American Serena Williams defeated second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the women’s US Open final Sunday for her ninth career Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking.
   There was plenty at stake as fourth-seeded Williams received the WTA’s top ranking, a spot she previously held for 57 weeks beginning in 2002.
   ‘I am so excited,’ Williams said. ‘I wasn’t even going for number one. It is just an added bonus.’
   Williams, playing in her first US Open final in six years, also picked up 1.5 million dollars in first-place prize money and moved into third on the all-time money list, just ahead of Martina Navratilova.
   The 26-year-old Williams won her 32nd career singles title and wiped away some of the disappointments of losing to sister Venus in the Wimbledon final earlier this year.
   ‘It was magical. It was like everything coming together like magic,’ Williams said.
   Williams fired three aces and hammered 44 winners in the two hour, four minute match in front of a crowd of 19,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
   The women’s final was originally scheduled for Saturday but had to be switched to Sunday after the remnants of tropical storm Hanna washed out part of Saturday’s schedule.
   Williams, who also won the US Open in 1999 and 2002, is enjoying a revival in her game as she stormed through all seven rounds at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set en route to posting her fourth singles title of 2008.
   On Sunday, she kept the Jankovic off guard by imposing her powerful serve and strong ground strokes on the Serbian.
   The 21-year-old Jankovic came out with more spark in the opening set, taking an early break to go up 2-1.
   But Williams broke back in the fourth, sixth and 10th games to take the set.
   Williams clinched the match on her second match point, blasting a backhand winner into the open side of the court.
   She celebrated by throwing her racket into the air and then jumping up and down before going to the net to shake Jankovic’s hand.
   ‘Last time I played Jelena I had a lot of match points and she is the kind of player not going to give it to you. I knew I just had to take it. I had to go for it,’ Williams said.
   Jankovic, who was competing in her first Grand Slam final, said she squandered her chances on the big points.
   ‘I am disappointed that I lost,’ Jankovic said. ‘It is not pleasing when you lose. I felt I had her because she was really tired at the end of the second set.
   ‘Tonight I gave everything. I had had my chances in the first set and second set. I had some unlucky points I should have won them and I didn’t.
   ‘Serena played better tonight. She was too good.’
   Jankovic blew her chance to force a third set as she was up 5-3, 40-0 but then made three-straight unforced errors to let Williams off the hook.
   Both players didn’t want to give an inch, even driving the ball directly at each other on a couple of net points.
   But the mood was lighter during the post-match ceremony as both players thanked their family and friends and even joked around a bit.
   ‘How much do I get?,’ asked Jankovic, who earned 750,000 dollars as the runner-up.
   Earlier in the tournament some of the players and the media had accused Jankovic of over-dramatising some of her injuries.
   She joked to reporters after Sunday’s match that the runner-up trophy she received on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court could have been for best ‘leading role.’
   ‘I was thinking my trophy should be an Oscar,’ Jankovic said.
   This is the ninth time in history that a Grand Slam final has featured two women battling for number one in the world.
   Williams surpasses former No 1 ranked Ana Ivanovic who held the title for 12 weeks before being knocked out in the second round of the final major championship of the season.
   The last time the world number one changed hands in a Grand Slam final was 13 years ago when Steffi Graf beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in a three-set French Open final.

West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and South African Dale Steyn are set to dominate the fifth ICC awards night on Wednesday.
   The three were nominated for both the cricketer of the year and the Test player of the year awards that will be announced at a gala dinner in Dubai, the headquarters of the International Cricket Council.
   South African captain Graeme Smith was the fourth nominee for the cricketer of the year, while team-mate Jacques Kallis completed the list for the Test player of the year.
   None of the four nominees for the cricketer of the year have won the award before, meaning a new name will be inscribed on the prestigious Garfield Sobers Trophy.
   Past winners include India’s Rahul Dravid (2004), England’s Andrew Flintoff and Kallis (joint winners in 2005), and Australia captain Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007).
   The nominees were announced by ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat here on Monday.
   India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been nominated for two prizes, the one-day player of the year and the Twenty20 International performance of the year after leading India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa.
   Indian paceman Ishant Sharma will compete with Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, England all-rounder Stuart Broad and South African fast bowler Morne Morkel for the Emerging Player award.
   Simon Taufel of Australia could win a fifth successive umpire of the year award after being nominated alongside Mark Benson of England, Aleem Dar of Pakistan, Steve Davis of Australia and South African Rudi Koertzen.
   
   Nominees for ICC awards
   Cricketer of the year:
   Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WIS)
   Mahela Jayawardene (SRI)
   Graeme Smith (RSA)
   Dale Steyn (RSA)
   Test player of the year:
   Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WIS)
   Mahela Jayawardene (SRI)
   Jacques Kallis (RSA)
   Dale Steyn (RSA)
   One-day player of the year:
   Nathan Bracken (AUS)
   Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND)
   Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
   Mohammad Yousuf (PAK)
   Emerging player of the year:
   Stuart Broad (ENG)
   Ajantha Mendis (SRI)
   Morne Morkel (RSA)
   Ishant Sharma (IND)
   Associate player of the year:
   Ryan ten Doeschate (NED)
   Alex Obanda (KEN)
   Niall O’Brien (IRL)
   Thomas Odoyo (KEN)
   Twenty20 international performance of the year:
   Chris Gayle (WIS)
   Mahendra Singh Dhoni (IND)
   Brett Lee (AUS)
   Yuvraj Singh (IND)
   Women’s player of the year:
   Nicola Browne (NZL)
   Charlotte Edwards (ENG)
   Lisa Sthalekar (AUS)
   Claire Taylor (ENG)
   Spirit of Cricket award:
   Bangladesh
   New Zealand
   Sri Lanka
   West Indies
   Umpire of the year:
   Mark Benson (ENG)
   Aleem Dar (PAK)
   Steve Davis (AUS)
   Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
   Simon Taufel (AUS)

US Open finalist Andy Murray hopes he can do for British tennis what an Ashes victory did for English cricket and a World Cup title did for England rugby – lift the sport to a higher level.
   Murray gave himself a chance to become Britain’s first Grand Slam men’s singles champion in the 40-year Open era by defeating world number one Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday in the US Open semi-finals.
   To be sure, his challenge is mighty. The 21-year-old Scotsman faces 12-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, the Swiss superstar who seeks his fifth US Open crown in a row, in Monday’s rain-postponed final at Flushing Meadows.
   But Murray has won two of three prior meetings with Federer and remains calm and confident that his workout regimen will pay off with magical match results.
   ‘In the past I maybe did think about pressure because I hadn’t worked maybe as hard as I should have,’ Murray said. ‘But now that’s not the case.’
   Murray will jump to fourth in the new ATP rankings, matching Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman for the highest mark in British history, and has joined Rusedski and John Lloyd as Britain’s only men’s Slam finalists in the Open era.
   That gives him a unique chance to follow in the footsteps of England’s 2005 Ashes cricket victory over Australia, the first since 1987, and England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup finals extra-time triumph over the Aussies.
   ‘When you have a team or someone who wins the big events, it makes a big difference to the popularity of a sport in your country,’ Murray said.
   ‘With rugby back home, when England won the World Cup, rugby became a huge sport pretty much overnight.
   ‘Cricket, when England won the Ashes, that went from being a smaller sport to having a lot of cricketers become celebrities after that. It was sort of a much cooler sport.’
   While Murray’s prime drive to win a Slam title comes from within and the support of family and friends, there is a sense that he could boost tennis in Britain in a way no predecessor has done.
   ‘If the popularity of tennis grows because of me, then that’s great,’ Murray said. ‘I’ve always tried to do bits and pieces for British tennis when I’m back home.
   ‘I think no matter what you do, how many little things you do, when you do something big like this, I think that’s when the big difference happens.’

The second edition of the Twenty20 Champions League will be held in September-October 2009, organisers said on Monday, dealing another blow to the crisis-ridden Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
   The dates of the multi-million dollar event clash with the International Cricket Council’s decision to hold the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in October 2009.
   The Champions Trophy, the International Cricket Council’s second biggest tournament after the World Cup, was due to be held this month but was cancelled by the world body due to security concerns in Pakistan.
   The ICC, while announcing the cancellation last month, said the event would take place in October 2009 with Pakistan remaining the first choice venue pending a security assessment.
   India, Australia and South Africa set themselves on a collision course with the ICC on Monday by saying the next edition of inter-club T20 Champions League will be held from September 25-October 11, 2009.
   With Australia due to tour India for seven one-day internationals from mid-October next year, the ICC faces tough negotiations to go through with the Champions Trophy on the allotted dates.
   ‘The Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa today announced the dates of the second edition of the Champions League Twenty20 from September 25th to October 11th, 2009,’ a joint release by the three boards said.
   ‘The 2009 edition will feature 12 teams and will see 23 matches played. It is scheduled during the prime Indian festive season.’
   ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, in New Delhi to announce the nominees for the 2008 international awards, said the governing body will meet in Dubai on Thursday to discuss the calendar.
   ‘A framework for the existing Future Tours Programme (FTP) exists and we will work within this framework,’ Lorgat told reporters.
   ‘I do not agree with the implication that the FTP is going out of control due to new events.’
   The inaugural eight-nation T20 Champions League, boasting a six-million-dollar purse, is due to take place from December 3-10 this year at a venue yet to be determined.
   The event will be contested by the top two teams of the domestic T20 competitions in India, Australia and South Africa and one team each from England and Pakistan.
   The tournament had been due to take place in September but was put back to December following objections from the ICC that it was being held too close to the now postponed Champions Trophy.
   The recent boom in Twenty20 cricket, sparked by the lucrative Indian Premier League this year, has led to concern in some quarters about the future of traditional Test and one-day cricket.

Even after his ‘B’ sample confirmed his dope flunk, disgraced pacer Mohammad Asif said he would prove his innocence by pointing out to the IPL Drugs Tribunal the procedural irregularities while taking his urine sample.
   Asif’s urine sample, taken during an IPL semifinal match, was found positive for nandrolone and his ‘B’ sample tested in Switzerland confirmed the dope flunk but the traces of the banned substance were of different quantities in the two tests.
   ‘I am confident of clearing myself from doping charges. I say this because of unusual circumstances under which my urine sample was taken. There were irregularities I noticed but I will talk about these when I face the tribunal,’ said Asif who is to appear before an IPL Drugs Tribunal this month.
   He said he was shocked with disbelief when he first heard of his positive dope test in July.
   ‘I just couldn’t believe this had happened. That I had tested positive for any banned substance because I have never used any in my life,’ he said.
   ‘I still don’t understand why it took one and half months for the IPL to announce the result of my dope test. Results of a dope test are nowadays at the most available in a week. It makes me suspicious,’ Asif told Daily Express.
   The pacer also accused some lobby in Pakistan for trying to sully his image and destroy his cricket career.
   ‘I know there is a certain lobby which is out to create problems for me. These incidents happening to me have been blown out of proportion by this same lobby which does not want to see me play for Pakistan,’ he said.
   ‘I had come through 19 days in detention in Dubai, which were the most difficult time for me. So, I am not running away from these problems, I will fight.’

Bangladesh national cricket team returned home from Australia in the early hours of Monday without their coach Jamie Siddons after finishing the three-match ODI series.
   Siddons stayed back in his motherland due to some family engagements and will return to Bangladesh next week.
   Skipper Ashraful admitted that his team failed to live up to the expectations. ‘We could not produce our best. I don’t want to give any excuses,’ said Ashraful.
   However, he also said he was not among the runs and the pressure was there. ‘I am a batsman and I did not
   score many runs, so the pressure was there. The coach’s advice for taking a break hardly has any effect on me,’ said Ashraful.

Hardworking Abahani midfielder Mehedi Hasan Uzzal on Monday stunned the national coach Shafiqul Islam Manik by his decision of not joining the national camp for the Merdeka Cup.
   Uzzal, the automatic choice for the national team for the past few years, is presently having a tough time with his club management. Uzzal has been playing for Dhaka Abahani for the past few years and it seems that his relation with the club officials has deteriorated.
   ‘I will not play football this season.
   ‘I am having some trouble with the club and my mental frame is not so ideal to take up the bigger responsibility. So I have informed the coach about my unavailability in the national camp,’ said Uzzal.
   Uzzal slammed the Abahani officials for their misbehaviour with him and said many of the players are also not happy at the club.

The Trust Bank 8th National Senior/Junior Taekwondo Championships will begin at the National Sports Council gymnasium on Wednesday with 550 male and female players competing in 32 weight categories in the three-day meet. A total of 27 teams will be displaying their skills in the competition.
   The adviser to the interim government for agriculture and waters resources, CS Karim, will inaugurate the championships as the chief guest. Sok Bum Park, the ambassador of South Korea, will be the special guest.
   As the title sponsor Trust Bank has provided a purse of Tk 5 lakh for the meet.
   A press conference held at the NSC auditorium in this connection where the federation officials revealed the details of the meet to the newsmen. Ishtiaque Ahmed Chowdhury, the deputy managing director of Trust Bank, Shamim Ara Khanam, the vice- president of the Bank and Taekwondo Federation general secretary Mahmudul Islam Rana spoke at the press conference.

World number one Rafael Nadal fell one match short of his goal of reaching the US Open final, but the 22-year-old Spanish left-hander looks back at a landmark season with delight despite an upset loss.
   British sixth seed Andy Murray downed the Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4 Sunday in Nadal’s first US Open semi-final, a match that began Saturday but was halted by rain in the third set.
   ‘I’m disappointed but at the same time I’m happy,’ Nadal said. ‘I did a good semi-final and when I arrived I had too many matches on my shoulders. I leave the US Open with positive memories.’
   Nadal won his fourth French Open title in a row in June, defeated Roger Federer in an epic five-set Wimbledon final thriller for the ages in July and took the Olympic title and world number one ranking over Federer in August.
   ‘It was almost a perfect season,’ Nadal said. ‘I did incredible things for me. I didn’t expect a season like this when I started.’
   Asked to define what made this such a breakthrough season, Nadal could only wonder.
   ‘I don’t know. I try my best always. The goal is always the same - improve,’ Nadal said.
   Nadal said his season took off when he reached the clay-court campaign.
   ‘I started playing the best tennis of my career,’ Nadal said. ‘The only physical problem was a blister in Rome. Hamburg, Roland Garros, perfect tournament.’
   The defining moment came when he outlasted Federer at Wimbledon after settling for runner-up honors on the All-England grass the prior two years.
   ‘You know how important it was for me to win Wimbledon after two years playing the finals,’ Nadal said.
   ‘For sure after Wimbledon I had the big goal - number one and Olympics and finals US Open.’
   Murray denied him the treble but Nadal was satisfied having given his all.
   ‘I go on court all day with calm, try to fight as much as I can, going home knowing I tried everything,’ Nadal said. ‘I had my chance in the fourth set. I just didn’t come back.’
   Asked if he might trim his schedule next year to avoid the match fatigue that typically arrives at Flushing Meadows, Nadal pointed out that playing so many events is what enabled him to become the world number one.
   ‘If you want to be in the top position, do you think you have any chance if you play less? No,’ he said.
   Next on Nadal’s agenda is a Davis Cup semi-final in Spain later this month and the season-ending Masters Series event at Shanghai.
   ‘Hopefully I can recover for this important series and later for the Masters Series final in Shanghai,’ Nadal said.

It’s the $20million question. Who are England going to take to Antigua for the Stanford Super Series and thereby hand a chance of the biggest payday of their careers? Today those lucky few will be announced, along with the one-day squad to tour India and the next batch of central contracts. Players will be hanging by the phone more than usual.
   Given the cohesive unit Kevin Pietersen has formed in the first few weeks of his captaincy, the Stanford game throws up a few potential difficulties. There are going to be some very disappointed players who miss out on the trip and it will be one of Pietersen’s challenges to make sure any feelings of resentment don’t linger. It’s possible that a couple of players who don’t go to Antigua will still be named for India. Four weeks travelling between the likes of Guwahati and Jamshedpur doesn’t sound quite as appealing as a week by the beach.
   However, if the selectors want to give England the best chance of claiming the bounty they will have to banish all thoughts of keeping people happy. England haven’t yet found a Twenty20 formula that works consistently; from a financial point of view November 1 would be a good time to start.
   As with most squads, the majority of places are decided fairly easily. The core of the side remains the same from 50-over to 20-over cricket. It’s those few variables that will provide the tricky decisions. An extra batsman? How many spinners? Quick bowlers versus allrounders?
   He has come to the party very late, but Steve Harmison is back in favour with everyone that matters. It will be a gamble to play him, but such is Twenty20 that any bowler can suddenly be taken for 10 an over. Wickets are important, too, and four good overs from Harmison can win a game. If England take just 13 players it will be difficult to squeeze in four quicks, so Ryan Sidebottom could be left to rue his brittle second half to the season. For 18 months he has carried England’s attack, but sentiment isn’t going to win anyone any money.
   The key also lies in having players who can slot in and play a number of roles, so Ravi Bopara should travel as he can be a spare batsman, fill-in bowler and is lively in the field. No place, however, for Alastair Cook whose game is not suited to Twenty20. The matches will all be played on Allen Stanford’s postage-stamp ground near the airport, but that doesn’t mean spin should be discounted. The slow bowlers have been matchwinners in all conditions in Twenty20, so Graeme Swann should catch the plane, alongside Samit Patel, and keep his dream of a pink Ferrari alive. Again, he is also a multi-dimensional cricketer.
   With the uniqueness of the prize on offer there will be a clamour for the selectors to be bold. Graham Napier is the name that comes out on top after his unbeaten 152 against Sussex in June. He followed it with a couple of other eye-catching displays, but there has certainly been a case of bandwagon-jumping with all the talk of him being an England player. Twenty20 specialists were tried in South Africa last year - remember Chris Schofield, Darren Maddy, Jeremy Snape and James Kirtley? - with little success.
   After Stanford’s 20-20 for 20 it’s back to the day job. Seven ODIs around some of the less-trodden paths of India. This will be the true guide of Pietersen’s captaincy, Harmison’s drive and the new-found team spirit.
   After a 4-0 series win against South Africa there won’t be many changes. The one major question mark is the spare batsman. According to Peter Moores, Cook has been “working hard” on his one-day batting, but is he really the man to take on the Powerplays in India if Ian Bell goes down sick on the morning of a game? Joe Denly, the Kent opener, has been consistently impressive in one-day cricket this season and, unlike Cook, can confidently go over the infield and isn’t afraid to use his feet. Cook will probably tour - team bonding and all that - but a Denly debut would be a bold selection.
   The final major announcement today will be the 12-month central contracts. Expect them to confirm the end of Matthew Hoggard’s career and the fact that the only way back for Michael Vaughan will be a mountain of runs. For the second year running there is unlikely to be a wicketkeeper in the contracted list, although Matt Prior is now set for a long run in all forms of the game. That means a return to the Test squad when it is named at the end of the month, but for now he’ll be more than happy with his Twenty20 place.
   Squad for Stanford (probable): Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Owais Shah, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steve Harmison.
   India ODI tour (probable): Kevin Pietersen (capt), Ian Bell, Alastair Cook/Joe Denly, Matt Prior (wk), Owais Shah, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steve Harmison, Ryan Sidebottom.
   Central contracts (probable): Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar.

Jelena Jankovic learned some things the hard way in her first Grand Slam final.
   Huge television screens and slow rivals are distractions. They do not award Oscars. They do give drug tests. And when you are mainly worried about your next-day shopping trip, it helps to know how much money you might win.
   The Serbian second seed was like Alice in Wonderland after losing to Serena Williams 6-4, 7-5 in Sunday’s title match of the year’s last Grand Slam event.
   ‘It’s a great learning experience for me,’ Jankovic said. ‘I really had fun the whole two weeks. It was special. I really love the atmosphere, the crowd, the people. The city has so much energy. It suits my personality quite well.’
   One reason is that she came off as a drama queen much of the week with regard to injuries, a notion she joked should bring her a Hollywood honor rather than a tennis trophy.
   ‘I should have gotten an Oscar for all this drama,’ she said. ‘I should have gotten a trophy for the acting.’
   There was disappointment at squandering chances to capture the second set but in the end, Jankovic was happy that a year filled with injuries could lead to a long-sought Slam final with a sense of greater things to come.
   ‘I worked really hard to get to this stage,’ Jankovic said. ‘It will give me a lot of motivation to work hard on my game and improve myself. I believe I’ll be playing many more finals in the future. I’m only 23. My time will come.’
   Jankovic was annoyed by what she saw as Williams taking too long between points, buying time to rest between points, complaining to the umpire at one stage.
   ‘I was a little bit upset,’ Jankovic said. ‘She took quite a lot of time in between points and I thought it was not fair. Not once. Many times she took her time to recover and get herself back together.
   ‘Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference. Maybe it would. I lost. She won. That’s what counts.’
   Also distracting were giant TV screens atop the ends of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
   ‘I was laughing at all these people dancing,’ Jankovic said. ‘It’s probably why I lost my concentration and made all those double faults. It’s why I made all these mistakes when I shouldn’t have.
   ‘They should turn it off because I keep looking at it. I keep watching. You see your big face up there. I cannot focus. I keep looking at it. Your eyes just go up because you know there is something going on up there.’
   Jankovic had no clue her runner-up prize was 750,000 dollars, half of what Williams won but still enough for a Manhattan shopping spree.
   ‘Now I have a lot of money to spend. Tomorrow is my day to go shopping,’ she said.
   But first she had to take a doping test. That had her drinking bottles of water in an effort to produce a sample.
   ‘I can’t even go to the toilet,’ she said. ‘I have to drink some more water or else I will be here until 2 or 3 in the morning and then I won’t feel good for my shopping, which is not good.’
   After joking she was ready to retire, Jankovic said she is looking forward to a long break from the sport.
   ‘It’s time to relax, some fun, do activities other than hit the ball and do a lot of running on the court,’ she said. ‘Now I can maybe put on some high heels and do something else.’

Sourav Ganguly has been left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy match, starting on September 24, in Vadodara. Mohammad Kaif, picked from the India A side after his 94 against Australia A, has been preferred to Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath.
   Ashok Dinda, the Bengal medium-pacer, got a surprise call-up to the squad that is meant to feature probables for the Australia series in October.
   Sachin Tendulkar, who declared himself fit for the match, against Ranji champions Delhi, has made it along with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Parthiv Patel, the other promotion from the India A side, is likely to open the batting with Wasim Jaffer.
   Badrinath, meanwhile, will continue leading India A side, in the limited-overs tri-series, involving Australia A and New Zealand A, starting on September 15. His deputy will be Suresh Raina, fresh from impressive showings in the Asia Cup and in Sri Lanka. Dinesh Karthik, who lost out on the Irani Trophy slot to Parthiv, will be India A’s keeper in the tri-series.
   There were rewards for those who did well in the inaugural IPL: Swapnil Asnodkar, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yusuf Pathan and Wriddhiman Saha found themselves in the 15-member squad. Hyderabad opener DB Ravi Teja was included, as was Saurashtra’s Jaydev Shah. Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar, India’s ODI regulars, will also play in the series, while Piyush Chawla and Robin Uthappa, dropped recently, get another chance to impress the selectors.
   Rest of India squad: Anil Kumble (capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Mohammad Kaif, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, RP Singh, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh.
   India A squad: S Badrinath (capt.), Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Swapnil Asnodkar, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Dhaval Kulkarni, Piyush Chawla, Ravi Teja, Yusuf Pathan, Jaydev Shah, Wriddhiman Saha.

Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, has said he will need to find ways to beat the Indians after they managed to play him reasonably well during the recently-concluded one-day series. India won the series 3-2 and Mendis took 13 wickets at 11.69 but he said the Indians played him cautiously.
   ‘Talented batsmen learn quickly and correct their mistakes,’ Mendis told the Sunday Lakbima News, a Sri Lanka-based weekly. ‘It should be like that.
   ‘I didn’t expect it to be so successful. But I should say this - I’ve a long way to go.’
   Mendis also said English counties Sussex, Surrey and Kent had expressed interest in him but he decided to take a month off to rest. He also planned to work on his batting during the period.
   He asked fans and the media not to expect too much from him for that put him under a lot of pressure. ‘I’m still new to this field. Don’t worry. I know how to use my head. I don’t run after money. My first place is for cricket. I’ll get everything if only I play well.’

Serie A side Napoli have been fined 10,000 euros (14,200 dollars) and ordered to close two parts of their stands for four league games after violent scenes during a match against AS Roma last month.
   Parts of the A and B stands which are normally occupied by the club’s notorious ‘ultras’ supporters, who threw objects including bottles, money and fireworks at stewarts and Roman supporters, will be closed.
   The games effected will be against Fiorentina and Palermo on September 14 and 24, and Juventus and Reggina on October 19 and 29.
   Italy’s interior ministry have alread banned Napoli fans from travelling to away matches all season after violence flared on the opening day of the season during the encounter with Roma.
   A train was vandalised as an estimated 1,000 fans, mostly without tickets, boarded a train at Naples bound for Rome where the match was being played.

Italian fifth seed Francesca Schiavone and China’s ninth seed Peng Shuai led the charge Monday into the second round of the Bali Open.
   Schiavone, who made a major impact the last time she played here in 2005 when she reached the final before falling to Lindsay Davenport, enjoyed an easy return to the tropical island, crushing local hope Sandy Gumulya, 6-2, 6-0.
   Peng outclassed Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-1 while Chinese compatriot Meng Yuan, who often gets overshadowed by her more illustrious teammate, rallied from a set down to topple Kazakh wild card Yaroslava Shvedova, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.
   Her reward is a second round encounter with Swiss veteran and second seed Patty Schnyder.
   In another first round match, Poland’s Marta Domachowska ended the short-lived hopes of Indonesia’s Lavinia Tananta, 6-2, 6-3.
   Elsewhere, Uzbekistan’s Akgul Amanmuradova set up a showdown with Schiavone by whipping Indonesian qualifier Ayufani Damayanti 6-2, 6-1 and Tamira Paszek of Austria beat Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) in straight sets.
   Slovakia’s top seed Daniela Hantuchova received a bye into the second round and plays either Ukraine’s Olga Savchuk or Alla Kudryavtseva, the Russian who sensationally upset Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.
   Third seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy, hot off her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open, gets her tournament underway today.

Formula One was plunged into new controversy on Sunday when race stewards at the Belgian Grand Prix stunningly stripped Lewis Hamilton of a brilliant victory.
   The stewards’ decision, which will be seen by many as part of a conspiracy to rig the results to ensure a close fight in the title race, came long after the race when they hit the Briton and his McLaren team with a 25-second penalty.
   Their decision came in relation to a move in the final stages of the race when after attempting to pass Ferrari world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who was leading, he was forced off the circuit and cut out the ‘Bus Stop’ chicane.
   Hamilton recognised immediately that he had done this - and gained an advantage by going ahead of the Finn - so he slowed to allow his rival to re-pass him and lead as they completed the lap in teeming rain.
   When they began racing again, 23-year-old Hamilton passed Raikkonen and went on to win after the Finn slipped on the rain-drenched surface and crashed out.
   Hamilton was relegated to third and the race victory was handed to Ferrari’s Brazilian driver Felipe Massa who had struggled to keep pace with the Briton and Raikkonen.
   McLaren said they would appeal the decision.
   ‘We have studied the details and put them before the FIA stewards,’ said a team statement.
   ‘They show that after cutting the chicane Lewis lifted off, he was 6km/h slower than Kimi. After conceding the lead to Kimi, Lewis repositioned his car on the right and beat Kimi on the brakes going into the hairpin.’
   Critics and paddock observers were swift in their condemnation of a decision that reeked of potential favouritism for Ferrari and seemed entirely unjustified following the most exciting race of the year.
   Last year, the sport’s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA) was accused of a ‘witch-hunt’ against McLaren and this spectre was raised again by their stewards action at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
   In the immediate post-race euphoria on Sunday, there were no calls for an investigation by any driver or team, but the stewards announced they would be making an official investigation.
   The decision to hit Hamilton with a ‘drive-through’ penalty worth 25 seconds wrecked the value of the race as a spectacle and at the same time devalued Massa’s win to nothing more than a hollow sporting victory gifted to him.
   It will be seen by most observers as another move by the FIA artificially to keep alive the championship and make it closer by hitting McLaren with a sanction.
   At the previous race in Valencia, Ferrari escaped any punishment for taking advantage at a controversial pit-stop when most observers expected Massa, who escaped sanction, to be given a ‘drive-through’ penalty.
   Sunday’s shock decision, which demoted Hamilton to third place behind Massa and BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld, left the British driver with just a two-point lead over Massa in the championship with only five races left.
   ‘Kimi pushed me wide. I was a little bit ahead. I was outside on Turn One, I had no room and he basically pushed me so I went on the escape route,’ said Hamilton before his punishment was announced.
   ‘So I let him past, then got in his tow and he was ducking and diving left and right but I managed to get past him and I was pretty much gone from there.’
   Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain came home fourth for Renault ahead of German Sebastian Vettel in a Toro Rosso and sixth-placed Pole Robert Kubica in the second BMW.
   In another late development, Timo Glock of Toyota was demoted a place to ninth, with Mark Webber of Red Bull promoted to eighth, following a 25sec penalty for not taking notice of yellow flags.

Jason Koumas is out of Wales’ World Cup qualifier in Russia on Wednesday with an ankle injury, while Paul Parry has withdrawn after deciding to retire.
   Koumas played through the pain barrier in their Group Four opener, a 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in Cardiff on Saturday.
   The midfielder admitted. ‘I needed three different injections beforehand.’
   Wales are also without Craig Bellamy, James Collins and Danny Gabbidon and Koumas’ absence is another major blow, but Gareth Bale will travel to Russia.
   Experienced manger John Toshack says he is suffering the biggest injury crisis of his 30 years of management.
   Toshack is without his first-choice strike-force as Bellamy (hamstring) and Freddy Eastwood (groin) are out, while Cardiff attacker Parry announced his surprise retirement on Sunday at the age of 28.
   It is understood that Parry was unhappy with being an unused substitute against Azerbaijan, despite being told that he would start against Russia.
   Defensive back-bone Gabbidon and Collins are long-term absentees, while Lewin Nyatanga is also sidelined.
   Wales fans now fear an inexperienced Wales side will be exposed against highly-acclaimed Euro 2008 semi-finalists Russia in their intimidating Lokomotiv Stadium.
   Toshack admitted Tottenham Hotspur’s £10m full-back Gareth Bale complained ‘a little bit of groin injury’ in the second half.
   After beating the Azeri, a dejected Koumas told BBC Sport, ‘I had an injection in my ankle 10 minutes before kick-off of the Azerbaijan to settle it down.
   ‘I can’t have another three injections in my ankle again like I did this week as that would put me back weeks.’
   Koumas had a reputation for suffering travel-sickness for Wales as he didn’t play an international match outside the UK for two-and-a-half years.
   But since travelling to Luxembourg for a friendly in March, the 28-year-old has played three successive away games.
   Toshack, however, admitted: ‘It is true that against the better sides he has not always given us what we would like.
   ‘But Jason’s goals record against lesser teams is outstanding. He has won us games on his own.
   ‘If you need a goal you have to leave Jason on, even if his fitness levels are not quite what we are looking for. He’s been injured and not always playing for his club.
   ‘Sometimes I think he’s got to come off, fitness-wise, but then we know what he can produce at any moment with skill and vision.
   ‘His attitude is much better with us over the last 12 months. I have seen an improvement.
   ‘We are not waiting and wondering now if he will turn up and as a player I do like what he can do.
   ‘But at the highest level of international football, players around him must be aware they need to fill in behind him. Joe Ledley does that for him.
   ‘I like him – maybe there’s not something quite right with me! I understand him. And he understands that I know what he is about.’
   The enigmatic midfielder missed a penalty and, frustrated by his own inability to produce his best, lost patience with Macedonian referee Aleksandr Stavrev after one debatable decision too many.
   Koumas cracked the ball high into the empty stands and promptly received a yellow card that could have consequences later in the campaign.
   ‘With things like that booking, maybe the penny will never drop for him,’ admitted Toshack.
   Arsenal teenager Aaron Ramsey could have replaced Koumas as Wales’ playmaker in Russia.
   But Ramsey has been told by Toshack he and Middlesbrough defender Rhys Williams will join Brian Flynn’s Wales Under-21 side of their crucial UEFA European qualifier in Romania.
   Should Wales beat Romania in Iasi on Tuesday, Flynn’s youngsters would win Group Ten and qualify for the European Championship play-offs – a step closer to becoming the first Welsh team to qualify for a major tournament for 50 years.
   Senior Welsh internationals Bale, Chris Gunter, Wayne Hennessey, Ledley, Sam Vokes and Ched Evans are all still young enough for Flynn’s Under-21 team.
   But due to his extensive injury list, Toshack confirmed, ‘Only Aaron and Rhys will be going with Brian’s team, the rest will stay with us and go to Russia.’
   Koumas and skipper Simon Davies were the senior figures in rookie Wales’ disappointing 1-0 win over Group Four minnows Azerbaijan at the Millennium Stadium.
   Koumas, so often Wales’ match-winner, was not his influential self against the Azeri and had a poor second-half penalty saved.
   The 31-time capped midfielder revealed afterwards, ‘I had to play in this game bearing in mind the other injuries. I had to take on an extra responsibility because we had such a young side.
   ‘I chatted with John Toshack at the start of the week and it was important I played this game.
   ‘It was massively important we started with a win and I’m particularly relieved we got it after I missed my penalty.
   ‘I just didn’t feel comfortable stepping up to take the penalty, whether it was because I could feel the ankle or whether it was because of a lack of training in the week.’
   Koumas admits he owes a debt of gratitude to substitute striker Vokes, 18, who rescued Wales with a winner seven minutes from the end.
   ‘What a home debut!’ said Vokes.
   ‘It was great to get the call to go on and to get the goal was a dream.
   ‘Ched and I did well when we came on as we know each other well because we’ve scored goals for Wales’ Under-21 side.
   ‘We have a good partnership and a good understanding. He has already scored for the senior side so I’m glad I have as well now.’

France’s Jean-Francois Lucquin won the European Masters here on Sunday beating longtime leader Rory McIlroy in a play-off.
   The Frenchman shot a bogey free 67 to wipe out the 19-year-old Northern Irishman’s four-shot overnight lead and snatched the title with a birdie at the second play-off hole.
   McIlroy suffered bogeys on the second and third holes and suddenly found himself one behind.
   At one point he was down to fourth, but back he came and a 20-foot birdie putt on the long 15th took him into the lead again.
   After pars on the next two he went over the back of the final green, chipped five feet past and missed it for a round of 71.
   ‘Obviously I am very disappointed,’ said McIlroy after both men had finished on 13 under par 271 for the tournament.
   ‘I got very unlucky on the 18th in regulation, where it got a pretty big bounce for a sand wedge.
   ‘I hit a good chip, but not a very good putt. Then second time around in the play-off it didn’t really matter as he holed his.
   ‘That made me feel a bit better after missing that putt. I can take a lot from this week - I played very well all week and played well coming down the stretch, but unfortunately one bad shot cost me.
   ‘I came here after three missed cuts in a row and found a bit of form. It would have been nice to go home with the trophy, but I have plenty more tournaments even this year.’
   Lucquin birdied the par five first, the par three eighth and then picked up shots on consecutive holes at the tenth and 11th.
   On the 18th he made a solid putt for par, which proved crucial as he finished on 13 under par 271 for the tournament.
   McIlroy, trying to become the third-youngest winner in European Tour history, missed a five foot putt for par at the 18th that would have given him the title.
   But worse was to follow as he then missed again from only about 18 inches at the second play-off hole.
   It left Lucquin with two putts to win from 12 feet, but he needed only one of them for his first European Tour victory in 175 attempts.
   Lucquin said: ‘I have no words to explain what I am feeling. I don’t know what happened (to McIlroy) on the second.
   ‘He asked if he could finish, I said that was okay and he missed it. That made it easier for me.’
   Four players tied for third place, including home favourite Julien Clement, who finished an impressive tournament with a 68.
   Gary Orr and Miguel Angel Jimenez also finished 11 under par after both hit 67s today, with France’s Christian Cévaër also taking a share of third with a 68.

Manchester City will not abandon their highly successful youth policy despite the huge investment expected in transfer funds at the club.
   City’s prospective new owners, Abu Dhabi United Group, have pledged to spend large sums on new players.
   But the academy has produced more than 20 first-team players in recent years.
   ‘The youth policy still has a role to play,’ said manager Mark Hughes.
   ‘What we have now have are the means to enhance that operation.’
   Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards and Michael Johnson have come through the system at City, which is run by academy director Jim Cassell.
   And Hughes added: ‘The academy has been extremely successful in recent years. With extra funds it can produce even better players.
   ‘It’s important for any successful team to have a group of players who have an empathy for the club.
   ‘We have that with the guys who have come through the academy.
   ‘But we are not just going
   to fill the squad as a token gesture to the work the academy does.
   ‘The quality of players has to be sufficient to play in the Premier League.
   ‘That is what their work is judged on.’
   City broke the British transfer record when they paid Real Madrid £32.5m for Brazilian Robinho on transfer deadline day.
   The Abu Dhabi United Group have already made their intentions clear, claiming they intend to make City ‘bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United’.
   And the club have been linked with a host of big-name players, such as Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rio Ferdinand resumed training with his England team-mates here on Monday, handing Fabio Capello a major boost ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying clash with Croatia in Zagreb.
   Manchester United defender Ferdinand had been struggling with a neck problem and missed the 2-0 victory over Andorra here on Saturday.
   But after Monday’s session, he was passed fit to travel to the Croatian capital and will expect to return to the centre of defence alongside captain John Terry, with Everton’s Joleon Lescott making way.
   Head coach Capello, who is under pressure after England’s lacklustre display against the group minnows, is expected to promote Joe Cole to the starting line-up after the Chelsea midfielder came off the bench to score both goals against Andorra.
   England head for Zagreb aiming to avoid a repeat of the defeat they suffered there at the start of their unsuccessful campaign to reach Euro 2008.

Colombia’s Camilo Villegas captured the title at the seven million-dollar BMW Championship on Sunday, going wire-to-wire for his maiden victory on the US PGA Tour.
   ‘Oh man,’ said Villegas, who is the first player in 12 years to win his first title by going wire-to-wire. ‘It was a lot of hard of hard work and it’s awesome to be here. Hopefully it’s the first of many.’
   Villegas needed just 25 putts for a final round 68 to hold off American Dudley Hart who stormed to a five-under 65 and finished two strokes back.
   Villegas’ win puts him in second place in the season-ending playoff points race behind Fiji’s Vijay Singh, who likely clinched the title.
   The 26-year-old Colombian rolled in a three-foot putt on the final hole to seal the victory and finish with a 15-under 265 total.
   He is the first player to win his first PGA title in wire-to-wire fashion since Tim Herron at the 1996 Honda Classic.
   Villegas was too good for his rivals.
   ‘It’s been a crazy week with the weather, long days, but you know what, I’ll do everything it takes to win a tournament,’ said Villegas. ‘I can’t wait to see my friends and family.
   ‘There’s a big team behind me, my family, friends. They motivate me to keep working, keep going, give it all, because it’s a tough game and we’re playing against the best players in the world.’
   Meanwhile, Singh, who won the first two playoff events, cannot be overtaken in the playoff standings as long as he completes 72 holes at the Tour Championship.
   And even if he somehow is disqualified and receives no points, he will take the title anyway unless Villegas wins the tournament.
   Villegas started the final round with a one-stroke lead over American Jim Furyk, but fell behind after six holes before hitting the front again at the par-four ninth, which Furyk bogeyed.
   If one hole was pivotal, it was the par-four 10th, where Furyk made another bogey.
   Villegas was also in danger of dropping a shot after hitting a weak first putt from the fringe, but he drained a downhill seven-footer to save par and increase his lead to two strokes.
   More birdies at No. 13 and 14 gave Villegas a nice cushion over the fast-finishing Hart, who birdied the final two holes.

Former German international Mario Basler on Monday took over as coach of fourth division Trier.
   The 39-year-old ex-Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen and Kaiserlautern star has his work cut out at a club who have taken just one point in three games and are second from bottom of their league.
   Basler had been coaching second division Koblenz since the summer of 2007.
   The former striker, who won 30 caps for Germany, had an unsuccessfuly three month stint at another fourth division club Ratisbonne in 2004-05.

Two goals from man-of-the match Luiz Fabiano and one from Manchester City's new signing Robinho put Brazil's World Cup qualification back on track here Sunday with a 3-0 win over Chile. The five-time World Cup winners had been languishing in sixth place in the 10-team South American zone qualifier, two places outside of assuring one of the four automatic places for the 2010 finals in South Africa.
   And with coach Dunga under constant criticism for recent poor performances, including from his country's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the trip to Santiago had loomed as a potential disaster.
   Chile opened well and dominated proceedings, but it was Sevilla striker Fabiano who opened the scoring against the run of play in the 20th minute when he headed home a Ronaldinho free-kick.
   It was Brazil's first goal in 317 minutes play, the last having come in a friendly against Canada in June. The AC Milan midfielder, showing glimpses of his top form, had the chance to make it 2-0 after Diego was downed in the box in the 34th minute, but his penalty-kick was superbly saved by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
   Ten minutes later and on the stroke of half-time though Fabiano made an opening for former Real Madrid star Robinho and he made no mistake to make it 2-0. Cheered on by a capacity 70,000 crowd, the Chileans flung everything into attack at the start of the second half, and with tempers flaring both Brazil's Kleber Anderson and Chile's Jorge Valvidia were sent off. With Brazil content to sit back on their lead, the home side pressed forward and were caught out eight minutes from time when Fabiano struck for his second goal of the match with a shot that went through Bravo's legs.
   The win hoisted Brazil into second place in the standings level on 12 points from seven games with eternal rivals Argentina but ahead on goal difference.
   Paraguay remain top on 14 points ahead of Wednesday's eighth round of games which see Brazil host bottom dogs Bolivia and Argentina travel to second-bottom Peru. Paraguay also have a comfortable-looking matchup against third from bottom Venezuela.
   'I think that our president will be happy today as will all Brazilians thanks to the way our team played,' former World Cup skipper Dunga said.
   'In Brazil we have a lot of obligations - first of all to win, secondly to score a lot of goals and thirdly to put on a show - it's not always possible.'

England's senior players, including David Beckham and John Terry, are attempting to quash any talk of revenge as they prepare for a World Cup qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday that could begin to define the new Fabio Capello era.
   It was Croatia who dramatically ended England's hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals when they won 3-2 at Wembley last November, a result that ultimately led to the sacking of head coach Steve McClaren.
   Slaven Bilic's side also beat McClaren's team 2-0 at home during the same campaign and the wounds from both those defeats still fester for many players in the England camp.
   Their return to Zagreb, so early in the World Cup qualifying campaign, is certain to bring calls for both revenge and redemption but Beckham, in particular, is anxious to avoid any further hype.
   Having stuttered to a 2-0 victory over Andorra in their opening match in Group 6 this is hardly the time for England to indulge in overblown statements, particularly as they have yet to impress under new manager Capello - the man brought in at great expense to save English football from another summer home alone in 2010.
   'It's not about having a score to settle,' insisted Beckham. 'We just want to get a good result and put a good performance in, that's the thing.
   'It's not about settling old scores and old games we've played against Croatia because we know they are a tough team, we know they've got some really good players and we know it's very hostile there.
   'We have to forget about what has gone on in the past. This is the present and we have to work towards what we want to achieve in this group.'
   Beckham's message was echoed by his captain Terry in Barcelona, where England will continue to be based until flying to Zagreb on Monday evening.
   Terry said, 'I don't want to get across any kind of revenge message but, at the same time, it's a new campaign and we are going there to pick up three points, so if we can get off to a good six-point start then we will take that.
   'We have to rise to the challenge. We know it's difficult and we know they have not been beaten there for a long time. We have to go there with a clean slate and not think about the last game we played against them.'
   It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, Capello makes to his team after he needed Joe Cole to come off the bench and save England against Andorra with two quick goals early in the second half at the Estadi Olimpic.
   Certainly Cole will hope to replace the ineffective Stewart Downing in the starting line-up while Beckham, left on the bench against Andorra as Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was handed his debut, is tipped to return in Zagreb where experience will be crucial.
   But the former England captain is positioning himself very much as a team player these days.
   He said, 'We will have to wait and see if I start the next game. At the end of the day it's all about a squad, I've already said that. I was happy to get on and get another cap but I think the players stuck together against Andorra, and we have done all week.
   'We've worked hard together as a unit, not just the starting 11 but everybody else that's in the squad. Obviously I've got experience but there's other players that are younger than me that have got experience just by the fact that they have played in some of the biggest games in the world.
   'We've got that experience and we will need it on Wednesday.'

The war of words between Germany captain Michael Ballack and general manager Oliver Bierhoff has continued to escalate, despite clear-the-air talks last week.
   The pair’s relationship has been strained to such a degree that the German Football Association has stepped in, asking them to resolve their differences last Tuesday when the national team met in Munich.
   But Bierhoff could not resist another swipe at Ballack following Germany’s 6-0 win over Liechtenstein without their injured captain.
   ‘The national team has played well without Michael Ballack and is not dependent on him,’ he said.
   Ballack responded by turning Bierhoff’s words around in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on Sunday.
   He said: ‘The national team has won games before Oliver Bierhoff was manager and it will not be decisive for our future success whether Bierhoff is manager or not.’
   The pair clashed at the end of the Euro 2008 final defeat to Spain when Ballack refused to follow Bierhoff’s orders and hold up a banner to thank the fans.
   The Chelsea midfielder instead made a personal gesture to the Germany fans by applauding them and exchanging consoling words in front of the stands at the Ernst-Happel Stadion.
   Ballack is currently unavailable for Germany due to injury, but he has spent time with the squad recently to receive treatment from Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt.
   Germany coach Joachim Low recently moved to play down any friction between the pair claiming Ballack would not have joined up with the squad if he had any problems with meeting Bierhoff.
   Meanwhile, misfiring Germany striker Miroslav Klose has been backed to recover from his goalscoring drought by his international team-mates.
   Klose, top scorer at the 2006 World Cup in his homeland, has struggled in front of goal in 2008, netting just seven times for club and country.
   It is a run that has seen the Bayern Munich hitman’s place in the national team come under scrutiny by sections of the German media, but Klose’s Germany team-mates Piotr Trochowski and Philipp Lahm insist it is too early to write him off just yet.
   ‘He may not be scoring now, but some players work more for the team even when they are not scoring,’ said Hamburg forward Trochowski.
   ‘Things are not all that bad with Miro. He is providing lots of passes and making room for other players with his runs.
   ‘The important thing is he remains relaxed and soon the goals will start raining in.’
   Klose’s Bayern team-mate Lahm added: ‘Of course a striker needs goals, but a lot of strikers have had a so-called crisis in the past and that just seems to be affecting Miro at the moment, but I am convinced he will pull out of it.’
   Klose also appears to have the unswerving support of Germany coach Joachim Low, who made the 30-year-old his captain for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein. Klose should wear the armband again in Finland on Wednesday.

Wayne Rooney believes England have to find their best form if they are to get a result against Croatia on Wednesday.
   Fabio Capello’s men looked nervous at times when they defeated Andorra at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on Saturday, with the clash in Zagreb seen as a fixture that could define their World Cup qualifying campaign.
   ‘Croatia are a good footballing team and we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game,’ Rooney said. ‘We’ll have to defend well, first of all, and create opportunities going forward. Hopefully we can do that.’
   Since scoring twice in Euro 2004 against Croatia, Rooney has added only five goals in an England shirt to take his overall tally to 14, but he insists a lack of international goals is not weighing on his mind.
   Observers have noted Rooney’s other contributions aside from goalscoring, and that there is more to the 22-year-old’s game than finding the back of the net.
   Midfielder Frank Lampard said: ‘The thing with Wayne is that he is not just a goalscorer, he’s a creator and works hard for the team, creating angles, not just an out-and-out striker.’
   Meanwhile, Theo Walcott got his first start when he was selected to face Andorra and he feels he is ready to help England qualify for South Africa 2010.
   Sven-Goran Eriksson famously took a gamble on Walcott for the 2006 tournament but did not use the Arsenal winger.
   Walcott said: ‘The confidence is there now. I’ve started every game this season for Arsenal bar one and I feel I’ve got so much confidence.
   ‘I’m training well and when you are training well your confidence flows and it’s just instinct really.
   ‘I feel great. I’m buzzing at the moment. I’m flying. I’m looking forward to it. I just can’t wait for Wednesday.’

Gianfranco Zola emerged Monday as a strong favourite to become West Ham’s new manager after Croatia boss Slaven Bilic was quoted as saying he does not want the job. Bilic, a former Hammers defender, was seen as the leading candidate to take over at Upton Park following Alan Curbishley’s resignation last week, but he appears committed to the task of leading his country to the 2010 World Cup finals.
   ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Bilic told The Sun newspaper. ‘Any club from England is a great opportunity. Not for money, honestly, for me it’s about ambition. It’s about working in England, a country you know I adore.
   ‘But it’s like, no. West Ham is my club, I have feelings for them but I won’t go.’
   Bilic led Croatia to Euro 2008 last year and his reputation as a coach was enhanced by home and away wins over England in the qualifiers. The two countries have been drawn together in the World Cup qualifying competition and England are due to play in Zagreb on Wednesday.
   Bilic added, ‘I had many offers in the period between our win at Wembley last November until I signed a new deal (with the Croatian FA) in May.
   ‘I decided to stay. Whether that’s good for me only God knows.’
   Croatian football chiefs have expressed anger over the speculation linking Bilic to the West Ham job, which they see as a plot to destabilise the national team ahead of Wednesday’s crucial match.
   Vlatko Markovic, the Croatian FA’s president, was quoted in English media as saying, ‘This is another dirty trick by the English. They obviously want to cause trouble for us before we play.
   ‘It’s typical of the sleaze in English football. For the story about West Ham wanting Bilic to come out now is very poor.
   ‘We are very suspicious and unhappy as it is not the first time something like this has happened with England.’
   With Bilic apparently out of the picture, former Napoli, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Zola is in pole position after having a second interview for the post at the weekend.
   Zola is currently joint coach of Italy’s under-21 squad and has also been linked with the vacancy at Newcastle.
   Former Italy boss Roberto Donadoni is also in contention while Danish legend Michael Laudrup was due to be interviewed on Monday.

UEFA President Michel Platini on Monday hailed the unifying force of football after the 2010 World Cup qualifier between Armenia and Turkey at the weekend was accompanied by an historic visit of the Turkish president to Yerevan.
   President Abdullah Gul’s landmark visit coincided with his country’s 2-0 victory and is expected to ease relations between the two foes.
   Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia since the former Soviet republic gained independence in 1991 because of Armenian efforts to secure international recognition of Armenian massacres under the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
   ‘Football is our world. Consequently, it is not our intention to analyse the reasons for this state of affairs. However, it must be emphasised today that football has, once again, brought people closer together. A president of Turkey has visited Armenia for the first time,’ said Platini.
   ‘The Turkish national anthem was played and respected in Yerevan. There was great emotion on both sides, and my representatives in Yerevan tell me that the match was played in an exemplary spirit.

Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the organising committee for the 2010 World Cup, insisted Sunday South Africa ‘is on time’ to host the tournament and dismissed rumours Germany could step in as a replacement.
   And Jordaan said FIFA president Sepp Blatter would be impressed the next time he visits South Africa at the progress made there in recent months.
   ‘We are on time and there will be no more strikes on the construction building sites,’ Jordaan was quoted in Monday’s edition of Die Welt. ‘The next time Mr Blatter visits South Africa, we will show him what enormous progress we have made.’
   The announcement in July, that the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth would not be ready by the time of the Confederations Cup in 2009 – the traditional World Cup dress rehearsal – had caused fresh doubts over South Africa’s ability to host the tournament.
   But Jordaan insisted the idea of another country replacing South Africa as hosts was incomprehensible.
   ‘No country would be in the position to host the World Cup in such a short period of time, not even Germany,’ he insisted, adding all stadiums would be ready by the end of October 2009.

Midfield stalwart Gennaro Gattuso will miss Italy’s World Cup qualifier against Georgia at Udine on Wednesday after injuring his wrist in training.
   The AC Milan player, who slipped and hurt his left wrist in a practice match, underwent surgery on Sunday and will be ruled out for around a month, said Enrico Castellacci, the team doctor with the world champions.
   Meanwhile, defenders Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Gamberini, who were injured in the laboured 2-1 opening World Cup qualifying win in Cyprus on Saturday, will not be replaced, said Italian coach Marcello Lippi.
   Grosso has fractured ribs while Gamberini suffered a dislocated shoulder.
   Grosso would be out for about a month and Gamberini would not be back for at least two weeks.
   ‘There is no point in replacing someone who is going to sit in the stands,’ said Lippi, explaining why he had not called up replacements.
   Italy needed a last-minute goal to eke out their 2-1 victory against Cyprus in Larnaca on Saturday. Antonio Di Natale, with his second goal of the night, secured an undeserved three points in the Group Eight game.