Golf : Three-day golf grand final showdown begins

The Matchplay Championship, one of Europe's largest amateur golf tournaments, will crown its new winners next week as competitors from across the UK and Ireland assemble at The Els Club, Dubai, for the three-day grand final showdown starting on Tuesday. It ends on Thursday.

After entering the tournament for just £25 (Dh150) at www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk, a diverse array of golfers will stake their claim for the title, having booked their place in the field by virtue of their success in the matchplay qualifying rounds and Regional Final last month. With Sky Sports filming the action throughout the week, they will have the chance to shine in front of a TV audience.

"There have been some unbelievable performances to get this far, including the team of Army Captains John Donaldson and Jon Sheard, who as recently as last year were out in Afghanistan," commented John Woosey, Managing Director of the JRW Group, which promotes the Matchplay Championship.

Football : Attacking football came out on top, says Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola praised his team for reaching the Champions League final and believes it is a victory for their style of attacking football against bitter rivals Real Madrid. The Catalan side came through with a 3-1 aggregate victory after two stormy matches.

It was always going to be an extremely difficult task for Real to turn around their 2-0 defeat at home but they started with the intention to attack. It was in the second half when they looked most dangerous, though, that Barca went ahead through Pedro Rodriguez. Real kept going and equalised through Marcelo but it was only a consolation.

"Football is coming home and I would like to congratulate my players for reaching the final," said Guardiola, who was a player in the 1992 side which won Barca's first ever European Cup at the legendary Wembley stadium.

"Of course it is the new Wembley and so it is not going to be as special going back there. It is a chance for us to show our way of football, to keep hold of the ball and move it around as quickly as possible."

Barca could now play Manchester United who hold a 2-0 lead over Schalke going into their return leg and it would be a repeat of the 2009 final. "We will be watching the game tomorrow (Wednesday) but it looks like it will be Manchester who go through.

"Manchester continue to be in the final stages of the competitions and reach the final. But we have the same desire, we will look to find their weak point and then attack," explained Guardiola.

The Barca trainer refused to comment on the contentious decision by the referee to rule out a goal for Real's Gonzalo Higuain due to a supposed foul by Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Everyone is free to think what they want and analyse it. You cannot say one person is right or another. We feel like we have eliminated an excellent side and one of the keys to our success is our humility. The players keep going and working hard," he added.

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka remained adamant that the contest was decided in the first leg by the dismissal of Pepe.

Football : Johnson admits Manchester City performed below par !!!!

Manchester City midfielder Adam Johnson has admitted the expensive Eastlands team should have mounted a serious challenge for the Premier League title.

City need just one win from their remaining four games to secure a place in next season's Champions League and have the chance to win their first trophy for 35 years when they face Stoke in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

City owner Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, would have expected a more sustained bid for the title.

Johnson said: "I'm disappointed that we are not in there. Personally, I think we should be and a lot of neutral people think we should be with the squad we have. But there was a couple of iffy results which we should have won."

Since a 3-0 drubbing by Liverpool at Anfield, City have won their last three games, the first of them the momentous FA Cup semi-final triumph over Manchester United.

Sunday's defeat of West Ham took them seven points clear of Tottenham in the battle for the final Champions League place.

"At the start of the season we wanted to be top two and having been in the top four all season we want to keep pushing," Johnson said. "We might yet finish even higher than fourth. We've just got to keep going. But that result at Liverpool didn't mean we thought Spurs could catch us. We knew we still had a few points on them and we've pushed that gap to seven, which is massive for us."

Johnson, 23, grew up watching Newcastle's European exploits, and cannot wait for a first taste of the Champions League. "I remember Barcelona [when Newcastle won 3-2 in 1997] and those nights — Faustino Asprilla and people like that," the winger said. "Those were the nights when I was growing up as a kid. Obviously, night matches were a bit special for me. I can't remember if I was allowed to stay up, or maybe I was just in the bedroom with my door locked. I remember the 3-2 game, Gillespie set a few up with crosses."

Cricket : Money is not the reason for Sourav Ganguly's return to cricket !!!!!!

Sourav Ganguly will not be playing for money but to prove he is still "good enough" in this form of cricket, according to a top official of Sahara Pune Warriors.

In a dramatic decision which was the talking point in Indian cricketing circles on Tuesday, the IPL debutants announced that they were signing up the former Indian captain who went unsold in the last auction.

Director of the Pune franchise, said they had been in touch with the retired international for the last couple of days, but could only confirm him as a replacement for the injured medium pacer Ashish Nehra.

"The fees did not figure prominently in our discussion as he would be paid on a pro-rata basis for the remaining matches," he said.

Ganguly, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders for the first three seasons of IPL, told the media in Kolkata: "I was approached by them yesterday [Monday] and I've confirmed about my availability to them. I am leaving for Mumbai and the details will be announced there." Dismissing any speculation about change in captaincy, the Pune official said Ganguly will be purely be in the capacity of a player while Yuvraj Singh and Graeme Smith will continue to be the captain and vice-captain, respectively.

"The decision to play him or not rests completely with the team management. He is joining the side [in Navi Mumbai] and will train with the coach and support staff. I don't think he will be playing in our next match [against Mumbai Indians]," Sarkar said.

The move is, however, seen in some quarters as a desperate move by the IPL debutants, who are languishing at the bottom of the table with six consecutive losses from eight games and are also hamstrung by injuries.

"In the last four matches, we have lost from winning positions. We were also done in by injuries to four key players. Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankan all-rounder was ruled out, Australian Twenty20 vice-captain Tim Paine and South African skipper Graeme Smith too are injured while Ashish Nehra too was battling with injury.

"We waited for Nehra's fitness report before getting the BCCI green signal," Sarkar said.

Incidentally, after Ganguly went unsold in the auctions last January, Subrata Roy, the Chairman of Sahara Group, had expressed interest in the possibility of taking him on board even in the capacity of a "mentor" — an idea that did not meet with the approval of the team's Australian coach Geoff Marsh

Football : Barcelona to a 2-0 win over bitter rivals Real Madrid With Messi magic.

Lionel Messi's sublime double lifted Barcelona to a 2-0 win over bitter rivals Real Madrid and lit up an acrimonious Champions League semi-final first leg in which the hosts finished with 10 men and had coach Jose Mourinho sent off.

The Argentine World Player of the Year's clinical finish from close range in the 76th minute and brilliant individual strike three minutes from time gave Barca the spoils at a rowdy Bernabeu on Wednesday in an attritional contest which was short on entertaining football but rich in controversy.

Bad blood had flowed between the sides in the lead-up to the match, their third meeting in just over a week, and it spilt on to the pitch as the players trooped off at the break.

Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto was shown a red card following a fracas next to the tunnel, while Real defender Pepe was dismissed for a lunging tackle on Daniel Alves with just over half an hour left.

Mourinho, who unleashed a sustained rant at his press conference in which he accused UEFA of favouring Barca, was sent to the stands for protesting the decision.

Messi's goals, his 10th and 11th in 11 games in this edition of Europe's elite club competition, gave Barca a huge advantage to take back to the Nou Camp next week.

The 23-year-old sped into the penalty area to meet Ibrahim Afellay's low cross from the right and steer the ball past Iker Casillas from close range to break the deadlock.

He followed that up with a wonderful second when he weaved his way through the Real defence and slotted past Casillas to give the Catalan side a two-goal cushion to take into Tuesday's return leg in the Catalan capital.

Guardiola, who refused to respond to Mourinho's remarks about UEFA, warned his players that they still had a good deal of work to do in the second leg and said you could never write off the nine-times winners.

"We played a very, very good match," he told a news conference.

"We controlled the speed of their counterattacks and their aerial game which is very powerful," he added. "We got a good result and I congratulate the team."

The Real fans turned the giant arena into a sea of white flags before kickoff, while several thousand Barca faithful waving Catalan banners high up in the stands tried to make themselves heard above the din.

Real tore into Barca and stopped them playing in the first half of last week's King's Cup final, which the Madrid club won 1-0, but it was a different story on Wednesday as Barca controlled without showing too much ambition in attack.

David Villa cut in from the right wing in the 11th minute and sent a low drive whistling past the post and Messi sent Xavi clear in the 25th but his effort was straight at Casillas.

The home side's best effort of the first half came moments before the break when Cristiano Ronaldo tested Victor Valdes with a swerving effort the Barca keeper just managed to block.

The second half was short on the kind of entertaining football Real and Barca typically produce as the visitors again dominated possession without ever really threatening the home goal until Messi took matters into his own hands.

Mourinho said his team had no chance of reaching the final and suggested that even if they managed to score a goal at the Nou Camp the referee would somehow prevent them going through.

"We will go there with all the pride and respect for our world of football," the Portuguese added.

"We might score a goal and that would open up the game but they (UEFA) will kill us again."

In Tuesday's first semi-final, English Premier League leaders Manchester United won 2-0 at Bundesliga side Schalke 04. The final is at London's Wembley stadium on May 28.

Football : Classy Manchester United tear Schalke apart

Manchester United overwhelmed Schalke 04 as they strolled to a 2-0 victory in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday in a one-sided match that left the home fans stunned.

Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney scored in the space of two second-half minutes and United could have had more but for the superb goalkeeping of Manuel Neuer with the final score hardly reflecting the huge difference in quality between the sides.

Alex Ferguson's team were superior in all aspects of the game and United - three-time winners of Europe's top prize - go into the return leg having gained a huge advantage after dominating the dazed Germans for about an hour.

"It was a top performance and credit to the players for their belief in themselves and the trust in each other," Ferguson told reporters. "It ranks as one of our best [performances in Europe]."

United shot out of the blocks and could have had three or four goals by the end of the first half were it not for the heroics of Neuer who single-handedly kept Schalke in the game.

Whether attacking from the right, left or centre, the home side's defence looked sluggish with United's players having time and space to create numerous chances.

Mexican Javier Hernandez, nicknamed Chicharito, and South Korean Park Ji-Sung saw their early efforts blocked by Neuer but it was just the start of a prolonged United assault that ended only after the visitors took their foot off the gas.

Neuer twice denied Giggs late in the first half but the Welshman, picked out in the box when Rooney flicked a pass through Joel Matip's legs, was on target in the 67th minute.

The England striker, who was sent off in the same stadium against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup finals, then turned scorer by firing home from inside the area after Hernandez set him up with a well-timed pass.

"I think there was frustration towards the end of the first half with that final save from Ryan's [header]. We had to correct that at halftime," said Ferguson.

"But what broke the camel's back was Chicharito's goal (that was disallowed early in the second half) because we saw that we could beat the guy (Neuer)."

Ferguson also heaped praise on Giggs, who at 37 may not play as often as he did but is still lethal when he does.

"This is strange because his peak seems to have lasted so long now," said Ferguson. "I see no evidence of this waning."

"He won't be playing on Sunday (against Arsenal), he'll be playing next Wednesday (in the Schalke return) and when he gets that freshness he shows no signs of weakness. He is an amazing man."

Ferguson even hinted that he might be able to rest some players for the second leg at Old Trafford, saying: "Depending on the result on Sunday I could make two or three changes".

The scoreline leaves Schalke, playing in their first Champions League semi-final, facing a mighty task going into the return next week, with the winners going through to play Barcelona or Real Madrid in the final at Wembley on May 28.

"We had imagined this game differently. We lacked the final pass today which we had against Inter Milan (in the quarter-finals)," said Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick.

"We had to thank Manuel Neuer that we were not two or three goals down in the first half.

"But why should we capitulate? We need to make things differently and in football many things have happened.

"We have shown we can score away from home and we will try to get our chances in Manchester," added Rangnick who took over just a month ago from Felix Magath.

Football : Manchester United dominates Schalke 2-0 .(Champions League semifinal)

Manchester United moved closer to its fourth UEFA Champions League title by dominating Schalke, 2-0, in the first leg of a semifinal series Tuesday at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Second half goals from Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney sealed the victory for the Red Devils, although the score could have been doubled if not for the heroics of Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Neuer, who has opted not to renew his contract with Schalke to explore his options in the summer transfer window , did well to keep the sides level until after the hour mark.
The German keeper was called into action early, and scrambled to tip a deflected shot from Rooney safely over the crossbar. Minutes later, Neuer was forced into a flying save to deny Javier Hernandez when Valencia’s cross found the striker at the far post. Manchester United enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, yet struggled to make the advantage count in the first half. Alex Ferguson’s decision to leave the speedy Portugese winger Nani on the bench in favor of defensive-minded Park Ji Sung reflected the manager’s desire to keep Schalke off the scoreboard. The Manchester defense kept Raul, the top scorer in the history of the Champions League, from taking a single shot.In the second half, the free-flowing attack of Manchester finally won out, and in the 67th minute, Rooney made a well timed no-look pass to Giggs, who fired past Neuer for United’s first goal.Two minutes later it was Rooney who was the recipient, latching onto a Hernandez through ball to make it 2-0. The game seemed set to open up for the visitors, but Schalke kept their composure and denied Manchester United a greater advantage going into the second leg.
The teams meet for the semifinal second leg next Wednesday at Old Trafford.

Sports Hot : IOA dismisses Kalmadi

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) removed the organiser of the scandal-hit Delhi Commonwealth Games as its president on Tuesday, hours after a court ordered him held in custody on graft charges.
Suresh Kalmadi, known for his powerful political and sporting connections, is in police custody over his role in awarding a 31 million dollars contract for timekeeping equipment for the Commonwealth Games to a Swiss firm.
The Indian Olympic Association's senior vice-president Vijay Kumar Malhotra was named acting president in place of Kalmadi, who headed the organisation for 15 years.
"The senior vice president automatically takes over the duties when the president is not there," Malhotra told. "In the event of a prolonged absence... the senior vice president eventually assumes charge."
India is considering bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The move to replace Kalmadi came after a judge said the ruling Congress party lawmaker should be held in police custody for eight days for questioning.
Kalmadi, arrested on Monday by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation, is accused of "wrongfully restricting and eliminating competition" from other would-be Games suppliers of timekeeping equipment.
Police allege the timekeeping contract was inflated by some 21 million dollars.
The Games were meant to showcase India's status as an emerging global power, but the sporting headlines were stolen by venue delays, shoddy construction and budget overruns in which the event's cost tripled to at least 6 billion dollars.
As Kalmadi, a target of popular scorn as the face of the Games organisational fiasco, which embarrassed India on the world stage, entered the court a protester hurled a slipper at him.
Kalmadi, 66, appeared unconcerned by the attack as police detained the man, identified by local media as a lawyer upset about India's rampant corruption.
Premier Manmohan Singh's government, buffeted by a string of scandals, has faced loud calls to show it intends to crack down on corruption, which has undermined the administration's popularity and sparked nationwide protests.
The CBI had sought 14 days' custody for Kalmadi, claiming he had been "evasive and non-co-operative" in his responses. However, the court gave the police agency eight days to question Kalmadi in custody.
It also extended by another eight days the custody of two other accused in the case, Games secretary general, Lalit Bhanot, and director general, VK Verma, who were arrested in February.
"They are not revealing the true facts and circumstances of the criminal conspiracy leading to the award of timing-scoring-result system contract to Swiss Timing in a wrongful manner," the CBI alleged in its court submission.
Swiss Timing, the Swiss firm involved, has denied any wrongdoing.
The CBI said the trio were "deeply involved" in the awarding of the contract to the company at "exorbitant rates, thus causing wrongful loss."
Kalmadi and the others have protested their innocence.
Kalmadi was dismissed in January as head of the Games organising committee as police probed charges that organisers had manipulated tenders.
India's anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission, received complaints alleging up to 1.8 billion dollars of Games money was misused.
Kalmadi's arrest has coincided with charges being laid against the daughter of one of the coalition government's key allies over allegations of large kickbacks in the 2008 sale of mobile phone licences.

Cricket : Shehzad century steers Pakistan to victory

Opener Ahmed Shehzad struck his second one-day international hundred to anchor Pakistan to a confident seven-wicket victory over West Indies on Monday.
Shehzad hit seven fours and one six in his 102 from 148 balls as Pakistan successfully chased 221 for victory in the second ODI at the Beausejour Cricket Ground. Umar Akmal carried the visitors over the threshold with 12 balls remaining when he lofted a delivery from Dwayne Bravo to long-off for the final boundary of the match.
The result means that Pakistan take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after winning the first game by eight wickets on Saturday at the same ground.
Pakistan have now won their last seven ODIs against West Indies, a sequence spread over the last four years.
"We made a plan at our team meeting and our guys stuck to it and that was good," said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
"Shehzad is a very talented guy and he showed that he is capable of performing. He took his time, but chasing a small total, he could afford to do that and we won the game.
"I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us. Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series."
The visitors' spin bowling trio of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi had dominated on another docile pitch.
After Pakistan chose to field, West Indies were dismissed for 220 in their 50 overs - one less than the total they made in the first ODI.
Ajmal, Hafeez and Afridi shared six wickets for 102 runs in 30 overs between them, and only West Indies opener Lendl Simmons looked close to getting on top of them, leading the way with 51 from 48 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.
"We didn't make use of the key moments in the match," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy.
"We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalise on it.
"The spinners continue to bog us down, and we could have got a lot more on the board. It seems that whatever approach we have taken, we seem only able to get the same kind of total on the board. We have a lot more work to do."
Shehzad shared three successive half-century partnerships with Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq that put Pakistan firmly on course for their victory.
He glanced a delivery in the 44th over from Dwayne Bravo to deep fine leg for a single to reach his milestone from 143 balls.
"We tried to keep wickets in hand. It was not a huge total so I knew that I had to control my stroke-play and not get carried away," said Shehzad.
He was fortunate on 30 when he came close to being run out after pulling a delivery from Bravo to mid-wicket and Hafeez turned down the chance of going for a single.
Sammy fired his throw from mid-wicket wide of the stumps and the opener was able to regain his ground.
By the time he became the second wicket for leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo in the 46th over, Pakistan required just 30 from the final 28 deliveries which came with little trouble.
The third and fourth matches of the series will be played on Thursday and Monday at Kensington Oval in Barbados, with the final game coming three days later at the Guyana National Stadium.

Hot Sports : Delhi Games chief arrested !!!!

Indian police Monday arrested the chief organizer of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and are set to charge him after a probe into allegations of widespread corruption at the scandal-tainted event.

Suresh Kalmadi will be "produced before a special judge" on Tuesday and formally charged on several conspiracy counts relating to the awarding of commercial contracts, said Dharini Mishra, spokeswoman for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A member of parliament for India's ruling Congress party, Kalmadi was sacked as chairman of the Games organizing committee as police investigated charges that the organisers had manipulated tenders and knowingly inflated costs.

The Games were meant to showcase India's status as an emerging global power, but the sporting headlines were stolen by venue delays, shoddy construction and budget overruns that saw the cost of the event triple to six billion dollars.

After the Games ended, corruption allegations began to swirl around Kalmadi and his committee.

Mishra cited specific charges that organising officials had conspired to ensure a contract for a private Swiss firm to be the event's official timekeeper by "wrongfully restricting and eliminating competition from other suppliers in a premeditated manner."

Other charges related to contracts awarded for a 2009 ceremony in London to mark the start of the baton rally, which saw a Games baton travel across participating nations.

A CBI team recently visited London to probe allegations that at least one London-based firm was paid vast sums of money to provide basic services such as taxis and large television monitors.

Kalmadi, a 66-year-old former air force pilot with powerful political connections, has consistently protested his innocence in the face of fierce attacks from the media and political critics.

He was booed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games after becoming the public face for the organisational fiasco that caused India acute embarrassment on the international stage.

India's national anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), received complaints alleging up to $1.8 billion of Games money was misappropriated

Football : Arsenal title dream shattered at Bolton

Arsenal's Premier League title hopes suffered a crushing blow when they conceded a last-minute goal to lose 2-1 at Bolton Wanderers on Sunday.

Bolton substitute Tamir Cohen headed the winner, leaving Arsenal nine points behind leaders Manchester United with four games left and almost certainly ending their bid to claim a first trophy since 2005.

Arsenal went into the match on an unbeaten 16-game run but a succession of draws had allowed United, who beat Everton 1-0 on Saturday, to open a gap at the top of the table.

"It is difficult to swallow the way we lost," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports.

"We had chances to win it but didn't take it and in the end we were caught in the way we feared today, from a corner. The week we have just had summed up our season -- lots of quality in our game on Sunday, Wednesday and today but not enough rewards for our effort. We could have had nine points but we got two."

United lead the way with 73 points, champions Chelsea are second on 67 and Arsenal, who have won only one of their last seven league games, have 64.

Manchester City, who visit Blackburn Rovers on Monday, are fourth on 56 with Tottenham Hotspur on 55.

Bolton were unrecognisable from the team thrashed 5-0 by Stoke City in the FA Cup semi-finals a week ago.

Their players used the match programme to apologise to their fans for their performance at Wembley and they certainly set about the match as if they had a point to prove.

Lee Chung-yong missed two good chances before they took a deserved lead in the 38th minute.

Gary Cahill's header from a corner was blocked on the line by Samir Nasri but Daniel Sturridge nodded in the rebound for his seventh goal in nine games since arriving on loan from Chelsea in January.

Bolton were awarded a soft penalty 30 seconds into the second half when Sturridge went down under little pressure from Johan Djourou but Kevin Davies shot weakly at Wojciech Szczesny.

Three minutes later Arsenal were level when Robin van Persie played a great one-two with Cesc Fabregas, who hit the post late in the first half, before scoring from the edge of the box. 

A great save by Jussi Jaaskelainen denied Nasri in the 70th minute but though Arsenal, who were seeking a ninth successive victory over Bolton, dominated possession they struggled to test the keeper further.

Instead it was the home side who struck when Cohen, on the pitch for four minutes, powerfully headed home a corner.

He celebrated by tearing off his shirt to reveal a t-shirt bearing a picture of his father Avi, the former Liverpool player who died after a motorbike accident in Israel in December -- and collected a mandatory booking for his actions.

"After last week, we wanted to show the fans we had the passion to prove to them that was just one bad day," Sturridge told Sky Sports.

"I have done my team Chelsea a favour today but I came out here to work for Bolton and their fans."

Bolton manager Owen Coyle said: "I think everyone knows how bad we felt after the FA Cup semi-final and it was important we showed our character today -- and we did that.

"We dealt Arsenal's title hopes a big blow but more important for us was our performance. I think we showed the real Bolton Wanderers today and went a long way to putting the smile back on our fans' faces."

Cricket : Warne's magic spell turns ordinary players into winners !!!!

Shane Warne's ability to transform ordinary players into top performers came to light again in the Rajasthan Royals match against Kochi Tuskers.

As captain and coach of the Rajasthan team, Warne gave a pep talk to his young players after his team's three defeats. Warne also led from the front to take three wickets and bowl out Kochi for a paltry 109 runs.

"After three dismal losses we sat together and had honest chats among us. We were back at the drawing board and came up good. The losses had hurt us and I am happy we have responded well with intensity," Warne said after his team's eight-wicket win over Kochi.

Warne, who was not considered for Australia's captain, is a fighter to the core.

"We did play disappointing cricket but I am happy with the way the boys have responded in this match. Now that we have beaten Kochi which has beaten top teams like Mumbai and Chennai, we will go a long way," assured Warne.

Rajasthan has two of the finest openers in the game. While opener Shane Watson is considered aggressive his partner, Dravid is more of a defensive player but together they put on 71 runs in 10 overs.

So when reporters asked Warne whether he will consider making this pair the permanent openers, he said: "Playing eleven is always taken according to the strengths of the opponents."

It was also a clear message that no place in the eleven should be taken for granted without performance.

Warne has a very clear agenda and has discussed it with his team. "If we win the remaining four matches we will be among the top four So we need to go for victories in all matches from now on and that has been made clear to the players," he said.

Incidentally, Warne does not believe in the advantages one can get by winning the toss or batting first.

"All we aim for is victories. It is important for everyone to play their roles in the team. Against Kochi our intensity was very good from the first ball. In the end it was a satisfying win," said Warne who at the age of 41, bagged the man of the match award to inspire his team.

Rugby : English rugby hails a new golden era as Woodward returns !!!!!

Sir Clive Woodward's return to the anchor role in English rugby, which now seems guaranteed, could usher in a golden era — it would be his second.

The sport will reach a new height in 2015 when the World Cup comes home to England and if Woodward's vision and energy can span the years, England will be the favourites.

To guide a team to achieve it once and reverse rugby's history by dominating the southern hemisphere was a fantastic achievement.

For Woodward to pilot England to another world title after eight years and a catastrophic dip in England performance, would be beyond belief.

There is a theory that rugby these days moves so quickly that anyone away for a week, let alone eight years, would be way out of touch but Woodward does not conform to the supposed norms.

His work at the British Olympic Association and his solid daily contacts with rugby and its major figures will probably only refresh his visions and improve his effectiveness. He will still drive the search for the extra points that snatch glory from narrow defeat.

And yet whatever the results on the field, rugby with Woodward back on board will become vivid again. Say what you like about Martin Johnson and his Leicester-based hierarchy, Woodward as performance director would come in above them. My view is that Johnson has improved markedly as team manager but that the team is still not remotely as good as many would love to believe.

Johnson's England are simply not vivid. Woodward, partly for his wilder theories, but also for his boldness, his facility with the media and his relentless driving, is splendid box office. He would galvanise the whole rugby scene and just to have him back would add spice to every international.

The comeback, when it is sealed, would be good news emerging from the sorry mess that the Rugby Football Union have almost made of filling their most important post. Twickenham red tape and petty jealousies have grievously hampered the affair as the new incumbent of the post was meant to be announced weeks ago.

However, when chief executive John Steele sifted applications there were none. Contenders for such an elevated job are few and far between in any case and the few with the necessary stature — Eddie Jones, Jake White, Nick Mallett — withdrew in the expectation that Woodward would storm home.

But Steele had promised a "comprehensive and intensive selection process" and was unwilling simply to give the green light for an approach to Woodward because he felt that proper procedures and the creation of a shortlist were appropriate — though some might find it ludicrous that somewhere out there is a rugby super-heavyweight nobody has yet thought of.

Cricket : Zulqarnain Haider returns to Pakistan

Five and a half months after fleeing to London from the UAE on the morning of an ODI, Zulqarnain Haider, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has returned home, having secured security assurances from the government about his safety and that of his family.

Haider landed at Islamabad airport on Monday morning and was swiftly escorted by security personnel to the office of Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister, who had convinced him to come back from London. Haider, who turned 25 on Saturday, had announced last week that he was prepared to revoke his application for asylum in the UK and return to Pakistan and resume his playing career. However, soon after that, there was confusion; some channels reported that he was reconsidering his decision after receiving threatening phone calls in the aftermath of his decision to return. But later he clarified to other channels - as well as leaving an update on his Facebook page - confirming that he would be returning as planned. Haider also recorded the threatening calls he had received, parts of which were aired on some Pakistani channels.

"I am happy to return," he said on Monday afternoon, after a meeting with Malik. "I have met Rehman Malik and the sports minister and they have provided me foolproof security," he said.

"When I landed at the airport everything was superb. They have given me superb accommodation and have lived upto their promise. I have just talked to them and briefed them on what happened to me. When I meet Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] I will share with him too.

Football : Record-setting Nadal captures sixth Barcelona title

World number one Rafael Nadal created more history on Sunday when he became the only man to win two tournaments more than six times after defeating David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 in the Barcelona Open final.

The Spanish top seed, with 34 consecutive victories on clay, repeated his victory a week ago when he beat Ferrer for a seventh Monte Carlo trophy.

Nadal improved to a phenomenal 31-2 in claycourt finals with his only two losses coming to Roger Federer at Hamburg in 2007 and Madrid two years ago.

"I feel at home here. It's a very special tournament," said the champion who celebrated with a traditional post-victory dip in the nearby club pool. "It always has been as I grew up watching this tournament. It's a historical tournament with a great tradition and great champions. It's more than a dream to win here six times."

The Spanish powerhouse will now allow himself a few well-deserved days off but will quickly have to get back into winning mode with the Madrid Masters starting next Sunday and another title defence on the line for the world number one.

Nadal's runaway victory in one hour and 49 minutes put him into third place on the all-time claycourt trophy list.

Only Guillermo Vilas, with 45 titles, and Thomas Muster, who won 40, are above his own 31. Nadal's comprehensive victory was his 13th in 17 matches played against Ferrer.

"It's always sad to lose, but it's been a very good week," said Ferrer, who has gone down in three Barcalona finals to Nadal.

"This tournament is very special to me. If someone told me I would reach the final in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, I would sign for sure." Nadal's return to the event after missing 2010 because of a knee injury was a joy and relief.

"I'm very happy to come back and win here after not playing last year. That was a difficult decision, it's a always a special dream to play in this tournament."

Spain continued to dominate in Barcelona, with at least one Spaniard playing the final for the ninth straight year. The last non-Spaniard to win was Argentina's Gaston Gaudio in 2002.

Cricket : Rajasthan Royals beat Kochi Tuskers

41-year old Shane Warne (3-16) headed a superb bowling display from the Rajasthan Royals to guide them to a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Kerala Kochi Tuskers with 35 balls to spare.

The Kochi Tuskers, led by Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, failed to read Warne's flight and spin and, with seamer Siddharth Trivedi also chipping in with three for 19, they were bundled out for a paltry 109.

Rahul Dravid (44) put on 71 runs for the opening wicket with Australian Shane Watson (49) before getting run out as Rajasthan leap-frogged from sixth to second spot with their third victory.

In Hyderabd, Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga took three for nine against Deccan Chargers to help Mumbai Indians consolidate their position at the top of the Indian Premier League on Sunday with their fifth win.

Mumbai, who were asked to bat, were tottering at 70 for four after a brisk opening stand of 47 between Sachin Tendulkar (28) and Davy Jacobs (32).

Rohit Sharma (56 off 34 balls) and former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds (44 off 33) added 102 in an unbroken fifth wicket stand to take their side to 172 for four.

Sharma hit three sixes in the final over as the duo plundered 40 runs in the last two overs of their innings against their former IPL franchise.

Malinga, who announced his retirement from test cricket last week, then got into the act with a succession of swinging yorkers. He also ran out Cameron White with a direct hit to bring about a 37-run win for Mumbai on Tendulkar's 38th birthday.

Football:Liverpool plan massive squad shake-up

Liverpool are planning a radical overhaul of their squad this summer with a source at the club revealing that they are planning "up to 22 deals" in and out of the club.

Director of Football Damien Comolli has been working since his appointment to identify priority targets and will receive support from the club's owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), this summer as the club seek to build a squad capable of getting back into the Champions League. Kenny Dalglish, who is hoping to remain as manager, has spoken of the need to complement the club's emerging talent with investment and it is understood that Comolli and his scouting team located two or three targets for each position they want to strengthen. Most of these are aged between 19 and 24 as the club seeks to invest in players whose talent can be developed and whose value will increase.

 

Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux is expected to be the first signing when the window opens on June 1, with the club being described as "a long way down the road" to securing the Bosman free transfer of the former France Under 21 international.

Liverpool are looking at further reinforcements in the wide areas, another striker, a left back and cover at centre back. If enough players can be sold, there could be as many as 11 signings. As they showed in January, FSG are prepared to reinvest money received in fees into the squad — most of the cash received for Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel was put into signing Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez for £58 million (Dh351.5 million). Having a high turnover will also allow the club to address the issue of the excessive contracts that were handed out under the previous regime. With the club's commercial department landing some impressive deals — a record £25 million-a-year kit deal with Warrior follows a lucrative contract with Standard Chartered as shorts sponsor — and the club freed of servicing the debts that impeded them under Hicks and Gillett.

Football : Lowly Schalke seek upset against Manchester United

Two weeks after knocking out title holder Inter Milan, an unheralded Schalke are looking to cause another major upset in the Champions League when they play Manchester United in the first leg of the semi-finals Tuesday.

Schalke consider themselves a total underdog against the three-time champions. But the Bundesliga team were also the outsider against Inter and still went through 7-3 on aggregate.

"Manchester United are a household name, just like Inter Milan before," Schalke midfielder Alexander Baumjohann said. "It's a dream of every player to be facing the Reds in a Champions League semi-final.

"Looking at the names, there is hardly any difference between Inter and Man U. The important thing is not to concede at home. Perhaps we can land another upset."

Both teams rested some of their top players over the weekend. United still won, 1-0 over Everton, but Schalke lost 1-0 at home to Kaiserslautern.

While United are closing in on the Premier League title, Schalke have nothing to play for in the Bundesliga, where they are stuck in the middle of the table.

Turbulent weeks

Schalke have managed to reach the semi-finals despite a turbulent few weeks which included the sacking of coach Felix Magath, who was replaced by Ralf Rangnick.

The club were also shaken last week by the decision of goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer not to extend his contract, which still has another season to run. The Germany goalkeeper has not said where he plans to continue his career.

History Of Cricket

This time cricket is the most popular sports in the world.Basically In south Asian People's are fun of cricket,then lets see the history of Cricket..

The origins of cricket are very vague, and many theories have been put forward suggesting its origins. Hard Studies and research have been conducted to trace it's history and they have come out with different versions. However it is commonly accepted that the game originated from a very old leisure activity indulged by shepherds. The shepherds used crook and other farm equipments to hit a ball like deceive which used to be made up of wool or stone.

The first evidence of cricket being played was recorded in the year 1550, by the pupils of Royal Grammar School, Guildford. In the year 1611 it is reported that two young men from Sussex were punished for playing cricket instead of going to the church. The first match is recorded to have been played at Cox heath in Kent in the year 1646.Earlier cricket used to thrive greatly as a gambling game. People used to place huge amounts of bets in matches and thus the game started to get recognition. Cricket was in fact a major gambling sport towards the end of the 17th century. It is recorded that in the year 1679, a 11-a-side match was played with stakes as high as 50 guineas per side.

During the 18th century cricket survived and thrived due to the huge amounts of money via monetary backing and gambling. The first instance of a match to be played between counties in England is recorded to be on 29th June in the year 1709. This match was played between Surrey and Kent at Dartford Brent.

The 18th century also witnessed the emergence of two types of cricket players. They were known as the retained player and the individual player. Generally the retained player was the servant of the lord and a cricketer as well. On the other hand the individual player was free to play anywhere with his skills. Basically it was something like the player could play anywhere with the amount of skill.

In the year 1787, the Marylebone Cricket Club also known MCC was created. The MCC has since then gone on to become one of the most prominent bodies in world cricket. Cricket in its initial days were restricted to the aristocratic class of England. Cricket gradually went on to become the national game of England.

The late 18th century was a very crucial phase for the development of the game, both within and outside Britain. The game was spread far and wide mainly due to England’s imperialism. Wherever they went, the game went with them and thus spread outside England. The first official match was held between Canada and United States was held in the year 1844.

In the present times, cricket has its own following of loyal fans. The International Cricket Council, better known as the ICC is the governing body in world cricket. The ICC was founded on the 15th of June in the year 1909. All laws relating to One day Internationals and Test Cricket are framed and implemented by the ICC.

About Cricket !!!!!!!

Cricket is a game of two teams between eleven players. It is played with the bat and ball as well as it is divided into six overs. Cricket game is established with the team sport. It is the most popular sport in the world.

In the cricket, there are three types of bawlers like fast bawlers, spin bawlers and medium pace bawler. The ball has bounces only one time before reaching the batsman. In the sport of cricket, the bawling is like a action of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batsman. It is played on the grass field and roughly in the oval shape.

All batsman plays the ball with the wooden type of cricket bat and the remaining members of the bawler's team stand with the different positions. In this game if the batsman not out, then they run between the wickets and exchanging ends with the second batsman.

Two-on fields umpires preside over a match. One empire stands on the behind of the bawler's wicket and the other one stands with a side view of the batsman.

The cricket field consists of the large oval shaped with the grassy ground. Its diameter is usually between 450 feet to 500 feet. The parameter of the field is known as boundary and the boundary is marked with the painted line or with a rope. casino table game

The main purpose of the bawler's team is to get the each batsman out and the purpose of the batting team is to score as many runs.