Batting legend Javed Miandad quit his post as Pakistan Cricket Board director general Wednesday following disagreements within the crisis-hit governing body of the country’s national sport.
   ‘The PCB wanted to restrict me to domestic affairs and I don’t want any interference in my work. I have therefore resigned,’ Miandad told AFP.
   His resignation comes just a day after the PCB replaced Shoaib Malik with Younus Khan as captain of the Pakistan team following a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka that sparked huge criticism in the cricket-mad country.
   Press reports suggested Miandad had not been in favour of sacking Malik.
   Miandad said he was not consulted over Malik’s removal.
   ‘Nobody consulted me,’ he said. ‘How could you remove someone on the basis of just one poor performance?’
   ‘I have earned respect through my record, through my cricket and I convinced Sri Lanka to tour Pakistan, so positions are very small things for me. I will be available, voluntarily, whenever I am asked for help.’
   Three times a former Pakistan coach, Miandad was appointed director general in November 2008. The job, which effectively made him number three in the PCB pecking order, was created for him.
   His decision to quit comes two days after the PCB offered him a contract and a salary of 500,000 rupees (6,328 dollars) a month.
   ‘I thought about it (the contract) last night before deciding it’s better to quit. I never asked for a contract. I have not taken any money from the PCB but confining me to domestic issues was not acceptable to me,’ said Miandad.
   He criticised Pakistan team’s strategies during their 2-1 loss against Sri Lanka last week.
   ‘Pakistan lost the series because of poor strategy. Why did they play three spinners on a fast track in Lahore? No one asked me.’
   Miandad said he would remain on the PCB’s governing board.
   ‘I have the double honour of also being a member of the governing board and I will continue in that position because I want to serve cricket,’ he said.
   Each coaching stint for the 51-year-old has ended in acrimony. He twice fell out with the players and once was sacked following Pakistan’s home defeat against archrivals India in 2004.
   PCB chairman Ijaz Butt made no immediate comment on Miandad’s resignation.
   ‘I am hearing this news from the media. I am in transit and until I talk to him I have nothing to say,’ Butt told AFP by telephone from Dubai.
   Miandad played 124 Tests for Pakistan, scoring a national record of 8,832 runs. He also played 233 one-day internationals, scoring 7,381 runs.
   Butt will return home on February 6 after attending an International Cricket Council executive board meeting in Perth, Australia.
   He is also scheduled to meet officials from Cricket Australia to discuss the possibility of Australia touring Pakistan later this year.

Dhaka Abahani stayed just one step away from retaining the Citycell B League title after their 1-0 win over Muktijoddha at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday. Ghanaian forward Awudu Ibrahim scored the match winner in the first half to raise Abahani’s tally to 41 points from 17 matches.
   Though Abahani were the deserved winners they were scrappy throughout the match. After Awudu’s strike in the 9th minute Abahani did not push hard for more goals but they squandered a couple of chances that fell in their way.
   Coach Amalesh Sen rested his key players – forward Emily, defender Samad Yusuf and midfielder Mamun – to keep them fresh for their next two vital encounters. Abahani play Brothers Union on February 1 and Sheikh Russell on Feb 4. The Dhanmondi outfit will play their last match against Rahmatganj on February 15. They just need to win one game in their remaining three to put the silverware in their cabinet.
   Nigerian midfielder Emeka hit the side post in the very first minute from a Waly Faisal square pass. Awudu scored in the 9th minute after Emeka set him free in the six-yard box with a neat square pass and the Ghanaian placed the ball at the far post.
   Pranatosh wasted an easy chance in the 14th minute with only James to beat after a goal mouth melee but the midfielder lost control of the ball.
   After the break Muktijoddha piled on the pressure and Kanchan broke free after a Titu through pass in the 56th minute but a timely interception by Waly Faisal kept the Abahani fort intact.
   Substitute forward Tipu wasted two chances in two minutes after Ibrahim provided him a neat through pass in the 67th minute but he shot straight at Paul and in the very next minute shot over the crossbar from close range.
   Midfielder Zahed Parvez threw away the last chance in the 76th minute after he dashed through the defence but failed to beat James Paul. Muktijoddha have 9 points from theit 16 matches.

Rafael Nadal booked an all-Spanish Australian Open semi-final against Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday as Serena Williams clawed back from a set down in searing heat to keep her dreams alive.
   The world number one fought off a determined rear-guard action by battling French six seed Gilles Simon to win 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 as he goes in search of his first title here.
   The victory earns him a crack at Verdasco for a place in the final against Roger Federer or Andy Roddick after the left-hander sent French fifth seed and last year’s runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga packing 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   ‘For Spain it is incredible to have two of us in the semi-finals. It means at least one Spaniard will be in the final and we have to happy for that,’ said Nadal.
   ‘But I know it will be a tough match against Fernando.’
   Verdasco, previously best known as Ana Ivanovic’s boyfriend, has shot from nowhere to join a long line of players to make a name for themselves at the year’s opening Grand Slam, powering into his first Major semi in 23 attempts.
   ‘What I’m thinking right now is that I’m playing good, I’m feeling good,’ said Verdasco. ‘I just think that I can beat anyone.
   ‘I don’t put a limit in this tournament. I’m in the semi-finals right now and I think that I can lose in the semi-finals but also be in the final or win the tournament.’
   In contrast to Verdasco’s seven-year wait to make the business end of a Grand Slam, Williams booked her 15th Grand Slam semi-final as temperatures soared to 41 degrees Celsius (106 F).
   The roof was finally closed on the Rod Laver Arena and Williams was a beneficiary.
   The three-time champion was a set down to Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova at the time but recovered her composure against the fuming eighth seed to run out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 winner.
   It earned the experienced American a shot at ice-cool Russian Elena Dementieva, who powered past unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2.
   The other semi-final sees third seed Dinara Safina play her Russian compatriot Vera Zvonareva.
   Williams looked in serious trouble as she struggled in the first set of her match but was granted a reprieve when the stadium roof was closed early in the second set under the tournament’s extreme heat policy.
   The 28-year-old admitted the move made a huge difference.
   ‘I was in a lot of trouble today but I just relaxed and I really wanted to fight and at least go three sets,’ she said.
   ‘I said ‘Serena you can do it’ — it’s when I play my best.’
   Despite making the last four, she said she was yet to hit top form.
   ‘It’s really encouraging (to win) because this whole tournament I felt I’ve been off and I haven’t been playing my best,’ she said.
   Kuznetsova handled the heat better but could not cope with the pressure generated by the nine-time Grand Slam champion, failing at crucial moments in the match.
   The Russian was angry that they were ordered off court for the roof to be shut while she had a grip on the match.
   ‘Yeah, I was definitely angry. Why should I not be? The game was going my way,’ said the 2004 US Open champion.
   Dementieva, who is now on a 15-match unbeaten streak, was untroubled by giantkiller Suarez Navarro, who knocked out Venus Williams in the second round.
   But she was not happy after playing her entire match, which preceded the Williams-Kuznetsova clash, with the roof open.
   ‘Why not close the roof? Not only for the players, but for the spectators, as well,’ she said.
   ‘I think if you have a roof, why not use it?’
   She was nevertheless relieved to overcome the dangerous Suarez Navarro and set up a showdown with Williams.

India (247/6) beat Sri Lanka (246/7) by 6 wickets
   Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir cracked half-centuries to upstage Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya as India posted a six-wicket win in the opening one-dayer here on Wednesday.
   Opener Gambhir made 62 and skipper Dhoni an unbeaten 61 to help India achieve the 247-run target with 11 balls to spare for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
   Gambhir set up the win with a 113-run stand for the second wicket with Suresh Raina (54) before Dhoni completed the job with his 26th half-century. Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten with 25.
   ‘The partnership between Gambhir and Raina was very important and I am quite happy with the batting effort,’ said Dhoni.
   ‘It was a team effort as everybody chipped in. It was satisfying to see guys back each other up.’
   The Indian batsmen overshadowed Sri Lankan opener Jayasuriya, who made a robust 107 to become the oldest batsman to smash a one-day century and the second to complete 13,000 runs in one-dayers.
   Man-of-the-match Jayasuriya’s 28th hundred came at the age of 39 years and 212 days, beating the previous oldest century-maker, Englishman Geoff Boycott at 39 years and 51 days (v Australia at Sydney in 1979).
   India began the chase on a shaky note as they lost Sachin Tendulkar (five) in the fourth over and then saw Gambhir and Raina survive some anxious moments early in their innings.
   Gambhir was on 11 when he got the benefit of the doubt from TV umpire Gamini Silva after paceman Nuwan Kulasekara had held a low return catch and then Raina was dropped on four by Tillakaratne Dilshan.
   Raina eased the pressure with a vigorous counter-attack, hitting Kulasekara for two fours and a six over long-on in the same over.
   Record-seeking spinner Muttiah Muralitharan broke the stand when he had Gambhir caught by Thilina Kandamby at deep for his 501st victim. The Indian opener hit five fours in his 14th half-century.
   Muralitharan now needs two more wickets to surpass former Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram’s one-day record.
   Raina soon followed Gambhir, run out while going for a second run after hitting one six and three fours in his ninth half-century.
   Jayasuriya was in the limelight in the morning session, pacing his batting superbly on a slow pitch to hit one six and 10 fours in his 114-ball knock.
   He propped up the innings with a 118-run stand for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (44) and 51 for the next with Kandamby (17) after the opening-over dismissal of in-form Dilshan.
   Dilshan, who scored a century in his team’s series-clinching win in his last match in Pakistan recently, was run out for no score following a mix-up with Jayasuriya.
   India, who elected to field after winning the toss, then had to wait for more than 27 overs for the next success as Jayasuriya and Sangakkara batted comfortably against both pace and spin.
   Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, whose poor run with the bat continued as he made just 11, said Jayasuriya had been ‘brilliant’, but admitted it was not enough to save his side.
   ‘India did not panic at the end,’ he said.
   ‘Our bowlers bowled well upfront but we could not keep up the pressure. The pitch did not offer any sideways movement.’

New Pakistan captain Younis Khan on Wednesday pleaded for support from all his players, warning he has no magic wand to turn around the team’s fortunes after a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka.
   The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday replaced Shoaib Malik with Younis following the home team’s 234-run mauling at the hands of Sri Lanka, which gave the visiting side a 2-1 series win.
   Younis, who has been appointed indefinitely, said he needs support from the players so that the team can recover from its heaviest defeat in one-day internationals in terms of runs.
   ‘I cannot do anything all by myself. I want support from all the players to take the team forward because I do not have a magic wand,’ Younis told local media after accepting the role.
   The 31-year-old said he plans to take an active role as captain.
   ‘I am busy in a domestic match so once I am over it, I will meet the management and players, and then make my plans. I don’t want to be the captain who is captain only by name, but want to do things my own way,’ he said.
   Asked how the team could be revived after their crushing defeat, Younis said: ‘Pakistan is the only team which staggers in one minute and recovers in the next. There is no reason why we can’t get into the top teams again.’
   Younis turned down the offer of the captaincy after Pakistan’s first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup, citing personal reasons.
   He also refused to lead the team in the Champions Trophy held in India in October 2006, just a day after he was appointed skipper, saying he did not want to be a dummy captain.
   He was reinstated as captain for the Trophy after Nasim Ashraf replaced Shaharyar Khan as PCB chairman. But this time around Younis said he leapt at the job.
   ‘I didn’t need to think twice this time in accepting the post. It is and it isn’t a tough challenge in a sense.
   ‘Captaincy is always tough, but I’ve already been captain before and I don’t think you can be in a tougher situation than the 2006 Champions Trophy, when we lost Shoaib (Akhtar) and (Mohammad) Asif a day before the tournament.’
   Younis has led Pakistan in six one-day matches, winning two and losing four, when regular captains have been unavailable. He has also captained in four Tests, winning one, losing one and drawing two. Younis said he expected the outgoing Malik to back him.
   ‘When he (Malik) was captain he got my full support and now I expect the same from him. Whoever is captain we have to play for the country and I expect everyone to do their best.’
   Younis’s first assignment will be a two-Test home series against Sri Lanka next month.
   ‘We have 15-20 days before the Test series and we will do the best preparations and you will see a different team in the Tests,’ said Younis.
   Addressing a news conference in Lahore, Younis reiterated his pledge to take Pakistan to the top and brushed aside accusations he helped to oust Malik.
   He said his idol was former captain Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup triumph, in Australia in 1992.
   ‘Imran used to lead from the front and was never afraid of losing. I have modelled myself on Imran,’ Younis said.

Amol Roy of NTC and Dipu Lal of Nordic Club reached the final of the men’s singles of the Runner Group Tennis winning their respective semi-finals at the National Tennis Complex on Wednesday.
   Amol defeated Almagir Hossain of Nordic Club 6-2, 6-3 and Dipu Lal ousted Ranjan Ram of NTC 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the competitive second semi-final. The men’s and women’s singles final will be held today.
   In the women’s doubles semi-finals Sathi and Sharda trounced Lina and Zoba 6-3, 6-0 and will meet Sadia and Ayami who overpowered Disha and Barsha 6-1, 6-4.

BASIC Bank 30th National Junior (Boy’s & Girl’s) Chess Championship got under way at the Bangladesh Chess Federation on Wednesday.
   In the 1st round, reigning champion FM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar, women’s runner-up Shamima Akter Liza, Abdullah Al Saif, Sub-Junior Champion Ikramul Haque Siam and other 62 players won their respective matches.
   A total of 136 boys and girls from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Man-ikganj, Kushtia, Moulvibazar, Brahmanbaria, Magura, Narail, Chuadanga, Joypur-hat, Mymensingh and BRAC are participating in the event.
   Mohammed Mosharraf Hossain, Deputy General Manager of BASIC Bank Limited, inaugurated the event as the chief guest.

The Keraniganj Cricket League, sponsored by Dhaka Hospital, starts at three venues across Keraniganj today.
   A total of 52 teams, 20 in the senior division and 32 in the junior division, will be participating in the league.
   State Minister for Law, Judiciary and Parliamentary Affairs Advocate Kamrul Islam will inaugurate the league as the chief guest.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan on Wednesday urged President Asif Ali Zardari to reform the national game of cricket, which he said was in as much mess as the country.
   ‘If Zardari really wants to help Pakistan cricket then he must allow it to be an institution. It should be constitution-based and have an elected chairman with elected representatives,’ Khan told AFP.
   Pakistan’s cricketing woes saw Shoaib Malik replaced as captain by Younus Khan following the team’s humiliating 234-run loss — their worst one-day defeat — handing visitors Sri Lanka a 2-1 series win last week.
   It was the third major reshuffle in as many months. In October, Zadari appointed Ijaz Butt chairman of the cricket board, after Nasim Ashraf resigned. Butt then sacked Australian coach Geoff Lawson for poor team performance. ‘Our cricket is as much in the mess as the country,’ said Khan.
   Further chaos followed later on Wednesday when batting legend Javed Miandad quit his post as Pakistan Cricket Board director general following disagreements within the crisis-hit governing body of the national sport.
   ‘The PCB wanted to restrict me to domestic affairs and I don’t want any interference in my work. I have therefore resigned,’ Miandad told AFP.
   PCB chairman Ijaz Butt refused to comment on Miandad’s decision until talking to him or returning from Perth, Australia where he is due to attend an International Cricket Council’s Executive Board meeting. Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup triumph, in Australia in 1992, and is now in politics, said the country’s head of state appointing the cricket board chairman was the bane of Pakistan cricket.
   ‘No way should the president of the country appoint the cricket chief,’ said Khan. The president of Pakistan is patron of the cricket board and appoints its chairman, unlike in most countries where the chairman is elected. Khan said in a country obsessed with the game, cricket needed to be organised properly.
   ‘Why can’t Pakistan cricket be based on successful models like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, where the talent is concentrated in six regional teams set up by nurseries below?’ said Khan, who played 88 Tests for Pakistan.
   Khan, who retired from cricket in 1992, now heads his own political party — Movement for Justice (Tehrik-e-Insaaf) — and has never held a post on the cricket board.Khan ridiculed a proposal from Zardari, who suggested holding a round-table conference to resolve cricketing matters.
   ‘Cricket is run on an ad hoc basis in the country, so the president is now suggesting a round-table conference without knowing that the previous regime of Nasim Ashraf wasted millions on such conferences to no avail.’
   Khan said the saddest aspect was that the team was going from bad to worse.
   ‘Ever since the 1992 World Cup win and the 1999 runner-up finish, the performance graph is having a downhill trajectory. In 2003 and 2007, we were ousted in the first rounds,’ he said.
   Khan, regarded as one of the top four all-rounders of his time, said the country’s entire cricket structure needed an overhaul. ‘Our domestic cricket is incapable of polishing a talented youngster, so it needs an overhaul and we should do it quickly otherwise time will run out.’

Manches-ter United set a new Premier League record with an 11th consecutive clean sheet and maintained their grip on top place in the table with a 5-0 demolition of bottom side West Brom on Tuesday.
   The stroll at The Hawthorns left United three points clear of Liverpool, who play at Wigan on Wednesday evening, and Aston Villa, who moved up to joint second place with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Portsmouth.
   It was also a good night for Tottenham, 3-1 winners over fellow strugglers Stoke, and Sunderland, who beat Fulham 1-0.
   United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with what he described as a ‘ruthless’ display that enabled his side to significantly improve their goal difference, which he feels could prove decisive in what is a very tight title battle.
   ‘The scoreline was very important to us,’ the Scot said after watching his side improve their goal difference to +29, the same mark as Chelsea and seven better than Liverpool.
   ‘Goal difference could play a part and over the years we have always had an advantage over our opponents, so it was a satisfying result in that respect.’
   United’s kick-off was delayed by half an hour because of traffic congestion but the champions wasted no time in seizing control of the match.
   With 21 minutes gone, Dimitar Berbatov played a one-two with Michael Carrick before slotting the ball past Scott Carson for his 11th goal of the season.
   The Baggies then had defender Paul Robinson sent off for what was — perhaps harshly — adjudged to be a dangerous challenge on Park Ji-Sung before Carlos Tevez doubled United’s lead just before half-time, firing in from close range after Carson dropped a Ryan Giggs free-kick.
   A Giggs corner enabled Nemanja Vidic to head in United’s third on the hour mark and a Cristiano Ronaldo double rounded off a performance that enabled United to eclipse Chelsea’s Premier League clean sheet record.
   Emile Heskey marked his debut for Aston Villa with the only goal of the game at Portsmouth as Martin O’Neill’s men again displayed their ability to grind out results in their pursuit of a top-four finish and a place in next season’s Champions League.
   Heskey latched on to Gabriel Agbonlahor’s flick-on from goalkeeper Brad Friedel’s clearance and fired past David James from just outside the area to start paying back the 3.5 million pounds it cost Villa to sign him from Wigan.
   ‘It is always hard to fit into a new team but I enjoyed it out there,’ Heskey said. ‘I had good times with Martin at Leicester and I hope to have more here.’
   Tottenham pulled three points clear of the relegation zone with a convincing 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Stoke at White Hart Lane.
   The game was over as a contest after only 25 minutes as goals from Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Michael Dawson put Spurs in control.
   James Beattie pulled one back for Stoke 12 minutes after the interval but there was no way back for the Premier League newcomers, who remain second from bottom.
   Tottenham’s win was orchestrated by Luka Modrid and manager Harry Redknapp paid tribute to the Croatian playmaker.
   ‘He showed against a strong, physical team that he is a great footballer and has a massive heart. He never shirks receiving the ball, he’s a top, top player.’
   Trinidad and Tobago star Kenwyne Jones celebrated signing a new long-term contract with Sunderland by scoring his side’s winner against Fulham, who are rapidly sliding towards trouble after a positive start to this season.
   The decisive strike from Jones came ten minutes after half-time with the striker firing home the loose ball after Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer had parried a shot from Djibril Cisse.

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his Premier League rivals that Manchester United have rediscovered their ruthless streak after Tuesday’s 5-0 hammering of West Brom took the champions three points clear of closest rivals Liverpool.
   Goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Nemanja Vidic and two from Cristiano Ronaldo completed an emphatic rout of bottom club West Brom, whose flickering hopes were snuffed out with the 40th minute dismissal of captain Paul Robinson for a late challenge on South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung.
   But with United now clear of the pack and with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar breaking his Chelsea counterpart Petr Cech’s shut-out record by taking his run without conceding a goal to 1,032 minutes, Ferguson insisted that his team are now back to their destructive best.
   He said: ‘We have shown a real ruthless streak tonight which has maybe not been there this season.
   ‘We always expected it to come simply because of the forwards we have, but tonight was the first indication that it is there. Hopefully we will start to motor now. We have good form, which is important, but March and April are the key months.
   ‘Even Cristiano scored in the league again and I actually said to him, ‘Oh, you’re scoring again. That’s very good of you!’ But he is delighted to have got himself back on the scoresheet.’
   United’s recent surge up the table, on the back of eleven successive clean sheets and seven league wins on the bounce, has been largely down to their defensive record.
   And Ferguson paid tribute to Dutch keeper Van der Sar, who can break the all-time Football League record, currently held by former Reading goalkeeper Steve De’Ath, if he surpasses the 1,103 minute record set by De’Ath in 1978-79, when United face Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday.
   Ferguson said: ‘Edwin has achieved everything in the game, but he is as delighted in the dressing room as he was after his penalty save against Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow last season.
   ‘Despite his achievements and experience, he still has that competitive streak and it shows with his record.’
   Ferguson insisted that Robinson was ‘careless and reckless’ with the challenge that resulted in his dismissal and West Brom manager Tony Mowbray refused to criticise referee Rob Styles for his decision to send his player off five minutes before half-time following his challenge on Park.
   It appeared a debatable decision and Albion could yet appeal, but Mowbray insisted it would be futile to criticise the referee.
   Mowbray said: ‘I’d prefer not to talk about the referee. Managers get in trouble talking about the referees, so what’s the point? He has given the decision and we have to abide by it.
   ‘Did it change the game? We might not have lost by so many, but I don’t think it would have changed the result because they have got so much quality all over the pitch.
   ‘It’s all about opinions. Some people will say it was a red, others say it was a disgraceful challenge. If it was just an honest collision between two players, then I’m sure we will appeal it, but that’s something we will decide on Wednesday.’

Manchester City and Brazil striker Robinho has been arrested and bailed over allegations of a serious sexual assault in a British nightclub, police said Wednesday.
   A spokesman for 25-year-old Robinho, Britain’s most expensive player, confirmed he had been interviewed by police on Tuesday but ‘strenuously denied’ the allegations.
   ‘We can confirm that Robinho met the police today (Tuesday), as pre-arranged and as part of a criminal investigation,’ spokesman Chris Nathaniel said in a statement on Robinho’s official website.
   ‘He strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality and is happy to cooperate with the police if further required.’
   West Yorkshire police in northern England confirmed a man was arrested on Tuesday and was questioned in connection with a serious sexual assault in a Leeds nightclub on January 14.
   A spokesman said the man had been released on bail pending further inquiries.
   Manchester City declined to comment on the arrest.
   The Sun newspaper reported a teenaged university student had alleged she was raped by Robinho at The Space nightclub in Leeds.
   The report said Robinho, who is married and has a son, had gone to the nightclub for a night out with his teammates.
   Earlier this month Robinho walked out of the team’s warm weather training camp in Tenerife and headed for Brazil, citing an ‘important family matter’, thought to be his birthday.
   He returned to Manchester on Sunday and held a meeting with the club’s manager Mark Hughes the following day. Hughes said Robinho would be fined for leaving the training camp without permission.
   Robinho, whose full name is Robson de Souza, joined Manchester City from Spanish giants Real Madrid in September for 32.5 million pounds (34.8 million euros, 46.2 million dollars).
   He arrived at the club following its takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.
   Chelsea had been the frontrunners to sign Robinho before City’s billionaire owners topped the London club’s bid on the transfer deadline day last summer.
   Reports say Robinho is unsettled at Manchester City and was disappointed by the failure of an audacious attempt by the club’s owners to sign his Brazil teammate Kaka from AC Milan.
   A reputation for partying has pursued Robinho throughout his career.
   While at Real Madrid in 2007, he fell out with then club manager Fabio Capello after he was late returning from international duty having been seen in a nightclub the night before.
   Manchester City, who were facing Newcastle on Wednesday, are just four points clear of the relegation zone in the English Premier League.

The Indian players rounded off a brilliant day at the Australian Open amid soaring temperatures with Leander Paes advancing to the men’s doubles semi-final and Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza making the last-four stage of the mixed doubles event here on Wednesday.
   Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, seeded fourth, quelled a late challenge from unseeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the quarter-finals.
   They will now square off against the winners of the all-American quarterfinal between second-seeded brothers Bob and Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish and John Isner.
   Paes and Dlouhy took just 21 minutes to seal the opening set, converting two of the six break points they earned in the process.
   The Italians staged a comeback in the second set and took it to tie breaker but the more experienced Paes and Dlouhy held their nerves to wrap it up after a 47-minute battle.
   Earlier, Sania and Mahesh rallied to beat Canadians Aleksandra Wozniak and Daniel Nestor to seal a semifinal berth in the mixed doubles event.
   The unseeded Indian pair overcame a first-set lapse to carve out a 3-6, 6-4, 10-5 win in one hour and 15 minutes.
   Sania and Bhupathi, the runners-up here last year, dropped their serve twice in the first set and wasted one break point to hand the opener to their opponents.
   In the next set, they missed chances aplenty but were successful in converting three breakpoints out of the seven to make it one set all.
   In the super-tie breaker, the Indians held their nerves to emerge winners. They next face the Czech pair of Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy.
   Among the juniors, top seed Yuki Bhambri extended his winning run to quarterfinals after defeating 13th seed Croat Dino Marcan 6-3, 6-1 in the pre-quarterfinals of the boys singles competition.
   Yuki, along with Liang-Chi Huang of Taipei, was also scheduled to compete in the boys’ doubles quarterfinals but the match was cancelled due to excruciating heat.

The Austra-lian Open heat policy came under fire from top players and Australian great Rod Laver on Wednesday as organisers finally closed the roof on the main arena after days of scorching temperatures.
   Laver and Russia’s Elena Dementieva both questioned why the Open’s ‘extreme heat policy’ was not enacted sooner, while three-time champion Serena Williams said she was having an ‘out-of-body’ experience before the roof was closed.
   ‘It was really an out-of-body experience. I felt I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn’t me, because it was so hot out there,’ said Williams, who was playing a semi-final with Svetlana Kuznetsova.
   ‘And I kept trying to tell myself that it’s not hot, but it got hotter.’
   The main Rod Laver Arena’s electronic roof was closed at around 2:30 pm and play stopped on outside courts as temperatures rocketed to 41 C (106 F), with forecasters predicting the worst heatwave this week since 1908.
   Laver and Dementieva both questioned why the roof was not closed earlier, with men’s champion Novak Djokovic sensationally withdrawing in severe heat on Tuesday and Victoria Azarenka forced out ill a day earlier.
   ‘The mechanics say we’re going to have this sort of heat for the next three days, why not just close it right now and leave it closed?’ Laver said.
   ‘You’re going to see your best tennis. It’s going to be hot anyway. I imagine they can air-condition it. It’s just wonderful that they have a roof they can close, so take advantage of it.’
   Dementieva said few players understood the heat policy, introduced after a series of complaints in 2007, which relies on a so-called ‘Wet Bulb Globe Temperature’ combining heat, humidity and solar radiation.
   ‘It looks like nobody really knows how it works here. I think when it’s 40 and over you have to close the roof,’ Dementieva said, after struggling through her match with Carla Suarez Navarro.
   ‘When you see the forecast, like it’s going to be 41 today, 43 tomorrow, the hottest week in a month, why not close the roof? Not only for the players, but for the spectators as well,’ she added.
   Tournament director Craig Tiley said the heat policy was explained on entry forms and in the players’ guide, but conceded the measures may be revised.
   ‘This is something we do take seriously,’ Tiley said. ‘We are one of the only tournaments around the world that has an extreme heat policy that’s actually been implemented.
   ‘We do this to protect the players and to protect their ability to perform optimally ... We will certainly, at the conclusion of the tournament, again get some feedback and see if it needs to be further adjusted.’
   The row comes a day after Djokovic pulled out of his quarter-final with heat-related problems, the first time a defending champion has withdrawn in the Open era.
   On Monday, Belarus’s Azarenka became ill and staggered round the court in tears during her last-16 match with Williams, which was also played in baking heat.

AC Milan moved a step closer to a permanent purchase of loan-signing David Beckham after saying they would buy him outright if discussions with his advisors bore fruit, Sky Italia reported on Tuesday.
   The 33-year-old former England captain, who signed a five-year contract with LA Galaxy in 2007, is on loan in Milan until early March but club chief executive Adriano Galliani said they were willing to buy him should they get the permission to do so.
   Beckham scored his first goal for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in a 4-1 victory at Bologna on Sunday.
   ‘If Beckham comes to an agreement with Galaxy, we are ready to pay a figure. In the coming days we will meet his advisors,’ Galliani told Sky Italia. ‘If Los Angeles Galaxy decide not to sell him, they won’t sell him.’
   Ancelotti was more cautious, however, and emphasised it would firstly be down to the player to make absolutely sure about what he wanted to do in the next stage of his career.

Barcelona’s star striker Lionel Messi was picked by Argentina coach Diego Maradona for their February 11 friendly against France in Marseille, the Argentine football federation said on Tuesday.
   The squad announced only concerned Europe-based players and should at some stage be completed with those playing in Argentina such as Juan Roman Riquelme of Boca Juniors and Juan Sebastian Veron of Estudiantes de La Plata.
   Maradona also gave a recall to Inter Milan defender Walter Samuel who has not played for his country for three years.
   Squad: Goalkeepers: Juan Pablo Carrizo (Lazio/ITA), Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar/NED); Defenders: Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan/ITA), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich/GER), Gabriel Heinze (Real Madrid/ESP), Daniel Diaz (Getafe/ESP), Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan/ITA), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan/ITA); Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Liverpool/ENG), Fernando Gago (Real Madrid/ESP), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle/ENG), Luis Gonzalez (Porto/POR); Strikers: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Carlos Tevez (Manchester United/ENG), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli/ITA), Lisandro Lopez (Porto/POR), German Denis (Napoli/ITA), Angel Di Maria (Benfica/POR).

Totten-ham manager Harry Redknapp has played down talk of swoops for Robbie Keane and Fred but admitted he is looking for a top class striker despite seeing his team put Stoke to the sword.
   Liverpool forward Keane has been linked with a return to White Hart Lane after only appearing in half of the Reds last 12 games and sensationally being left out of the 18-man squad which faced Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
   Redknapp earlier said he would like a player of Keane’s quality back at the Lane but when asked after Tuesday’s 3-1 win whether he thought he could lure the Irishman back he replied ‘I wouldn’t of thought so.’
   The former West Ham boss was also pessimistic about the capture of Lyon forward Fred after the Brazilian was heavily linked with a move to Spurs.
   The 25-year old is out of contract at the end of the season and has indicated his desire to leave the French champions.
   ‘If I could find a very good centre-forward then I’d get one,’ the ex-Bournemouth manager said.
   ‘He (Fred) was meant to come today but didn’t turn up so don’t bet on him coming tomorrow.
   ‘He’s out of contract in the summer and I think they want a small fee for him.’
   Club-less Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has been training with the north London side this month and Redknapp says he will make a decision about the 28-year-old’s future on Wednesday.
   Redknapp should have few relegation worries while Luka Modric is in such good form. Tottenham’s convincing win against Stoke was inspired by the Croatia midfielder.
   Former Dinamo Zagreb star Modric helped set up goals for Michael Dawson and Jermain Defoe with winger Aaron Lennon grabbing the other.
   Redknapp was full of praise for the slight playmaker. He said: ‘Modric was absolutely fantastic and ran the game. He’s not only a great footballer but he has a massive heart.
   ‘The first time I saw him I thought he was like Eyal Berkovic who I had at West Ham. He was a fantastic player with the ball but not so good without it, but this guy’s different altogether.’
   Redknapp said he would consider changing his winning team to accommodate new 14 million pounds signing Wilson Palacios.
   ‘I’ve got to try and balance the team right and I need to get Palacios in there because he’s everything I want in a midfield player,’ he added.
   ‘Between Zakora, Palacios, Modric and Jenas I’m strong in midfield but I can’t play Defoe on his own up-front.’
   Lennon was revealed to be carrying a groin injury so it is likely he will be the one to make way for Palacios, but the manager has some selection headaches when his squad is back to full strength.
   Stoke manager Tony Pulis offered up few excuses for his team’s lacklustre performance which saw them three goals down after just 24 minutes.
   The only bright spot for the boss, who opposing manager Redknapp had once signed as a player for Bournemouth, was the first goal for new signing James Beattie.
   ‘We were awful for the first 25 minutes,’ Pulis admitted. ‘There haven’t been many games this season when they’ve not been at it but unfortunately today was one of those days.’
   The Potters are joint bottom having gone nine league games without a win and have yet to taste victory on the road since their promotion to the top flight last season. Despite the bad run of form, the former Plymouth boss backed his players to fight their way out of trouble.
   ‘They’re a great group of lads and it’s a 15 game season for us now,’ he said. ‘We just need a couple of away games to go for us and keep believing.’

Shoaib Malik admitted on Wednesday that he was disappointed at losing the captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team but said he had no issues playing under new captain Younis Khan and will try to give his best to the side.
   ‘Obviously anyone would be disappointed at losing the captaincy,’ Malik said.’But the chairman of the Board requested me to step down at this stage and I agreed because nothing is bigger then the team,’ he said.
   Malik was asked to step down on Tuesday in the wake of Pakistan’s lost a one-day series to Sri Lanka with the team being bowled out for 75 in the final match at Lahore.
   The Pakistan Board has appointed Younis Khan as the new captain while Misbah-ul Haq remains the vice-captain.
   Malik dismissed suggestions that it would be hard for him to continue in the team because of the ill feeling created between him and senior players during his captaincy.
   ‘There was and is no ill-feeling and I did my best to give them respect. If the Board feels the time is right for a new captain I have no problems. For me playing for Pakistan remains an honour,’ Malik added.
   Malik made it clear he had a lot of respect for the senior players including Younis and the main aim of every player must be to see the team do well.
   ‘I did my best as captain. I am human and may have made mistakes but time and people would be the judge of how well I captained the side. It was a great learning experience and I felt I had started improving a lot,’ Malik said.
   The allrounder, who captained the side between April 2007 and until now, said he would now focus on his own game and try to improve his performances to a level where the team can benefit.
   The media has reported that the Board decided to remove Malik as captain after the Lahore match because of the negative vibes they got from senior players and the team management.
   Things apparently came to head between Malik and senior players when he went ahead and signed the new central contracts after having told the other players they were some issues in the new contract and they should not sign before sorting them out with the board.

England XI (424/8 dec and 271/5 dec) beat St Kitts Invitational XI (251 and 221) by 217 runs
   Andrew Strauss bounced back from his first-innings duck to post England’s third century of the match, then followed up with his first victory as full-time captain, as England crushed a St Kitts Invitational XI by 217 runs at Basseterre on Tuesday.
   After resuming on 118 for 0 overnight, England declared on 271 for 5, leaving St Kitts an improbable 445 for victory.
   They were eventually bowled out for 221 inside two sessions, with Monty Panesar adding three more wickets to take his match tally to seven.
   Strauss, who had been dismissed by the second ball of the match on Sunday, retired immediately after reaching his landmark from 116 balls, just as his opening partner, Alastair Cook, had done after his half-century in the final session of the second day.
   The first bona fide wicket of England’s innings was that of Matt Prior, who collided with his partner, Ian Bell, in mid-pitch and was run out for 3.
   Bell, whose place is under severe scrutiny in this game, once again left room for debate about his future with a pretty 49 that, like his first-innings 36, contained several classy moments but ended in a weak fashion when he scuffed a drive to mid-on against the off-spinner, Trevier Smithen.
   Stuart Broad, who confirmed on Wednesday he will not be taking part in this year’s IPL, hit five fours and a six in a 35-ball 36, leaving just enough time for Adil Rashid and James Anderson to face 12 deliveries each.
   On a day when England’s injury worries were alleviated, both by the positive news of Andrew Flintoff’s side injury and the appearance of Owais Shah as a substitute fielder following his eye problem, England were able to leave the field feeling satisfied with their overall showing across the three days.
   Victory came with 20 minutes of the match to spare, as the spin pairing of Adil Rashid and Panesar whittled through the tail from a comfortable tea-time position of 100 for 3.
   England shared the wickets around with all six of their bowlers claiming a scalp. Steve Harmison removed the teenaged opener, Kejel Tyson, for the second time in the match, before Broad chipped in with two wickets before tea, Steve Liburd and the captain, Shane Jeffers, for 41.
   Once again only Codville Rogers, who resisted in the first innings with 63, was able to come to terms with the variety of England’s attack. He top-scored for the second time with 79.

Real Madrid have withdrawn legal action to have their new signings Lassana Diarra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made eligible for the Champions League, UEFA said Tuesday.
   European football’s governing body said Real Madrid would now be invited to choose which of Diarra and Huntelaar they wish to register for the first knockout stage of the Champions League, on February 25 and March 10, against Liverpool.
   The move followed a meeting between UEFA chief Michel Platini and Real’s new president Vicente Boluda last Thursday to discuss the Spanish club’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

England, the leading candidate to host the 2018 World Cup, officially confirmed its bid for the tournament on Tuesday with the delivery of a letter of intent to FIFA.
   The move came a week ahead of the February 2 deadline for would-be hosts of both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to notify world football’s governing body of their intention to enter the bidding process.
   FIFA has invited expressions of interest in either or both 2018 and 2022 and will decide on the hosts of both tournaments in December of next year.
   ‘Our intentions have obviously been well known for some time but there’s a real sense of significance and excitement in the fact that we’re now acknowledged as an official bidding nation,’ said Andy Anson, the chief executive of England’s bid.
   ‘We believe we have a very strong case to bring the tournament to England and the challenge now is to put together a compelling presentation to showcase to the world.’
   England’s bid team will count on a combination of sentimental and technical considerations to help them win the tournament: the fact that the home of football has not hosted the sport’s biggest event since 1966, the huge popularity of English club football around the world and the quality of the infrastructure already in place.
   Bidding countries must have 12 40,000-seat stadiums and a final venue capable of hosting 80,000 fans. The rebuilt Wembley has a capacity of 90,000 spectators.
   David Beckham and Prince William, the grandson of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, have been lined up as high-profile cheerleaders for England’s bid.
   The English campaign will face competition from rivals including Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, China, Japan, Mexico, Portugal and Spain, Qatar and Russia.
   African countries are precluded from bidding for the 2018 tournament as the next World Cup, in 2010, will be staged in South Africa.
   Latin American countries are ruled out of competition for both 2018 and 2022 as Brazil is to host the 2014 version.
   The region which provides the host in 2018 will be excluded from consideration for 2022.
   Countries which notify FIFA of their intent to bid will have until December 2009 to submit detailed applications in the form of a binding hosting agreement with the governing body.
   Although England’s main focus has been 2018, a parallel bid for 2022 has not yet been ruled out.