Ruthless India crush England
Agence France-Presse . Rajkot
India (387/5) beat England (229) by 158 runs
England narrowly avoided their worst one-day defeat in terms of runs as India won the first game of the seven-match series by 158 runs here on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh smashed an unbeaten 138 off 78 balls to lift India to their second highest one-day total of 387-5 after being sent in to bat at the Madhavrao Scindia stadium.
England managed only 229 in reply in perfect batting conditions despite a classy 63 from skipper Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten 54 off 38 balls lower down the order.
The tourists were in danger of falling below their heaviest-ever loss total before Bopara’s late charge, which included five sixes and two fours, saved Pietersen’s men the blushes.
England have twice lost by 165 runs, once to the West Indies in 1994 and again to Pakistan in 2005. They were beaten by 162 runs by Australia in 1999.
India, who stunned world champions Australia 2-0 in a Test series on Monday, switched quickly to the one-day mode to reduce England to 38-4 by the 11th over.
Left-handed Yuvraj, who batted with a runner because of a back injury in the early part of his innings, hammered 16 boundaries and six sixes in his ninth one-day century.
Virender Sehwag (85) and Gautam Gambhir (51) set up the big total with a whirlwind opening stand of 120 by the 20th over.
Yuvraj put on 89 for the third wicket with Suresh Raina (43) and 105 for the fifth with skipper Mahendra Dhoni (39) as India plundered 124 runs in the final 10 overs.
It was India’s highest total against a major cricketing nation—they made 376-2 against New Zealand in 1999 — although their best ever is 413-5 against Bermuda at the 2007 World Cup.
‘At the end of the day when you stand up and watch innings like the ones Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir played, you just have to say: well played guys,’ said Pietersen.
‘The pitch was a perfect batting beauty. They played superb cricket today, but we have to regroup and sort things out. There are six games still left in the series.’
Dhoni said the huge scores posted by his players made victory easier.
‘It was a great start given by Sehwag, Gambhir and Raina, and Yuvraj was just fantastic,’ the Indian captain said.
‘That kind of innings by Yuvraj just takes you through. And after those early wickets, we knew the game was ours.’
Yuvraj, who was ignored for the Australia Test series, said he was happy to make amends.
‘These have been a hard couple of months, but this was one of my best innings because I carried on till the end,’ said the left-hander.
‘I pulled a muscle in my back but luckily I had Gambhir running for me. I will try to get fit for the next game in Indore on Monday.’
Siddons may seek replacements
for Mashrafee, Rasel
Azad Majumder . Kimberley
Who is doing better in domestic cricket at the moment? Is it Ziaur Rahman or Sajidul Islam? These were the two questions Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons hurled at the visiting journalists when he met them at the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Friday.
The reason for him to become so curious about the two bowlers was very simple. The Bangladesh coach was weighing up his options for a replacement that might be needed at any stage of South Africa tour for injured Mashrafee bin Murtaza and Syed Rasel.
Both Mashrafee and Rasel aggravated their old back injuries and thereby becoming uncertain for the Test series, which will start with first match at Bloemfontein on November 19. Understandably, the Tigers were more concerned about Mashrafee, the vice-captain of the team and the spearhead pacer.
Mashrafee sustained the back pain after a swimming session in Johannesburg, which sidelined him from the maiden Twenty20 International of the tour. He was also not picked for the rain-ruined third one-day match at East London for the same reason.
Siddons said he has been recovering quickly, but it is not possible to know about the extent of the injury until he gets the CT scan report. Mashrafee and Rasel were taken to a local physician, Steen Camp, who is a specialist on sports injury.
Camp advised the team management to have a CT and bone scans for Mashrafee and Rasel immediately. Mashrafee’s scan was done at 4:00pm local time on Friday while Rasel will have it on Monday as no bone-scan facilities were available in Kimberley.
The team management has decided to complete his bone scan once they go to Bloemfontein. Since Rasel is not in the plan for the first Test, they were in no hurry.
Siddons said he has already an idea about the bowling attack for Bangladesh in the first Test. If Mashrafee gets fit, he will play alongside Shahadat Hossain and Mahbubul Alam, he confirmed.
Otherwise Nazmul Hossain, who played his only Test in Chittagong four years ago, will take the place of Mashrafee. ‘Look, given the time we have, it’s not possible to bring in a replacement now and play him in the first Test. We may take it for the second Test,’ said Siddons.
‘I don’t think Rasel will be playing any of the Tests. He developed the injury in England with the A team. We thought he was okay, but he wasn’t. So we may release him for treatment and prepare for the next one-day series,’ said Siddons.
Manger Shafiqul Haque said Rasel will undergo treatment in South Africa even if he is released from the squad.
Chanderpaul: Twenty20 format
won’t surpass Tests
Agence France-Presse . Hong Kong
World cricketer of the year Shivnarine Chanderpaul says players are increasingly eyeing the huge paychecks offered by Twenty20 cricket but believes the Test format will remain the game’s gold standard.
Chanderpaul defended the controversial Stanford Super Series tournament, which saw the winners take home millions of dollars, after a warning from Australian captain Ricky Ponting that the money from Twenty20 is threatening the future of Test cricket in some countries.
Named the 2008 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year in September, the 34-year-old West Indies batsman said it was possible to make as much money in just a few weeks playing the short game as over months on the gruelling international circuit.
‘Twenty20 is where it’s headed right now,’ Chanderpaul said. ‘A lot of the players are gearing up to play Twenty20 because there is a lot of money in it.’
He said the short version of the game was also attractive for players with families, who traditionally have had to put up with months on the road.
Chanderpaul, who played Twenty20 for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the lucrative Indian Premier League this year, also appeared in the Stanford Super Series in the West Indies for the victorious Stanford Superstars.
Bankrolled by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, the tournament came in for heavy criticism, with former England and Wales Cricket Board chief Lord McLaurin calling the megabucks final on November 1, in which the Superstars walked off with one million dollars a man and a vanquished England nothing, ‘obscene’ and a ‘pantomime’.
But left-hander Chanderpaul, a mainstay of the West Indies batting for over a decade, described it as a ‘beautiful’ event.
Chanderpaul, who has a Test average of just under 50 in his 112-match career, said Test cricket would remain the ultimate challenge for players and the best test of quality.
‘Everybody dreams of playing Test cricket,’ said Chanderpaul, speaking in Hong Kong where he played in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes before jetting to Abu Dhabi for the current one-day international series against Pakistan.
‘I enjoy Test cricket a lot. I enjoy all of it but Test cricket the most.’
But he admitted that at a time of great turbulence in
the world game, he did not know what the future would hold.
‘Some of the players will focus mainly on Twenty20 and some will want to play all the games,’ said the West Indian.
Chanderpaul’s comments came amid a warning this week from Australia captain Ricky Ponting of the dangers posed by a preoccupation with Twenty20.
Ponting said the amount of money offered by the IPL made it hard for some players to continue to play for their country, according to comments reported in Australia’s The Age newspaper.
‘We cannot afford to lose teams such as New Zealand and the West Indies from international cricket, but my fear is that this could happen if the game cannot strike a balance between Tests and one-day internationals and the IPL’s riches,’ Ponting wrote in his Captain’s Diary 2008, the report said.
‘Unless such a balance can be achieved, I could see some countries’ cricket teams declining in the way Zimbabwe’s sides have struggled over the past few years.’
The challenge to traditional cricket authorities is shown by the fact that already, 14 frontline Bangladeshi players
have deserted the national team to join the rebel Indian Cricket League , while Sri Lanka’s tour of England next year has been cancelled because of their players’ IPL commitments.
Naved and Farhat give
Lahore the lead
Cricinfo
Lahore Badshahs (174/6)
beat Hyderabad Heroes
(170/ 5) by four wickets
There were some nerves during their chase, but Lahore Badshahs eventually overcame Hyderabad Heroes to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals in Ahmedabad.
Having won three of their previous encounters, Hyderabad, the defending champions, had the edge heading into this game, and the pressure seemed to tell on Lahore as the opposition raced to 136 for 1 in 15 overs. However, a splendid effort at the end kept Hyderabad to 170, and Imran Farhat build on Imran Nazir’s fiery start to put their team on top. Hyderabad, though, didn’t give up. They sneaked back into the contest with four wickets in 2.1 overs. The two Mahmoods, Azhar and Khalid, ensured it was not to end with heartbreak for their team, much to the relief of their mates in the dugout.
Abdul Razzaq, the Player of the Series in Hyderabad’s earlier tournament win, was not having a great tournament with the bat, but he stepped up against some of his former Pakistan team-mates on Thursday. He took charge once his replacement as opener, wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel, had pushed Hyderabad to 49 in 5.5 overs. With Jimmy Maher laying down anchor at the other end, the onus on keeping the run-rate high was on Razzaq.
The two picked the singles regularly, and Razzaq found the odd boundary. Lahore played an extra spinner in Arshad Khan, picked over Shahid Nazir, but he went for 43 in his four overs. Razzaq smashed him wide of long-on for a four in his second over, and then did some bodily damage: Arshad tried to get his hand in way of a drive but only injured his bowling hand. Arshad continued after some medical attention, and Razzaq found a six and four in his next over that leaked 14.
At the other end, Saqlain, used to choking runs with timely wickets, wasn’t given one till his fourth over - Razzaq even cleared the boundary against him. However, Jimmy Maher wasn’t as successful, and was out stumped. Maher scored a run-a-ball 45, and perhaps Lahore were lucky he wasn’t dismissed earlier than the 16th over, with the likes of Nicky Boje, Chris Harris, Justin Kemp and Stuart Binny waiting for a hit.
Binny took two fours off Arshad’s final over, but Naved-ul-Hasan, who got the ball to reverse, had him caught behind and ran out Ambati Rayudu in his same over. A Razzaq six ensured 11 off the penultimate over but he was dismissed for 69 in the final over, where Naved gave just four.
Lahore conceded just 34 in the final five overs, and after two overs their openers had raced to 28. Razzaq ended Nazir’s innings on 26, which came off 10, but Farhat then went after Syed Sahabuddin: Nazir had taken him for 18 in an over, Farhat was content with 12. Pinch-hitter Naved was then sent in. He did not have to take any undue risk, as the brisk start allowed them to motor along with the occasional boundary.
Boje kept Lahore in check with three economical overs, and the wicket of Naved, but whatever pressure created was released as 26 were taken off the first overs from Harris and Binny. Farhat greeted Anirudh Singh with a six, but another shot at maximum cost him his wicket - he had made 65 off 38 by then, and Lahore needed 44 off 40. Inzamam seemed to be keen on finishing it off quickly. The first ball he faced was hit for four but another attempted heave over midwicket saw him bowled by Harris. Mohammad Yousuf was still there, though, and it was a special moment of brilliance that got him out. Yousuf’s sweep failed to clear Binny, the short fine-leg fielder, who threw it to his captain as the batsmen attempted the single. Harris, to save precious time, deflected the ball onto the stumps and Hyderabad’s hopes were revived.
Those chances were raised further when Shahid Yousuf was lbw in the next over. Hyderabad, though, would rue not having scored more; it was down to a just more than run a ball for the remaining batsmen. Thirteen runs in the penultimate over levelled the scores, and Azhar lofted the first ball of the final over through long-on to put his team one step closer to the title.
Sonia continues her fairytale run
Staff Correspondent
Sonia Akhter of BKSP continued her fairytale run in the Mercantile Bank 23rd National Swimming creating her fourth individual national mark by winning the 50-metre butterfly on Friday. Sonia also helped BKSP set a new national mark in the 4X200 metre relay.
Sonia who, earlier, set new national marks in three events, clocked 32.65 seconds to win the gold of 50-metre butterfly eclipsing her old mark of 33.06 seconds. Sonia later teamed-up with Shima, Afsana and Nasima to finish the 4X200metre relay on 10:32:72 seconds to wipe out the old record of 10:32:72 seconds.
Shahjahan Ali Ronny, of Bangladesh Army won the 50-metre breaststroke with a new national mark of 30:13 seconds. The previous record was 39:96 seconds.
Seasoned swimmer, Rubel Rana of Bangladesh Navy kept his pet event 200-metre breaststroke gold by seconds winning with a timing of 2:21: 39 seconds.
In the Water Polo, Bangladesh Army retained their title defeating Bangladesh Navy 5-0 to earn the 25th national title after 1972.
Bangladesh Army were supreme in all the three events of Diving. Imram Hossain, Zakria Hossain and Abul Kalam Azad won the gold of 5-metre, 3-metre and 1-metre Spring Board respectively.
At the end of the third day, BKSP were on the top of the table with 11 gold’s, Bangladesh Army followed them with 10 gold’s while Bangladesh Ansar won six gold’s to be in the third position. Bangladesh Navy managed to win five gold’s.
Win for women’s team in
Chess Olympiad
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh women’s team defeated Paraguay but the men’s team lost to highly ranked Netherlands in the opening round of the 38th Chess Olympiad at Dresden in Germany on Thursday.
Bangladesh women’s team beat Paraguay by 2.5-1.5 points to earn maximum 2 points. Samima Akter Liza beat Perez Dalila and Nazrana Khan Eva beat Rojas Montserrat, Tanima Parveen drew with Avalos Leticia and IWM Rani Hamid lost to Vargas Gabriela.
Netherlands, the 20th seeded team beat Bangladesh men’s by 3.5-0.5 points. GM Ziaur Rahman (Rating 2510) drew with GM Van Wely Loek (Rating-2618), GM Enamul Hossain (Rating-2494) lost to GM Smeets Jan (Rating-2604), FM Abu Sufian Shakil (Rating-2418) lost to GM Stellwagen Daniel (Rating-2605) and FM Minhazuddin Ahmed (Rating-2377) Sagar lost to GM L’Ami Erwin (Rating-2610).
In the second round, Bangladesh men’s face Uruguay and the women’s play against Croatia. A total of 152 countries are participating in the Open Section and 112 countries are participating in the women’s section.
Olympic Day Run held
Staff Correspondent
The Olympic Day Run, designed to popularise the Olympic movement, was held in the capital and across the country on Friday. Organised by the Bangladesh Olympic Association, the Run was participated by around 6,000 people from all the quarters of the society.
Chief of the Bangladesh Air Force, Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman inaugurated the programme at the Ramna National Tennis Complex at 7:30am. The Run started from the Tennis Complex and concluded at the Bangabandhu National Stadium going past the Engineers Institute, Supreme Court, Press Club, Baitul Mukarram and National Sports Council building. The programme also included blood donation, children’s painting competition and cultural show at the NSC and the BNS premises
BOA vice-president and chairman of the Olympic Day Run Committee Mizanur Rahman Manu, secretary general Kutubuddin Ahmed, CEO and director Col (retd) M Waliullah, chairman of Gazi Tanks Golam Dastagir Gazi, director of Exim Bank Nurul Fazal Bulbul and country manager of Coca Cola Debashish Dey were present.
Two cancer survivors, Shirin Akhter and Suman, lighted the torch ‘The Flame of Hope’ which they carried from Teknaf and Tetulia to raise the spirit for fighting cancer.
India win gold in SA jr Tennis
Staff Correspondent
India won the gold and Bangladesh clinched the silver medal in the five-nation 1st Junior South Asian Tennis Championship at the National Tennis Complex on Friday.
Omar Faruq Sunny beat Thurana Isharwarthi 6-2, 6-0 in the opening singles to put Bangladesh ahead but Arvind Fernando beat Mofazzal Hossain 5-7, 6-3, 3-6 to restore the parity. Later in the afternoon, Sunny and Mofazzal pair outplayed Fernando and Dhanuk Withana 6-4, 7-5 sets to clinch the silver. India clinched the gold crushing Pakistan by 3-0 sets.
Pakistan won the bronze, while Sri Lanka and Nepal were placed in the 4th and 5th positions respectively.
Bangladesh Tennis Federation senior vice-president, ATM Hayatuzzaman distributed the medals among the participants as chief guest. Federation general secretary Mohammad Sanaul Haque, tournament director, Ahmed Ziaur Rahman and other Federation officials were present.
Hayden lists problems on
tour of India
Press Trust of India . Melbourne
Australian opener Matthew Hayden has called India a third-world country and blamed his team’s sluggish over-rate in the lost Test series there on the host batsmen’s reluctance to ‘face up’ quickly enough and the constant movement around sightscreens.
‘They (opposition batsmen) are very difficult to get to face up,’ Hayden was quoted as saying by ‘The Australian’.
Hayden said sightscreen adjustments also played a part in delaying the proceedings as someone or the other kept moving around it.
‘Often we find ourselves with hands on hips waiting for someone to either face up or someone in the sightboard to move away; all the little frustrations that happen in Third World countries and the heat as well,’ he added.
Australia were nine overs or 40minutes behind schedule on the penultimate day of the fourth and final Test, which forced their skipper Ricky Ponting to use part-time spinners instead of pacers at a crucial juncture.
Ponting, who could have been banned for a Test for the slow over-rate, came under severe criticism for his tactics. Hayden said over-rates have always been a problem for Australia.
‘We’ve had trouble with our over rates for a long time now. It’s not just us in international cricket that seems to struggle with it for whatever reason,’ Hayden said.
Nervous wait for Symonds
Cricinfo
Andrew Symonds believes his lack of form for Queensland will not stop him contributing to the Test team if he makes the starting line-up for next week’s first Test against New Zealand. Symonds has been named in a 13-man squad for the Gabba Test and if he plays it will be his first time back in the baggy green since the tour of the West Indies this year.
He has completed a two-month Cricket Australia rehabilitation programme, which followed his axing from the squad in Darwin when he went fishing instead of attending a team meeting. The selectors have shown faith in Symonds despite his disappointing Sheffield Shield efforts in the past month, when he has scored 80 runs at 13.33 in three games.
‘I earned the right to wear my baggy green cap, and I lost that through my own stupidity, so now hopefully I can regain it and wear it with distinction,’ Symonds told AAP. ‘Bear in mind, I wasn’t dropped from the side for form but I’ll be doing my best to get myself back into batting form. Some of the wickets we’ve played on have been very difficult.’
Symonds was an automatic selection in the No. 6 spot in Tests until his fishing trip and Shane Watson took the role for the recent tour of India. Both men have been named in the 13-man Gabba squad and the chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said Symonds’ lack of domestic runs would not be held against him.
‘We’re selecting a great player, we don’t think he had anything to prove,’ Hilditch told the Australian. ‘We picked the side on the basis that we were really happy with Shane Watson in India. He’s got to cement a spot in the top six.
‘Shane we see as a top-six batter doing some very valuable bowling for us, which he did in India. [He] exceeded our expectations really; he bowled really well, so we are very happy with his performance. He deserves to be in the squad, whether they both play together we’ll decide up there.’
One member of the group will be released from the squad on Tuesday although that is more likely to be one of the fast bowlers, probably Peter Siddle. The exact makeup of the starting 11 might not be decided until the morning of the Test, which begins on Thursday, and Symonds knows he is no certainty to play.
‘I’m only in the 13 at this point, too, though, that’s still playing on my mind a little bit,’ Symonds said. ‘I don’t know what the balance of the team will be, so I suppose closer to the day and maybe even the morning of the game, depending on the weather and what the balance of the team will be. I’ve got a nervous wait to go yet.’
Symonds has averaged 72.40 in Test matches in the past 12 months and Australia could have used his consistency in India, where they went down 2-0 and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Symonds said it was tough being at home in Queensland, where he could do nothing to help his colleagues.
‘It did hurt, watching the boys go through what they went through in India, and there were a couple of times where I was sitting there and I wanted to be the next in to bat,’ Symonds said. ‘Hopefully, to be back will be a great feeling because it did hurt me deep down inside to be out of it for a while there.’
India must tour Pakistan,: Ramiz
Agence France-Presse . Abu Dhabi
Former captain Ramiz Raja Friday urged India to send its cricket team to Pakistan, saying the two countries need each other’s backing.
India is scheduled to visit Pakistan for three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 between January and February next year but the tour is already in doubt over security fears in the host country.
The cancellation of a low-profile Indian junior hockey team increased doubts over the high-profile cricket series, revived four years ago after a break caused by political tensions.
Raja, now a widely travelled television commentator, believed the security situation was acceptable.
‘I see it as a tough situation for not only Pakistan but for world cricket but frankly speaking the security situation in major Pakistan cities like Lahore and Karachi is not that bad, so I think Indian must tour,’ Raja told AFP.
The Pakistan Cricket Board Thursday said it may consider shifting the series to the neutral United Arab Emirates or England if the Indian government were to block the tour—an option Raja described as negative.
‘Shifting the India series will have multiple effects, more negative because neutral Tests are dead as there is no public interest and the charm of an Indo-Pak match is that their public savour it.
‘Shifting will also set a wrong precedent for other teams who are already reluctant on touring Pakistan so India must back Pakistan as they have backed us on the Champions Trophy and we lent support on the Indian Cricket League issue.’
The International Cricket Council was forced to put off September’s elite eight-nation Champions Trophy in Pakistan after South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England raised security fears.
The ICC rescheduled the event for September and October next year but said Pakistan’s home series against India would be a test for the host country to stage the elite event.
Pakistan has been considered a danger zone by foreign teams since the 9-11 attacks on the Unites States in 2001. Pakistan had to relocate its two home series—against the West Indies and Australia—to neutral venues in 2002.
Raja, then a member of the PCB Council, defended the move six years ago.
‘We were forced to shift the series because there was a financial crunch at that time. Now if the board has money in their coffers then it would not be wise to shift the series,’ said Raja.
Kirsten backs SA down under
Cricinfo
Gary Kirsten, the former South Africa opener and now India coach, has said his former team has a great opportunity to win a series in Australia for the first time when the two countries meet next month. Kirsten played a key behind-the-scenes role in India’s 2-0 success over Australia, and was able to watch at close quarters how the opposition had been affected by losing a batch of world-class players.
‘Australia are in a natural life cycle… they have had a good dose of time with a very experienced, highly skilled team,’ Kirsten told the Cape Argus. ‘Players have retired, with places filled by inexperienced players and Australia have come back into the pack a little bit.
‘South Africa have a real chance of doing something special against Australia this summer. It is one of their better chances, with Australia without players like Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist. It is up to South Africa to make the most of the opportunity.’
Kirsten believes that Graeme Smith’s side has the resources to win in Australia. He said South Africa had an especially strong batting line-up and fast-bowling attack, which he rated as the best in the world.
‘Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince are starting to score quite regularly. The champion Jacques Kallis will come back to form, I have no doubt, and you have the world-class Graeme Smith.
‘South Africa have probably the best seam bowling attack in the world at the moment, with Makhaya Ntini or Andre Nel to back up Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Paul Harris doesn’t appear to be a strike bowler - I presume Australia will look to try to target him, although that may play into his hands a little bit.’
The one area Kirsten feels South Africa could fall down is their preparation, echoing comments from his former captain Kepler Wessels. They have one two-day match against Western Australia before three back-to-back Tests, beginning in Perth on December 17.
Waqar to become Pak bowling
coach again?
Press Trust of India . Karachi
The Pakistan Cricket Board may hire former pacer Waqar Younis as the bowling coach of the national team, sources said on Friday.
Younis, who resigned as bowling coach last year after a public spat with former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf, has cordial relations with current chairman Ejaz Butt and is also very close to PCB Manager Yawar Saeed, one source claimed.
The offer could be made in Abu Dhabi as Younis is there as a commentator and Butt and Yawar were also there to watch Pakistan’s one-day series against the West Indies.
‘Waqar and Yawar are very good friends and the Pakistan manager would definitely like to see the former captain back as bowling coach,’ one source said.
Don’t expect Symmo
to be a saint
Press Trust of India . Melbourne
Andrew Symonds may be mentally fit to return to the Australian cricket team but his sports psychologist has warned that the troubled all-rounder has not become a ‘saint’ and there are problems that may return to haunt him in future.
‘Don’t expect him to be a saint. He has been dealing with some issues and problems and they may crop up again in the future,’ Phil Jauncey, who has been counselling the big-hitting player, was quoted as saying by ‘The Herald Sun’.
‘Roy has made great progress in the last few months but there are some fairly complex issues involved,’ he added.
When asked if Symonds would find it tough to gel with the team after being ousted for the ‘gone-fishing’ episode, Jauncey said it might be tough initially.
‘Any time you’ve been away from a side for a while there are issues,’ he explained.
Jauncey was appointed by Cricket Australia in a panel to oversee Symonds’ rehabilitation after he claimed to have lost the desire to play cricket.
The all-rounder was Thursday selected for the Test series against New Zealand, ending his exile from the team.
Despite defeat, Aussies still
the best: Warne
Agencies . London
Spin legend Shane Warne says Australia is still the best cricketing side in the world - despite the 2-0 drubbing in the India - but questions the quality of its bowling.
‘There has been a huge amount of talk this week about eras ending and dynasties toppling after India’s win in the Test series. I can understand where they are coming from, but writing off Australia is a bit premature,’ Warne warned in the Times newspaper on Friday.
‘To me, Australia are still the best side in the world,’ the leg spinner said.
‘If cricket imitated boxing, the series was the equivalent of a heavyweight title bout and, yes, India would have taken the belt.
‘But our sport doesn’t work like that. Conditions are different all over the world and you have to look at how countries go against each other home and away over a period of time before weighing everything up.’
The former world number one wicket taker said he thought the Australian batting is as strong as ever, having put on scores past 400 in the Bangalore Test and nearly 600 in Delhi, ‘so there isn’t a problem there.’
‘The big question is the ability to take 20 wickets.’
‘Ricky’s problem has been controlling games in the field now that he doesn’t have somebody like Glenn McGrath or probably myself to call upon,’ he said.
‘The aura of invincibility that we carried in the eyes of the opposition has probably gone. Teams think they can beat us now, and belief is so important in sport. In the weeks ahead against New Zealand and South Africa we should look to impose ourselves again and intimidate a few opposition players.’
Bjorkman bows out after 17 years
Agence France-Presse . Shanghai
Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman bowed out of professional tennis on Friday after a glittering 17-year career that earned him nine Grand Slam doubles titles.
Bjorkman, 36, was treated to a special ceremony at Qi Zhong Stadium after he and partner Kevin Ullyett were knocked out of the Tennis Masters Cup doubles.
‘They reminded me a little bit that this is obviously maybe my last match,’ said Bjorkman, who noticed preparations for the farewell ceremony during the match.
‘You know, I was trying to do everything possible to stay alive one more day, or maybe two.’
Bjorkman won all four doubles Grand Slams as well as the 1998 Davis Cup with Sweden and also reached the 1997 US Open singles semi-final and the last four at Wimbledon just two years ago.
West Indies restrict Pakistan to 232
Agence France-Presse . Abu Dhabi
West Indies bowled a disciplined line and length to dismiss Pakistan for 232 in the second one-day international at Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Friday.
Fast bowler Jerome Taylor overcame a final over glitch in the previous match to take 3-38 and was ably supported by Daren Powell 3-50 as they never allowed the Pakistani batsmen liberty on a docile pitch.
Pakistan, who had collapsed to seven for two in the third over, were indebted to Misbahul Haq (52), Kamran Akmal (45) and Younus Khan (34) but none could play long enough for a big total after Pakistan won the toss and batted.
Younus and Haq staged a little recovery through a 51-run third wicket stand before both fell to injudicious shots. Younus played across to Daren Powell, while Haq miscued a drive off spinner Nikita Miller and was caught in the deep.
Younus hit five boundaries while Haq managed just one during his slow 86-ball knock.
Pakistan were further jolted when captain Shoaib Malik was run out for ten.
It was left to Akmal, who hit Taylor for two sixes in the 50th over to give Pakistan an unexpected win in the first match on Wednesday, and Shahid Afridi (28) to give some respectability to the innings.
They shared a rapid 52-run stand and threatened for more but West Indies hit back, dismissing both in the space of just two runs.
Sohail Tanveer (26) used the long handle effectively, hitting Taylor for three boundaries in the 48th over before he was run out.
Bucknor makes a comeback
Agencies . Sydney
After being dumped by the International Cricket Council, following the controversial Sydney Test in January, umpire Steve Bucknor makes a comeback to cricket after 11 months and will stand in the two Tests between Australia and New Zealand.
The International Cricket Council announced the 62-year-old Bucknor would control the two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide with fellow West Indian Billy Doctrove.
ICC removed Bucknor after it felt that the Jamaican wasn’t up to the task of controlling the controversial Australia-India Test match in Sydney in January. The match was marred with charges of racism on Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australia’s unsporting attitude.
Indians threatened to abandon the series if the charges against Harbhajan were not dropped and if Bucknor, who also with Mark Benson gave some wrong decisions in favour of the Australians in Sydney, was not replaced.
More than city pride at Rome derby
Agence France-Presse . Rome
Lazio and Roma will be playing for more than local bragging rights when they meet in the season’s first Rome derby on Sunday evening.
Delio Rossi’s Lazio have made a strong start to the season, winning seven of their 11 league matches, draing one and losing three to leave them two points behind leaders Inter Milan in fourth place with 22 points.
One of the main reasons behind Lazio’s form is summer loan signing Mauro Zarate. The Argentine, who is on loan from Qatar’s Al Saad, has hit seven goals so far and is expected to form part of a three man attack, alongside captain Tomasso Rocchi and Goran Pandev.
Rocchi has already declared what he expects, telling Sky Italia; ‘I wouldn’t settle for a draw. The derby is a truly great match and is important to play in. You give your all to win it, because the taste of victory is fantastic.’
However, he added that league positions and current form will count for little when the match starts. ‘The fact that we have more points signifies that until now we are playing better. But, when you play a derby I think that only the match counts and not the moment you are in.’
Roma sit one place and one point away from the relegation zone, with only two wins and two draws to their name, a far cry from 2007-2008 when they were 30 minutes from being crowned champions. One player who has maintained his form is veteran defender Christian Panucci, whose opening goal in the 3-1 Champions League win over Chelsea has given Roma a new sense of confidence.
It continues a good goalscoring record for Roma and Italy and is a run he is hoping to continue at Stadio Olimpico.
‘It’s a goal that I’m missing. I would be delighted to score, even if I have to be more precise than I normally am against Lazio,’ he told Corriere dello Sport.
League leaders Inter Milan meanwhile travel to a potentially tricky away fixture against Palermo, who have won four of their five games at their Stadio Renzo Barbera home so far.
The week has been dominated by the falling out between coach Jose Mourinho and striker Adriano, with the Brazilian expected to be sold in the January transfer window after he missed Tuesday’s training citing flu, the latest in a long line of misdemeanours.
One player who will miss him if he does move on is 18 year-old striker Mario Balotelli, who would benefit more than most from Adriano’s sale.
He told Sky Italia; ‘Adriano must wait for his moment and then in January go where he wants. He’s a great guy and wouldn’t hurt anybody. Really I don’t know why the newspapers always have this (negative reports) about him.’
Should Inter slip up on the road, cross-city rivals AC Milan who are currently in second will be confident that they can secure all three points when Chievo visit San Siro.
Scolari won’t take Drogba
out of the firing line
Agence France-Presse . London
Luiz Felipe Scolari insists he has no fears about playing Didier Drogba at West Bromwich Albion today despite the coin-throwing antics that have left the Chelsea striker facing a three-match ban.
Drogba has been charged with violent conduct by the English Football Association and is under investigation by London police after throwing a coin at Burnley supporters following his goal in Wednesday’s League Cup defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The Ivory Coast star, who had picked up the coin after it was thrown at him from the Burnley section of the ground, is certain to face more provocation from a hostile crowd at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
But Blues manager Scolari has no intention of taking him out of the firing line for his own protection.
Drogba, who is working his way back to full fitness from a knee injury, could even start as the Brazilian manager tries to shake up his team following their shock Cup exit in midweek.
‘I’m not someone to say kill or not kill. I’m only the coach and I’ll receive the information from the police, the club, the FA,’ Scolari said.
‘Didier is very good. He is in good condition. He can play this weekend. After three or four months, he’s ready. He’s starting to play.
‘Drogba has played the last few games and might be able to play 65 or 70 minutes, but not a full game.
‘What would I say? (about the investigation) Nothing. For the club, for the police, it’s not my business.’
Drogba faces a three-match ban as a result of the FA charge while the police investigation is expected to result in a caution rather than any further proceedings.
The forward’s team-mate, Frank Lampard, has pleaded for leniency from the FA, arguing that a suspension could encourage other fans to throw missiles in the hope of provoking players.
‘He’s come out straight away and said he’s made a mistake,’ Lampard said. ‘People also have got to stop throwing things on the pitch. I was around Didier at the time and I don’t know how many coins there were around.’
Lampard added: ‘If Didier gets banned, are fans going to do this more to provoke people? Who knows?
‘I take quite a lot of corners and it’s not unusual to get things thrown at you and lots of abuse, too, and I think it’s got to a stage now where it’s got to stop.’
Scolari is especially keen to keep Drogba involved because Chelsea’s lack of killer instinct in front of goal is starting to worry the Brazilian.
Although Nicolas Anelka has plundered 11 goals in all competitions, Scolari believes his side are missing too many chances and the Burnley defeat underlined his point.
Scolari does expect his team to flourish more often away from the Bridge because opponents have to come out and attack - giving space for his players to express themselves.
‘We’re still making mistakes in front of goal, but if we score one or two goals, we win every time,’ Scolari said. ‘Most clubs won’t give us more than three or four opportunities. That’s the case in football.
‘We have more chances to win than when we play at Stamford Bridge because the clubs we play outside are playing at home, with the pressure of the fans on them to win the game.
‘That gives us the chance to play more freely. At Stamford Bridge, they play for a draw all the time and only have one or two chances.
‘We’ve played some very good games, and others not so good. But, in the last 20 games we’ve played, there have only been one or two that haven’t been good. Against Burnley, we didn’t play a bad game.
‘They had two shots in the entire game and scored once. That’s fantastic and better than us. We had four chances and only scored once.’
Scolari will be without Alex, Joe Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Juliano Belletti and Di Santo against Albion as injuries continue to bite the Blues hard.
The crisis is so severe that Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack could be on the bench this weekend, even though neither player is fully fit.’
Ferguson warns FA on
anti-doping measures
Agence France-Presse . Manchester
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned the Football Association that plans to toughen up drug-testing for Premier League stars will cost an ‘absolute fortune’ and described envisaged new procedures as a nuisance.
From next season, leading players could face a testing regime that would be similar to those employed in cycling and track and field, with a selected group of players required to provide details of their whereabouts for an hour of every day of the year in order to facilitate random testing.
With Rio Ferdinand having been hit with an eight-month ban in 2004 for missing a drug test at the end of the previous year, United have already experienced the downside of doping controls.
Ferguson believes that the new procedures could cause more problems down the line.
He said: ‘The procedures are becoming a real nuisance to us. If you give a player a day off, you have to notify the FA and tell them where the player will be for one hour during his day off.
‘There are times when you might want to give a player a Sunday off, but you then have to notify the FA and tell them that they are not training and furnish them with the addresses where they will be.
‘But you know what young people are like. They might be sat in the house when their wife asks them if they want to go shopping.
‘They might even forget that, in that hour, the testers can turn up at the door.
‘It’s very difficult to do it, but I can tell the FA that it will cost them an absolute fortune to implement all this.’
Ferguson insists that he is supportive of plans to stamp out any sign of drug taking in football, however.
He said: ‘Of course we are behind anything to drive out any sign or hints of drugs in the game, but the implementation is very difficult. ‘They are trying to implement the same system as athletics, but it’s very difficult.’
The Professional Footballers Association has said it will oppose aspects of a stricter anti-doping code in English football, plans for which were outlined this week by UK Sport and the FA.
Ferdinand has said he has no problems with the proposed measures, which are in line with World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines and could be in force for next season.
‘If it brings us up to the level of all the other sportsmen, then I’m in favour,’ said Ferdinand, who urged young players not to make the same mistake he did by failing to turn up for a test—an oversight he has attributed to forgetfulness.
‘Whatever rules there are out there you have to deal with it,’ he said. ‘You have to make sure you’re there to be tested and you have to let people know where you’re going to be. Simple as that.’
Donovan impresses Bayern bosses
Agence France-Presse . Berlin
Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan has taken a step closer to a move to German giants Bayern Munich after impressing coach Jurgen Klinsmann on his 10-day trial in the south German city.
‘Landon is a player who bring all sorts of qualities, he has developed into one of the top players in North America and Mexico,’ said Klinsmann, who was a technical advisor at Galaxy before he took over as Bayern coach on July 1.
On Tuesday, Donovan was named US football’s Player of the Year for the fifth time, the same day he started a ten-day trial with Bayern while his United States club Galaxy are on their annual winter break.
Having struggled to impress on his last sojourn to the Bundesliga when he had a brief spell at Bayer Leverkusen, Donovan said he is enjoying his time in Munich and is keen to stay.
‘As a person and a player, I am completely different now to how I was then, I have matured. I am ready,’ said the attacking midfielder who played in Bayern’s 6-1 win over their second team on Wednesday.
‘I believe I can keep up with all the other players, even if I am not the best player here.’
Having struggled to make the grade in Germany last time, Donovan admits he has learned from the experience.
‘I recognise Leverkusen wasn’t the problem, I was,’ he said. ‘I just wasn’t ready for it.’ And Bayern manager Uli Hoeness has been impressed with what he has seen so far.
‘What he has shown so far is okay, he can certainly kick,’ said Hoeness.
A decision on whether Donovan becomes a permanent Bayern player will be taken at the end of next week, added Hoeness.
Donovan has a contract with Galaxy which runs until 2012 and with 105-caps to his name, his market value is around 2.5 million euros (3.1 million US dollars).
Just like Galaxy’s other star, former England captain David Beckham who will join AC Milan for three months later this winter, Donovan may also sign only a short-term contract with Bayern.
But he ruled out any comparisons with Beckham. ‘I am not a good-looking posterboy, I am a footballer,’ was his curt reply.
Donovan has an impressive CV. He was the top-scorer in Major League Soccer last season with a career-high 20 goals in 25 matches, although the Galaxy failed to qualify for the eight-team MLS playoffs.
And the 26-year-old is the top scorer leader for the United States with a total of 37 goals in 105 international appearances.
His 2008 Player of the Year award, voted on by the US media, was his fifth and he is the only player to earn the accolade more than twice.
No regrets over choosing
Chelsea over Inter: Deco
Agencies . London
Chelsea midfielder Deco believes he made the right decision in moving to Stamford Bridge rather than opting for Inter Milan.
Deco had the option of linking up again with Inter coach Jose Mourinho - who he worked under for two and a half seasons at Porto - when he left Barcelona in the summer.
However, the Portugal international decided instead to join former national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge and he insists he has no regrets.
‘Felipao is a very serious man who doesn’t like jokes, not even in groups, but he is a very good professional and a good person,’ Deco told Brazilian magazine Fut Lance.
‘Analysing the offers, the Chelsea one fitted in better with what I wanted, the challenge was more interesting.
‘Both Mourinho and Scolari have their own way of doing things. Mourinho can seem to be arrogant from a distance, but he is an excellent professional who understands his players very well.’
Deco’s four-year stint at Barcelona was brought to an end in the summer when he was informed by the Catalan giants that he was surplus to requirements amidst wholesale changes at the club following their second successive trophyless season.
However, despite things turning sour towards the end the 31-year-old claims he only has happy memories of his time at the Nou Camp.
‘That time is over,’ added Deco. ‘But it’s good to remember that I never had problems with any players, directors or fans. I simply believed that it was time to leave.
‘The problem in Spanish football is that everything is very pressurised, therefore if the team goes a year without winning, the situation becomes harder and if it goes to two years, it becomes impossible.
‘Those demands fall on the most important players and that is good but also makes things more difficult.
‘But I was very happy in Barcelona and if I had to choose between Portugal, England or Barcelona, I would choose Barcelona, which is a very nice city because it is small and doing anything is much easier.’
Deco also backed international team-mate and Manchester United playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo to be crowned European Player of the Year next month and lift the World Player of the Year award too.
‘In choosing the best player in the world, you have to take into account what he did last season. Cristiano Ronaldo reached a really high level.’
Ronaldo scored 42 goals last season as he fired United to Premier League and Champions League glory - pipping Chelsea to both titles.
Maradona Murray’s hero
Agencies . Shanghai
British tennis superstar Andy Murray has revealed an unexpected sporting inspiration - Argentine football genius Diego Maradona.
Murray, who was born 11 months after Maradona scored his infamous ‘hand of God’ goal against England in the World Cup, says he tries to emulate his idol’s trick of playing keepie-uppie with a tennis ball.
But he admits his skills are nowhere near those of Maradona, now Argentina’s football coach.
British tennis No1 Andy, 21, who is ranked fourth in the world, also told an Argentinian newspaper of his regret he could not be at Hampden to see Argentina play Scotland.
He said: ‘I really love Maradona as a player.
‘I try to emulate him in playing keepie-uppie and there are a few videos of me doing it on YouTube. He is better than me.
‘It’s a shame I won’t be at Hampden. It is amazing for the Scottish fans to see the team play against one of the best in the world.
‘Maradona will realise the respect and love from the fans when he comes to Glasgow. ‘
Andy said he inherited his passion for football from his grandad Roy Erskine, who played for Hibs in the 1950s. But he adds he thinks he made the right choice in opting for tennis.
Fergie admits impasse in Tevez talks
Agence France-Presse . Manchester
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that Manchester United have yet to broker a deal with Carlos Tevez’s representatives over a permanent contract for the Argentinian striker.
The former West Ham star, whose two-year loan at United expires in June 2009, has been linked with a January move to Real Madrid following knee surgery that will rule Ruud van Nistelrooy out until next season.
Tevez has made it clear to United that he wants to stay at Old Trafford and wrap up a long-term deal, despite his recent inability to claim a starting spot in Ferguson’s team.
United are due to pay Tevez’s owners, MSI, 22 million pounds to seal a permanent move, on top of two payments of five million pounds to secure the player’s signing on loan for this season and last.
But despite the speculation surrounding Tevez, Ferguson, whose team face Stoke at Old Trafford on Saturday, admits both parties are still keen to thrash out a contract for the player.
He said: ‘There is no change regarding Carlos, but negotiations like this are always protracted and that’s the situation we find ourselves in with Carlos’s agent.
‘David Gill (United chief executive) has been talking to him quite a lot, but there is nothing to report.’
Doubts over whether Tevez has a long-term future at Old Trafford have grown in the wake of Dimitar Berbatov’s August arrival at the club.
Since then it has become apparent that Ferguson wants to build his attacking line-up around the Bulgarian with Wayne Rooney currently his preferred partner.
Celtic fined
Agence France-Presse . London
Scottish giants Celtic have been fined 50,000 euros by European football’s governing body UEFA for bad behaviour by their supporters in last week’s Champions League match against Manchester United.
The match had to kick off late and spectators invaded the pitch at the end of the 1-1 Group E draw at Old Trafford on Novmeber 5.
UEFA said on Thursday in a statement: ‘The UEFA disciplinary commission has punished the pitch invasion by Scottish fans at the final whistle.’ Celtic said they ‘accepted the verdict’ and would not be appealing.
Lampard gets England boost
with EPL award
Agence France-Presse . London
Frank Lampard’s current form has received timely recognition with the Chelsea midfielder being named the English Premier League (EPL)’s player of the month for October.
The award, from EPL sponsors Barclays, comes ahead of England’s friendly with Germany in Berlin next week, for which coach Fabio Capello will again have to decide between Lampard and Steven Gerrard for the attacking, central midfield role that both players prefer.
It was the first time in three years that Lampard has won the monthly award and it is reward for a string of impressive performances capped by his delightful, angled chip against Hull, an early contender for goal of the season.
Lampard’s form could not however prevent Liverpool from ending the club’s 86-match unbeaten home record in the league, an achievement which ensured Reds boss Rafael Benitez picked up the manager of the month award.
Real sign ‘Little Ronaldo’
Agencies . Madrid
Marca reports that Real Madrid have completed the signing of Brazilian sensation Alipio Duarte Brandano from Portuguese minnows Rio Ave on Thursday, beating English rivals Chelsea in the race for his signature.
Los Meringues had been keeping tabs on the young striker for over a year now and have finally been able to offer him a contract after his 16th birthday this summer. The Brazilian born hit man, dubbed ‘Little Ronaldo’ by the Portuguese press on account of his pace with the ball, will join the Real Madrid Castilla, hoping to rise through the ranks and one day make it to the first team.
Brandano had the difficult decision of choosing between Chelsea or Real Madrid, both of whom were frontrunners for his signature, but he opted a move to the Spanish giants after weighing up his chances of rising to prominence. Another factor that influenced the forward’s decision was culture, choosing a move to Spain in order to avoid any major shifts in his lifestyle.
Real Madrid scouts Juan Castro and Manu Sianz confirmed Thursday that they would meet with Alipio and his father to discuss what was expected of him at his new club. Rio Ave, Alipio’s previous club, were not happy about losing their No 9, but felt that they could no longer nurture his growing talents and knew the best option was to let him go.
Los Blancos have been linked with Europe’s top strikers of late, namely Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Karim Benzema, but seem to have made the right move, investing their money in youth players rather than multi-million dollar contracts especially after the success of signing Gonzalo Higuain from River Plate two years ago.
Brandano is expected to fly into the Spanish capital later this week to finalize the deal, joining Real Madrid as early as next Wednesday.
Leaders seek to banish
League Cup blues
Agence France-Presse . London
Chelsea and Liverpool will attempt to draw a line under what has been a difficult week for both clubs as they resume their tussle for pole position in the Premier League title race this weekend.
Chelsea, who travel to bottom club West Brom on Saturday evening, currently top the table courtesy of the impressive goal difference that reflects Luiz Felipe Scolari’s commitment to an expansive style.
Liverpool, who are at Bolton today lunchtime, have not set many pulses racing but they have matched Chelsea’s haul of points and Rafael Benitez’s side appears set for a serious tilt at what would be the club’s first English title since 1990.
Both the pacesetters were left smarting by ignominious exits from the League Cup in midweek, Liverpool slumping to a 4-2 defeat at Tottenham while Chelsea’s exit on penalties to Championship side Burnley was aggravated by Didier Drogba’s ill-judged reaction to being struck by a coin thrown from the stands.
The Ivory Coast striker tossed the missile back into the crowd and treated the visiting supporters to a one-fingered salute, conduct that is likely to earn him a ban at a time when he has only just come back from a knee injury.
Scolari will not have been impressed and Drogba could find himself confined to the bench on Saturday given Nicolas Anelka’s rich vein of goalscoring form of late.
Benitez has shrugged off Liverpool’s defeat in midweek but acknowledges a response on the pitch is required to prevent a blip in the club’s season escalating into something more signficant.
‘If the team goes to Bolton and wins, we’ll still be top of the table and everyone will be talking about our priorities,’ said the Spaniard.
The one bright spot from the Tottenham defeat for Liverpool was that Fernando Torres managed almost an hour on his comeback from a hamstring problem and will be ready to face Gary Megson’s struggling side.
Champions Manchester United, out-boxed by Arsenal last weekend in a contest that delighted purists, face an altogether different kind of bout when Stoke visit Old Trafford.
In Rory Delap’s laser-guided long throw-ins, the Potters have a weapon capable of perturbing the best of opponents, as Arsenal found to their cost two weeks ago.
Manager Tony Pulis recognises that the trip to Old Trafford will represent the biggest test yet for his top-flight newcomers, but insists it is United who should be concerned about tailoring their approach to the opposition.
‘This is one of the games you pick when you get promoted,’ Pulis said. ‘We know it will be a tough game but we have got to enjoy it. We are on a good run and confidence is high.
‘We will play the way we usually play. We are what we are and the players know the system.’
Of the top four, Arsenal look to have the toughest day with fifth-placed Aston Villa the visitors to the Emirates Stadium.
Confidence is, however, running high in north London following last weekend’s win over the champions and an equally exhilarating display by the next generation of Gunners stars in the League Cup in midweek, while Villa’s early season momentum has been checked by back-to-back defeats.
Elsewhere, Tottenham will seek to extend their unbeaten start to life under Harry Redknapp when they travel to London neighbours Fulham.
Newcastle entertain Wigan in the hope that they will be able to claim a win that will lift them out of the relegation zone, which is where the league’s richest club, Manchester City, could find themselves if they go down to defeat at Hull on Sunday and other results go against them.
Juventus rout Genoa
Agence france-Presse . Rome
Juventus moved into second place in Italy’s Serie A with a 4-1 win over Genoa on Thursday at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.
Claudio Ranieri’s team are now level on 24 points with Inter Milan, but have a worse goal difference and have played one match more.
Two first-half goals made the difference, the first from defender Zoltan Grygera and a second from Amauri, his sixth league goal of the season.
There was a disappointing showing from Genoa’s Diego Milito. The Argentine striker is the leading scorer with nine, but was unable to escape from Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Genoa had been completely nullified by the time Juventus scored their third. Alessandro Del Piero flicked the ball over the defence and substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta used to his pace to race away from the defence and slot the ball past Rubinho.
However, there was still time for Milito to move into double figures by firing in a late penalty after Nicola Legrottalie was penalised for handball.
There was more good news for Ranieri with the return to action of midfielder Mauro Camoranesi. It was from his cross that Sokratis Papastathopoulos turned the ball into his own net for the home team’s fourth.
For coach Ranieri the return of Camoranesi was very pleasing, though he said he felt that it showed Juventus’ strength in depth.
He told Sky Italia; ‘I like to make everyone feel that they are part of Juventus. Everyone prepares the same way and on the pitch you are with your teammates and everyone wants to do well.
‘I played a lot of the big names early on in the Champions League preliminaries, but to play matches every two or three days, in the league or the Champions League, you need to revolve your players.’
It didn’t take Juventus long to take the lead, when Zoltan Grygera found the net from the right of the penalty area, after being teed up by Alessandro Del Piero.
On 25 mintues Amauri made it two when he rose above the defence to head home Marco Marchionni’s first time cross, not long after Milito had wasted Genoa’s best chance of the night.
Juventus now have to wait and watch how Inter Milan get on away to Palermo and Amauri, who joined Juventus from the Sicilian team, is hoping his old club does his new one a favour.
‘If we play like this we can put lots of teams in trouble. We have to hope that Palermo play well and I’ll be asking my old teammates to do us a favour.’
Torres looks to Riera for help
with new goal standard
Agence France-Presse . Liverpool
Fernando Torres goes into his first league match for Liverpool in six weeks determined to start making the most of fellow Spaniard Albert Riera’s arrival on Merseyside.
Torres, who will line up for Rafael Benitez’s side at Bolton today, has set his sights on beating last season’s haul of 33 goals and has identified eight-million-pound signing Riera as the man to help him do it.
The pair have played together only four times since Riera arrived at Anfield from Espanyol in August and Torres, who has five goals so far in this campaign, believes Reds fans have yet to see how much of a difference his compatriot can make.
‘He is a different player to what we’ve had because he is a real winger,’ Torres said.
‘He is capable of going on the outside or coming inside. He can dribble and cross – he is a complete player. He is really important to the team already.
‘As a striker, it is great to have someone who can cross the ball so well.
‘Having him in the team should create more space for the other forwards because defenders need to watch Albert. That should help the rest of us get more opportunities.’
Liverpool head to Bolton still smarting from a 4-2 League Cup defeat at Tottenham in midweek.
Rafael Benitez’s side are however joint top of the Premier League with Chelsea and Dutch forward Ryan Babel believes early season wins over the Londoners and Manchester United have demonstrated the club’s title-winning credentials.
‘At the end of the season I think the difference will be the games we play against the top sides,’ said Babel.
‘We have already beaten Manchester United and Chelsea so hopefully we can take points from Arsenal as well now.
‘But we try not to look at the others and focus on ourselves. It’s clear that these next few months will be very important. We have a lot of games to play but it’s very important to keep everybody fit and try to win most of the games we play.’
Wiese in the frame to
face England
Agence France-Presse . Berlin
Germany coach Joachim Low hinted Friday he is considering handing Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese his international debut against England in next Wednesday’s friendly here.
After former number one Jens Lehmann retired in August, Wiese broke into the Germany squad this season as third-choice goalkeeper, but found his way into die Mannschaft blocked by Hanover’s Robert Enke and Leverkusen’s Rene Adler.
But Enke broke his hand in training last month and national coach Joachim Low is considering promoting 26-year-old Wiese for the prestigious friendly against Fabio Capello’s England at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
‘Tim has been in the squad for several games now and is well known to us,’ Low told German tabloid Bild.
‘There are considerations in the direction that he will play against England.
‘That is certainly an option.’
Earlier this month, Low ruled out any chance of ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann making his international swansong against England with the national coach saying he wanted to use the game to blood new players.
And for Wiese, who played for Germany against Bayern Munich in Oliver Kahn’s testimonial on September 2, it would be his dream to make his official debut for Germany - regardless of the opponent.
‘It would be an amazing experience to make my debut - whether it is against England or Liechtenstein, it is all the same to me,’ he said.
‘The main thing is to play for my country.’
But there is no place in the senior Germany squad for Wiese’s Bremen colleague Mesut Oezil who will play for the national Under-21 side despite a run of impressive performances this season.
The 19-year-old says he can wait for future opportunities to come his way with the senior team and is looking forward to facing the Italian Juniors in Osnabruck next week.
‘It’s no problem for me, I can wait,’ he said.
Both England and Germany top their respective World Cup qualifier groups with Capello’s England taking four wins from four.
Low announced his squad on Thursday and called up Hoffenheim pair Marvin Compper and midfielder Tobias Weis for the first time as well as Wolfsburg defender Marcel Schaefer.
But there is no place for veterans Torsten Frings or injured Germany captain Ballack, who both criticised Low last month, but later apologised to the national coach for their comments.
Axe hovers over Schuster
Agence France-Presse . Madrid
Bernd Schuster has experienced some lows in his 16-month spell as Real Madrid manager but the German coach is currently facing his most difficult time with intense speculation that he could be set for the axe if things don’t improve, starting with today’s match at Valladolid.
The champions are only two points behind leaders Barcelona but Schuster is feeling the heat after back-to-back defeats to Juventus in the Champions League, unconvincing displays in the league and a humiliating Kings Cup defeat at the Bernabeu to third division Real Union, who play at the same level as Real’s reserves.
‘I’m not worried about my job, but I understand that others will have some doubts,’ said Schuster. ‘That’s logical with what we are seeing.’
To compound Schuster’s woes, Dutch marksman Ruud van Nistlerooy, the league’s top-scorer two seasons ago, is out for the season needing surgery on his troublesome right knee.
Real will hope Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain can fill the void left by van Nistelrooy and build on his four-goal haul in the 4-3 win over Malaga last weekend.
‘It’s very sad because Ruud is very important to this team,’ said Higuain. ‘My team-mates and I offer him all our support and hope he gets better.
‘It was disappointing to go out of the Cup but I don’t think there is a crisis. We are two points behind the leaders and our destiny is in our own hands in the Champions League.’
Alarmingly, Real, who have not kept a clean sheet since the end of September, have leaked eight goals in their last three matches – something Schuster needs to sort out quickly.
Barcelona’s fortunes are the complete opposite with eight straight league wins and scintillating football seeing them sit proudly at the summit.
Barcelona have plundered 34 goals in their first 10 games, with Samuel Eto’o scoring 13 goals after a quadruple last weekend, and the Catalan titans have set their sights on the season record of 107 goals set by John Toshack’s Real Madrid side in 1989/90.
Lionel Messi was unstoppable in last weekend’s 6-0 destruction of Valladolid and team-mate Thierry Henry is in no doubt that the little Argentine is currently the best player on the planet.
‘Messi is the best. What he does is from another world,’ explained Henry. ‘After watching Arsenal against Manchester United, I insist Cristiano Ronaldo is one thing and Messi is another. There is no comparison. Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year.’
Barca’s next opponents are Recreativo Huelva on Sunday and they will be hoping Messi and Eto’o have off days.
Villarreal sit a point behind Barcelona in second and are the only unbeaten team in the league although they crashed out of the Kings Cup to minnows Polideportivo Ejido in midweek.
On Sunday, Manuel Pellegrini’s team travel to promoted Malaga, who were unfortunate not to beat Real Madrid on their own ground last weekend losing 4-3 against ten men.
Valencia are a point behind Villarreal in third – with Real fourth on the same points after a strong start to the campaign – under new coach Unai Emery and host Sporting Gijon tonight
The top five of Barcelona, Villarreal, Valencia, Real Madrid and Sevilla are threatening to race off into the distance and Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre is concerned that his team are already nine points off the Champions League spots.
‘We need to go on a run and win three or four matches on the spin to make sure we stay in touch with the teams at the top,’ explained Aguirre.
Atletico are at home to Deportivo La Coruna, one point above them in sixth, on Sunday and Aguirre could do with a win to calm the persistent talk over his future with last season’s Champions League qualification seemingly not enough to satisfy the demanding board.
Ruud vows to return next season
Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Madrid
Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has vowed to fight back from a career-threatening knee injury and return to action next season.
The 32-year-old Dutchman had surgery on his right knee this week in the United States and told Friday’s Marca newspaper that his career would have been over without it.
‘If they hadn’t put me in the operation theatre football would have been finished for me,’ he said in an interview with the paper in Colorado where the operation was conducted.
‘It’s a long time to be out but there was no other way,’ he added. ‘The injury is serious.’
Van Nistelrooy was treated by Richard Steadman, the surgeon who operated on the same knee in 2000 while the player was at PSV Eindhoven.
‘It’s true I am 32 but eight years ago I was in a similar situation so I know what to do now,’ van Nistelrooy told Marca.
‘The recuperation will be very hard but I will manage it. I still have a lot of goals to score in the Real Madrid shirt and many objectives to achieve.’
Van Nistelrooy damaged the knee during Real’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Juventus last month. He returned for the 2-0 home defeat by the Italians, but a scan appeared to show an aggravation of the injury.
‘It’s one of the most difficult moments of my career, that’s clear,’ he told Marca. ‘But there are two options: give up or fight. And I am going to fight.’
Ben Arfa, Malouda miss out on
France’s Uruguay friendly
Agence France-Presse . Paris
France coach Raymond Domenech on Thursday omitted Marseille’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Chelsea winger Florent Malouda from a 23-man squad to face Uruguay in a friendly on November 19.
Ben Arfa’s absence was part of the rotation policy, Domenech said, while Malouda loses out because of competition down the left flank but remained in contention for playing a second friendly against Argentina on February 11.
The friendly was a chance to ‘continue building the team’ ahead of back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania on March 28 and four days later, which Domenech said could be the turning point of qualification.
‘I won’t say they’ll be “decisive” but they could be turning points,’ he said. ‘There are two friendlies against Uruguay and Argentina which will help us towards that.’ One surprise inclusion in the squad was Caen striker Steve Savidan. ‘He’s one of those whom we want to see at the highest level,’ said Domenech.
‘We’ve seen him for some time in the championship, we want to see whether he can establish that at a high level, we want to see him with other internationals, how he carries himself, how he grows.
‘It’s up to him to show us something.’
Domenech added that no decision had been taken on which of the three goalkeepers – Steve Mandanda, Hugo Lloris or Yohann Pele – would start the game.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Yohann Pele (Le Mans); Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ENG), William Gallas (Arsenal/ENG), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ENG), Philippe Mexes (AS Roma/ITA), Gael Clichy (Arsenal/ENG), Rod Fanni (Rennes), Mickael Silvestre (Arsenal/ENG), Julien Escude (Seville/ESP); Midfielders: Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan/ITA), Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth/ENG), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/GER), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ENG); Strikers: Thierry Henry (Barcelona/ESP), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ENG), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Steve Savidan (Caen), Jimmy Briand (Rennes).
Maradona dismisses quit claims
Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Buenos Aires
Argentina coach Diego Maradona on Thursday denied that he had considered quitting the job only a week after taking over because of a row over his choice of assistant.
‘There’s never been a resignation, there’s never been anything,’ Maradona told reporters during a visit to the resort of Mar del Plata.
‘I’m with the Argentina team for the players and not for anything else,’ added the 48-year-old, one of the greatest players the world has seen and also one of its most troubled.
Maradona, due to make his debut in next Wednesday’s friendly away to Scotland, has run into a deadlock with Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona because he wants former defender Oscar Ruggeri as his assistant.
Grondona has publicly voiced his opposition to Ruggeri, citing personal differences.
On Wednesday, there was widespread speculation among local cable television networks and newspapers that Maradona could even quit over the row.
Critics see the disagreement as the worst possible start and a foretaste of what may be to come with the notoriously unpredictable and impulsive former World Cup captain at the helm.
The choice of Maradona’s assistant had already turned into a saga.
Before being officially confirmed, Maradona said that his former 1986 World Cup team-mates Sergio Batista and Jose Luis Brown would share the job.
But he back-tracked and said that Ruggeri was top of his list.
Argentine media said Thursday that Miguel Angel Lemme and Alejandro Mancuso would take on the role on an interim basis for next Wednesday.
Earlier on Thursday, Ruggeri tried to defuse the row, telling Maradona to travel to Scotland.
‘I want him to travel, to coach the team and we’ll speak again,’ the rugged former defender told the cable television channel TyC Sports.
‘I would be delighted to help but, if not, I will support him from the sidelines as I have always done.’
‘Once he (Grondona) has chosen the coach, he should give him the freedom to pick his own staff.’
Ballack wants to end career at Chelsea
Agence France-Presse . Berlin
Germany captain Michael Ballack has said he wants to finish his career at Premier League giants Chelsea as he prepares to make his return for them today following last month’s foot operation.
Ballack, 32, had surgery on both feet after last month’s World Cup qualifier wins over Russia and Wales and is expected to make his return at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.
‘I am really enjoying my time in London, I am 32 now and I can really imagine finishing my career with Chelsea,’ Ballack told German sports agency SID.
The Germany skipper is under contract in London until June 2009 and is in discussion for a two-year extension which would keep him at Chelsea until beyond the next World Cup, having joined from Bayern Munich in 2006.
The recent operation has kept Ballack out of the Germany squad selected for Wednesday’s friendly against England at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.
Ballack and national coach Joachim Loew had a very public spat last month when the captain accused Loew of not showing his senior players enough loyalty after he dropped veteran Torsten Frings, but Ballack later apologised.
‘I agreed with Joachim Loew that my participation in the international match was still too early and I am not yet over my operation,’ said Ballack.
‘And it is important to be 100 per cent fit for such a prestigious game.’
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has said he is keen to ease Ballack back into domestic football. ‘Scolari has already suggested that he doesn’t want to rush me back,’ said Ballack.
‘I was only back in full training on Tuesday and not yet quite up to speed.
‘I think I will be on the reserves bench this weekend.’
Ballack has scored 39 goals for Germany in 89 internationals since making his debut in 1999 and says his target is to captain his country to World Cup success at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
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