Saturday, 24 March 2012

Bangladesh says it will seek review of final-over collision

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has said it will lodge a complaint with the Asian Cricket Council about an incident in the final over of Bangladesh's chase in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan

England says farewell to a symbol of ‘66

Ten years ago to this day, England said its goodbyes to Kenneth Wolstenholme, a man who proved that football icons can be born in commentary boxes as well as on pitches and in dugouts.

Crew down Impact, Earthquakes impress

Columbus Crew were 2-0 winners over newcomers Montreal Impact, while New England Revolution got on the scoresheet early to edge Portland Timbers, and San Jose Earthquakes beat Toronto FC in convincing fashion.

Killie win hands Celtic title chance

Paul Heffernan scored twice as Kilmarnock defeated Motherwell, boosting Celtic's chance at wrapping up the Scottish Premier League title tomorrow, while Dundee United and St Johnstone claimed respective wins over Hibernian and Hearts.

Boosts for Bolton, Wigan in relegation battle

Bolton Wanderers ended an emotional seven days with a vital 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic recorded a shock victory at Anfield by the same scoreline, while Arsenal, Norwich City, Sunderland and Everton won.

Toure rescues City draw at Stoke

Peter Crouch grabbed the lead for Stoke City with a long-range stunner, but Yaya Toure made sure the points were shared as Manchester City provisionally climbed back into top spot in the Premier League.

Guangzhou slip up as Liaoning near

Guangzhou clung on to top spot in the Chinese Super League despite a 1-0 defeat by Shanghai Shenhua, while Liaoning Whowin kept up their chase of the leaders with a 3-3 draw against Changchun Yatai.

Twente held as Heerenveen cruise

Twente missed their chance to go top of the table after they were held to a 1-1 draw by ADO Den Haag, while Heerenveen eased to a 4-1 win over VVV-Venlo, and Roda JC defeated Vitesse Arnhem 3-1.

Montpellier grab late win, Marseille bag point

Montpellier clinched a late 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne to go top of the table in Ligue 1, while Marseille ended a dismal streak of defeats with a 1-1 draw at Nice, and Lille clung on to third place with a 3-0 win over Evian.

Serena likes Sloane Stephens' poise

Serena Williams says that her personality at a young age was not that similar to that of American teenager Sloane Stephens. "She's very calm and so poised," Serena told reporters. "I was a little wild and crazy. Yeah, I wish I had her poise…She's a really, really sweet girl. I think she has a great game. She has so much potential."

Serena likes Sloane Stephens poise

Serena Williams says that her personality at a young age was not that similar to that of American teenager Sloane Stephens. "She's very calm and so poised," Serena told reporters. "I was a little wild and crazy. Yeah, I wish I had her poise…She's a really, really sweet girl. I think she has a great game. She has so much potential."

Serena powers into fourth round in Miami

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)â€"Serena Williams advanced to the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-1 Saturday.

Williams dominated with her serve and played patiently from the baseline, winning a succession of long rallies. She hit 25 winners while committing 20 unforced errors.

Seeded 10th, Williams is making her return to tournament tennis after a two-month absence because of a left ankle injury. At No. 20, Vinci is the highest-ranked player Williams has beaten this year.

Williams is seeking a record sixth title in Key Biscayne.

Federer, Serena advance; Clijsters out in Miami

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)â€"On the verge of victory, Roger Federer stopped playing when he thought a pivotal point had ended.

He mistook a fan’s shout for a linesman’s call, which cost him the game. Play continued for another 25 minutes before Federer finally closed out his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-6 (3).

“I’d like to make it a bit more difficult for my opponent,” Federer said. “I was just completely confused about the whole situation.”

Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick won in more straightforward fashion, but two-time champion Kim Clijsters was eliminated.

Federer led 5-2 in the second set and had a chance to finish in less than an hour until he lost two fluky points that extended the match.

Serving at 5-3, Federer blew an easy overhead to fall behind 15-30. One point later, facing break point for the only time in the match, Federer hit a forehand that landed on the baseline.

A fan hollered “Out!” and Federer stopped. By the time he realized the ball was still in play, Harrison had won the pointâ€"and the game.

“It completely threw me off,” Federer said. “It’s the first time it has ever happened in my career. I was like, `That’s it? That’s a break point? This is how this is going to happen?”’

Harrison took advantage of the break, although he said he felt bad about it.

“Obviously I want to win every point the right way, and not because something happened,” the teenager said. “Unfortunately somebody interrupted play.”

After Harrison held twice to force the tiebreaker, Federer hit a spectacular lunging lob to turn a scrambling exchange his way for a 4-2 lead. Four points later, he closed out his 40th victory in the past 42 matches.

“I felt like I had to win the match like three times at the end, so I was relieved to come through,” he said.

Federer has a 77-match winning streak against players outside the top 20. Harrison is ranked 73rd but on the rise.

“He’ll make his move up the rankings,” Federer said. “He’s a good athlete. I hope he stays healthy so he can show everyone what he’s got.”

The No. 3-seeded Federer’s opponent in the third round will be another American, familiar foil Roddick. They’ve played 23 times and Roddick has won only twice, although he did beat Federer at Key Biscayne in 2008.

“There’s no getting around the fact that he has been the biggest obstacle in my career,” Roddick said. “His game matches up well against mine.”

Roddick lost only five points on his first serve, never faced a break point and beat Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2. Roddick is trying to improve a ranking that has dropped to 34th, the lowest he has been since 2001.

Williams started early and finished fast. Walking onto the stadium court at 11 a.m., Williams dominated with her serve, played consistently from the baseline and moved into the fourth round by beating Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-1.

Williams was done shortly after noon.

“I’m not a morning person,” she said. “I actually hate morning matches, but I always do my best at 11 o’clock matches.”

Williams won most of the short points and a succession of long rallies as well. She hit 25 winners while committing 20 unforced errors.

Seeded 10th, Williams is making her return to tournament tennis after a two-month absence because of a left ankle injury. At No. 20, Vinci is the highest-ranked player Williams has beaten this year.

Williams is seeking her first tournament championship since August, and she’s bidding for a record sixth title at Key Biscayne.

“I need trophies,” she said. “I want to add more and to do more. There are records to break. So I’ll do it. I’ve just got to believe it. I do believe it.”

Sharapova, seeded second, beat American qualifier Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-2. Clijsters, coming back from an ankle injury, lost to No. 23 Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 7-6 (5).

No. 8 Mardy Fish was among 12 seeded men to advance. One lost: No. 15 Feliciano Lopez was beaten by fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Fish Beats Dancevic; Anderson, Verdasco Advance

Eighth seed Mardy Fish, who reached the Sony Ericsson Open semi-finals last year, defeated qualifier Frank Dancevic 6-3, 7-6(1) on Saturday for a third-round berth.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Federer: Success means winning matches

Roger Federer defines success for himself as winning, rather than just playing his best, as many players say. "I guess winning a bit," he told reporters. "It's part of it. I am an athlete; I'm a tennis player.  I judge success on the tennis court if I'm winning or losing. It's nice to be reminded how good you are every day, because the people make you feel it and the results show it, too. So you try to work hard so you have as much success as possible, because it is just a little bit more fun winning than losing, actually, for those who don't know."

Bryans Record 45-Minute Win; Join Mirnyi/Nestor In Second Round

Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan began their Sony Ericsson Open campaigns on Saturday with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Australian wild cards Paul Hanley and Bernard Tomic in just 45 minutes.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Federer: Success means winning

Roger Federer defines success for himself as winning, rather than just playing his best, as many players say. "I guess winning a bit," he told reporters. "It's part of it. I am an athlete; I'm a tennis player.  I judge success on the tennis court if I'm winning or losing. It's nice to be reminded how good you are every day, because the people make you feel it and the results show it, too. So you try to work hard so you have as much success as possible, because it is just a little bit more fun winning than losing, actually, for those who don't know."

Federer, Serena Williams advance in Miami

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP)â€"Roger Federer let a big lead slip away in the second set, then regrouped to win his opening match Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open, beating 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Federer led 5-2 in the second set and was on the verge of finishing in less than an hour when he lost two fluky points that extended the match.

Serving at 5-3, Federer blew an easy overhead to fall behind 15-30. Federer then stopped playing when he mistook a shout from the stands for a linesman’s call, which cost him the next point, and he went on to lose serve.

The match continued for another 25 minutes before Federer closed it out for his 40th victory in the past 42 matches. He extended to 77 matches his winning streak against players outside the top 20.

Federer’s opponent in the third round will be Andy Roddick, who never faced a break point as he beat Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2. Roddick hopes to improve a ranking that has dropped to 34th, the lowest he has been since 2001.

Roddick is 2-21 against Federer, but did beat him at Key Biscayne in 2008.

“There’s no getting around the fact that he has been the biggest obstacle in my career,” Roddick said. “His game matches up well against mine.”

Serena Williams started early and finished fast. Walking onto the stadium court at 11 a.m., Williams dominated with her serve, played consistently from the baseline and moved into the fourth round by beating Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-1.

Williams was done shortly after noon.

“I’m not a morning person,” she said. “I actually hate morning matches, but I always do my best at 11 o’clock matches.”

Williams won most of the short points and a succession of long rallies as well. She hit 25 winners while committing 20 unforced errors.

Seeded 10th, Williams is making her return to tournament tennis after a two-month absence because of a left ankle injury. At No. 20, Vinci is the highest-ranked player Williams has beaten this year.

Williams is seeking her first tournament championship since August, and she’s bidding for a record sixth title at Key Biscayne.

“I need trophies,” she said. “I want to add more and to do more. There are records to break. So I’ll do it. I’ve just got to believe it. I do believe it.”

No. 12-seeded Sabine Lisicki edged No. 17 Peng Shuai 6-4, 7-5.

Seeded men swept the day’s first nine matches. Winners included No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 14 Gael Monfils, No. 17 Richard Gasquet and No. 20 Fernando Verdasco.

Federer To Meet Roddick In Third Round

Roger Federer will meet fellow two-time former Sony Ericsson Open champion Andy Roddick in the third round in Miami. Federer has a 21-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the World No. 34.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

F1B Sector 3: March 24, 2012

Join me in a quick F1 update on everything you NEED to know in F1 this week. We cover Mercedes, Ferrari, Force India, Malaysia and more

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Roddick, Ferrer, Monfils Into Third Round

American Andy Roddick, the No. 31 seed and 2004, 2010 champion, dropped nine points on his serve and hit 10 aces to beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Safin: 'Isner should be a top 5 player'


Former No. 1 Marat Safin says that No. 10 John Isner has the goods to be a top 5 player. "He should be inside the Top 5," said Safin, who is playing the ATP Champions Tour BNP Paribas Zurich Open this week. "It’s difficult to play against someone of his size. He serves way too big. When he has a good day it’s almost impossible to play against him. I just don’t think he is consistent enough, but he is already improving and in a few years he will get more experienced. He’s top 10 now and he definitely still has potential."

The Russian added that he doesn’t see any change in the current top four by year’s end. "I think at the end of the year [Novak] Djokovic will be No. 1," he said. "Then No. 2 will be [Rafael] Nadal, then [Roger] Federer, then [Andy] Murray. Not much will change. Djokovic is doing really well, and I think it’s going to be difficult for Nadal this year because Djokovic just keeps getting better and better and he has the confidence edge over him right now. And Federer is getting older, which is normal of course, and Murray has the game but he is still missing something for me."



Safin: 'Isner should be top 5'


Former No. 1 Marat Safin says that No. 10 John Isner has the goods to be a top 5 player. "He should be inside the Top 5," said Safin, who is playing the ATP Champions Tour BNP Paribas Zurich Open this week. "It’s difficult to play against someone of his size. He serves way too big. When he has a good day it’s almost impossible to play against him. I just don’t think he is consistent enough, but he is already improving and in a few years he will get more experienced. He’s top 10 now and he definitely still has potential."

The Russian added that he doesn’t see any change in the current top four by year’s end. "I think at the end of the year [Novak] Djokovic will be No. 1," he said. "Then No. 2 will be [Rafael] Nadal, then [Roger] Federer, then [Andy] Murray. Not much will change. Djokovic is doing really well, and I think it’s going to be difficult for Nadal this year because Djokovic just keeps getting better and better and he has the confidence edge over him right now. And Federer is getting older, which is normal of course, and Murray has the game but he is still missing something for me."



Who made Vettel’s tire strategy call?

We’ve all discussed the reality that this weekend’s Formula One race in Malaysia will be a better test of the true pace of the cars than last weekend’s Australian grand prix due to Sepang being a proper racing circuit and not that of a street course in Melbourne. What we’ve seen is a reversal of

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Driver Quotes: Malaysian GP qualifying

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX  KUALA LUMPUR  SATURDAY DRIVER QUOTES  24 MARCH 2012 Red Bull Racing  Mark Webber “It wasn’t too bad, we had a reasonable run. In Melbourne we were a bit stronger in the race than in qualifying and looking at the gap to pole today, it seems we are two or three tenths off,

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Lokomotiv upset CSKA in Moscow derby

Lokomotiv scored two goals in the first half through Roman Pavlyuchenko and Felipe Caicedo to deal local rivals CSKA Moscow a 2-0 derby defeat and deny them the chance to make up ground on leaders Zenit St Petersburg.

Miami Saturday Briefing - Djokovic, Federer, Roddick Open Campaigns

Media notes for the Sony Ericsson Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Familiar foes reunited en route to Brazil

The pitting of Korea Republic and Iran, two well-established Asian rivals, in Group A is sure to make for an intriguing spectacle, while Uzbekistan are lurking as the section's likely dark horses.

Asia's final round takes shape

The final round of qualifying in Asia for Brazil 2014 has finally taken shape, with ten teams learning the challenges that await when the final-round draw took place at AFC House.

Victoria face tough chase for final spot

Victoria were set to face a tricky chase on the third day in Melbourne as their hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final hung in the balance at stumps on day two

Flamengo win as Nacional stay top

Brazil's Flamengo and Bolivia's Bolivar secured narrow Copa Libertadores wins while Colombia's Atletico Nacional remain top of their group despite being held by Godoy Cruz in an eight-goal thriller.

FICA calls for postponement of Pakistan tour

Tim May has criticised the ICC's recommendation that it could amend rules by not sending its match officials to countries with security concerns while allowing a series in that country to continue

Four-goal Smeltz fires Glory

Shane Smeltz was in incredible form as he scored all four goals to help Perth Glory twice recover from a deficit to beat Melbourne Victory 4-2 and consolidate third place in the A-League.

Gwangju go ahead of beaten Bluewings

Gwangju FC lead the K-League after taking advantage of a defeat for Suwon Bluewings by beating Busan IPark 2-1, while Seol Ki-Hyeon scored twice to give Incheon United a maiden victory this season.

Sendai stay perfect, tied with Tokyo

Vegalta Sendai and FC Tokyo retained their 100 per cent starts to the J.League season with victories over Omiya Ardija and Vissel Kobe respectively, while reigning champions Kashiwa Reysol won for the first time.

The grand old foes of Recife

FIFA.com tells the story of one of Brazilian football's oldest rivalries, between Nautico and Sport, two historic clubs from Recife who are locked in a long battle for local superiority.

Ireland demolish Namibia to qualify for World T20

Ireland muscled their way past Namibia to take the last remaining place in the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, showing the all-round game that has made them the leading Associate side for the past five years

FIA post-qualifying press conference - Malaysia

Drivers: 1 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 2 - Jenson Button (McLaren), 3 - Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) Q: Lewis, a first pole for you and McLaren here in Malaysia but a continuation of the team's fine start to the season today. Lewis Hamilton: Yeah, it's been a good weekend so far. I think it's been a tough day to be honest with the changeable weather conditions and the temperatures climbing. Made some set up changes to the car, nonetheless we still managed to do some good times but obviously got these guys pushing very hard behind but the guys in the factory are doing a fantastic job.

Werder lose Arnautovic, sell Wesley

Werder Bremen have announced that Marco Arnautovic could miss the rest of the season after tearing knee ligaments, while Wesley has been allowed to return to Brazil in a deal with Palmeiras.

Qualifying - Hamilton beats Button to Sepang pole

Even McLaren had their doubts that they could beat Mercedes in qualifying in Sepang on Saturday, but an almost perfect first-run lap by Lewis Hamilton and a great second-run lap from Jenson Button secured the front row for them. Hamilton lapped in 1m 36.219s despite a late lock-up mistake in the final corner, to take his second successive pole position of the season, while Button pushed through to second with 1m 36.368s to edge out Michael Schumacher, who screwed 1m 36.391 out of his Mercedes on his first run. Neither he nor team mate Nico Rosberg made a second run, however, suggesting that the team need to conserve tyres as the W03 is known to be hard on its rubber in races.

Morelia beat Club America to move clear

Morelia are three points ahead at the top of the Clausura standings after an impressive 3-1 win at home to third-placed Club America, with Christian Valdez, Miguel Sabah and Lozano Espin getting the goals.

Malaysia Quali Recap: Hamilton, Button lead McLaren to another front row lockout

Lewis Hamilton (1:36.219) put his McLaren on pole for the second weekend in a row in another dominating performance during qualifying for the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix. A late last lap from Jenson Button made it another McLaren front row, having pipped Michael Schumacher for that second position. Mark Webber will start next to Schumacher

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Response to 'Good governance and ethics in sport'

FIFA has addressed certain inaccuracies within the draft resolution published today by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Council of Europe titled "Good governance and ethics in sport".

Guardiola: Messi is the greatest

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has led a chorus of superlatives for Lionel Messi following the Argentinian's record-breaking five-goal haul in the UEFA Champions League demolition of Bayer Leverkusen.

Schweinsteiger returns to Bayern training

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger returned to training for the first time today since tearing ankle ligaments, however, is unsure as to when he will be back to match fitness.

Gloucs offer Bristol one last chance

Gloucestershire have drawn up revised development plans for their long-time headquarters at Nevil Road and their chief executive Tom Richardson has warned that they will leave Bristol if they are turned down.

Final practice - Rosberg flies for Mercedes

Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes a turn at the top of the times when he dominated the end of FP3 in Sepang this afternoon. The young German was the only runner below 1m 37s with a lap of 1m 36.877s which was 0.443s clear of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull. There was a 12 minute hiatus at the start of the session as teams waited for Turn 9 in particular to dry out after a brief rain shower

Malaysia FP3 Recap: Early engine woes can’t keep Rosberg from fastest lap

Nico Rosberg (1:36.877) took the honors on Saturday morning in the final practice session of the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix after engine issues saw him start the session twenty minutes late. The session started out under a drizzle, leaving most teams to post an installation lap then wait for a dry line to form, which

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