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.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara signs for Lancashire

Sangakkara was appointed Sri Lanka captain in March Lancashire have signed Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as their overseas player for the 2010 season. Sangakkara has played for the national side for the past decade and is one of international cricket's most consistent batsman with a Test average of 55.10. The 32-year-old will join up with his new county after the ICC World Twenty20 and the proposed Asia Cup. "Kumar is a hot property at the moment and rightly so," said Lancashire's head coach Peter Moores. "He is arguably the most consistent batsman in international cricket with an outstanding average in all formats, making his signing a real coup for Lancashire. "Not only will he bring his qualities as a player to the squad but his experience and knowledge will be invaluable. " Sangakkara follows in the footsteps of fellow team-mates, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya in representing Lancashire. "I am thrilled to be joining Lancashire and really looking forward to representing a club and county that has such a long and distinguished cricketing history," said Sangakkara. "Murali always talks fondly of his times at Lancashire so I had no hesitation in accepting the club's kind offer to play for them in the upcoming season." "Kumar is an excellent batsman and proven match winner," said Lancashire cricket director Mike Watkinson. "He has all the attributes and qualities we look for when signing an overseas player and is someone we know can make a significant contribution in all three competitions next season." Sangakkara is likely to miss the first six weeks of the domestic season due to representative commitments, which gives an opportunity for the club to bring in someone else as cover. "The first part of the season is full of Championship cricket, so myself and Peter Moores are looking at our options in terms of cover for Kumar during this period," said Watkinson. "We do have some talented home grown batsmen in our squad but it's important that we start the season off as strongly as possible and if the right overseas player is available, then that would be an ideal solution."

Sachin Tendulkar leads India to victory over Sri Lanka

Third one-day international, Cuttack: India 242-3 (42.4 ovs) beat Sri Lanka 239 (44.2 ovs) by seven wickets Match scorecard Tendulkar has now scored 69, 43 and 96 in the three one-day internationals Sachin Tendulkar struck a brilliant unbeaten 96 as India eased to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third one-day international in Cuttack. Tendulkar, supported by Virender Sehwag (44) and the rest of the top order, struck 13 fours off 104 balls as India made 240-3 in reply to Sri Lanka's 239. Sri Lanka's innings got off to a superb start with Upul Tharanga hitting 73 as he led them to 165-1 at one stage. But Ravindra Jadeja took 4-32 as they collapsed and India claimed a 2-1 lead. The fourth match of the five-game series takes place in Kolkata on Thursday, with a potential decider in Delhi on Sunday. India were captained by Sehwag, with regular skipper Mahendra Dhoni banned for two one-dayers because of their slow over rate in Friday's second contest. He lost the toss and ......... For more Visit : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8425193.stm

Injured Angelo Mathews to return home

	Angelo Mathews' injury could take up to four weeks to heal © AFP
Related Links News : Murali and Fernando out of ODI series Players/Officials: Angelo Mathews | Thissara Perera Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of India Teams: Sri Lanka

The injury crisis in the Sri Lankan camp has deepened, with the allrounder Angelo Mathews set to return home after straining his right quadricep muscle during the second ODI in Nagpur on Friday. The Sri Lanka Cricket media manager Brian Thomas has confirmed to Cricinfo that the Wayamba allrounder Thissara Perera will join the squad in India on Sunday for the three remaining ODIs.

Mathews' injury is likely to take up to four weeks to heal, thereby putting him in doubt for the tri-series in Bangladesh starting on January 4. He suffered the injury while setting off for a run during his match-winning unbeaten 37, but continued his innings with the aid of a runner (Chamara Kapugedera).

The loss of Mathews is a big blow to the Sri Lankans, given his fine form with the bat. He made 99 in the third Test in Mumbai, very nearly guided his team home in a marathon chase of 415 in the first ODI in Rajkot - scoring a 33-ball 38 - and closed out the chase in another pressure situation in Nagpur, with Sri Lanka chasing 302.

The Sri Lankans had already lost the services of two strike bowlers in Dilhara Fernando and Muttiah Muralitharan, who sustained finger injuries after the first ODI. Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Suraj Randiv were flown in as replacements. In the post-match presentation in Nagpur, captain Kumar Sangakkara joked that at least 40 players were required as cover for injuries. Perera is yet to make his international debut.

Prior to Sri Lanka's arrival in India, the touring Australians too were jolted by several such pull-outs during the seven-match ODI series. However, the injury-ravaged tourists managed to win the series 4-2. The current ODI series is squared at 1-1 with the third ODI set to get underway on Monday.

MS Dhoni banned for two ODIs

	MS Dhoni scored a century in Nagpur but was unable to ensure that India bowled their overs in time © AFP
Related Links Players/Officials: MS Dhoni Matches: India v Sri Lanka at Nagpur Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of India Teams: India | Sri Lanka

MS Dhoni, India's captain, has been banned for two ODIs for India's failure to maintain the over-rate during the second match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur. The ban is effective immediately, which means Dhoni will be unavailable for the games in Cuttack and Kolkata, returning only for the final ODI in Delhi. Virender Sehwag will captain the side in his absence.

The severity of the penalty - a ban instead of a fine - is because India were three overs short, which comes under the "serious over-rate offence" category. Falling short by up to two overs in an ODI, and five in a Test day, is considered a "minor offence", and merits a ban only if the offence is repeated twice in 12 months. On Friday night, though, India finished their 50 overs about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish and left match referee Jeff Crowe with no choice but to impose a ban.

If India repeat a serious over-rate offence in any form of the game within the next 12 months, Dhoni could earn himself a ban of two to eight ODIs or one to four Tests.

"The India captain, like his Sri Lanka counterpart, was reminded and warned before and during the ODI series to be mindful of the slow over-rates and the penalties under the revised code," Crowe said. "The Indian side was at par until the 42nd over but bowled only eight overs in the last hour which, is unacceptable. I accept the fact that the ultimate desire of the Indian side was to win the match but at the same time it had deadlines to meet and also fulfill the responsibilities it owed to the stakeholders."

The rest of the Indian players were fined 40% of their match fee for the offence - 10% each for the first two overs of minor offence and 20% each for every subsequent over. The BCCI has also stated that it will not appeal against the ban.

"We have received information that the match referee has put a two-ODI ban on Dhoni for slow over-rate," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer, said. "We are waiting for a formal communication on this. We will look into details and then make further comments."

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's captain, came close to getting banned when his side were found to be two overs short during the second Twenty20 international in Mohali. Sangakkara was fined 40% of his match fee while the rest of the team was docked 20% each, but Crowe said Sangakkara escaped a much bigger penalty.

"Kumar was kept informed throughout the match by the on-field umpires of where his team was with its over-rate," Crowe said. "Under the revised code of conduct, Sri Lanka was very close to being three overs behind and charged for a Serious Over Rate Offence, which would have resulted in its captain being suspended in the next two ODIs." Within the next 12 months, Sri Lanka can afford to repeat this minor offence once. Third strike, and Sangakkara will be out for a game.

Meanwhile, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has been found not guilty of showing dissent towards the umpires while batting in Nagpur. He set off for a quick single to mid-on but collided with the bowler before Angelo Mathews' direct hit caught him short of his crease. He appeared to gesticulate in frustration towards the umpire but Crowe clarified that it wasn't directed at him when the decision was referred to the third umpire.

"It was an unusual incident and while the umpires were justified in laying the charges, after studying all the evidences I found that Gambhir was actually annoyed and irritated by the actions of the bowler than at the decision of the third umpire," Crowe said. "At the same time, the umpires and I were convinced that the actions of the bowler were unintentional."