MELBOURNE, March 2: India were finally knocked out of the tri-series as Sri Lanka brought a heart-breaking end to their nervous wait with a nail-biting nine-run victory over Australia in the last over of a must-win contest on Friday.

India needed an Australian win to qualify for the finals but it was Sri Lanka who secured a passage to the summit showdown as they scraped past the hosts in a match which saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to another till the very end at the MCG.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka put up a modest 238 runs and then bowled out the hosts for 229 to win with five balls to spare.

In then nerve-wrecking final moments of the game, Australia needed 10 runs in the last over off Nuwan Kulasekara but David Hussey’s mighty heave was caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan at long-off to trigger off wild celebrations in the Sri Lankan camp.

Both Australia and Sri Lanka now have 19 points each and will clash in the best of three finals, beginning at Brisbane on Sunday.

India remained on 15 points and it marked the end of the a disastrous tour, in which they suffered a 4-0 Test series whitewash and had mixed results in the tri-series.

The Australian chase was guided well by stand-in skipper Shane Watson, who scored 65 runs, and David Hussey’s fighting 74, but they lacked the fire power in the end to overhaul the modest target.

For Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara (64), Dinesh Chandimal (75) and Lahiru Thirimanne (51) were the chief contributors to the total.

Lasith Malinga, who had a horrendous last match against India, was the star performer this time as he picked four wickets including that of Watson, David Warner (6) and Peter Forrest (2).

Australia were reeling at 26 for three — having lost Matthew Wade (9), Warner and Forrest — when Watson and Mike Hussey steadied the chase with a 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

The match was looking like going Australia way but Lahiru Thrimanne broke the stand by scalping Hussey (29).

David was playing well from one end but was running out of partners with Watson, Daniel Christian (3) and James Patinson (12) departing early.

David fought hard with his fighting knock and was the last man dismissed. His effort was only enough to reduce the defeat margin.

Earlier, all-rounder Daniel Christian sparkled with a hat-trick during a career-best five-wicket burst as Australia dismissed Sri Lanka for 238.

Playing only his eighth ODI, the 28-year-old Christian’s hat-trick in the 44th over was the highlight of the first session’s play in today’s match — the batsmen falling victim to him being Thisara Perera (5), Sachithra Senanayke (0) and Nuwan Kulasekara (0).

The right-arm pacer ended the day with impressive match figures of 5-31 in nine overs. James Pattinson picked up four wickets, conceding 51 runs in his 10 overs.

Opting to bat first, it was a wobbly start to the proceedings for the islanders as they lost their openers with less than 20 runs on the scoreboard.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (5) was the first to head to the dressing room when he was run out by David Hussey in only the second over of the day.

It was Dilshan who called for a very risky single and Jayawardene responded after some hesitation. Hussey, from the second slip, pounced on the ball with one hand and managed a direct hit finding Jayawardene well out out of his crease.

Dilshan didn’t last long either with comeback pacer James Pattinson getting his scalp after the right-hander had contributed merely nine runs to the total.

Dilshan was surprised by a bouncy one that caught him on the backfoot and ended up giving a thin edge through to Matthew Wade behind the stumps. Sri Lanka were reeling at 17/2 at this stage.

But the Lankans started the rebuilding job soon enough with the experienced Sangakkara and the exciting new talent Chandimal joining hands for an entertaining third-wicket partnership of 123.

Sangakkara was perfect foil to the natural aggression of Chandimal as the duo stitched together a crucial stand that resurrected the Lankan innings.

Sangakkara’s knock came off 93 deliveries during which he struck three boundaries before Pattinson induced a top edge off his bat that was caught by Peter Forrest at deep square leg off the final delivery of the 29th over.

But Chandimal held fort for quite some while and even got a life in a bizzare manner during the course of his innings which was studded with three fours and a couple of sixes.

In the 35th over of the innings, Thirimanne pushed for a risky third run off Australian skipper Shane Watson’s bowling.

Ben Hilfenhaus made a sliding effort at the point boundary which caught Chandimal well short of crease but the batsman was saved as TV replays showed that Hilfenhaus’ foot had touched the boundary rope before he threw the ball.

Chandimal was eventually dismissed by Pattinson, caught at mid-off by McKay while trying to strike one down the ground.

Thirimanne held one end with his gritty 59-ball knock that included a couple of boundaries but Sri Lanka needed an accelerator after Chandimal’s dismissal. PTI

“It feels great to qualify for The Open again and this time, I'll be aiming to make the cut for the first time in my career,” said Prayad.

Karachi, March 2: They were knocked out of the last World Cup by India but all-rounder Shahid Afridi has refused to dub Pakistan’s eagerly-awaited Asia Cup clash with the arch-rivals as a revenge match.

“I don`t think we should look at the match against India as a revenge one. We need to treat every match with same importance and significance,” Afridi said.

Pakistan and India clash in the Asia Cup on March 18, the first meeting between the two sides since the World Cup semi-final last year.

Afridi said that the team should be more aggressive in the tournament, to be held in Bangladesh.

“I think we need to be more aggressive in the Asia Cup and our batsmen have to play hard at the bowlers,” he said on returning from Bangladesh, where he was competing in the BPL. Afridi felt that one reason for Pakistan’s defeats in the one-day and T20 series against England last month was their defensive approach.

“We must realise that our bowlers can`t win us matches all the time. It is time for the batsmen to also score runs heavily. We lost to England as I thought we were a bit defensive.”

Afridi said Pakistani batsmen needed to be more consistent and support the bowlers, but ducked questions on the captaincy issue.

“I don`t want to make any comments on the captaincy,” he said when asked if he would be willing to lead Pakistan again.

Rana Naved who along with Afridi played for the Dhaka Gladiators, told reporters that he had no connection with the Pakistani national arrested during the BPL for being a suspected bookmaker.

“By the grace of God I am back home and I don`t have any links with this guy. I don`t even know him. I am not involved in such things. I just love the game and doing well for my teams.” PTI

DUBAI, March 2: Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, who need to improve their rankings to earn a direct entry into the London Olympics, stormed into the summit clash of the ATP Dubai Open with a straight set win on Friday.

Fourth seeded Indian pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna edged past the giant killing Austrian pair of Julian Knowle and Alexanderin Peya 7-6 (2) 7-6 (7) in the semifinals of the $1,700,475 hard court event.

Knowle and Peya had shocked top seeded pair of Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic in the quarterfinals.

Bopanna, ranked 11th, or Bhupathi (15) need to be in top-10 in the ATP doubles ranking to have a direct entry in the Olympics competition.

A top-10 player has the liberty to choose his partner, irrespective of his ranking.

The unseeded pair of Leander Paes and Tipsarevic has already exited from the tournament after a 4-6 5-7 defeat in the first round against second seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Teacu. PTI

LAHORE, March 2: Former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory, arrived in Lahore to sign a contract to become Pakistan’s new cricket coach, an official said on Friday.

The 57-year-old Whatmore, who played seven Tests and one limited overs international for Australia, coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and also helped Bangladesh reach the second round in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Whatmore was chosen by a three-member coaching committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) after regular coach Waqar Younis left the post citing health issues in September last year.

Former Pakistan opener Mohsin Khan was appointed interim coach under whom Pakistan beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and whitewashed England 3-0 in Tests before they went down tamely 4-0 in one-day series and 2-1 in the Twenty20 internationals last month.

The head of the coaching committee Intikhab Alam confirmed Whatmore will sign a contract.

“Whatmore and Julien Fountain (likely to take over as fielding coach) have arrived here and Whatmore will sign a contract as head coach of the Pakistan team,” Alam said, refusing to give further details of the contract. AFP

NEW DELHI, March 2: The IOA on Friday shied away from taking action against tainted Suresh Kalmadi despite the threat from the world body to act on its own, saying there was no need for any action against its President he has decided keep away from sports administration.

The IOA called its Executive Board meeting to discuss the letters sent to it by the International Olympic Committee to act against Kalmadi but refrained from taking any hard decisions.

Kalmadi spent nine months in jail in the Commonwealth Games corruption scandal before being released on bail last month.

IOA Acting-President Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that the national body has replied to IOC’s three letters and it would wait for further communication from the world body.

“The Executive Committee unanimously accepted the two letters written by Kalmadi to IOA Acting President, which said that he would not assert his rights and obligations as IOA President as he would not be able to function as IOA chief for long time,” Malhotra told a press conference.

“The Executive Committee passed a resolution that the IOA Acting President will continue as IOA chief with all the powers under its Constitution,” he said.

“We have replied to all the letters sent to us by the IOC. We will wait for replies from the IOC,” he said when asked about IOC’s threat to act on its own if the IOA fails to do the same.

Coming out of the meeting which lasted just about half an hour, Malhotra did not divulge anything on the contents of the replies and pleaded to talk on other issues, simply trying to switch topics.

Asked what was the IOA’s stand on IOC wanting to know about the charge sheet filed against Kalmadi, Malhotra said, “The IOA has nothing to do with it. It’s a matter between the government and Kalmadi. It’s a court case and the IOA can’t do anything in that.”

On being pressed why Kalmadi had not resigned as yet, Malhotra shot back, “You should ask him. He has said he would not assert his rights and obligations of IOA president.”

Malhotra also informed that the Executive Committee passed a resolution, approving the new amended rules of the Ethics Commission as required under the IOC.

“The Executive Committee also approved the new rules issued by the IOC Ethics Commission in January. We have circulated the IOC rules to all the members as well as the members of the Ethics Commission and have sought for suggestions from them within 10 days,” he said.

“All this will be incorporated and sent to the IOC for approval,” he added.

Another top IOA official, however, claimed that IOA Annual General Meeting will have to approve the new rules before the Ethics Commission comes into force.

“The Ethics Commission cannot start functioning now. The new rules under the IOC will have to be approved by AGM first. Then only the Ethics Commission will start functioning,” he said.

IOA secretary general Randhir Singh, however, made it clear that the existing Ethics Commission will continue to function.

“The resolution we have passed is very clear. The existing Ethics Commission stands. We have circulated the IOC’s amended rules to the members and we will frame the new rules after getting the feedbacks”, Randhir Singh said.

Malhotra denied that the IOA had decided to boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of London Olympics, protesting against non-removal of Dow Chemicals as one of the sponsors.

“There were some reports that the IOA will boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of London Olympics. The issue was not in the agenda today. But the IOA has not taken any decision on this,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra also wondered why the government has not taken action against Dow Chemicals entities in India.

“We have asked the government to make its stand clear on the issue. People outside the country have been asking us why we have been protesting while the government has not taken action against Dow Chemicals entities in India,” said Malhotra. PTI

ST JOHN’S, March 2: Former captain Chris Gayle was again overlooked by the West Indies when a 30-man training squad for the forthcoming one-day and Twenty20 series against Australia was announced on Thursday.

Gayle hasn’t played for the West Indies since last year’s World Cup and has been involved in a long-running dispute with the West Indies board.

The WICB said that 17 contracted players, along with 13 others who are under consideration for selection, will participate in a two-week training camp in Barbados from March 1 to 12.

The first one-dayer takes place at St Vincent on March 16.

The 17 contracted players are: Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Shannon Gabriel, Nelon Pascal, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford and Devon Thomas.

The 13 additional players under consideration: Samuel Badree, Tino Best, Nkrumah Bonner, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Shane Dowrich, Danza Hyatt, Garey Mathurin, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Krishmar Santokie and Dwayne Smith. AFP

New Delhi, March 2: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Friday came down heavily on the Indian cricket team after the conclusion of its disastrous tour Down Under, saying it was hard to understand the "psyche" of Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s men.

“When they get through an achievement like a fifty, hundred or a wicket they snarl, snap and swear but when they drop a catch, they smile... it should be the other way round. It`s very hard to understand the psyche of the Indian cricket team,” said Gavaskar.

India`s tour of Australia ended today when their hopes of qualifying for the tri-series finals were dashed with Sri Lanka pulling off a nail-biting nine-run victory over the hosts in the last league match in Melbourne.

Prior to the Commonwealth Bank ODI series, India were whitewashed 0-4 in the Test rubber.

Gavaskar said the Indian team did not seem to be hurt enough from the crushing losses they suffered at the hands of Australia. “There were occassions when it looked like they were not hurt enough. There were a few examples...Ishant Sharma dropped a catch of Michael Clarke off his own bowling and what do you think the reaction was...he was smiling...you don`t smile when you drop a catch and Clarke went on to score a triple hundred.”  PTI

New Delhi, March 2 : Injuries have ruled out promising defender Arnab Mondal and seasoned medio Clifford Miranda from India's 23-member football squad for the AFC Challenge Cup, starting March 8 in Kathmandu.

India's chief football coach Savio Medeira dropped goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and mid-fielder Lester Fernandes on the basis of their form.

Savio did not name a captain but forward Sunil Chettri has been included after missing the Bayern Munich tie in January due to an ankle injury.

India have been grouped with World Cuppers North Korea, the Phillippines and Tajikistan. India start their campaign against Tajikistan, March 9.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar), Subhasish Roychowdhury (Dempo SC), Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers).

Defenders: Nirmal Chhetri, Raju Gaikwad (both Kingfisher East Bengal), Sameer Naik (Dempo SC), Gourmangi Singh (Churchill Brothers), Anwar Ali, Kinsukh Debnath, Syed Rahim Nabi (all McDowell Mohun Bagan), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC).

Midfielders: Adil Khan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Reisangmi Vashum (Kingfisher East Bengal), Rocus Lamare, Francis Fernandes (both Salgaocar SC), Jewel Raja (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Lenny Rodrigues, Lalrindika Ralte (both Churchill Brothers).

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Sushil Singh (Shillong Lajong FC), CS Sabeeth (Pailan Arrows), Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC). (IANS)

New Delhi, March 2 : Formula One and GT1 are the ultimate in motor racing and India presents a great opportunity to become a major market for the sport, says founder and promoter of GT1 Series Stephane Ratel.

“India was on our list of key destinations, particularly as it is a growing market for luxury cars,” Ratel told IANS in an online interview.

After the resounding success of the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix last year, Indian motor racing fans are in for more thrills this December when luxury sports cars careen around the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) for the season’s finale of the FIA GT1 World Championship.

The GT1 series is expanding its base and it is the biggest motor sports event for luxury cars to come here after F1. It paves the way for many more prominent racing series to cash in on one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

GT1 is the first to jump on the bandwagon as the team’s manufacturers comprise the leading luxury car makers, Ferrari, BMW, Audi, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz.

Ratel, CEO of Stephane Ratel Organisation (SRO) Motorsports, organizers of the Championship, gives out the reasons for putting India on the GT1 calendar. “To complete the global picture of the championship, we wanted to expand our international footprint. We added China last year and we are adding Russia and India in 2012 as we seek to reach the four corners of the globe.”

“There are plans to make a foray into North America in the near future to add to a calendar which currently features Europe, Asia, South America,” he said of the 10-race 2012 season that culminates at the Jaypee Group owned BIC in Greater Noida Dec 2.

There are no Indian drivers in GT1 unlike F1, but Ratel says the race in India will open doors for its drivers.

“We would definitely like to see Indian drivers, if not an Indian team, compete in the Championship. The concept has been discussed with prospective teams and drivers. There is a precedent for this type of arrangement in the shape of Exim Bank Team China which made its debut in 2011. Having a national driver or team entered adds to the spectacle for local fans.”

The track at the BIC has been praised by many. During the F1 race, McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button said the 5.14-km track has the potential to be one of the best in the world.

Talking of the track, Ratel said: “The circuit will provide a great challenge for our drivers and teams. Each of the circuits in the championship visits has its own unique character and BIC is no different.”

Ratel reveals the manufacturers are delighted with the race coming to untapped destinations like India for sports and luxury cars. One of the luxury car makers participating in the series — Mercedes Benz — recorded 22.7 percent growth in car sales in India last year.

“The manufacturers are delighted that we are visiting such important markets for luxury cars. There are potential benefits commercially for them.”

He had a word praise for the Jaypee Group and their commitment.

“We met with Jaypee representatives several times in the past on different occasions, but the final decision was made at the time of the FIA Awards Ceremony in India in December 2011.” Agencies

New Delhi, March 2: With the aim of developing sports in the interiors of the country, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is trying to pursue the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MSPI) to converge various programmes with Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

If the Sports Ministry is able to convince the MSPI for the convergence of Panchayat Yuva Krida aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) and Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) with MPLADS, it would be possible to use the funds from all these scheme that would help in creating more durable assets and in larger numbers.

As a result, under MPLADS the Member of Parliaments (MPs) would be able to recommend at rural level works such as development of playfields including levelling of playgrounds in hilly areas, construction of boundary walls and other durable assets relating to Sports.

 Similarly in the urban areas also, the MPs would be able to recommend works such as multi-purpose halls, athletic tracks, football, hockey turfs etc.

The Sports Ministry had introduced PYKKA and USIS schemes in 2008-09 and 2010-11, respectively for creation and development of basic sports facilities at rural and urban levels.

Both the schemes have been received well so far. Under PYKKA, grant of Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh is provided for creation of play fields in village panchayats and block panchayats respectively.

Under USIS, the level of assistance is about Rs.5.00-6.00 crore for creation of multipurpose halls, athletic tracks, football, hockey turfs etc. PTI

Paris, March 2: Former world number 20 Alisa Kleybanova, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, will return to action at the Miami WTA tournament, the Russian player announced on Thursday.

The 22-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphona in May last year and was forced to withdraw from the season’s remaining tournaments to undergo treatment.

But with her treatment judged to be a success, Kleybanova will resume her career on a wildcard into the main draw at Miami.

“I finished my treatments in December and a couple of weeks ago I did my last tests in Italy. The treatments were successful, my doctors are happy with my health and I’m feeling great,” Kleybanova wrote on her WTA blog.

“I have started to train and right now I’m in Florida playing tennis again. It was physically really hard in the beginning, but it was so emotional that I didn’t want to get off the court. More than anything, I’ve missed the competition. For me tennis is not just going on the court and hitting the ball - it’s testing yourself, seeing how good you are, trying new things, trying to improve, trying to win. For me the best part of tennis is the competition and I’m really looking forward to my comeback.”

Before her illness, Kleybanova had collected two career singles titles and had risen to number 20 in the world. Agencies

DUBAI, March 2: Andy Murray beat world number one Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5 in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.

Djokovic started strongly, holding his opening two service games to love in the duo's first meeting since the Serb triumphed in an epic five-set semifinal at the Australian Open in January.

But from 2-2, a pumped-up Murray then won seven games in a row to claim the first set and go 3-0 up in the second on a balmy evening in Dubai.

Murray served for the match at 5-3, but the world number four seemed nervous, double-faulting as Djokovic earned two break points.

A netted backhand from the Briton then enabled Djokovic to pull it back to 5-4 and the set appeared to be heading for a tiebreak. However, Murray roused himself to break again and seal victory after the Serb clubbed a forehand into the net.

Murray will now play the winner of Friday's other semifinal between 16-times grand slam winner Roger Federer and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. Reuters

MEMPHIS, March 2: Andy Roddick defeated Denis Istomin in straight sets on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach ATP tournament, avenging his loss to the Uzbekistani a fortnight earlier.

Roddick, the fourth seed, converted all three of his break chances to book his second quarterfinal appearance of the season.

Istomin had beaten Roddick in the quarters en route to the final at San Jose, California, in February, before falling to Canadian Milos Raonic in the title match.

Roddick, 29, next faces seventh-seeded South African Kevin Anderson.  Anderson took his 2012 record to 7-4 with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over two-time former Delray Beach champion Xavier Malisse of Belgium.

Fifth-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber reached the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Croatian Ivan Dodig. Agencies

PALM BEACH GARDENS, March 2: Rory McIlroy made a positive start in his bid to take the world number one ranking from Luke Donald by shooting a four-under-par 66 in the first round of the Honda Classic on Thursday.

The Northern Irishman, who can claim the No. 1 ranking with a win this week, took advantage of ideal conditions by carding five birdies with a bogey on the eighth hole the only blemish on his scorecard.

American Davis Love III had the clubhouse lead with after tying the course record with a six-under-par 64 that included a hole-in-one on the 195-yard par-three fifth with a five iron.

England’s Justin Rose was tied with McIlroy after recovering from a double-bogey on the second with an eagle on the third and three consecutive birdies from the fifth.

Tiger Woods and world number two Lee Westwood were playing together in the later groups but without Britain’s Ian Poulter who pulled out early on Thursday with illness. Reuters

KOLKATA, March 2: Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday backed the Indian selectors’ decision to include an out-of form Sachin Tendulkar in the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.

The 39-year-old and former ODI opening partner of the Mumbai stalwart was of the view that Tendulkar's inclusion in the squad would help India's cause.

“It's a right decision to include Tendulkar in the squad for the Asia Cup. His experience would be a great asset to the side and the youngsters can learn a lot from him,” Ganguly said.

Asked whether Tendulkar should opt for the longer version only, Ganguly said, “It's up to him to pick the format he would like to play.”

Tendulkar has scored only 143 runs in seven matches in the ongoing CB Series, with his highest being 48 against Sri Lanka in Perth.  Ganguly also believed that Virender Sehwag was not dropped but rested for the Asia Cup, beginning March 11. Sporting a No. 10 jersey, Ganguly captained a side of former footballers against a celebrity XI, led by Mithun Chakraborty to raise fund for 70's star Gautam Sarkar at the Mohun Bagan ground this afternoon.

“I am a great admirer of Sarkar. It was indeed great to participate in the match,” Ganguly, who played for about 10 minutes before pulling out because of a viral flu, said. PTI

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2: Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska pulled out of the BMW Malaysian Open on Friday due to injury after a string of rain delays caused a schedule pile-up that forced her to face two opponents the day before.

“I'm so sorry I can't continue. Had a great time in Malaysia and I hope to be back in future,” the Polish world number five told the centre court crowd in conceding her quarterfinal match-up with Taiwanese qualifier Su-Wei Hsieh.

Radwanska did not address the reason for her withdrawal, but Women's Tennis Association tour supervisor Pam Whytcross said the Pole had an elbow injury.

"We were called into the training room at 2 pm and were informed that she had a right elbow injury," Whytcross said.

Radwanska arrived in Malaysia on the back of a win in Dubai last Saturday, a result which saw her rise to a career high in the WTA rankings.

But her first-round match with Akgul Amanmuradova -- originally scheduled for Tuesday -- was pushed back a day due to heavy rain at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

The match was again halted by heavy showers on Wednesday with Radwanska leading 6-2, 3-3.

It was only completed early Thursday afternoon and giving Radwanska two hours before returning to court to defeat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4.

"It is disappointing but we wish her the best. It is still early in the season and the players have to manage their injuries carefully," Whytcross said.

Radwanska had been wearing a thigh strap in the tournament while also complaining about a sore shoulder after beating Pliskiova.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Petra Martic came back from an opening-set loss on Friday to upset third seed Peng Shuai of China, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. AFP

BARCELONA, March 2: Paul Di Resta got behind the wheels for Sahara Force India for the start of a second week of pre-season Formula One testing, managing to complete 98 laps “smoothly with no issues to report”.

Di Resta clocked a fastest lap-time of 1:24.305. ”Another busy day and we managed to tick off all the objectives once again. The final test is all about adding new parts to the car, seeing how they perform, and getting our set-up sorted for Melbourne,” Di Resta said.

"I think we have a good idea of where we need to be based on the performance of the car today and Nico will continue with that work tomorrow. As I said last week, we are definitely making progress in terms of performance and we're getting a good understanding for the new 2012 tyre constructions," he added.

The team's chief engineer Jakob Andreasen was also pleased with how things panned out.

"Our second week in Barcelona has got off to a good start with another reliable day of running. Paul covered just shy of 100 laps and worked through the programme without any significant issues.

"The priority was to shakedown the second chassis, which we ran for the first time today, and that went smoothly with no issues to report," he said.

"As the first race in Melbourne approaches, there are more developments arriving at the track and our task this week is to evaluate as much as we can. The first of those were on the car today, so we carried out some aero passes and had some encouraging feedback from Paul."

Nico Hulkenberg will be in the driver's seat on Friday with Di Resta resuming the role on Saturday. Hulkenberg will be back behind the wheels on Sunday. PTI

Washington, March 2 : The United States Anti-Doping Agency has announced that American sprinter Michael Rodgers was banned for nine months after failing a drug test at a track meet last year in Italy.

The 2009 US champion in the 100 metres tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine.

As Rodgers’ suspension was retroactive to last July when he failed the test, he will be allowed to resume competition in about 10 weeks. He still has a chance to take part in the US Olympic trials to get himself a spot on the American team at the London Games.

US doping officials said Thursday Rodgers first lied to the investigative panel but then confessed that he took a banned substance.

“Rodgers originally requested a hearing in front of independent American Arbitration Association (AAA) panel, at which he provided inaccurate and misleading testimony,” US Anti-Doping Agency was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

“However, before the false testimony was acted upon by the arbitration panel, Rodgers came forward, acknowledged the truth to the US Anti-Doping Agency.” IANS

BARCELONA, March 2: Barcelona will have to overcome Lionel Messi’s absence against Sporting Gijon on Saturday as it tries to keep its dwindling chances for a fourth straight Spanish league title alive.

With Real Madrid already 10 points clear at the top of the table, Messi’s one-game suspension for having collected five yellow cards leaves coach Pep Guardiola without his top scorer in a front line already depleted by David Villa’s broken leg.

The loss of the three-time world player of the year should open the door for Pedro Rodriguez to accompany Alexis Sanchez in attack at Camp Nou stadium.

Pedro’s season has been undermined by a series of injuries, and the forward was recently dropped from Spain’s national team with just three months to go before it begins its European Championship defense.

“I hope I can play more minutes but that depends on the coach,” Pedro said. “I feel strong and I am ready to help my teammates. Being 10 points back is complicated, but we are going to fight until the end.”

Barcelona will also be without France defender Eric Abidal and Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara because of injuries they picked up with their national sides.

Sporting has drawn its last two games under new coach Javier Clemente, who was brought in to revive the northern Spanish team that currently sits six points from safety in second-to-last place.

Clemente, a former Spain manager, last guided a team to victory at Barcelona 30 years ago when he was at the helm of Athletic Bilbao.

Madrid hosts Espanyol on Saturday looking for its ninth consecutive league win and 12th win in 13 home games this season at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo leads the league with 29 goals- one more than Messi- and with 13 games to go he is on track to break his league record of 40 goals from last season.

Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino has led his young squad to sit just two points from fourth place in a pack of teams in the upper-middle part of the standings. Even so, the Argentine manager has yet to beat Madrid in over three-and-a-half seasons with his former club.

“Records are there to be broken,” Pochettino said. “I don’t think this game has anything to do with past ones.”

Atletico Madrid and Sevilla face off on Saturday in a test between two teams enjoying turnarounds under new coaches.

Atletico will look to shake off its first loss in 10 games since the arrival of Diego Simeone last week to Barcelona, while Sevilla goes for its third victory in a row with Michel Gonzalez in charge.

“It’s going to be a great game against an exciting rival,” said Simeone. “We are both in a group of teams fighting for a place in the Champions League. The team with the most endurance, courage and regularity will finish in the top four.”

Third-place Valencia visits Granada on Sunday seeking just its second win in nine games.

Unai Emery’s team can count on in-form striker Roberto Soldado coming off a hat trick in Spain’s 5-0 friendly win over Venezuela earlier this week.

Valencia has seen its lead over its rivals reduced to five points and can ill afford another stumble if it wants to maintain its secure hold on a place in the Champions League.

Three teams tied on points_ Malaga, Osasuna and Bilbao_ have a shot at moving into fourth place and laying claim to Spain’s final slot in European club football’s top-tier competition come next season.

Malaga aims to end a five-game away losing run on Saturday at Getafe while the surprising Osasuna is at Mallorca.

Bilbao welcomes back four Spanish internationals to San Mames stadium against Real Sociedad for Sunday’s Basque derby.

A win by either of the three would take them two points clear of current fourth-place Levante, which will have to wait until Monday to play Real Betis. Agencies

London. March 2: A week after Liverpool and Arsenal raised hopes of a strong finish to the Premier League season with crucial wins, the pair go head to head at Anfield in a match critical to each team’s chances of making the top four.

While Liverpool ended its six-year wait for a trophy with a shootout win in the League Cup final, Arsenal recovered a two-goal deficit to beat local rival Tottenham 5-2.

Fans of both clubs have renewed hope of clinching qualification for the Champions League, but defeat for either on Saturday could see just as swift a turnaround in mood.

“What the win does is makes you more confident and it gives you an incentive to go on and try and win and play in more finals,” Liverpool winger Stewart Downing said. “And we are still going for a Champions League place with fourth position. There is a lot to play for and hopefully we can carry on doing well.”

Leader Manchester City, which hosts Bolton on Saturday, and second-place Manchester United are out of sight, but third-place Tottenham is just seven points ahead of Arsenal after last weekend’s north London derby.

If Spurs lose to visiting United on Sunday, that gap could be as small as four points.

Liverpool is back in seventh place but is only seven points behind Arsenal with a game in hand.

Liverpool could be without captain Steven Gerrard after the midfielder limped off in the first half of England’s 3-2 friendly defeat against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

United and Tottenham will both have to cope without key players at White Hart Lane, where United has not lost since a meaningless end-of-season fixture in 2001.

United is already without injured captain Nemanja Vidic until the end of the season and could miss defender Chris Smalling, who was carried off in the second half of England’s match after a clash of heads with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Spurs could call upon Sandro to fill the gap in midfield caused by the suspension of Scott Parker for his late red card against Arsenal.

Spurs look vulnerable to a late charge by Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea after only a third loss in 24 matches.

“Arsenal and Chelsea are strong teams and we haven’t finished above them for a long time, but this is our best chance, so we have to make sure we pick ourselves up and be ready for the next game,” Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. “We’ve a tough run, United, Everton away, Chelsea away so we have to make sure we’re ready. It will be a big game at home to United.

“We are still seven points clear and if we can make that third place it will be a great season for us.”

Also on Sunday, Sunderland is at local rival Newcastle and Wolverhampton Wanderers goes to Fulham. Saturday’s other games are: Blackburn vs. Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers vs. Everton, Stoke vs. Norwich, West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea, and Wigan vs. Swansea.

League Championship leader Southampton is at Leeds on Saturday, while West Ham is at Cardiff on Sunday. Agencies

LONDON, March 2: England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce believes the European Championships will be harder to win than the World Cup and says the Three Lions cannot afford to make a slow start to the tournament.

England, beaten 3-2 by the Netherlands at Wembley on Wednesday, have just two friendlies left before their opening Euro 2012 game against France in June and have little time to fine-tune their preparations.

Pearce, who has indicated a willingness to lead England at the finals if a permanent successor to Fabio Capello is not found, said the concentration of quality at the Euros made it a tougher challenge than the World Cup.

“The French are in there, Ukrainians on home soil and obviously the Swedes,” Pearce said, referring to England’s first round opponents.

“The one thing a World Cup would probably throw up is a match against a lesser nation that would allow you to gather momentum by getting out of the group,” he added.

“In the Euros you have to hit the ground running. And make no mistake, with France in the first game we have got to be running very quickly.”

While France’s Euro preparations got a timely boost in midweek with a 2-1 win in Germany, England’s build-up has taken on a chaotic look, with the team still looking for a manager and a captain.

Football Association director Trevor Brooking has suggested England could wait until a few days before Euro 2012 before installing a manager for the tournament, a disclosure that has added to the sense of disarray.  AFP

Berlin, March 2 : German first division football club Schalke 04 have offered veteran Spanish striker Raul a new contract, said Schalke’s director of sport Horst Heldt.

As Heldt and Raul’s agent Gines Carvajal have been unable to find a suitable time to meet, Heldt has sent him an email with the offer.

Raul’s current contract will expire in the summer.

“We agreed that we would send Gines Carvajal our proposal using a modern communication method, meaning email,” Heldt was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

“The simple reason for this is that he has been abroad for a few days and, since we have several midweek games, we were unable to find a suitable time to meet in person,” he went on. “Therefore, we are both very pleased with this solution.”

Heldt will now wait for Raul’s response. “Firstly, Raul’s agent has to take his time considering the offer and then he will discuss it with the player,” added Heldt. “We have tentatively agreed to meet at the end of March to talk about it. That means we are fully on schedule.” (IANS)

Warsaw, March 2 : A football friendly between Poland and Portugal at the National Stadium here — newly-built for the Euro 2012 championship in June — was incident-free, spokesman for the Polish National Police Headquarters Mariusz Sokolowski said.

This was the first soccer match played at the new National Stadium in Warsaw built before the Euro 2012 championship to be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine in June.

Police treated the match Wednesday as a general security test before the Euro 2012 tournament. “We are satisfied with the course of the event. Inspite of a large number of people attending the event, there were no serious incidents, no one was detained. Several people had not been admitted to the stadium because they were drunk,” Sokolowski was quoted by Xinhua as saying Thursday. Agencies

The Hague, March 2 : Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar did not suffer a severe injury, a MRI scan indicated, after clashing heads with England’s Chris Smalling in the Netherlands’ 3-2 win in a football match at Wembley.

Huntelaar came on as substitute for Robin van Persie at half-time during the friendly between England and the Netherlands Wednesday. After having headed in the second Dutch goal in the 58th minute, the two players collided and fell to the ground. Both were taken to hospital.

Schalke 04 striker Huntelaar looked to have suffered a mild concussion, but the MRI Thursday showed that was not the case. In November he suffered a broken nose after colliding with teammate Joel Matip in Schalke 04’s 0-0 draw with AEK Larnaca in the Europa League.

It is not yet known whether England defender Smalling is capable of playing for Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. “He has a really bad gash on his head and went to hospital,” England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “I spoke with him and he was conscious. Our thoughts are with him and I am hoping he will be fine.” IANS

London, March 2 : Tottneham Hotspurs football star Gareth Bale has torn a hamstring and is likely to be out for three weeks which means he will miss Spurs' match against Manchester United at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Bale has been instrumental in taking Tottenham to the third position in the English Premier League.

Bale suffered the injury while training with Wales ahead of the testimonial match for Gary Speed and could miss up to three weeks with the Champions League chasing north Londoners.

Bale's injury would add to manager Harry Redknapp's headache. Tottenham lost 2-5 to Arsenal in the league last week, and another defeat could send the alarm bells ringing at White Hart Lane with Arsenal and Chelsea just seven points behind them.

Bale has continued to impress this season, scoring 10 league goals and has raised interest from a number of Europe’s elite clubs, including Barcelona. IANS

London, March 2: Ace striker Wayne Rooney believes the key to Manchester United retaining their Premier League title is the fact that they never panic in crunch situations also.

United has shown this season in their comebacks at Chelsea and again at Norwich last Sunday that they stick to their game-plan in the belief it will come good, The Sun reports.

Rooney said: “When I was a young lad and first came to the club, we might have been losing a game 1-0 or 2-1 and I’d have been saying ‘Just put the ball in the box’ and panicking a bit about losing. Now I’m older and more experienced and know to just keep playing your game because there`s always a chance you`ll get an opportunity to score. That comes from playing so many games and the experience you pick up along the way.”  

Rooney believes it was that match at Stamford Bridge, which really showed City they are in a battle right to the final whistle this season, The Sun reports.

“Everyone watching the game would have seen that we’re not just going to lie down — we`ll be fighting until the very end. When you’re 3-0 down it would be easy to just play the rest of the game and accept defeat.” ANI

Cape Town, March 2 : A FIFA delegation arrived in South Africa as part of a global tour to investigate match fixing.

The delegation, led by Chris Eaton, will spend four days in South Africa to engage with a number of key individuals for suspected involvement in match fixing.

The investigation in SA would focus on the refereeing and outcome of the four friendly games that the South African football team Bafana Bafana played in the final build up to the World Cup, Xinhua reported.

Match fixing was suspected in the games, during which South African Football Association (SAFA) intervened and appointed their own officials, to replace the international referees recruited and supplied by Football4U, for the fifth and final friendly versus Denmark.

SAFA has reportedly agreed to open its records to the investigators in relation to the games.

“We are doing all we can to help FIFA resolve the issue regarding the Bafana games and to do all in our power to wipe out corrupt practices in football in South Africa, if there is any,” said SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani.

SAFA CEO Robin Petersen called for help in the investigation, saying that “anyone who has not already been contacted but who believes that they have material evidence to offer are invited to urgently contact my office”.

“We have complete confidence in the integrity and thoroughness of the FIFA process and will assist in whatever way we can to get to the truth,” he said.

“We would also like to emphasize that SAFA is not, at this stage, undertaking a parallel process either internally or through an independent body,” he added. “We trust that all parties will respect the FIFA process and allow it to reach its logical conclusion.” (IANS)

KIEV, March 2: Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin remains optimistic about the co-host’s chances at the upcoming European championships with 100 days remaining before the tournament kicks-off.

“Last year’s friendly matches against Germany and Austria showed that we’re on the right track,” Blokhin said.

“The match with Germany was our most memorable game in 2011 as we managed to score three goals against one of the world’s best teams. I’m confident we will be able to field a competitive team at Euro-2012.”

However, days before Ukraine’s first friendly match in 2012 in Israel, Blokhin expressed his growing concern with his team’s personnel problems as they are missing several first-choice players for the match at Petah Tikva.

“The match in Israel will give us a chance to see many of the candidates in action,” he said. “After this important test we will get more information about our players, their conditions and the state of our team’s lines.”

Blokhin said he had been upset with the incident concerning Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Alexander Rybka, who failed a dope test after a domestic league match and will miss the Euro 2012 tournament after being banned for two years.

“He put our squad in an awkward position,” Blokhin said. “Of course we have more skilled and stable goalkeepers at our disposal but Rybka was playing very good in recent matches and we were relying on him.”

The Ukraine manager also said he was worried with injuries to several leading players in defence and attack as Shakhtar full-back Dmytro Chygrynsky and Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Shevchenko will both miss the Israel match.

“We have certain problems in defence ahead of the match with Israel,” Blokhin said. “Meanwhile, our attack is also in trouble as only Marko Devic is currently on top form.”

Nevertheless, Blokhin remains positive about his team’s chances at Euro 2012 especially with home advantage.

“After the end of Ukraine’s league season all of our players will have a week off,” he said. “After that we will be practicing in the training camps in Turkey and Austria and will return home just before the Euro kick-off.”

“This tournament is very important for all of us and very special for me personally as I never played at the European championships during my playing career. So I want to catch up as a coach.”

“We all will do our best to make our fans happy. I hope the Euro will be remembered in Ukraine not only for the fantastic development in our sport and general infrastructure but also for the successful performance of our team.”

The chief of Ukraine’s Football Federation (FFU) Grigory Surkis said he believed in the talent and creativity of Blokhin, who has been offered a new contract by the FFU which would take him through to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Blokhin will be able to create a team, which will surprise the sceptics with its performance and results at the European championship,” Surkis said.

“We are all set to provide Blokhin and his team with everything they need to prepare for the Euro finals the best possible way. We expect only one thing from our team - a positive result.” Agencies