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PM moves to defuse tension

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina moved to defuse the prevailing tension in the Bangladesh Cricket Board, which is beset by a series of controversies. The chaos that began with the dramatic dropping of Chittagong Kings... Full story

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Dravid calls time on international career

India batting great and former skipper Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, saying it was the right time to ‘move on’ and make way for the next generation of players. Full story

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Bowling to Gayle gives Mashrafee confidence

Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza said he has gained confidence after bowling to the likes of Chris Gayle in the Bangladesh Premier League upon his return to competitive cricket after a long injury lay-off. Full story

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Dravid hit the right notes on his second fiddle

Rahul Dravid will go down in the annals of Indian cricket as a champion batsman who had no qualms about playing second fiddle during an illustrious 15-year career built upon the soundest of techniques. Full story

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Tributes pour in for retiring Dravid

Team-mates and rivals joined hands to pay glowing tributes to India’s batting great Rahul Dravid, who quit international cricket on Friday after an illustrious 16-year career. ‘There was and is only one Rahul Dravid,’ said... Full story

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Abahani go top

A second-half strike by substitute Shakhawat Hossain Rony helped Abahani Limited seal a win over Sheikh Russell KC 1-0 and claim the top spot in the Bangladesh Premier League on Friday. Full story

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Smith, Kallis centuries put SA in control

Century-makers Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis gave South Africa an imposing 233-run lead with seven wickets remaining on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday. Full story

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Nadal seeks to halt the Grand Slam beatdowns

Rafael Nadal says he’s not obsessed with beating Novak Djokovic despite some heavy soul searching after seven straight losses to the world No. 1, the last three in Grand Slam finals. ‘I don’t have the spirit of revenge. Full story

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Kuerten named to Hall of Fame

Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time Grand Slam title champion and former World No. 1, has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, officials announced on Thursday. Kuerten and others will be inducted into the sports... Full story

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Euro managers tip Spain, Germany

Fellow managers on Friday tipped defending European champions Spain and Euro 2008 second-placers Germany as hot favorites to win this year’s tournament. After wrapping up a two-day meeting of all 16 Euro... Full story

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Brazil accepts FIFA ‘kick up backside’ apology

Brazil accepted FIFA’s apologies over the World Cup 2014 ‘kick up the backside’ controversy on Thursday, paving the way for President Dilma Rousseff to meet world football chief Sepp Blatter. Full story

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Ferguson ‘gagged’ over England

Sir Alex Ferguson saw his Manchester United team suffer a 3-2 home defeat in their Europa League meeting with Athletic Bilbao and then revealed he had received a warning from the Premier League not to discuss the vacant England manager’s position. Full story

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AVB sacking too hasty: Desailly

Chelsea were too hasty in sacking manager Andre Villas-Boas, the English Premier League club’s former captain Marcel Desailly said in remarks published Friday. Desailly said the Portuguese was not given a chance to show he was capable... Full story

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Italian clubs debt rises again

Italian clubs’ debt increased by 50 per cent last season, according to an annual study published in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday. Serie A clubs collectively lost 285 million euros... Full story

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Australia, Japan to battle in final round

Top seed Australia will clash with Japan after the regional heavyweights on Friday were drawn in the same group for the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Full story

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Crunch Genoa trip for Juve

Juventus face a crucial trip to Genoa at the weekend as Antonio Conte’s men bid to keep pace with champions AC Milan in the Serie A title race. Juve dropped two points behind Milan following... Full story

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Bale denies ‘dive’ claim

Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale insisted on Thursday he was not a serial diver after fresh allegations against him from Stevenage Borough defender Mark Roberts. ‘I’ve tried to block the cross and I thought he went down... Full story

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‘Keep your eyes on Augsburg’

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has warned the German league leaders not to underestimate relegation-threatened Augsburg ahead of today’s Bundesliga clash. Dortmund opened a seven-point lead at the top last weekend... Full story

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SPORTSLINE

BKSP Shooting Club’s Mohammed Asif Mahmud won the gold medal with 246 points in the .177 air rifle open sight event in the 18th Inter-Club Shooting Competition at the Gulshan Shooting Complex... Full story

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Double blow for Mancunian duo

Premier League title chasers Manchester City and Manchester United slumped to Europa League last 16 first-leg defeats on Thursday as Spain celebrated three wins out of three. United were stunned 3-2 by Athletic Bilbao... Full story

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Barca turn attentions to catching Real

Hailed as the greatest club side of all time after their European master class, Barcelona face humble Racing Santander Sunday, trying to hunt down Real Madrid, the best team in Spain. Full story

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City title quest enters home stretch

Manchester City enter the final straight of their title duel with Manchester United this weekend with the Premier League leaders launching a challenging run-in with an awkward trip to Swansea. Full story

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SOCCERLINE

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has hit out at temperamental striker Mario Balotelli, telling him it’s time to put his money where his mouth is. The Manchester City starlet was fined one week’s wages this week following his latest indiscretion... Full story

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