent,’ he added.
   Sri Lanka are without two of their most consistent performers of recent years—Sanath Jayasuriya, who has retired from Tests, and explosive pace bowler Lasith Malinga, who is injured.
   But with the prolific wicket-taking ability of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and the reliable swing bowling of Chaminda Vaas, Gayle sees no reason to underestimate the Sri Lankan threat with the ball at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown.
   ‘They have a good bowling attack without Malinga, they have Vaas and Muralitharan who have been taking most of Sri Lanka’s wickets so hopefully we can make the adjustment necessary,’ said Gayle.
   Skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara provide the experienced core of the Sri Lankan batting line-up and despite several new faces the captain is hoping for his country’s first Test win in the Caribbean.
   ‘We’re very good at home. In our conditions we dominate but away from home we’ve also been winning games recently.
   ‘If we can keep competing away from home, challenging ourselves to be better
   cricketers every day that’s the way forward. It’s going to be a great challenge,’ Jayawardene said.

The Bangladesh Football Federation managed to convince the clubs and the players to take part in the B league players’ transfer.
   After a joint meeting with the eight B league clubs and the footballers at the BFF House on Thursday the BFF announced that the transfer window will open on May 15 and continue up to May 30.
   The clubs earlier talked with the revolting players and accepted their proposals. The club officials assured that the bourse will take place in the scheduled time that made the players happy. The players earlier declared that they will not play in any tournament under the BFF until they got the assurance of transfer from both the clubs and the federation. Now the booters will attend the national camp that will be called on Saturday.
   The federation was happy to end the stalemate. ‘We tried to convince the players that the ride is above all and they agreed readily, the clubs also helped us reach a fruitful conclusion,’ said Monjur Hossain Malu, the acting general secretary of the BFF.
   The BFF also decided that the B league will start from July 20 and it will also hold the Federation Cup from July 1 to July 15.
   The players were also happy. ‘We got the assurance from the federation and the clubs. The federation has agreed to increase the honorarium of the national players, we have changed our stance for the national interest,’ said Arif Khan Joy, the former national skipper.

West Bengal clinched the title of the Fresh Independence and National Day Women’s Kabaddi Championship beating Japan by 17-12 points with one credible ‘lona’ in the final at the Outer Stadium Kabaddi Court on Thursday.
   The match was locked at 6-6 in the first half.
   Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation president IGP Noor Mohammad was the chief guest on the occasion and distributed the prizes among the winners.
   Moushumi of West Bengal team and Kaneko of Japan were adjudged the best players while Sato of Japan received the best catcher award in the match.

Sri Lanka have agreed to play a five-match one-day series in Pakistan to help fill the gap created by the postponement of Australia’s tour over security fears, officials said Thursday.
   ‘We are thankful to the Sri Lankan board, who have agreed to tour for a series of five one-day internationals on our invitation,’ Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters.
   The series is likely to take place after Mahela Jayawardene’s Sri Lankan team ends a tour of the West Indies on April 15. The only hitch could be the Indian Premier League for which top Sri Lankan players have signed up.
   The inaugural IPL is due to be held from April 18 until June 1.
   Pakistan have already convinced Bangladesh to take part in a tour that includes a five-match one-day series and a Twenty20 international from April 7 to 22.
   The two unscheduled tours will fill the gap created by Australia, who were due to be in the country between March 27 and April 29. Cricket Sri Lanka chairman Arjuna Ranatunga praised Pakistan’s support for his country and said he was ready to send his team.
   ‘India and Pakistan have always supported us in our needs like big brothers so I am ready to send my team whenever Pakistan want,’ Ranatunga said. The PCB said dates of the series will be finalised shortly.

Pace bowler Kyle Mills has pulled out of the New Zealand team for the deciding Test against England with a calf injury, opening the way for teenager Tim Southee to make his debut.
   Mills, who was diagnosed with a small tear to his left calf after the second Test against England, pulled up sore during training Thursday, two days ahead of the start of the third Test in Napier.
   Nineteen-year-old pace bowler Southee is now likely to become New Zealand’s youngest Test debutant since skipper Daniel Vettori played his first match against England in 1997 at age of 18.
   Southee played two Twenty20 matches against England last month and then helped the Black Caps to the semifinals of the under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, where he was named player of the tournament with 17 wickets at an average of 6.64.
   Mills said the teenager was ready to perform if selected.
   ‘He’s fitted in so well,’ he said. ‘We saw what he did in Malaysia, I think he’s got a massive future as a New Zealand cricketer.’

Malinda Warnapura became the favourite to open the batting in the first Test starting on the weekend when he retired out on 50 in Sri Lanka’s second innings against the Guyana Cricket Board President’s XI on Wednesday.
   Warnapura made 132 in the Sri Lanka first innings and he retired out for the second time in the match, as Sri Lanka, leading by 244 on first innings, reached 177 for six before the three-day (non-first class) tour match at the Guyana National Stadium was called off at tea on the third and final day.
   With Sri Lanka shopping around for an opener to replace Sanath Jayasuriya and to partner Michael Vandort at the top of the order, Warnapura has grabbed the opportunity in this warm-up match to advertise his fitness for the position.
   Warnapura struck seven boundaries from 93 balls in just over two hours at the crease an propped up the wobbly Sri Lanka batting a second time around.
   Chaminda Vaas hit an unbeaten 40 and Prasanna Jayawardene scored 36 to support Warnapura and save the visitors some blushes after the dipped to 83 for three just after lunch. Davendra Bishoo was the most successful of the home team’s bowler with three wickets for 25 runs 13 overs.
   The first Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka will contested from March 22 at this same venue, and the second Test will be from April 3 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
   The first two One-day Internationals will be on April 10 and 12 at Queen’s Park Oval, and the third ODI will be a day/night affair at the Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia on April 15.

Rafael Nadal eked out a victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday, avenging an Australian Open defeat and reaching the quarter-finals of the Pacific Life Open.
   Nadal, the men’s defending champion and second seed at the 5.7 million-dollar WTA and ATP Masters Series event, defeated France’s Tsonga 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, rallying from a 2-5 deficit in the third set to snatch the win.
   ‘The important thing is to be there all the time, to believe in the victory,’ said Nadal, who has held the world number two ranking for 139 straight weeks - all behind Swiss Roger Federer.
   Federer, in search of his first tournament title of 2008, punched his quarter-final ticket with relative ease, defeating Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-4.
   But the drama occurred earlier in the day as Tsonga tried to reprise his stunning semi-final win over Nadal at the Australian Open, where his runner-up finish catapulted him from 38th to 18th in the rankings.
   Tsonga, now ranked 17th in the world, lost his only other meeting with Nadal, at the US Open last September. But he appeared poised for victory in the rubber match when he broke Nadal for a 4-2 lead in the third set, then held for 5-2.
   But he was broken himself as he served for the match at 5-3, his deep forehand attempt missing wide on break point.
   Two games later he dropped his serve again to hand Nadal a 6-5 lead, and the Spaniard duly served out the match.
   Both players said the contest differed greatly from their Melbourne match, which Tsonga won in straight sets.
   The slower hard court of Indian Wells played to Nadal’s strengths, while Tsonga was more erratic. The Frenchman’s big serve faded as the match wore on, with none of his 12 aces coming in the third set.
   ‘It was not the same Jo,’ Tsonga said. ‘I’m not at my best, but today I fought. I’m not that far away, so that’s really a positive point.’
   Nadal downplayed the revenge aspect of the match.
   ‘It’s always important to beat a player that beat me the last time,’ he said. ‘But it’s not revenge.’
   More important, Nadal said, was to pull out a match he came so close to losing.
   In the quarter-finals, Nadal will meet US ninth seed James Blake, who defeated eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 6-2. Blake has won all three of his prior encounters with Nadal.
   Federer, who revealed earlier this month that he is just recently recovered from a debilitating bout with mononucleosis, will face unseeded German Tommy Haas, who rallied to beat 11th-seeded Briton Andy Murray 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
   Haas, on the comeback trail again after undergoing a third shoulder surgery in November, admitted he was pleased to settle the score after falling to Murray in the fourth round here last year.
   Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the third seed, booked a quarter-final berth with a no-nonsense 6-2, 6-3 victory over Argentina’s Guillermo Canas.
   Djokovic, 20, was runner-up to Nadal here last year. He will face unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 winner over South Korean Lee Hyung-Taik.
   Unseeded American Mardy Fish ended Lleyton Hewitt’s bid for a third Indian Wells title with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) win over the Australian.
   Fish will face seventh-seeded Argentinian David Nalbandian, who beat Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-2.
   The women’s side saw an Australian Open rematch as well, as second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova gained a measure of revenge for a third-round defeat in Melbourne with a 6-2, 6-4 quarter-final win over Agnieszka Radwanska.
   In the semi-finals Kuznetsova will face Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, who saved two set points in the opening set en route to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 victory over defending champion and fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
   Sharapova, the fourth seed, remained unbeaten in 2008 with 18 straight match wins.

AC Milan and Brazil could be set to clash if Kaka is convened to play at this summer’s Olympic games in Beijing.
   Although the Olympics conclude before the start of the 2008-09 Serie A season, the Rossoneri not only want their Brazilian superstar to get some much needed rest—especially considering his well-documented knee problems—but the chances are that he will also be required to secure qualification to the Champions League proper.
   Milan will need to go through a preliminary phase if they finish outside of the top two this season, which considering that it trails Roma by 15 points is looking like a virtual certainty.
   Kaka has said recently that he would be open to playing at the Olympics should Brazil call him as one of its three over-aged players.
   However, Rossoneri boss Carlo Ancelotti appeared less than happy about the idea when asked Tuesday.
   ‘Kaka at the Olympics? Playing a [Champions League] preliminary round without Kaká would not be the best thing,’ said Ancelotti. ‘I think that some discussion about it has been made or will be made. Surely we will need talk about it both with the Brazilian Federation as well as with him.’

Milan midfield ace Clarence Seedorf has discussed Holland’s chances at Euro 2008 and the prospect of facing his Azzurri team-mates.
   While the former Inter wizard has been keen to stress his the importance of securing fourth place with the Rossoneri in recent weeks, he cannot entirely banish thoughts of international glory.
   Seedorf’s Holland have a tough Group, which sees them face France, Romania and Italy – a side with many familiar faces.
   ‘At the moment I really don’t know how it will be to face my teammates, but it will certainly be good to take part in the tournament,’ he told UEFA.com.
   ‘We were knocked out of the World Cup and didn’t win our European Championships qualification Group so we are fully aware that it will be difficult.’
   Unlike Milan, Holland have a very young squad, but Seedorf isn’t convinced that is an advantage. ‘We will have to see because there are a lot of talented players who could become champions,’ he said.
   ‘Only a few of them actually do make it. For example, at Milan we have Alexandre Pato and we need to ensure that he develops away from pressure. He needs space to grow and learn from his mistakes.
   ‘However, age isn’t a key factor – the desire to be competitive is. Look at Paolo Maldini – he’s 40 and is still the best.
   Seedorf, like any Dutchman, will hope that his men don’t need to rely on penalty kicks in Austria and Switzerland, given their exit on spot-kicks at Euro 96 and 2000.
   ‘I don’t like to dwell on the bad things,’ he insisted. ‘I focus on the good memories and positive moments. I always try to be optimistic and I think that overcoming difficulties helps you grow.’

Veteran Czech coach Karel Bruckner, 68, said Thursday he would step down following the European Championships in June.
   ‘After 34 years as a coach I have decided to change my way of living,’ Bruckner told a press conference at the Czech federation headquarters in Prague.
   Bruckner was at the helm when the Czechs reached the semi-finals of Euro 2004 only to go down to surprise eventual winners Greece. At the World Cup in 2006 in Germany, the team crashed out in the opening phase.
   Media reports make his assistant Karel Rada his likely successor but other names include Karel Jarolim of Slavia Prague and Ivan Hasek, currently in charge of Al Ahly in the United Arab Emirates.

Wari Club blanked Arambagh KS 2-0 in the relegation league match of the Metropolis Senior Division Football at the Kamalapur Stadium on Thursday.
   Absar and Layek scored one goal each in the 46th and 53rd minutes for the winners.
   In the day’s other match, Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool shared points with Sunrise SC playing to a 1-1 draw in the super-six match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
   Touwidul Alam Sabuj put Fakirerpool ahead in the 20th minute while Aziz Rubel scored the equaliser for Sunrise SC in the 89th minute.
   Victoria SC will take on Dhaka Wanderers Club at the BNS while Dipali Jubo Sangha meet City Club at the Kamalapur Stadium, both at 4:00pm today.

Bangladesh Air Force played out a goalless draw with Mirpur Academy in a match of the Dhaka Bank Independence Day Hockey Tournament at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
   Both the teams launched several attacks but all went in vain.

The Independence Day Cycling Competition, organised by Bangladesh Cycling Federation, will be held in and around the streets of Bangabandhu National Stadium on Saturday from 2:30pm.
   Interested participants have been requested to enlist their names by today at the Federation office.

The Indian cricket board said on Wednesday that fielding coach Robin Singh would be retained for the home test series against South Africa, denying media reports that said he would be fired.
   ‘Yes, he will be there. We will put out a release on this,’ board secretary Niranjan Shah told Reuters when asked about the reports. He did not elaborate.
   The Hindustan Times reported that Gary Kirsten, who has taken over as India coach before the series against his home country, had told the board that Singh’s services would not be required.
   The former India all-rounder joined the team along with bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad last year following their shock first-round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies.
   Prasad and Singh had a dispute with the board over their involvement with the lucrative Indian Premier League, due to be launched next month, the paper said. The first match of the three-test series starts in Chennai on March 26.

Germany striker Miroslav Klose insisted on Thursday he will be going all out to win the German Cup for the first time having booked Bayern Munich’s place in next month’s final.
   ‘Once you’ve made it to the final, you obviously go full out to win it,’ Klose told the Bayern website. ‘I’ve played in the final once, but it was a lost cause after four minutes - when Bayern were already 2-0 up.’
   Goals by Klose and French midfielder Franck Ribery helped Bayern beat Wolfsburg 2-0 and club manager Uli Hoeness was pleased with the performance.
   ‘We’ve made the final with something to spare,’ he said.
   ‘The team played very, very well from the first minute to the last. It’ll definitely be a great final, yellow-and-black against red, arch-rivals over the last 20 years, and I do believe it’ll be a fantastic day.’
   After losing their last two games - a UEFA Cup defeat at home to Anderlecht the previous week and a 2-0 humiliation at Bundesliga strugglers Energie Cottbus - the semi-final win bouyed flagging confidence.
   ‘It was a very, very important match for us as a team, after the last couple of matches failed to go according to plan,’ said captain Oliver Kahn.
   ‘It was never easy today against a good Wolfsburg side. It was especially hard in the first half, but we improved in the second period, we totally dominated possession and prevented Wolfsburg creating any clear-cut chances.’

Germany striker Miroslav Klose scored his 20th goal for Bayern Munich to book his side’s place in next month’s German Cup final after Wednesday night’s 2-0 semi-final win over VfL Wolfsburg.
   Since his switch to Munich from Werder Bremen last summer, Klose now has ten Bundesliga goals to his name, plus five in both the UEFA Cup and German Cup - but still lags behind top-scorer Luca Toni who has 24 goals for Bayern this season.
   Klose, 29, added Bayern’s second from close-range in the 66th minute after French midfielder Franck Ribery had broken the dead-lock on the hour mark to put Bayern just one win away from lifting the cup for the 14th time.
   The top scorer at the 2006 World Cup, Klose is set to shine in June’s Euro 2008 tournament as his side booked their final spot against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday April 19 in Berlin with a solid team performance.
   ‘The team played very well from the first to last minute,’ said Bayern manager Uli Hoeness after the final whistle.
   ‘It will be a great experience to face our old cup rivals in the final again.’
   The semi-final win was good news for Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld as his side bounced back after their UEFA Cup defeat by Anderlecht the week before and the humiliation of the 2-0 league defeat at strugglers Energie Cottbus last weekend.
   There were changes after the Cottbus debacle with Italian World Cup winner Toni rested and Germany striker Lukas Podolski given his chance up front alongside Klose up front.
   Bayern got off to a bright start as early as the second minute when Ribery found himself behind the Wolfsburg defence, but his header trickled wide.
   Both Klose and Podolski squandered chances early on, but Ribery got the all important break-through just before the hour mark.
   With the Wolfsburg defence closing in, Klose slid a pass to Ribery who unleashed his shot and ricocheted off the legs off goalkeeper Diego Benaglio into the back of the net.
   And Klose added the second on 66 minutes when he followed up Marcell Jansen’s shot and stabbed the ball home for his 20th goal for Bayern in all competitions.
   On Tuesday night, Brazilian midfielder Tinga helped put Borussia Dortmund in next month’s cup final as both goal-scorer and provider in the 3-0 semi-final win over ten-man Carl Zeiss Jena.
   The 30-year-old grabbed the first goal on 13 minutes before Dortmund striker Diego Klimowicz followed up to make it 2-0 on 71 minutes. And Mladen Petric made it 3-0 just three minutes from time with a well-taken strike.

Germany head coach Joachim Low on Thursday recalled Middlesbrough defender Robert Huth for next Wednesday’s Euro 2008 warm-up friendly against Switzerland in Basel. The 24-year-old, who has won 17 caps for Germany, last played for his country in the 2006 World Cup group stage 3-0 win over Ecuador but was blighted with injury last year.
   He only made his Premier League return last December, but has been a first-team regular for Middlesborough since England defender Jonathan Woodgate’s departure to Tottenham Hostpur at the start of the year.
   ‘Robert has done well with some strong defensive displays in the Premier League after his length lay-off with injury, so he deserves his chance,’ said Low.
   The 21-man squad also includes Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, who spent most of last year suffering from an ankle injury, but captained the side in the 3-0 friendly win over Austria in Vienna early last month.
   Low has named three goalkeepers his first-choice shot-stopper Jens Lehmann from Arsenal alongside Valencia’s Timo Hildebrand and Hanover’s Robert Enke.
   ‘We will speak to all three goalkeepers and discuss the current situation again shortly before the European Championships,’ said Low.
   Three defenders missing from the squad for the win in Vienna - Hertha Berlin’s Arne Friedrich, Werder Bremen’s Clemens Fritz and Bayern Munich’s Marcell Jansen - are back in the side.
   And having made his debut in Vienna Schalke 04 defender Heiko Westermann has also been recalled. There is a huge amount of competition up front with Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling one of five strikers named.
   Bayern Munich star Miroslav Klose and Schalke 04’s Kevin Kuranyi are expected to start, but there will be stiff competition from Kiessling, Stuttgart’s Mario Gomez and Bayern’s Lukas Podolski.
   ‘Stefan has proved his qualities this year in the Bundesliga and in the UEFA Cup and deserves his place in the national squad,’ said Low. Germany have been drawn in Group B for this June’s Euro 2008 tournament and will play co-hosts Austria, Croatia and Poland.
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: Robert Enke, Timo Hildebrand, Jens Lehmann; Defenders: Arne Friedrich, Robert Huth, Marcell Jansen, Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Heiko Westermann; Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Clemens Fritz, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Simon Rolfes, Bernd Schneider, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Piotr Trochowski; Forwards: Mario Gomez, Stefan Kiessling, Miroslav Klose, Kevin Kuranyi, Lukas Podolski.

Avram Grant talks a good game as he tries to keep Chelsea in the Premier League title race but the reality is a lot bleaker after his side were held to an incredible 4-4 draw against Tottenham.
   Grant is determined to remain upbeat even though Chelsea are now five points behind leaders Manchester United and two points adrift of second-placed Arsenal.
   The Blues looked certain to keep the pressure on United as they led three times at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, but a combination of slack defending and a spirited Spurs fightback left them frustrated.
   Now Sunday’s home clash against Arsenal assumes immense importance for Grant and company. A defeat to their north London rivals would effectively kill off any lingering hopes of winning the title for a third time in four seasons.
   ‘We are still in the race and we will continue fighting like we did until now,’ he said. ‘Sunday is another game. It is a good game. Every game for Chelsea is a big game.
   ‘We are closer to Arsenal than we were before. It’s a tough game but we want to win.’
   Grant believes his team have the character and desire to beat the Gunners, but, on the evidence of the Spurs match, there are plenty of chinks in the Chelsea armour.
   ‘One of our stengths is that we defend well against corners and free-kicks but in the last two games Spurs scored five goals from set-pieces. I don’t know how to explain this because it’s unusual for us,’ Grant said.
   ‘There were so many positives we can take from this game but we didn’t win. We showed a great spirit and of course we will continue to fight.’
   Spurs boss Juande Ramos saluted his side’s recovery but was more concerned with referee Mike Riley’s failure to send off Cole for his foul on Hutton.
   Both benches were incensed by the incident, with Spurs assistant Gus Poyet blasting fourth official Steve Bennett when no red card was forthcoming.
   Grant had to be restrained from berating Hutton for exaggerating his injury, although he later claimed not to have seen the incident, which happened directly in front to the technical areas.
   Ramos said: ‘In this case the referee decided it was a yellow card. But we’ve seen tackles that were much less serious given red cards.
   ‘For example Robbie Keane was sent off for a tackle that was much less serious than that.
   ‘It’s best not to dwell on that kind of action. We’re just very fortunate there weren’t any injuries to players.’
   It was one of the games of this or any other season, but Ramos is getting used to rollercoaster rides at the Lane.
   ‘This season we’ve seen similar games already. The 6-4 against Reading had similar characteristics and against Aston Villa we drew 4-4,’ he said.
   How Grant must wish he could afford to be so blase.

David Beckham said he was humbled to present a lifetime achievement award to Pele at a charity event in Manhattan Wednesday.
   ‘For me to be here to present this to the greatest sportsmen of all time, I feel particularly honoured,’ the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder told reporters. ‘This absolutely is a highlight moment for me.’
   The black-tie event, a $1,250-a-plate fundraiser at Gotham Hall, was a benefit for Harlem Youth Soccer.
   Pele, 67, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballer ever, blazed a trail for soccer in North American soccer, one that Beckham now follows.
   After helping Brazil win three World Cups, Pele joined the North American Soccer League’s New York Cosmos in 1975.
   Beckham’s first year with the Galaxy was blighted by injury, the former England captain scoring just one goal in eight matches for the MLS team before a knee injury ended his season. However, he insisted he had no regrets over his decision to leave Real Madrid for Los Angeles.
   ‘I’m very happy, my family is very happy,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘It’s been a great move for us.’
   Beckham added that he was relishing the challenge of broadening the game’s appeal in a country where basketball, baseball, American football and ice hockey dominate.
   ‘Soccer is a magical game. I’m very confident fans here in America will continue to see that,’ said the former Manchester United midfielder.
   ‘There’s no reason they can’t be as passionate about soccer as they are about every other sport here.’

Outspoken France coach Raymond Domenech on Thursday described his England counterpart Fabio Capello as a ‘great coach and a good guy’.
   Domenech hit out in December at the decision to approve Capello, an Italian, as the new England manager, saying it was a ‘real shame for all the English managers’.
   ‘It’s a shame to go looking for a Swede or an Italian. It is as if you are saying to the English coaches: ‘You are in England, you are all rubbish and we are going to look elsewhere’,’ Domenech said at the time.
   But Domenech, speaking on Thursday after naming a 39-strong squad for full and A friendlies against England and Mali next week, insisted: ‘I never criticised Capello.
   ‘He’s a great coach and nice guy. I never doubted his qualities as a manager, but I just said that to choose a foreign coach was a discredit to the coaches of the country in question.
   ‘I see Capello at all the English games, and with him there is a real evolution in the team, and there is a rigour that has been put in place. It will not be an easy match against them.
   ‘England have a very organised game, solid, Italian-style,’ he said. ‘Attention when I say Italian-style, it’s positive for me. We learnt a lot when French players went to play for clubs in Italy. England will do everything to thwart us.’

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane stated today his excitement at how Barcelona star Lionel Messi is progressing...
   The former French international spoke to Argentine newspaper La Nacion about Messi’s recent fortunes. ‘I’m surprised at him,’ said Zizou. ‘What strikes me most about him is what he manages to do today despite his young age.
   ‘Those things are incredible. And if he’s doing them at his age, imagine what he can do in the future.’
   He added, ‘He’s a pleasure to watch on the pitch, and to see him injured like this is a pity.
   ‘When he’s not around, we realise just how much his team suffers.’ The Marseille-born attacking midfielder closed by touching on the fortunes of Juan Roman Riquelme.
   ‘He’s a great player,’ enthused the 35-year-old. ‘He’s doing well in Arggentina, and that’s good for him and for football. He didn’t give everything he could in Spain, but that’s not his fault.’

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his amazing goal-scoring form to help establish a three-point cushion for Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side beat Bolton 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
   Ronaldo was handed the captain’s armband by Ferguson for the first time and marked the occasion by scoring both goals to take his tally for the season to 33 goals.
   With eight games of the season remaining, United are now clear favourites to win the title. Not only have they opened up a gap between themselves and nearest challengers Arsenal at the summit, but they also boast a much better goal difference than Arsene Wenger’s side.
   Ferguson had bemoaned his side’s ‘charitable’ finishing before this game yet he need not have worried with Ronaldo in outstanding form.
   After seeing his side struggle to overcome doomed Derby County four days earlier having been eliminated from the FA Cup the previous weekend, Ferguson had demanded his players rediscover their touch in front of goal.
   The message was heeded by Ronaldo, who continued his incredible season by scoring his 23rd and 24th league goals of the campaign.
   His first arrived in the ninth minute, the Portugal midfielder hooking the ball past Ali Al Habsi from 12 yards after Matthew Taylor had only half-cleared Nani’s corner.
   Bolton are one of the few teams to have beaten United this season in the Premier League, courtesy of a Nicolas Anelka goal at the Reebok in November.
   Anelka is long gone and so too, it seems, are Bolton. They have scored just five goals in nine league games selling the France striker to Chelsea for £15 million in January.
   Yet they were presented with an excellent chance to get back on level terms in the 18th minute when Danny Guthrie, on loan from Liverpool, delivered a super cross for Kevin Davies.
   Bolton’s lone striker stretched out a leg to connect with the ball but his goal-bound effort was bundled away by keeper Tomasz Kuszczak, starting his first game since being red-carded in the FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth.
   It proved a key moment in the game as seconds later Ronaldo established a two-goal cushion with a superbly executed free-kick after picking himself up off the floor after being fouled by Abdoulaye Meite.
   Despite a five-man wall protecting his goal, Al Habsi got nowhere near Ronaldo’s powerful, dipping effort which brought Old Trafford to its feet.
   Bolton’s keeper, a stand-in for injured first-choice Jussi Jaaskelainen, at least had the satisfaction of denying Ronaldo’s fellow countryman Nani from making it 3-0 with a smart save from a free-kick as United started the second half in determined mood.
   This was Bolton’s fifth successive league defeat, their worst sequence for two years, yet Megson’s side at least went down fighting.
   While they offered very little in the opening 45 minutes, it required the save-of-the-night by Kuszczak to deny Nicky Hunt after the substitute had let fly on the hour mark.
   United could, however, have won by a more handsome margin, Habsi denying Ronaldo his hat-trick with a good stop in the 67th minute. On this evidence, it will take something special to prevent United from retaining their title.

Cristiano Ronaldo was hailed as a footballing ‘genius’ after the Portugal winger eclipsed George Best as the highest-scoring winger in Manchester United’s history and helped edge the Red Devils closer to another English title.
   Ronaldo took his United scoring tally for the season to a remarkable 33 goals after hitting the net twice as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side defeated Bolton 2-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
   United, who entertain fourth-placed Liverpool on Sunday, are now clear favourites to retain the Premier League title after opening up a three-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal with eight games to play.
   Ronaldo went past Best’s record of 32 goals in a single season – set in 1967-68 – with two fabulous first-half strikes, an opportunist finish from 12 yards followed by a stunning 30-yard free-kick.
   ‘Best since Best’ read a Nike billboard after he scored the second goal, but it will have to be updated in time for Liverpool’s arrival at Old Trafford on Sunday.
   ‘The second goal was genius,’ said Bolton boss Gary Megson, whose side are in deep relegation trouble after losing their last five Premier League games.
   ‘I honestly don’t know how he does it. Even my lads were talking about it.’
   Ferguson was equally glowing in his praise of Ronaldo, whom he made captain for the night in the absence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney.
   ‘He didn’t make a big issue of it,’ said Ferguson when asked how Ronaldo reacted to being handed the captain’s armband.
   ‘He looks comfortable with the responsibility that comes with the role. It was a marvellous second goal.’
   Ferguson regards Ronaldo as a worthy successor to the legendary Best. ‘It speaks volumes of the boy’s ability (the record),’ he said. ‘It’s amazing that he can do that playing in the position he does. Nobody can do that in this day and age.
   ‘The free-kick was marvellous. He does put in the practice and he has this technique.’
   Ferguson had bemoaned his side’s ‘charitable’ finishing before this game yet he need not have worried.
   After seeing his side struggle to overcome doomed Derby County four days earlier and having been eliminated from the FA Cup the previous weekend, Ferguson had demanded his players rediscover their touch in front of goal.
   The message was heeded by Ronaldo as he notched his 23rd and 24th league goals of the campaign, but Ferguson insisted the title race remained open even though his side are in pole position.
   ‘The important thing was that we had the opportunity and the incentive to go three points clear of Arsenal, our nearest pursuers,’ the Scot said.
   ‘It’s nip and tuck now. I think it’s going to go to the wire. Chelsea will be key because they have got us and Arsenal at home.
   ‘It’s a lead, it’s not a significant lead but it’s a lead nonetheless.
   ‘With eight games to go the team who plays with the most consistency now will win it.’
   Ferguson made seven changes from the side who struggled to beat Derby and revealed that he had been looking at options ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool. Gerard Pique came in for the injured Rio Ferdinand while Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were all rested.
   ‘It was not a great performance but it was necessary to make those changes as Rio Ferdinand is doubtful for Sunday with a back problem,’ Ferguson said.
   ‘I had to find out about Gerard Pique. We’ve got great confidence in the lad and he’s come through very well.
   ‘They are all top players so you have to put your faith and trust in them.
   ‘At times we were a bit relaxed in the second half but when we speeded up the game and played with great penetration at times we could have scored a few more goals.’

David Beckham is on track to win the 100th England cap he craves in a friendly against France in Paris next week after winning a recall to the squad for Fabio Capello’s second match in charge.
   Head coach Capello has also recalled Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott, nearly two years after he won his one and only cap as England’s youngest ever player, and handed Middlesbrough defender David Wheater a first international call-up.
   Chelsea’s John Terry and Frank Lampard, who both missed Capello’s first match in charge, return to the 30-man provisional squad after recovering from injuries which kept them out of last month’s 2-1 win over Switzerland.
   There was no place in the group for Manchester United’s highly-rated young goalkeeper Ben Foster, who had been tipped to be included following his recovery from knee surgery and an impressive United debut at Derby last weekend.
   The squad will be whittled down to a final group of 23 on Saturday night, even though many of the players will involved in the Manchester United v Liverpool and Chelsea v Arsenal Premier League matches on Sunday.
   Beckham was watched by Capello’s assistant Franco Baldini in a friendly for his club, LA Galaxy, in Dallas at the weekend and obviously did enough to convince the Italians that he is fit enough to win his 100th cap in the Stade de France. Capello, who managed Beckham at Real Madrid, left the 32-year-old midfielder out of his squad to face Switzerland but made it clear at the time that he was willing to extend his international career.
   Beckham’s recall comes at the expense of the Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon, who unexpectedly failed to make the squad, but he is not expected to dislodge Blackburn’s David Bentley from the starting line-up. Bentley has been in fine form for his club and was comfortably England’s most impressive performer in the win over Switzerland.
   The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Walcott, although the move had been telegraphed when the 19-year-old Arsenal forward was left out of the England under-21 squad earlier in the week.
   Walcott became the youngest England international in history when he made his debut against Hungary in a pre-World Cup friendly in May 2006.
   But that remains his one and only cap and the forward’s development has not been as quick as some anticipated when he was included in England’s 2006 World Cup squad.
   Walcott is not yet a first-team regular at Arsenal but has produced some effective performances as a substitute this season, notably when he came on during Arsenal’s Champions League win over AC Milan, a match for which Baldini was in the San Siro.
   There was no announcement on whether Steven Gerrard would continue as captain following the return of Terry, who served as skipper throughout the short-lived reign of Capello’s predecessor, Steve McClaren.
   Capello has said he will only decide on a long-term captain prior to the start of England’s qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup later this year.
   England begin their bid to reach South Africa away to Andorra on September 6.
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: David James, Scott Carson, Chris Kirkland; Defenders: Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Wes Brown, Joleon Lescott, Rio Ferdinand, David Wheater, Jonathan Woodgate, Matthew Upson; Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, David Bentley, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Stewart Downing, Jermaine Jenas; Forwards: Theo Walcott, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Jermain Defoe.

Chelsea lost ground in the Premier League title race as Avram Grant’s side blew the lead three times in a dramatic 4-4 draw at Tottenham on Wednesday.
   The Blues had only themselves to blame for failing to keep pace with leaders Manchester United after leading 3-1 and then 4-3 with five minutes to play in one of the games of the season at White Hart Lane.
   Didier Drogba opened the scoring early on only for Jonathan Woodgate to equalise. Michael Essien and Joe Cole put Chelsea in charge but Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone levelled for Spurs.
   Cole’s second goal looked to have won it but there was a sting in the tail when Robbie Keane equalised two minutes from full-time.
   Instead of sitting level with Arsenal and within touching distance of United, Grant’s team are now five points off top-spot and two behind Arsenal, who they face on Sunday. This could be the night Chelsea regret most if they don’t reclaim the title.
   Grant said, ‘It’s very disappointing. One of our strengths is we defend well against corners and free-kicks but in the last two games Spurs scored five goals from set-pieces. I don’t know how to explain this.
   ‘We wanted three points but we are still in the race and we will continue fighting like we did before.’
   Juande Ramos was more concerned with Ashley Cole’s nasty tackle on Alan Hutton and the Spurs boss said, ‘In this case the referee decided it was a yellow card but we’ve seen tackles that were much less serious given red cards.’
   Memories of their League Cup final defeat to Spurs were still raw for Chelsea but the chance to maintain their pursuit of the title was more important than settling old scores. They got the perfect start as Drogba opened the scoring after three minutes.
   John Terry was the unlikely provider as the Chelsea defender looped a perfect cross to the far post, where Drogba had space to direct his header back past Paul Robinson into the net.
   It was an electrifying start by the Blues. Joe Cole had the ball in the net again moments later, but this time it didn’t count as the England winger strayed offside before sliding in the rebound from Drogba’s shot.
   Just as Chelsea were beginning to play with a swagger, Spurs levelled in a manner that was painfully familiar for the visitors.
   Woodgate had won the League Cup with his first goal for the club and he tormented Chelsea once more. In the 12th minute, Jermaine Jenas curled over a free-kick and Woodgate rose above Drogba to power home a close-range header.
   But Chelsea hit straight back. Cole’s penetrating run in the 20th minute took him towards the Spurs penalty area and he squeezed a pass through to Essien, who cleverly lifted his shot over Robinson to restore the lead.
   The temperature of an already fiery clash rose when Cole caught Hutton with a nasty lunge. The tackle drew an angry response from both benches, with Spurs demanding a red card, while Grant had to be restrained after trying to berate Hutton for exaggerating the foul.
   Referee Mike Riley eventually booked Cole but the argument was still continuing as the players went down the tunnel at the break. It would have been easy for Chelsea to lose their focus. To their credit they emerged after half-time with renewed vigour and took the first chance that came their way in the 52nd minute. When Claude Makelele’s pass found Joe Cole on the edge of the penalty area the England winger still had plenty of work to do. He did it with aplomb, holding off Pascal Chimbonda before scoring with a shot which crept in over Robinson.
   Tottenham have little to play for and could easily have thrown in the towel. Instead they reduced the deficit nine minutes later when Berbatov looped a header over Carlo Cudicini from Keane’s corner.
   Grant’s side were creaking now and they were undone by a set-piece for the third time as Spurs levelled in the 75th minute. Keane’s corner flashed across goal to Huddlestone and he lashed a superb strike past Cudicini.
   Incredibly that wasn’t the end of the drama. With 10 minutes to go Joe Cole skipped past Chimbonda and calmly buried his shot into the roof of the net.
   Still Spurs refused to accept defeat and Keane broke Chelsea’s hearts in the 88th minute when he beat Cudicini with a brilliant curling shot from 25 yards.
   Berbatov should have completed a remarkable encounter in stoppage time but Cudicini somehow kept out his powerful shot.

AS Roma’s Serie A title hopes suffered a cruel blow as Valon Behrami scored an injury time winner to give Lazio a 3-2 victory in the Rome derby at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.
   Second-placed Roma were hoping to capitalise on Inter Milan’s 1-1 draw at Genoa earlier in the day but instead dropped to seven points behind the leaders.
   AC Milan’s hopes of securing Champions League football next season took a hit as they crashed 2-1 at home to 10-man Sampdoria. Fifth-placed Milan’s only saving grace was a 2-0 defeat for fourth-placed Fiorentina at Napoli, leaving the gap between the pair in the race for Champions League football pegged at four points.
   Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti summed up the day’s football.
   ‘It’s a day of regret for all the teams,’ he told Sky Sport. ‘For us, for Fiorentina and also for Juventus (who drew 0-0 at Empoli) who could have put a foot in next season’s Champions League.
   ‘But also for Roma who were dreaming of closing in on Inter. In fact, tonight, only the nerazzurri (Inter) are smiling.’
   In a thrilling match in Rome, the nominal visitors Roma took the lead in bizarre fashion on the half hour as Bahrami’s clearance cannoned off Rodrigo Taddei’s shoulder and rebounded into the goal.
   Lazio were level a minute before half time through Macedonia striker Goran Pandev and a Tommaso Rocchi penalty just before the hour mark after Juan was adjuged to have brought down Rolando Bianchi in the box.
   Simone Perrotta restored parity just minutes later but Behrami turned from villain to hero in injury time to volley homerom close range. Roma, who were the form team in the league coming into the match, now have only nine matches left to try to close the seven-point gap on Inter, who are struggling having won only to of their last eight games.
   The champions were also reduced to 10 men for the seventh time since the league resumed in January.
   Inter took an early lead when Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic escaped down the left and put a cross on a plate for his Honduran strike-partner David Suazo to shoot home.
   Inter’s cause wasn’t helped when young Portuguese midfielder Vitor Pele was sent-off on the half hour mark for a second booking, although it looked harsh.
   Genoa laid siege to the Inter defence which finally cracked five minutes from time as Julio Cesar pushed out a cross only for Marco Borriello, now Serie A’s top goalscorer on 17 goals, to fire home an acrobatic volley.
   At the San Siro, Milan’s turbulent season took a down-turn as world player of the year Kaka was taken off injured after less than 10 minutes.
   Cristian Maggio prodded home for Samp when a scuffed shot-come-cross from Paolo Sammarco found him unmarked six yards out on 12 minutes.
   On 25 minutes, things got worse for Milan as Gennaro Delvecchio finished off a sweeping Samp move that started on their own box when a Clarence Seedorf back-heel failed to find it’s target.
   The move was helped by some woeful defending from Kakha Kaldaze and Massimo Ambrosini, culminating in Delvecchio firing home off Zeljko Kalac’s legs, although the Australian goalkeeper probably should have done better.
   Milan’s goal was fashioned by two 18-year-olds with Brazilian Pato crossing for Alberto Paloschi to head home in a crowded box. Samp had Stefano Lucchini sent off in injury time.
   Fiorentina failed to capitalise on Milan’s slip as they went down at Napoli, with Ezequiel Lavazzi scoring both goals.

French coach Raymond Domenech has called up four new faces into his 39-strong squad for full and A internationals against England and Mali next week.
   Lyon midfielder Mathieu Bodmer, exciting Marseille striker Mathieu Valbuena, and defenders Mathieu Delpierre (Stuttgart) and Adil Rami (Lille) all make the enlarged squad for the March 25 and 26 games at Stade Charlety and the Stade de France respectively. The games offer the last chance for players to impress on the international stage before the squad announcement for Euro 2008 in early May.
   Two notable omissions were those of Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol, who was on the bench in Saturday Bundesliga action but whom Domenech described as injured, and Juventus striker David Trezeguet.
   Trezeguet, who has winners medals from the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, has said he has no interest in playing for the A team, but Domenech insisted the door was not closed to the striker and that he remained an ‘interesting option’.
   ‘We must try to see some options for the future,’ Domenech added of his call-ups. ‘Some players in certain positions will call a halt to their careers quicker than others, so we mustn’t find ourselves in a situation where one generation leaves and we are left having to urgently find replacements for them.
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet, Mickael Landreau, Sebastien Frey, Steve Mandanda; Defenders: Eric Abidal, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Gael Clichy, Francois Clerc, Mathieu Delpierre, Julien Escude, Patrice Evra, William Gallas, Gael Givet, Philippe Mexes, Adil Rami, Bakary Sagna, Sebastien Squillaci, Lilian Thuram; Midfielders: Mathieu Bodmer, Alou Diarra, Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini, Claude Makelele, Rio Mavuba, Samir Nasri, Jeremy Toulalan, Jerome Rothen, Patrick Vieira; Strikers: Nicolas Anelka, Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, Jimmy Briand, Djibril Cisse, Thierry Henry, Florent Malouda, Sidney Govou, Franck Ribery, Louis Saha, Mathieu Valbuena.

Dutch footballing legend Ronald de Boer announced his retirement on Wednesday and has terminated his contract with Qatari outfit Al-Shamal.
   The 37-year-old, twin brother of former Dutch defender Frank, has recovered from surgery on a neck hernia but does not want to risk playing in his team’s final two games of the season.
   Former international De Boer had 67 caps for the national side, playing in two World Cups in 1994 and 1998, and two European championships in 1996 and 2000 and scoring 13 goals. He now intends to learn the trade of coach in the Netherlands.
   De Boer previously played for Ajax, FC Twente, FC Barcelona, and Glasgow Rangers before joining Al Rayyan in Qatar in 2004 and Al-Shamal the following year.
   The attacking midfielder won five national titles with Ajax, two Dutch Cup titles and the 1995 Champions League. With Barcelona and Rangers he also won national titles.