Anxious World Cup bidders await outcome of FIFA meeting

(Reuters) - Bidding nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will seek an eagerly awaited measure of clarity when FIFA considers the troubled process at a meeting on Friday.

The campaign, already dogged by confusion over the voting format, has been hit by a corruption scandal, with allegations of vote-selling by two FIFA executive committee members and collusion by unnamed bidding nations.

FIFA's executive committee is due to choose the hosts in Zurich on December 2 although there have been calls for the election of at least the 2022 hosts to be postponed to a later date. However, FIFA has so far ruled out this possibility.

With barely more than a month to go, the voting process has....

Read more

IPL third season due to begin amid heavy security

The tournament has become very popular with cricket fans The third season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 20-20 cricket tournament, is due to begin amid heavy security in the city of Mumbai. Eight teams are participating in the tournament which has been overshadowed by security concerns - IPL authorities have defended the arrangements. Hyderabad, which won the second season, will take on Calcutta in the first of 60 matches in the 43-day tournament. The world's top cricketers are taking part in the lucrative tournament. BBC Sports Alex Capstick in Mumbai (Bombay) says the brash and glitzy IPL has become a multi billion dollar industry and an established event in the cricket calendar in just two years. Bollywood owners The games are marked by entertainment on the field, including Bollywood music and cheerleaders for the teams. Some tickets cost up to 50,000 rupees ($1,100), and film screens show the games. The Calcutta team, owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, has won only nine of the out the 28 previous IPL matches, and begin as underdogs in Friday night's game. The Hyderabad team, which finished last in the opening season, emerged as the surprise winners in the second season, which was played in South Africa because of security concerns at home. There are eight English players in this season's IPL - Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan, who miss the first three weeks because of the Bangladesh tour, and Graham Napier, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Owais Shah, Michael Lumb and Ravi Bopara, who will be there for the duration. Security threats The third season of the tournament has been overshadowed by concerns over security and a controversy over the non-inclusion of Pakistani players in any of the eight teams. A news website had published a message reported to be from the 313 Brigade, an operational arm of al-Qaeda, that threatened the IPL, Commonwealth Games and Hockey World Cup, all of which are being held in India. This followed a threat against Australian players competing in the IPL from the right-wing Hindu group Shiv Sena. IPL authorities have said that everything was being done to make the tournament secure, although they conceded that "nobody in the world can safeguard the safety of the players in any tournament." IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has told BBC Sport the threat from Shiv Sena had been withdrawn and he defended security arrangements for the IPL.

Pakistan ban Mohammad Yousuf & Younus Khan indefinitely

Drastic action has been meted on four top Pakistan players Pakistan duo Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan have been banned indefinitely from representing their country. The Pakistan Cricket Board's inquiry into the tour of Australia found the pair had been involved in "infighting which... brought down the whole team". Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik each face one-year bans and big fines. Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal also face heavy fines while their conduct will be strictly monitored during a six-month probationary period. Recent captains Yousuf and Younus, the two most experienced batsmen in the sides, face the most serious sanctions. When one was captain he threw the other man out, when the other was captain he threw the other out when he would have been selected PCB chairman Ijaz Butt At 35 and 32 respectively they may now have played their last international cricket - though the PCB later stated their bans were not intended for life. "As and when the PCB deems appropriate, these players will be considered for selection for the national team," it said. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told BBC World Service: "When one was captain he threw the other man out, when the other was captain he threw the other out when he would have been selected. There are many other instances that have happened." The PCB has implemented the recommendations of an inquiry committee formed to evaluate Pakistan's dismal performance against Australia during the winter, when they lost all nine internationals. Pakistan must now try to defend their ICC World Twenty20 crown in the Caribbean next month with severely depleted resources, particularly among the batsmen, before facing what could be a chastening tour of England. But the PCB was unrepentant, saying in a statement: "This will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline of Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan." The inquiry, which also covered the Afridi "ball-biting" incident in Perth, detailed its sanctions against the seven players in an e-mail issued from its Lahore offices. 606: DEBATE It's a great shame that we will never see Younus and Yousuf playing Test cricket again if the PCB are to be believed Liam It said it had passed judgement "after careful and detailed analysis of the events, the personal accounts of the team management and players and examination of record, videos and statistics". The unanimous recommendations of the committee were as follows: • Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan - keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format. • For the shameful act of Shahid Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rs3m (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored. • Kamran Akmal be fined Rs3m (£23,800). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored. • Umar Akmal be fined Rs2m (£15,900). A warning be issued to him by the chairman of the PCB and he be put on probation for six months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored. • Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik be fined Rs2m (£15,900). They should not be part of a national team in any format for a period of one year. A DAMAGING BLOW The four banned players are extremely important members of Pakistan's side Yousuf has 24 Test centuries to his name and, at 35, is one of the most feared batsmen in international cricket Younus, a 32-year-old right-hander, has a Test batting average in excess of 50 Rana Naved is a fast bowler of 32 with a fine record in ODIs and Twenty20 internationals Malik is the team's principal all-rounder, combining stylish batting with economical off-spin. He is 28 One PCB official later clarified the terms of the bans. Taffazul Rizvi, the board's legal advisor, told Cricinfo: "They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on... They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad." Younus stepped down from the captaincy twice last year, with reports of player unrest about his style of leadership liberally strewn across the media. Yousuf, the third-highest run scorer in Pakistan Test history, led a winless tour to Australia before falling out publicly with Twenty20 skipper Malik. The PCB has not expanded upon the cases of indiscipline that have led to the bans on Malik, 28, and Rana Naved, 32. However, the cases of the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi are more clear-cut. The Akmals were fined for their behaviour after the Sydney Test. Wicketkeeper Kamran, 28, insisted publicly he would be selected in the run-up to the third Test after being dropped from the side. Younger brother Umar, 19, was alleged to have feigned an injury to skip the Test in protest, though he did eventually play. Afridi, 30, was punished for the bizarre incident in the Perth one-day international, when as a stand-in captain of the side, he bit the ball in a novel approach to the banned art of ball-tampering. He has served a two-match ICC ban for the indiscretion. I want to know what I did wrong. I will be consulting with my people before deciding a future line of action Rana Naved Attention will inevitably switch to how the players will respond, with legal action likely to be around the corner. The early indications were that one of them, fast bowler Rana Naved, would appeal. "I want to know what I did wrong," he said. "I will be consulting with my people before deciding a future line of action." Rashid Latif, another former captain, expected those most harshly treated to win their cases. "You can't hand out such severe punishments to players of the calibre of Yousuf and Younus Khan," Latif said. Inzamam-ul-Haq, yet another former captain and no stranger to controversy himself, was also scathing of the decision. "Why was action not taken earlier against these players?" he asked. "Why did the board keep quiet for so long when the team was on tour?" The decisions mean Pakistan will be bringing a hugely inexperienced side to England for their three-month summer tour, which features two Tests against Australia, four against Andrew Strauss's men and a string of one-day and Twenty20 internationals. But the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) say they do not believe the absence of star names will have a negative effect on attendances. ECB spokesman Andrew Walpole told BBC Sport: "We will continue to monitor the situation but we remain confident that the Pakistan team will continue to generate huge support this summer."

Bangladesh omit Mohammad Ashraful for England Tests

A Test centurion at 16, Ashraful cannot get into the current Bangladesh squad Former captain Mohammad Ashraful has been omitted from Bangladesh's squad for the Test series against England. The 25-year-old missed last week's one-day series to try and recapture his form after a poor tour to New Zealand. But he struggled in domestic cricket and only managed scores of one and 30 for Bangladesh A against England. His place in the Test squad has gone to Raqibul Hasan, who hit a century in the same game, and the selectors have also included three left-arm spinners. Abdur Razzak and Enamul Haque Jr join captain Shakib Al Hasan in the 14-man squad as Bangladesh look to prey on the current problems of England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who has proven vulnerable to left-arm spin in recent months. Razzak, with five Test caps, and Haque, who has 14, are not Test regulars - Razzak has not played a Test since October 2008, while Haque last featured in five-day cricket against West Indies in July last year. OLIVER BRETT'S BLOG The money from the ICC and broadcasting companies is still not filtering through to where it should The Test series starts in Chittagong on Friday and the need to post competitive totals will be the biggest concern for the home side. and coach Jamie Siddons. But Raqibul's 107 not out and 51 in the Bangladesh A trial has provided some encouragement and he is likely to take over the middle-order role vacated by Ashraful, who has played in 53 of Bangladesh's 64 Tests to date, making him their most capped player. He made his mark with a debut century against Sri Lanka in November 2001 at the age of only 17 but was also dropped for the 2003 home series against England and his consistency is highlighted by a Test average of only 22. The selectors have also included Naeem Islam, an all-rounder who bowls off-spin and a regular in the one-day side, who will be hoping to win his third Test cap and first since 2008, but there is no place for injury-prone paceman Mashrafe Mortaza. Bangladesh squad : Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Enamul Haque Jr, Shahadat Hossain.

Rafael Nadal says needs time to get confidence back

An unenthused Rafael Nadal played down his form at the Australian Open and said he would need more time to regain his confidence after digging himself out of a hole against Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Defending champion Nadal, who has not missed the last 16 of a grand slam since the 2005 U.S. Open, has set himself modest goals at Melbourne Park and was not feeling more bullish about his prospects after being stretched to a 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-5 win over the German in the third round.

"Well, it wasn't bad," Nadal told reporters after the three and a half hour match.

"I think because I won, so I am happy for that. I am less happy about my game, what I was practicing. But, yeah, you know, everybody has not very good days."

The Spaniard had not dropped a set in his first two matches at Melbourne Park and appeared set to do the same against 27th seed Kohlschreiber, but the German threw caution to the wind at two sets down to scramble back to force a fourth.

The tactic came undone at 5-5 in the last, however, an unforced error giving Nadal the break and allowing the Spaniard to coolly serve out and seal the match with a sweetly-struck winner.

Nadal, who defeated Roger Federer in a classic five-set final last year, has struggled to reach his fist-pumping best since being struck down by knee tendonitis after the French Open last year.

He has not won a tournament since April and was bundled out of the ATP Tour Finals in London after losing three straight matches there.

"If I lose here next round, I am gonna have chances to play well during all the season," said Nadal.

"So the Australian Open is a very important tournament, but it is not the end of the world. You have a lot of time to get your full confidence, to play well."

Nadal said he would need to be more aggressive ahead of a fourth-round encounter with big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who bounced out compatriot Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6.

"Always a really difficult opponent, no, because the match is decided in a few points.

"So the thing is to concentrate hard on my serve all the time and try to convert the small opportunities that I can have on the return. That's it."

Source : Reuters

Champion Nadal into fourth round

Nadal has already accumulated six Grand Slam titles Defending champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-2 2-6 7-5 win over German Philipp Kohlschreiber. The second seed's serve was put under pressure and he needed some inventive shots to win in three-and-a-half hours. Fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro survived some anxious moments before beating the unseeded Florian Mayer. The 21-year-old US Open champion served 11 aces but was guilty of 46 unforced errors in a 6-3 0-6 6-4 7-5 victory. Nadal extended his record against Kohlschreiber to 5-0 but it was their closest match to date, and in statistical terms only eight points separated them over the 38 games. "Well, the most important thing is I won, so I'm happy for that," the 22-year-old said. "I am less happy about my game, what I was practising. But everybody has not very good days. "I think I played much better the fourth set. The second set for a few moments I played well, too. But the first set and the third, I played bad and I need to play a little bit more aggressive for my next match." That will be against the gargantuan Croatian Ivo Karlovic, who beat compatriot Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 3-6 6-3 7-6. for more : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8474055.stm

Sri Lanka overcome India to win Mirpur final

Tri-nation tournament final, Mirpur: Sri Lanka 249-6 beat India 245 by four wickets Scorecard By Oliver Brett for BBC Sri Lanka newcomer Chanaka Welegedara impressed with 3-53 Sri Lanka won the triangular tournament in Bangladesh, beating India by four wickets with a strong team performance. India tossed away wickets freely early on in Mirpur, and without Suresh Raina's brilliant 106, they would have struggled to put up any sort of total. However, their modest 245 all out was overhauled with nine balls remaining. Former skipper Mahela Jayawardene played the key innings, making 71 not out from 81 balls after India seamer Ashish Nehra had limped off injured. Questions will be raised about the wicket for the event in Mirpur. In all seven matches the team batting second won with some ease. But really India could not blame the conditions. With Raina (106 off 115 balls) picking up the baton from Virender Sehwag (42 from 27), the opportunity for a big total was there if only the other batsmen could seize it. The first Indian wicket to fall was unfortunate, Gautam Gambhir bowled off his thigh-pad in the first over, but the next four were entirely avoidable. 606: DEBATE Our selectors axed all the non-performers and replaced them with talented youngsters such as Randiv and Perera, which was the right thing to do Bath Maruwa At a time when they should have been taking stock and waiting for the moisture in the wicket to dry out, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Dhoni tried a succession of extravagant shots outside off-stump, and nicked a succession of catches. Worse was to come when Sehwag, whose firebrand innings demonstrated there were few demons in the wicket, tried to deflect Nuwan Kulasekara through the vacant slip cordon only to give wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara a straightforward catch. India were 60-5 in the 11th over and in huge trouble. Thankfully, they had Raina, who cut, pulled and then produced some wonderful drives over extra cover as Sri Lanka's inexperienced bowling line-up was finally asked a few questions. But they emerged with some decent figures, not least Kulasekara (4-48) and the newcomer Chanaka Welegedara (3-53). India's late renaissance suggested a total of at least 260 might be on the cards, but Zaheer Khan holed out to extra cover after smacking two fours and a six and soon afterwards Raina played across the line and was bowled by Welegedara. Still, the left-hander had registered his third ODI century and first since mid-2008. Ten balls went unused after Sreesanth was the last man out. Raina played the innings of the day, but India lost the final Sri Lanka matched India by losing a wicket from the third ball of their own innings, Upul Tharanga's feet glued to the surface as he nicked Nehra to slip. A 93-run stand between Sangakkara (55) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (49) featuring some eye-catching strokeplay was ended by a brilliant catch from Dhoni, clinging onto a bottom edge off Dilshan. India were just getting back into the contest when Sangakkara edged a wonderful Harbhajan Singh off-break to slip, but Jayawardene batted coolly and India's bowling resources were limited. Nehra got through just two legal deliveries of his second over before creasing up in pain and was unable to continue. Sreesanth was out of sorts, and the back-up spin of Yuvraj and Ravindra Jadeja was not testing enough. Jayawardene picked the gaps intelligently, finding twos where other batsmen would have settled for singles. There was a brief panic when Suraj Randiv became the sixth man to be dismissed, given the weakness of the Sri Lankan tail. But Jayawardene pulled the first two balls of the penultimate over, bowled by Sreesanth, for four to level the scores - and sealed the deal from the third with another boundary.