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In the end Andy Roddick, like the rest of Wimbledon, had no choice but to embrace the greatness of Roger Federer.
   In one of the most heart-stopping and unforgettable finals seen in a grand slam arena, Federer held his nerve for four hours and 16 astonishing minutes before finally subduing Roddick 5-7 7-6 7-6 3-6 16-14 to claim the trophy he cherishes above all for the sixth time.
   As a Roddick miss-hit forehand sailed long, Center Court exploded into a roar of deafening cheers and a jubilant Federer leapt high in the air knowing that he was now the proud owner of a record 15th grand slam title.
   Among the 15,000 souls lucky enough to witness the momentous occasion was a beaming Pete Sampras, whose milestone of 14 majors Federer eclipsed on Sunday, in the front row of the Royal Box.
   ‘It’s not really one of those goals you set as a little boy but, man, it’s been quite a career,’ Federer, who has enjoyed a remarkable month having won the French Open title for the first time just four Sundays ago, told the enthralled crowd.
   ‘It feels amazing but this is not why I am playing tennis, to break all these records but it is definitely one of the greatest ones to have.’
   A jetlagged Sampras, making a surprise first appearance at the club since 2002, said Federer had settled the perennial debate over who was the game’s greatest player.
   ‘The critics say (Rod) Laver, and (Rafael) Nadal beat him a few times in majors, but he’s won all the majors, he’s going to win a few more here, so in my book he is.’
   Few imagined that Federer’s seventh consecutive Wimbledon final would come anywhere close to emulating last year’s five-set thriller when he lost his crown to Nadal in a match that ended in near darkness.
   But if Federer could have dreamed up a scenario when he became the most successful racket swinger of all time, he could not have scripted it any better and his thoughts quickly turned to the vanquished man who had helped to make it such an extraordinary day.
    ‘Andy played an unbelievable tournament and don’t be too sad, I went through some rough ones as well, one on this court last year and I came back and won,’ father-to-be Federer, who had slipped on a gold-trimmed jacket with the number 15 emblazoned on the back, said as he cradled the trophy like a new-born baby.
   ‘You’re an unbelievable guy and you played unbelievable today. Unfortunately there has to be a winner and today I was on the lucky side.
   ‘It was a crazy match and it was an unbelievable end. My heads still spinning, it’s an unbelievable moment in my career.’
   So relentless has been Federer’s reworking of the tennis record books that he might as well travel with a personal statistician. He won his 15th major just six years after winning his first—on the same Center Court stage.
   With no grasscourt equal in sight, Federer has plenty of time on his side to climb to the top of Wimbledon winners’ list - a position currently occupied by seven-times champions Sampras and Briton William Renshaw.
   On Sunday, he improved his win-loss record in major finals to 15-5, with all five of his defeats coming to Nadal. To cap it all off, he also regained the world number one ranking from the injured Spaniard.
   An utterly dejected and drained Roddick, who did not have his serve broken until the final the game of the duel—which lasted an incredible 77 games—slumped into the courtside chair and sat staring at the ground as he tried to fathom how he let the match get away from him.
   When it was his turn to speak, he told fellow American Sampras: ‘Sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off.’
   Sampras was not the only great in attendance on Sunday. Sitting alongside him in the Royal Box was Laver and Bjorn Borg and all three were perhaps thanking their lucky stars their careers did not coincide with the magician from Basel.
   No such luck for Roddick. When he won the 2003 US Open, he was tipped to win many more. Many factors may have conspired against him but none more so than Federer’s brilliance.
   Most people expected him to be a mere whipping boy for Federer on Sunday as the 26-year-old had lost 18 of his 20 previous clashes with Federer, including the 2004 and 2005 finals here.
   That prediction proved way off the mark as Roddick fought gallantly in the longest ever grand slam singles final in terms of the games played.
   Roddick has always been blessed with two principal weapons, a thunderbolt serve that could clear pigeons from Trafalgar Square and an equally brutal forehand.
   On Sunday, the new fitter Roddick backed that up with stinging groundstrokes and passing shots to steal the first set from under Federer’s nose by breaking him in the 12th game.
   But if he ever chooses to watch the official DVD of the match, the fast-forward button might come in handy when the contest enters into the second set tiebreak.
   On the verge of taking a two-set lead, he ended up blowing a 6-2 lead to let Federer off the hook. A missed backhand volley on his fourth set point will haunt him for a while.
   Federer, who served a career record 50 aces in the match, did not flinch in the third and took it 7-5 in another tiebreak.
   While Federer barely got a look in on Roddick’s bone rattling serve, the American broke for the second time in the match for a 3-1 lead in the fourth set, thanks to yet another screaming passing shot.
   While the first four sets were tight, they were nothing compared to the drama that unfolded in the fifth set which alone lasted 95 pulsating minutes.
   Ten times Roddick had to serve to stay alive. Ten times his missiles hit their targets.
   Federer got himself out of trouble in the ninth game when he trailed 15-40, blasting down an unreturnable first serve and then whipping a drive volley.
   Just when it seemed as if for the second year running Wimbledon could be heading for another long night, Federer conjured a match point out of nowhere.
   At 14-15 Federer slapped away a forehand winner after a couple of mis-hit exchanges from both players. Seconds later the ball shot off Roddick’s frame and Federer celebrated with a flying leap before embracing his shattered opponent.

Debutants Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal combined to wreck Sri Lanka’s batting and put Pakistan on the road to victory in the first cricket Test here on Monday.
   The pace-spin duo grabbed three wickets each as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 217 in their second innings on the third day, leaving Pakistan a modest victory target of 168 runs.
   The tourists, who have never lost a Test series in Sri Lanka, ended the day at 71-2 and have two days to score the remaining 97 runs with eight wickets in hand for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
   Sri Lanka removed Khurram Manzoor and skipper Younus Khan in the space of three runs to make Pakistan 39-2, but opener Salman Butt (28 not out) and veteran Mohammad Yousuf (12 not out) saw out the day.
   Teenage left-arm fast bowler Aamer broke the back of Sri Lanka’s batting with three wickets for two runs, before off-spinner Ajmal polished off the tail in front of 5,000 stunned home fans here.
   The 17-year-old Aamer followed his three wickets in the first innings with a hostile burst soon after lunch. He had Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara caught by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal in the space of 16 deliveries on a lively wicket freshened up by early morning rain.
   Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam said he was delighted at the performance of the three newcomers in the bowling attack.
   ‘Aamer and Ajmal yes, but don’t forget another debutant, Abdur Rauf, who bowled so well in both innings,’ said Alam, a former Pakistan captain and leg-spinner.
   ‘I must congratulate these youngsters. They have performed exceedingly well. Both Aamer and Ajmal have sharp cricketing minds and read the situation very well.
   ‘A target of 168 does not look so big, but on a wicket like this where there is a lot of movement, it is not that easy to get, either.
   ‘The first hour will be very crucial tomorrow. We don’t want to lose wickets in a heap.’
   Sri Lanka’s Australian coach Trevor Bayliss blamed the poor batting in both innings for allowing Pakistan to emerge on top in the Test.
   ‘Too many batsmen played from the crease on a wicket where the ball seamed about and paid for it,’ he said.
   ‘We need to take some early wickets tomorrow. Hopefully there will be some overnight rain and overcast skies and the ball will nip around a bit more like it has done in this game.’
   Paranavitana, top scorer in Sri Lanka’s first innings with 72, once again held the innings together with 49, but found little support from the top order.
   Jayawardene failed to score and Sangakkara, leading Sri Lanka for the first time in a Test series, made nine and 14 in the two innings.
   Sri Lanka were reduced to 101-5 when Thilan Samaraweera (34) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (22) put on 37 for the sixth wicket.

Roger Federer joined the legion of sporting legends on Sunday, his name sitting comfortably alongside Ali, Woods, Senna, Pele, Bradman, where just one name is enough to confer instant respect.
   His victory over Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final gave him a sixth All England Club title and a record 15th major, taking him past close friend Pete Sampras’s 14 which he equalled with his French Open breakthrough in June.
   The 27-year-old, with 50 million dollars earned from his superlative career, has not only taken the game to a new level, but also his approach to his trade, both on and off the court.
   Gracious in both victory and defeat, respectful to the game’s history and immensely media-friendly with his press conferences patiently carried out in English, French and Swiss-German, all delivered pitch-perfect.
   When people are lost for words, occasionally they’ve been forced to adopt other means of recognising the great man - after his breakthough 2003 Wimbledon triumph, the people of Gstaad honoured him by presenting him with a cow.
   But when the young Federer, who announced himself as the Wimbledon junior champion in 1998 and the winner of the prestigious Orange Bowl, started out on his road to fame, he wasn’t winning popularity contests.
   ‘I used to bitch a lot at line calls. I used to carry on like an idiot,’ said Federer.
   Slowly, steadily he matured under the guidance of respected coaches Peter Lundgren and Australian Peter Carter, whose eventual death in a car crash hit Federer hard, altering his perspective on life and career.
   In 2001, in Milan, he won the first of his 59 titles before beating seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras at the All England Club in a stunning last 16 triumph.
   But one year later, the vulnerable, undeveloped side of Federer was still there for all to see when, tipped as the tournament favourite, he suffered a humiliating first round loss on Centre Court to Mario Ancic.
   He set to work on improving all aspects of his game, with defence and consistency just as important as flamboyant attack.
   ‘People used to tell me how easy I made it look, so I kind of felt I had to live up to this and play miracle shots, the crowd-pleasing stuff,’ he said.
   ‘But I decided what I wanted was to win the match, not hit the best shot of the tournament. That was a big step for me mentally.’
   One year later, Federer beat Mark Philippoussis in the Wimbledon final for his first Grand Slam title, and he was on his way.
   Five more Wimbledon trophies have followed, as have five US Opens, three Australian Open titles and a French Open.
   Federer has been keen to credit wife Mirka for helping him end his youthful, on-court tantrums.
   The couple, who met at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, married in April and are expecting their first child later this summer.
   As Mirka Vavrinec, Federer’s wife was a regular player on the women’s tour until serious injury pushed her out of the game.
   In the long term, that’s been to the Swiss star’s benefit.
   ‘She helped me considerably, as a person. I developed faster, grew faster with her. Thanks to her I was very calm in the important moments in my career. She is always supportive. I owe her a lot,’ said Federer.

The disappointment of not seeing a British player in the men’s final at Wimbledon was forgotten on Monday as newspapers here hailed Roger Federer as the greatest player of all time.
   The Swiss won his sixth trophy at the All England Club with an epic 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 16-14 win over Andy Roddick on Sunday, beating Pete Sampras’ record to take an historic 15th Grand Slam title.
   ‘What more could anyone ask for a finale?’ asked The Times.
   ‘Records galore being broken, a gathering of legends, a contest brimful of aggression, subtlety and mutual respect across the net, a glorious sunny afternoon and early evening, unlike last year uninterrupted by rain.’
   One commentator said Federer ‘must now be heralded as indisputably the greatest of all time’.
   But there was also widespread praise for his formidable opponent, whom he has now defeated in three Wimbledon finals as well as the 2006 US Open title match, saying it was Roddick’s tenacity that made Federer’s win so impressive.
   ‘What a match! What an opponent! What a champion!’ said the Sun.
   The Daily Mail added: ‘Here was Roddick’s peak this year, perhaps even in his career, and that Federer still found the wit and strength to defeat him over 30 games in the final set is what puts him apart as a champion.’
   A commentator in the Guardian wrote that Federer had proved in their gruelling match that as well as his athletic grace—’someone must oil Roger Federer’s skeleton every night’—he had the mental strength to win.
   ‘To proclaim Federer as the greatest of all tennis players is statistically straight-forward and morally necessary,’ he wrote.
   ‘As Andy Roddick finally began to tire in the match that refused to end, Federer turned beyond pure natural talent to something more primeval: the refusal to yield, the compulsion to prevail that allows those with a special knack for playing sport to go on and become champions.’
   Roddick had cut short Andy Murray’s hopes of being the first Briton to win Wimbledon for 73 years in their semi-final face-off on Friday.

Roger Federer has vowed to continue rewriting tennis history, but admitted he feels he still shares Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam record rather than having eclipsed his great American friend.
   Federer clinched a sixth Wimbledon title on Sunday after an epic confrontation with Andy Roddick, a victory which gave him a record 15th Grand Slam, surpassing Sampras’s mark that he had equalled at the French Open in June.
   Still only 27, Federer has played 39 successive Grand Slams and has amassed his collection of majors in the space of just six years.
   Sampras was 31 when he won the last of his 14 Grand Slams at the 2002 US Open.
   But with Sampras predicting the Swiss star could easily win at least 19 majors, Federer was quick to recognise the debt he owes to the American who returned to the All England Club for the first time in seven years on Sunday to see history made.
   ‘I definitely feel like it’s come full circle for me, starting here and ending it here,’ said Federer who won his first major at Wimbledon in 2003.
   ‘Of course, my career is far from over. But I know how much the record meant to Pete and he knows how much the record means to me.
   ‘In a way, I still feel like we share it just because he was such a wonderful champion. He still has one up against me here at Wimbledon (Sampras won seven Wimbledons).’
   Federer appeared at his post-final news conference wearing a shirt with the legend ‘There is no finish line’ emblazoned across the front.
   However, his next engagement is a personal one with wife Mirka expected to give birth to their first child later this summer.
   ‘I’m very happy. I don’t know if I’m the happiest person in the world. I don’t think so. I think there’s many happy people out there. Tennis doesn’t do it all for me. There’s more to life than just tennis. But I feel great,’ said the champion. Despite all of his records, fame and considerable fortune Federer said he is still amazed by his achievements in the sport.
   ‘I never thought I could be this consistent, that great a player with so many qualities,’ he said.
   Federer also insisted that his historic 15th Grand Slam title has not been diminished by the injury-enforced absence of old rival Rafael Nadal whom he will supplant at the top of the world rankings on Monday.
   ‘I don’t think it should. In tennis, that’s the way it goes. Everybody expected Andy Murray to be in the final. He wasn’t. It’s not the mistake of the one who wins at the end,’ said Federer. ‘Of course, I would have loved to play Rafa again. But, then again, I’ve also played Andy Roddick now in three great Wimbledon finals and I think he deserves credit, too, for playing so well.
   ‘You never know how Rafa would have played, but it’s sad he couldn’t even give it a fair chance.
   ‘I’m happy at least that I became No. 1 in the world by winning the tournament, not just by him not playing at all, or me playing decent or someone else playing decent and getting to No. 1. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.’

Australia’s Ashes preparations have been thrown into disarray with their most senior paceman, Brett Lee, ruled out of the opening two Tests, at Cardiff and Lord’s, with a left side strain, Cricinfo has learned.
   Lee was absent from Australia’s training session at Sophia Gardens on Monday after being sent to London for scans, and is understood to be gutted at the news. He was Australia’s best bowler in the tour match against England Lions in Worcester, claiming 6 for 76 in the first innings and displaying a mastery of reverse-swing, but it is felt he tried too hard to prove himself in that match, having missed Australia’s last four Tests against South Africa.
   Prior to the injury, Lee seemed certain to partner Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle in Australia’s pace attack in Cardiff, with Stuart Clark and Nathan Hauritz duelling for the final bowling position, but those plans are now destined for the shredder.
   ‘He has a sore left rib, but we won’t know the extent of it until the scans are back,’ an Australian team spokesman said. ‘We’re in a holding pattern until then.’
   Lee, Australia’s most senior bowler with 310 wickets from 76 Tests, only recently returned to action after undergoing foot and ankle surgery following the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. The tour matches against Sussex and England Lions were his first outings outside of Twenty20 competition this year, and his display in Worcester last week had prompted many to feel that he was nearing peak form.
   ‘I have not trained for 25 weeks to sit on the sidelines,’ Lee said last week, but it is looking the most likely scenario. If a replacement is required Doug Bollinger, the left-armer from New South Wales, is next in line after touring South Africa earlier in the year and making his Test debut in January.
   The loss of Lee will prove a withering blow to the tourists’ hopes of retaining the Ashes, and prompt a major revision of Australia’s selection and planning policies entering the Cardiff Test. If, as was expected, Australia were preparing to enter the match with an all-pace attack, Ben Hilfenhaus would appear the least disruptive option. He combined successfully with Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle in South Africa earlier this year, but was unconvincing in the tour match against Sussex.
   Kevin Pietersen resisted the temptation of indulging in a spot of pre-Ashes schadenfreud by expressing sadness for Lee. ‘It’s a huge, huge loss for Australia,’ Pietersen said. ‘Who knows with the Australian team? It could be cat and mouse... [but] it’s sad for [Lee] if it’s true. We keep in touch and are pretty good mates.’
   ‘He’s a fantastic competitor and an amazing bowler,’ said Pietersen. ‘We’ve all seen how he’s bowled in the last couple of games. He’s a huge, huge, huge player for Australia. There’s his experience in the dressing room and also the intimidation he has on batsmen around the world, because he’s the fastest bowler in the world.
   ‘He’s got that intimidation factor, so it’s a huge loss if he doesn’t play. But Australia are the world champions and favourites, so we know we’ve got a fierce competition coming up.’

Tamim Iqbal hit 72, as Bangladesh drew the opening match of their tour of the Caribbean against West Indies ‘A’ on Sunday.
   Tamim struck nine fours from 153 balls in close to 3-1/2 hours, as the tourists, trailing by 53 runs on first innings, reached 233 for five in their second innings when the match drew to a close on the third and final day at Kensington Oval.
   After suffering a batting collapse in the first innings, Bangladesh used the second innings to gain some valuable practice at the crease ahead of the first Test against West Indies, starting on Thursday at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St Vincent.
   Raqibul Hasan was not out on 49, Imrul Kayes scored 44 in an opening stand of 123 with Tamim, and Sakib al Hasan made 33, after the tourists needed just five balls into the day to bring the A-Team’s first innings to a close on 248.
   Barbadian off-spinner Ryan Austin, the leading bowler in the West Indies domestic first-class competition, ended a memorable match with four wickets for 65 runs from 27 overs.
   The lanky Trinidad & Tobago-born Austin enhanced his claims for a place in the West Indies squad, when he ended with match figures of nine for 136.
   Scores:
   Bangladesh: 195 (Mohammad Ashraful 50, Junaid Siddique 29, Raqibul Hasan 26, Tamim Iqbal 23, Imrul Kayes 21, Mashrafee bin Murtaza 20; Kemar Roach 17-3-62-5, Ryan Austin 22.5-6-71-5) and 233 for five (Tamim Iqbal 72, Raqibul Hasan 49 not out, Imrul Kayes 44, Sakib al Hasan 33; Austin 4-65)
   West Indies ‘A’: 248 (Devon Thomas 105, Sewnarine Chattergoon 50, Kevin McClean 21; Shahadat Hossain 3-54, Sakib al Hasan 3-72, Mahmudullah 2-22, Mashrafee bin Murtaza 2-39)

Opener Joshua Cobb smashed an unbeaten century to give England a flying start against Bangladesh in the first Under-19 Test match that began at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough, on Monday.
   The hosts had reached 242 four in 63 overs when this report was filed with Cobb, a Leicestershire-born first-class cricketer, remaining unbeaten on 119. Cobb, who faced 176 balls and hammered 16 fours, shared a 123-run stand for the first wicket with fellow first-class cricketer of Essex, Jaik Mickleburgh.
   Leg-spinner Sabbir Rahman made the first breakthrough for Bangladesh when Mickleburgh was hit wicket for 57 and the young Rajshahi bowler soon scalped his second wicket making Hampshire cricketer James Vince (25) a catch for Saikat Ali.
   After being employed as the eighth bowler, BKSP boy Momenul Haque, a left-arm spinner, claimed the third wicket for Bangladesh dismissing James Taylor, who also plays county cricket for Leicestershire, for 25.
   Pace bowler Alauddin Babu got rid of Luke Wells in the next over to take the fourth wicket for Bangladesh.

Former national hockey player Jashimuddin Kanchan (43) died of a massive heart attack at his Manipuripara residence in the early hours of Monday. A fighting defender in his playing days, Kanchan later served hockey as the manager of the national team and also as a selector. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
   Kanchan played for Dhaka Abahani, Mohammedan, Ajax and Mariner Young’s. He started his career in 1982 and was selected for the national team in 1984. He was an integral part of the national team until 1990. He last played for Mariners in 1998.
   Kanchan was at the hockey federation till 8:30pm on Sunday when the decision to hold this year’s premier league without the national hockey stars was made at a crucial meeting between the BHF officials and the club representatives. BHF joint secretary Abdur Rashid Shikder gave him a lift to Farmgate and Kanchan went to his sister’s house before returning to his residence at about 11:30pm. He suffered the heart attack at about 2:30pm and breathed his last before his family could take him to the hospital.
   His namaj-e-janaza was held at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium in the afternoon. BHF president Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman and general secretary Khandoker Jamiluddin, BFF vice-president Kazi Nabil Ahmed, general secretary Al Musabbir Sadi and member Harunur Rashid, Bangladesh Tennis Federation president Shahriar Alam and former BHFgeneral secretary Shamsul Bari attended the janaza.
   Bangladesh Olympic Association, Bangladesh Cricket Board, Bangladesh Football Federation, Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association, Bangladesh Sports Writers Association, Dhaka Mohammedan SC, Mariner Young’s Club, Usha KC and Veteran Hockey Players’ Association expressed deep shock at the death of Kanchan and prayed for the salvation of his departed soul.

Bangladesh finished second behind India as usual to earn the silver medals in the Women’s 10 metre Air Rifle team and individual events in the 5th SAF Shooting Championships at the BKSP on Monday. Bangladesh scored 1,177 points, four behind gold medallists India who totaled 1,181.
   In the individual event of Women’s 10 metre Air Rifle, Priya Agarwal of India clinched the title with 499.6 points while Sharmin Akhter Ratna scored 496.5 to win the silver. Lajja Goswami of India scored 494.8 to earn the bronze.
   Syeda Sadia Sultana of Bangladesh finished fifth with 490.5 points.
   In the Women’s 25 meter Pistol, India won the gold medal with 1,692 points, Pakistan got silver with 1,604 and Sri Lanka won bronze scoring 1,593.
   India won the 50 metre Prone team event scoring 1,764 points, Pakistan won the silver with 1,733 and Bangladesh grabbed the bronze with 1,722. Joydip Karmakaer of India won the gold of the individual event with a score of 593.
   Brigadier General Shawkat Hossain, director general of BKSP, distributed the medals as the chief guest. SM Ansar Ali, senior vice-president of the National Shooting Federation of Bangladesh, was also present on the occasion.
   Women’s 50 metre Rifle, men’s 10 metre Air Pistol and 75-shot Skeet events will be held today, the third day of the competition.

Khulna boys will be flying to Sao Paulo, Brazil to play in the Danone Nation’s Cup as the representative of Bangladesh after they clinched the Grameen Danone Nation Cup title by defeating BFF Development Squad in the final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Monday.
   The stipulated time ended goalless and in the penalty shootout the Khulna boys edged out their opponents with a 2-1 victory. Rubel and Michael scored for the winners while Tariqul of BFF Dev Squad was the lone scorer for his team.
   Lalmonirhat secured third position with a 3-0 thumping of Narail in a play-off match. In the 5th /6th place decider, Narayanganj beat Chittagong 2-0 and in the 7th/ 8th place decider, Gazipur trounced Chapainawabganj 3-2 in tie-breakers.
   The state minister for housing and public works, Abdul Mannan Khan, distributed the prizes among the winners as the chief guest. BFF vice-president Kazi Nabil Ahmed, managing director of Grameen Danone Foods Ltd Wahidunnabi and events manager Mary Souberian were also present.
   Danone Nations Cup will be played in Sao Paulo from October 9 to 11.

India clinched their fifth straight One-day International series, when rain forced the abandonment of the final ODI against West Indies on Sunday.
   India won the four-match series 2-1, after they won the high-scoring opening ODI by 20 runs two Fridays ago at Sabina Park in Jamaica, West Indies secured an eight-wicket victory in a low-scoring second ODI two days later at the same venue, and India won by six wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis Method.
   India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named Man-of-the-Series.
   Only 7.3 overs were possible at the Beausejour Cricket Ground before a torrential downpour forced a stoppage, after India won the toss, chose to field and West Indies had reached 27 for one.
   The rain later stopped, but there was too much water on the outfield for play to continue, and after waiting about two hours, the umpires decided to abandon the match.
   Play had started an hour later than scheduled, after overnight and morning showers had left parts of the outfield sodden, and there was seepage of water from the covers onto the pitch.
   When play started, India had immediate success, when Ishant Sharma had Chris Gayle caught behind for a second-ball duck.
   Sharma and new-ball partner Ashish Nehra bowled tightly, and did not allow the West Indies batsmen the leeway to get away to a flourishing start.
   India thought they had made a second breakthrough, when Sharma appealed for a caught behind, after Sarwan essayed a hook at a short, rising delivery.
   Just when it appeared things had reached a crescendo, the rain came down, and finished things off.
   India’s players will now enjoy a much-anticipated two-month break from the game, and West Indies will get down to business in a series against Bangladesh which features two Tests, three ODIs, and a Twenty20 International.

India on Monday picked ace batsman Rahul Dravid for their squad for the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa in September, nearly two years after his last one-day international.
   The former captain, who played his last ODI in October 2007 against Australia in Nagpur, was among a 30-strong squad named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
   Dravid, 36, has scored 10,585 runs from 333 games.
   The batting stalwart paved his way for a return to ODIs after playing a key role in the success of Royal Challengers Bangalore during the second season of the Indian Premier League. He scored 271 runs at a strike-rate of 115.81 as the team finished runners-up in the tournament held in South Africa in May-June.
   Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar, who had asked to be rested from India’s West Indies tour, also returned to the squad.
   India’s 30-man squad:
   Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Subramaniam Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

Diamond Melamine National Rugby will start from July 24 at the Paltan Ground. All the interested Rugby teams have been requested to enroll their names at the office of the Bangladesh Rugby Association located on the 1st floor of Bangaban-
   dhu National Stadium before July 15.

Cristiano Ronaldo has passed his medical test at Real Madrid and is set to be introduced as the club’s latest signing, completing a deal that makes him the most expensive player in the world.
   The 2008 FIFA world player, who spent the past six years at England’s Manchester United, arrived in Madrid on Monday on a private flight from his native Portugal where he was on holiday, sparking a media frenzy.
   In a statement, the head of Real’s medical services, Carlos Diez, said the 24-year-old striker was ‘in perfect condition and looking forward to the beginning of the season.’
   Ronaldo will don Real’s jersey for the first time at a ceremony at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium which is scheduled to get underway at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT).
   Real acquired the player from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth 94 million euros (131 million dollars) and Spanish media reports that he will be paid 13 million euros each season.
   He will team up with Kaka, the 2007 FIFA world player, who signed with Real from AC Milan for 65 million euros from AC Milan in early June.
   Kaka was officially unveiled on June 30 at the Bernabeu stadium before 55,000 fans, according to club figures, and Real predicts as many as 80,000 people may attend Ronaldo’s presentation.
   That would make it the most attended presentation of a footballer since 75,000 fans cheered the arrival of Argentina’s Diego Maradona at Naples from FC Barcelona in July 1984. Fans had to pay to enter the stadium in that event.
   By noon hundreds of fans, equipped with food and drinks for a lengthy wait, were already at the stadium waiting for the free event to get underway.
   ‘I am here because he is handsome and I am from Madrid,’ one young female supporter told private televion TVE as she sat surrounded by friends outside the stadium waiting for the unveiling to get underway.
   Sports daily AS reported over the weekend that Ronaldo will wear the Number 9 shirt once sported by club legend Alfredo di Stefano.
   The Argentine striker, Real’s honorary president, is expected to present Ronaldo with his jersey at the player’s official unveiling.
   Kaka was the first big name who construction magnate Florentino Perez signed since he returned in June for a second stint as president of Real.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s record signing, is to wear the number nine shirt once sported by club legend Alfredo di Stefano and wants to emulate the Argentine striker’s success with the Spanish club.
   Ronaldo, who was signed from Manchester United for 80 million pounds (euro94 million; US$131mil), was quoted as telling sports daily Marca on Sunday: ‘Some day I would like to have a winning record similar to Alfredo di Stefano.’
   Currently the club’s honorary president, Di Stefano joined Madrid in 1953 and, along with Ferenc Puskas, helped Madrid win a record five straight European Cups between 1956-60.
   The team also won eight league titles and the Intercontinental Cup in 1960.
   ‘Cristiano will wear Di Stefano’s number nine,’ said sports daily AS, adding that the Madeira-born player had accepted the advice given by the club and his own agent, Jorge Mendes, to wear the historic number.
   ‘He is a mythical figure in football, like Bobby Charlton in Manchester United,’ Ronaldo said of Di Stefano.
   Ronaldo said he was still young and confident of being able to win many championships.
   ‘I’ve succeeded in achieving some objectives with Manchester United and I hope to write a new page of successes as a Real Madrid player,’ said Ronaldo.
   FIFA’s World Player of the Year helped United win the current Champions League format of the European Cup in 2008.
   Ronaldo said he had not yet met his new coach, Manuel Pellegrini, but said that he had played in the Champions League against a club he coached: Villarreal.
   In November, Villarreal drew 0-0 against Manchester United. He said the Spanish club had been very well organized and difficult to beat.
   ‘He’s got his ideas and I hope together we’ll be able to win many things,’ Ronaldo said.
   The Portuguese winger said he got on very well with his future teammate Kaka, calling him a truly great player, adding that he was ‘very sure’ he would be compatible with the Brazilian.
   He also paid tribute to Karim Benzema, who is joining from Lyon, and said he hoped to create plenty of goals for the France striker.
   Ronaldo said he would be sharing a changing room at the club with fellow Portugal player Pepe.
   ‘Pepe is my friend, almost brother. For a time, we were at Sporting Lisbon together and he has lived in Madeira,’ he said.
   Meanwhile, he was about to be unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Monday amid fanfare and expectation – but he insists fans should not expect a repeat of Barcelona’s unprecedented treble. Madrid were left in Barca’s slipstream last term as the Nou Camp side claimed the Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League crowns.
   Things have changed at the Bernabeu since then, with new president Florentino Perez agreeing deals for Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol.
   Ronaldo does not believe Madrid fans should expect too much too soon, despite the influx of talent.
   ‘We are going to take it step by step. The priority is the league. The Champions League is very nice, but it also depends on luck and the ties that you get.
   ‘It’s going to be a difficult mission to get the double, although I think we are going to do well in both.
   ‘We know that we must work very seriously to achieve our objectives and I think that we are going to do very well.’
   The 24-year-old, who spent six hugely successful years in England with Manchester United before his world-record £80 million switch to Madrid this summer, added: ‘My hope is to win at Real Madrid everything that I won during my time at Manchester United. With the structure Real Madrid have, this is possible.
   ‘The new players that have arrived must fit in well with those already here so that all together we can win many things at Madrid and make the club a little greater still.’
   Ronaldo’s presentation this evening follows that of Kaka, who was introduced to the fans last week.
   And with two of the best players in the world moving to Madrid, Ronaldo believes the Primera Division now has the edge on the Premier League he has left behind.
   ‘The Premier League is a very good competition, but I think that the Spanish league is going to have a little more quality because of the players that are arriving,’ he said.
   ‘Both leagues are going to be very good, but I think that with Florentino Perez’s signings the Spanish league is superior to the English.
   ‘It’s going to be a magnificent competition in Spain this year. All the players have a lot of quality and the referees protect the players more.’

AC Milan president and Italy prime minister Silvio Berlusconi told Monday’s Gazzetta dello Sport that his club are still the best in the country despite selling Brazilian superstar Kaka to Real Madrid.
   Milan have not won the Serie A title since 2004 and last season finished 10 points behind champions and arch city rivals Inter Milan, although that was a marked improvement on their previous two campaigns where they finished 21 and 36 points behind.
   Now they have sold their best player to Real and lost experienced coach Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea, from where the Italian has been launching a raid on his former club, trying to snare midfield playmaker Andrea Pirlo and teenage Brazilian forward Pato.
   Inter, meanwhile, have won four titles on the trot and have added South Americans Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to their roster while so far fending off interest in their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
   And having resumed training on Monday with no marquee signing to lift the spirits, doom has set in amongst Milan fans.
   But Berlusconi still thinks his team are top of the tree.
   ‘We have decided to look forward, aiming at renewing our resources. But our squad is still formidable and we expect a good season,’ he told the newspaper.
   ‘The fans are calm, this will not be a team that lies down. ‘We have great players such as Pato, Ronaldinho and Pirlo and many promising youngsters.
   ‘No-one in Italy, from a technical point of view, has a better squad than us, not even Inter.’
   Not only have Milan lost Kaka and Ancelotti but defensive lynchpin and Milan legend Paolo Maldini has retired and former England captain David Beckham has returned to Los Angeles following his loan spell from the LA Galaxy.
   Alessandro Nesta is expected to be fit again after missing the whole of last season but he is injury prone and now 33. Gennaro Gattuso will also be back in the side having missed the second half of last season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.
   Milan’s only significant addition has been Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, who joined in January but was ineligible to play so has been largely inactive for six months.
   Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will miss the start of the season and Milan’s already aging squad will be another year older this time around.
   The club have also been frustrated in their attempts to bring in new players, particularly forwards with prime target VfL Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko signing a new contract with the German champions.
   It has left Milan looking towards Real’s Klaas Jan Huntelaar, a player no longer wanted by the Spaniards, and Seville’s Brazilian forward Luis Fabiano.
   But both deals are rumoured to be stalling because Milan won’t stump up enough cash, when English clubs probably will. And that despite pocketing 67 million euros from the sale of Kaka.
   Fans are growing increasingly disillusioned with the Italian giants being priced out of the market but Berlusconi remains defiant.
   ‘The problem is not the players. If a door opens in the market someone might arrive but otherwise we’re fine as we are. We don’t have to buy at all costs,’ he said.
   ‘True Milan fans have good sense and know that they have to stay loyal because we have given them some fabulous seasons.
   ‘I doubt any Milan fans will suddenly start supporting Inter.’

Chelsea want inspirational captain John Terry to stay at the club ‘forever’ according to new Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti.
   England skipper Terry has been linked with a mega-money move to Chelsea’s cash-rich Premier League rivals Manchester City.
   But while City aspire to be one of England’s leading clubs, Chelsea already are and Ancelotti, the former AC Milan boss, said he wanted centre-half Terry - who has spent all his senior career with the Blues - to stay in west London.
   ‘John Terry is a symbol of this team,’ Ancelotti said at his first news conference as Chelsea manager here Monday.
   ‘He will be captain next season: he said he wants to stay forever and we want to keep him for ever,’ the Italian added.
   ‘Now there is a question of Man City, but for Terry (there is) no price.
   ‘Terry will be at Chelsea forever.
   ‘He said he wants to stay, there is no problem for him for us, the story continues - Chelsea and Terry.
   ‘I like to have a captain like Terry, he is very close to (Paolo) Maldini for professionalism, for quality and he will be the best captain for Chelsea.
   ‘I spoke with Terry a month ago when I came to the club and he said welcome. And after he went on holiday.
   ‘I will speak with him because he is the captain and I want a good relationship with the captain.’
   But asked if Chelsea, who have reportedly turned down an initial bid from City, would offer Terry a new, improved contract, Ancelotti added: ‘His contract is not my problem. My problems are the technical ones, but financially we have a team with great knowledge to do this.’
   Terry is currently on holiday but reports in England suggest that he stayed in the same Dubai hotel as Man City manager Mark Hughes last week, which has increased speculation that he could leave Chelsea.
   Ancelotti was less emphatic about whether Deco and Ricardo Carvalho would stay at Stamford Bridge after they were both linked with moves to Inter Milan.
   ‘Carvalho and Deco are Chelsea players,’ he said.
   ‘If in the future a player wants to go they have to speak with the club and we take the right decision for the player and for us.’
   Meanwhile, Ancelotti said the English giants had signed Russian international winger Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow.
   He confirmed the arrival of Zhirkov and former Manchester City forward Daniel Sturridge at Stamford Bridge by saying: ‘Zhirkov, Sturridge - these are Chelsea players.’
   Asked where he saw Zhirkov fitting into the team, Anceotti said: ‘Zhirkov is naturally on the left.
   ‘I think he can do all the work and can play in defence and in between.’
   Other players may follow, with AC Milan’s Italian midfield player Andrea Pirlo and Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato rumoured to be joining Ancelotti in England from his former club.
   ‘I don’t want to speak about the name of the (other) players. The club control the market. We have time now - it is a good situation for us so we can improve the team. Pirlo and Pato are Milan players,’ was all Ancelotti would say on the subject.

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti told Monday’s Corriere dello Sport that the Italian champions have no need to sign Chelsea’s Portuguese pair Deco and Ricardo Carvalho.
   The two played under Inter coach Jose Mourinho at Porto and were part of the team that won the Champions League in 2004.
   After that, Mourinho moved to Chelsea and took centre-back Carvalho, along with right-back Paulo Ferreira, with him while Deco headed to Barcelona.
   The Brazilian-born attacking midfielder then joined the Londoners a year ago but failed to make any impact at Stamford Bridge.
   Inter and Chelsea were rumoured to be haggling over the price for the pair but now Moratti has decided he doesn’t need them.
   ‘First of all we have to look at and trim our squad and then I still think we’re pretty competitive, don’t you,’ he said.
   ‘There’s no doubt that they are two great players but right now we’ve stopped on that front because looking at the squad I don’t think there’s any need to buy.’
   However, with Mourinho determined to launch an assault on Europe this season, reinforcements could still arrive, while bit part players such as Patrick Vieira, Mancini, Ricardo Quaresma, Nelson Rivas and Victor Obinna are likely to leave.
   And Moratti himself admitted that Europe was the final frontier as far as his club is concerned having failed miserably in the Champions League in recent years.
   ‘The Champions League is a dream, a huge objective, but to win it you also need luck. It’s not for nothing that it’s not easy to win,’ he added.
   He also sprung a surprise by naming Juventus rather than city rivals AC Milan as their toughest domestic challengers next season.
   ‘Juventus are in good shape and are dangerous. (New signing) Diego is very good.’

France centre-back Philippe Mexes on Monday pledged his future to AS Roma.
   The former Auxerre star had been the subject of speculation linking him with a move to AC Milan last season but now he says he cannot quit Roma following last season’s disappointing fourth placed finish that saw them miss out on the Champions League.
   ‘I feel good here, just as someone would who is in a team that has won 10 titles and 10 cups,’ he said from Roma’s training base in Bolzano.
   ‘It’s not usual to have a dressing room like ours and I feel great here.
   ‘On top of that, after a disappointing season
   like the one we had last year, I couldn’t leave because I want redemption.’
   Mexes joined Roma in 2004 and has won two Italian Cups with the capital-based team, having already won a French Cup with Auxerre in 2003.
   He has played 13 times for France and was part of the squad that won the Confederations Cup in 2003.

Franck Ribery has denied he wants to leave Bayern Munich for Real Madrid and insists he doesn’t want a ‘controversy’ with his club.
   The midfielder was quoted last week as saying he’d made up his mind to leave Bayern with Real Madrid his intended destination, but he told Munich’s Tz newspaper on Monday: ‘I have never said that I wanted to go.
   ‘They were not my words, what I said was misinterpreted. I don’t understand the whole discussion. I don’t want a controversy with Bayern Munich. I would gladly clarify the situation.
   ‘We have to wait and see if there is an offer coming and then sit down and talk. I do not want to say anything wrong right now.’
   Ribery was reported as telling a French newspaper last week: ‘I have decided that I want to leave. It will be Real Madrid or nothing. I will wait to see how things pan out but I would like to hold talks with the Bayern management soon.’
   Ribery also denied suggestions today he missed training sessions over the weekend so as not to jeopardise a move by picking up an injury.
   ‘That is a lie,’ he said. ‘I have a heel problem and also a blister. I want to get back training as soon as possible.’

Former Italy striker Francesco Totti is open to the idea of coming out of international retirement.
   ‘I will talk with coach Marcello Lippi and together we will consider my return to the national team,’ the 32-year-old, who retired following the World Cup win in 2006, told reporters.
   Totti, who has been blighted by injury in recent years, also said he was close to signing a new contract which would keep him at his boyhood club until 2014.

Links between Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano continue to strengthen after Barca midfielder Sergi Busquets insisted he would welcome the addition of Javier Mascherano to the treble-winners squad this summer, even though it could spell bad news for his own hopes of securing a starting berth.
   As one of the players whose position could be most threatened by the arrival of Mascherano, 20-year-old Busquets chose not to complain and instead of speaking of his excitement at linking up the Argentine midfielder.
   Busquets said in El Mundo Deportivo: ‘No, the more players that come the better, and they will be welcomed.
   ‘He is a magnificent player and hopefully he can be added.
   ‘The most important thing is that the signings will add to the squad,’ said Busquets, who believes he has slightly different attributes to Mascherano anyway.
   ‘He is also a defensive player, but perhaps he moves around a lot more conducting play and I maintain my position more and play the ball quicker.’

Pete Sampras hailed Roger Federer as the greatest player of all time on Sunday after the Swiss superstar surpassed his Grand Slam record with a sixth Wimbledon title.
   Federer claimed a 15th major with an epic 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 16-14 win over America’s Andy Roddick in a 4hr 16min final which featured the longest concluding set in a men’s final here.
   ‘In my book, he’s the greatest of all time. He has his critics and people point to Rafael Nadal beating him, but for me he’s the greatest. He is a legend and an icon,’ said Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles in his career.
   ‘He is a great champion and a good guy. He’s very humble, which I like.’
   Sampras predicted that Federer, who is still only 27, can go on and set more Grand Slam records.
   ‘He can win 17, 18 majors at least. He’s only 27 and he can do it if he stays healthy.’
   The American, who played his last Wimbledon in 2002, flew in overnight to see Federer launch an assault on his record of 14 which Federer equalled when he won a first French Open in June.
   ‘He is effortless when he plays. He serves big, has a great forehand and his backhand. I’m a fan of how he plays, what he’s about... he’s a class guy on and off the court.
   ‘He’s fun to watch. Just his athletic ability, what he’s able to do on the run. I think he can and will break every tennis record out there.’
   Australian legend Rod Laver, the only man to win two calendar Grand Slams, praised the Swiss star’s ability on the court.
   ‘Roger is one of those players who keeps the ball in play, has miraculous forehands and backhands,’ said the 71-year-old.
   ‘It was a great final. Andy is a threat with that serve of his but I think he was very tired by the end.’
   Bjorn Borg, a five-time Wimbledon winner, predicted many more titles for Federer.
   ‘He can play for three more years at least. If he stays away from injury and is eager to win there will be many more finals,’ said the Swede.
   Borg added: ‘He simply does not have any more weaknesses left in him. It is such a pleasure to see him play. To me, Roger Federer is the right model for anyone aspiring to be a tennis player.
   ‘It is such a pleasure to just watch him play. His shot-making has got better and I doubt there is any shot he cannot make in any part of the court.’

New coach Carlo Ancelotti wants to deliver success early in his reign at Chelsea to ensure he is not left facing questions over his future by the end of the first season.
   Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has spent the past year hoping he would one day have the highly-respected Italian at the Stamford Bridge helm, but now that he has arrived Ancelotti realises there is little room for sentiment as he plots a route to help the London outfit take a hold on English and European football.
   He is the fifth manager in two years at Chelsea, since Jose Mourinho left the club in 2007, yet Ancelotti is looking forward to his first job outside of his homeland of Italy.
   ‘I don’t want to do comparisons to other coaches,’ he said. ‘I have respect for them all and I want to do this my way. Only my way. Chelsea have been in five of the past six Champions League semi-finals and are a great team. I don’t know how long I will be here, hopefully a long time. I came from a team where I remained for eight years and I want to be here as long as possible.
   ‘I will put all of my energy into it and I think I will have to win something quickly. Chelsea have the right qualitites for me to do so. Chelsea have arrived close in recent seasons and we have to make a little step to win.’
   Previously Ancelotti has managed Reggiana, Parma, Juventus and Milan, and must now quickly adapt to English football.
   ‘Regaining the Premier League title, which Chelsea have not won since 2006, is high on his agenda, but Ancelotti also has expectations in the Champions League, which his new side have never won.
   ‘If the team has good teamwork then we can win,’ he explained. ‘There are great teams in England and it is difficult to win the championship but Chelsea can win the league and the Champions League.
   ‘I would like to win the Champions League. It is a great competition and Chelsea have come very very close. In 2008, I remember that. The Champions League is very difficult to win because of many factors but Chelsea have more possibilities than other teams.’
   During his first press conference at Stamford Bridge Ancelotti managed to get across his personality. He made several jokes and seems to be coming to terms with the language, although he has already admitted he is finding it difficult to grasp.
   He admitted his players can expect their new boss to show his humurous side occasionally in training, but nothing will stand in the way of his task of claiming silverware.
   ‘I’m happy and excited to start because I love my work,’ Ancelotti said. ‘I like to joke and show that I enjoy my job and I have spoken to Gianluca Vialli who spoke very well for this club. Roman wants to have a great team here and I think at the start of the season we will have a competitive side.’

Heart-broken Andy Roddick saluted Roger Federer’s gladiatorial, record-breaking Wimbledon performance which was appropriately witnessed by Hollywood hard man Russell Crowe.
   Federer defeated Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 16-14 to win a sixth Wimbledon title and clinch a record 15th Grand Slam trophy in an epic Centre Court duel which lasted 4hr 16min.
   It also featured, at 95 minutes, the longest deciding set in the history of men’s finals here, a stunning afternoon’s entertainment for a packed court where Crowe was joined by Woody Allen and Ben Stiller.
   ‘He was having trouble picking up my serve today for the first time ever,’ said Roddick who has now lost all of his three Wimbledon finals to Federer and whose career record against the champion reads two wins and 19 defeats.
   ‘But you didn’t even get a sense that he was even really frustrated by it. He kind of stayed the course and just toughed it out.
   ‘He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not for how many matches he kind of digs deep and toughs out. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for that because it looks easy to him a lot of the times. But he definitely stuck in there today.’
   Federer had to stick it out against Roddick, a player who has breathed new life into his career here and proved his worthiness as a contender by knocking out home hope Andy Murray in the semi-finals.
   He was in tears by the end, a result of knowing that he dropped serve just once but at the worst possible time – the last game of an enthralling clash.
   Ten times in the last set, the 26-year-old had to serve to stay in the match.
   ‘Looking back it seems like a lot, but each time it was just a point, and then another one and then another one. I guess it added up after a while.
   ‘But he served great. I didn’t get a lot of looks at second serves. I felt like when we were in rallies for the last couple sets, I was actually doing all right and holding my own, if not more.
   ‘He did what he had to. If he wouldn’t have served as well, I’d probably be sitting here in a better mood.’
   Roddick must now pick himself up for next weekend’s Davis Cup quarter-finals where the United States travel to Croatia.
   ‘I got nothing for you right now. I don’t really want to think about that,’ said the American who was firm and direct when asked if he had just lost to the greatest player of all time.
   ‘Yes,’ he said.

Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany defeated India’s Leander Paes and Cara Black of Zimbabwe on Sunday to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title.
   The ninth seeds beat the top seeded pair 7-5, 6-3 in an 88-minute final.

AC Milan began pre-season training at their Milanello base just outside the city on Monday with jeers rather than cheers ringing in their ears.
   A group of about 300 of the club’s ultras—the most hardcore supporters—gathered outside the training base to vent their fury at the club’s officials.
   The supporters are angry that star player and 2007 world player of the year Kaka was sold to Real Madrid while no big name signings have arrived, despite the club banking 67 million euros over the sale of the Brazilian.
   Fans let off bangers and smoke bombs while chanting against the club’s bosses.
   ‘No compromise: think first about Milan and then your own interests,’ read one banner alluding to the fact that Milan’s president Silvio Berlusconi, the Italy Prime Minister, has spent little on the team in recent seasons.
   Milan finished third in Serie A last season, 10 points behind city rivals and champions Inter Milan.
   But since then they have sold their best player, lost talisman Paolo Maldini to retirement and seen former England captain David Beckham return to Los Angeles following the end of his loan spell.
   And yet no recognisable signings have been made in return.
   Milan have not won the title since 2004 and last season were oft criticised for being over the hill.
   And yet while all their thirty plus players remain, 27-year-old Kaka, in his prime, has been sold.

Pakistan on Monday mourned the death of Khan Mohammad, one of its cricketing pioneers, who bowled the first delivery and took the first wicket in the country’s inaugural Test match.
   Mohammad died aged 81 in England on Sunday after battling prostate cancer.
   ‘Cricket has lost another valuable asset,’ Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said in a statement. ‘Mohammad was Pakistan’s outstanding fast bowler of the 1950s and a gentleman cricketer.’
   A skilled paceman, Mohammad bowled the first delivery in Pakistan’s inaugural Test, against India in Delhi in October 1952.
   He also took the first wicket when he dismissed Pankaj Roy in the same match, which India won by an innings and 70 runs.
   Mohammad formed a lethal pair with Fazal Mahmood, taking 54 wickets in the 13 Tests he played for Pakistan. After retiring, he took up coaching jobs in England and settled there.
   ‘Mohammad was a very good paceman and a great colleague and with his death Pakistan has lost a pioneer of the game,’ said Hanif Mohammad, one of the four survivors of that first Test.
   Another surviving teammate, Imtiaz Ahmed, praised Mohammad’s warm personality.
   ‘He was a friend of friends and a great player who served cricket in its nascent stages,’ said Ahmed, a former wicket-keeper.

Phillip Hughes’ success against the short-pitched bowling of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel has convinced his opening partner, Simon Katich, of his readiness to combat a bumper barrage from England’s pacemen from Wednesday. Like South Africa, England have signalled their intention to test Hughes’ unorthodox technique with a series of bouncers, but Katich is adamant the 20-year-old is worthy of the challenge.
   Hughes appeared vulnerable in the extreme during Australia’s recent tour match against England Lions, during which Steve Harmison dismissed him for scores of seven and eight with short-pitched offerings delivered from around the wicket. England’s selectors opted against tapping into Harmison’s momentum - he was omitted from the 13-man squad for the first Test – but the hosts will almost certainly look to replicate his tactic of denying Hughes width outside off-stump and peppering him with bouncers.

More than 70,000 workers at South Africa’s World Cup stadiums will go on strike later this week after employers failed to meet the union’s wage increase demand, the union said Monday.
   ‘Employers must expect no mercy from us, they must deliver 13 per cent or we will strike until 2011’ said Bhekani Ngcobo, the National Union of Mineworkers negotiator, announcing a strike for Wednesday.
   The union is offering 10 per cent.
   The strike will threaten completion deadlines at five venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums and other major projects associated with the event.
   A court decision on Monday dismissed an application by the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors to stop the workers from striking.
   ‘The NUM is jubilant that the court had found in its favour and employers are guaranteed a serious lashing by our members,’ said a union statement.
   The stadiums affected include Green Point in Cape Town, Moses Mabhida in Durban, Soccer City in Johannesburg and others in Nelspruit and Polokwane.

The Palestinian national football team will travel to Iraq this week for a friendly, the first international match staged in the war-torn country since 2003, officials said on Sunday.
   ‘The match comes in a political and sports context, and is an expression of the Palestinian commitment to breaking the siege of Iraq and to celebrating with Iraqis the departure of American forces from Iraqi cities,’ Jibril Rajub, head of the Palestinian football association, told reporters in Ramallah.
   The two teams will meet on Friday in the northern city of Arbil in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq and hope to schedule a second match in Baghdad, Rajub said.
   The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA, football’s world governing body, have given their approval for the Arbil match, according to Najih Hmud, vice-president of the Iraqi football association.
   ‘This match is the first step towards ending the ban imposed by FIFA on international matches in Iraq because of the situation our country was going through.’
   The Iraqi national team won the Asian Cup in 2007 but last month, under new Serbian coach Bora Milutinovic, they crashed out of the Confederations Cup in South Africa without scoring a single goal.
   After visiting Iraq the Palestinian team will head to China for a friendly on July 18.
   Rajub said the Palestinian side’s new coach Musa Bazaz, 52, a French citizen of Algerian descent, would arrive in the West Bank on Monday.

Evangelical Christians in Spain plan to promote their faith at the official unveiling of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid later on Monday by holding up the club’s new star Kaka as an example to be followed.
   ‘Kaka symbolises and represents the image of what we think is a real Christian, and we want to trasmit this to everyone, including young Spaniards,’ the Christian Meeting Centre said in a statement.
   The group plans to distribute leaflets at Ronaldo’s presentation at the Bernabeu stadium with the slogan ‘Kaka is one of us’ with a photo of the 27-year-old Brazilian wearing an ‘I Belong to Jesus’ T-shirt.
   Kaka can often be seen openly engaged in prayer after the final whistle of key matches and reportedly and he credits God for his recovery after he broke a vertebra as a teenager when he slipped on a swimming pool slide.
   He joined Real from AC Milan last month on a six-year contract.
   The evangelical group, based in a Madrid suburb, also plans to distribute leaflets with the slogan ‘The real Christian’, a play on words as ‘Cristiano’ in Spanish means ‘Christian’.
   Tens of thousands of fans are expected to attend Ronaldo’s official unveiling.
   Real acquired the 24-year-old Portuguese striker from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth 94 million euros (131 million dollars) and Spanish media reports that he will be paid 13 million euros each season, making him the world’s most expensive player.