A view of the Paris Boat show at Paris’ Porte de Versailles exhibition centre
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Saturday, December 4, 2010
2010 has been great, says Nadal MADRID: Spain's Rafael Nadal, who won three successive Grand Slam titles this year, that 2010 has been "fantastic". "I think it has been a fantastic year in my life, to have ended at the level that I did is a great satisfaction," he said during an interview with Spanish news radio Cadena Ser. The 24-year-old finished the year firmly atop the world rankings despite losing to Roger Federer in the ATP Tour Championship final in London on Sunday. "I can only congratulate Roger because he was better than everyone, better than me and for that reason he has the trophy at home," he said. Nadal has 12,450 points, 3,305 ahead of Federer, whom he replaced at the top after winning the French Open and Wimbledon during the summer. He went on to win the US Open, while Federer took the year's first Grand Slam title in Australia making him only the seventh man in history to complete a coveted career Grand Slam, winning the world's four main tennis tournaments -- the US, French and Australian Opens and Wimbledon.-Online
Samuel Eto’o loses appeal against 3-game ban MILAN: Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o has lost his appeal against a three-match Serie A ban for headbutting but a 30,000 euro ($39,570) fine has been dropped, the Italian soccer federation said in the statement on Thursday. The Cameroonian, top scorer for last season's treble winners this term, headbutted Chievo defender Cesar in the chest during Inter's 2-1 defeat last month in similar fashion to Zinedine Zidane's assault on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final. Eto'o has already served the first game of the ban, the 5-2 win over Parma on Sunday, and will miss Friday's game at Lazio and the home game with Napoli on Jan 6. Inter, fifth in Serie A, are at the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates from Dec 10.-Reuters
Ronaldo fit to fire vs Valencia MADRID: Real Madrid's Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who injured an ankle earlier this week, is fit to join the squad that will face Valencia in a league match on Saturday, coach Jose Mourinho said on Friday. "Cristiano Ronaldo is fine... He will play against Valencia," Mourhino told a news conference. Real said on Wednesday that Ronaldo had an inflamed tendon in his right ankle. The 25-year-old striker, the world's most expensive player, took part in Real's humiliating 5-0 pasting by archrivals Barcelona on Monday. The 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year has started all 13 league matches this season as well as all five Champions League matches, and scored a total of 18 goals. Real are in second place in the league with 32 points, two fewer than Barcelona, following their loss to the Catalan side.-Agencies
Anderson makes mark in Australia ADELAIDE: Pace bowler James Anderson finally found his footing on Australian soil with a spellbinding display of pace and movement to put England in charge of the second Ashes test on Friday. After being hit all over the place on the last Ashes tour four years ago, many questioned whether a bowler who relied on swing as much as Anderson does would ever be truly effective on Australian tracks. The 28-year-old partly answered the question with some fiery spells in the first test in Brisbane but on a remarkable first day of the second test in Adelaide, the wickets finally fell and the hosts were skittled out for 245 on a batsman-friendly strip. "I'm a much different bowler to the one who came out here four years ago," the quietlyspoken Lancastrian told reporters after taking 4-51. "I think I'm much more experienced and I've gradually got
better over the last few years, so it's nice to bowl well out here but I didn't think I had anything to prove." Anderson's figures on the Adelaide wicket were impressive enough but the names attached to the first three wickets -- Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson -added more lustre to his tally. Ponting and Clarke's dismissal formed part of the magical opening that saw the tourists reduce the Australians to two runs for three wickets in the third over. TONE SET Anderson said it was the runout of Simon Katich by a direct hit from team mate Jonathan Trott on the fourth ball of the day that had set the tone. "I thought it was a fantastic bit of fielding, he kept his composure when he could've panicked and we just took it from there," he added. Anderson said he had tried to put the first test behind him after bowling superbly --
Qamar Zaman renders services for squash ISLAMABAD: Former World Squash Champion Qamar Zaman has said his services will always be there for promotion of squash and training of children who want to play the game. "After seeing huge talent in young players, I have offered my services as a coach without any charges to train junior players playing at Benazir Bhutto Squash Complex," Qamar told APP. Recalling his win at British Open in 1975, he said, "The happiest moment of my life was the one when I defeated Geoff Hunt of Australia in a battle which lasted for 2 hours and 17 minutes. The then prime minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promptly
congratulated me on phone from America. I was full of joy and proud when Pakistani flag was hoisted in Wimble Centre London." He said he won 100 International matches and remained World Champion in 1975, 1978 and 1980. "I was World No. 2 for 11 times, which is still a record," he added. Answering a question, Qamar added that he was interested in the game of squash since childhood but, being poor, his father could not afford rackets and balls with which his son could play but this never dampened his spirit and zeal and he practiced with a taped broken ball.-APP
B’stan wins PDCA disabled T20 tourney KARACHI: The Sardars of Balochistan clinched the NBP Twenty20 Disabled Pentangular Cricket Tournament with an easy 52 runs victory over Federal Area Mahraja's in the final at National Stadium here on Friday which also marked the World Disabled Day. Leg-spinner Omaiz-urRehman, who had problem in the leg, took three wickets for 26 runs and opener Majid Hussain (68) and Jahanzaib Tiwana (52 not out) played the key role in their team's triumph. Inserted to bat first, Sardars of Balochistan piled up 196 for the
loss of three wickets in their 20 overs. Majid Hussain, who had twisted leg, smashed five boundaries in his 68 off just 48 deliveries. Jahzanzaib, whose both foots are twisted, blasted a quickfire unbeaten 56 in 22 balls hoisting three sixes and hitting as many boundaries. Federal Areas Mahraja's in reply were restricted to 144-8 in 20 overs. Captain Major. Hasnain, whose foot was seriously damaged in a mine blast, topscored for his team scoring 38 in 25 balls, striking three boundaries and lifting one six.-APP
Australia's Brad Haddin said his spell with the new ball was among the toughest he had faced in test cricket -- but ending up with just two wickets. "I did bowl well there, I felt I bowled really well there," Anderson said. "But the worst thing to do would be to feel sorry for yourself and not bowl well here. So I just wanted to continue the form I felt I was in and I think I did that." On Friday, Anderson returned to take the new ball at the end of a long, hot day and was rewarded with his fourth wicket, helping bring to a close Australia's innings for a modest total. "It was a hugely satisfying day for everyone to come to a ground which has a notoriously flat pitch (and) keep them to such a low score," he said. "There'll probably be a tricky period in the morning when the ball's new, so if we can get through that, get a big partnership then hopefully we can catch them up."-Reuters
Farhat threatens to sue Majeed Monitoring Desk LAHORE: Imran Farhat, the Pakistan opener, is considering legal action against Mazhar Majeed, the player agent allegedly at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal engulfing the Pakistan team. Farhat was named by Majeed on Tuesday in fresh video footage as one of seven players he has working with him. "Instructions have been given to our lawyer in London to send a notice to Mazhar Majeed," a source close to Farhat told an international website. "We want Majeed to clarify and prove what he has said, or at least admit that what he has said was unintentional and incorrect. Otherwise we will take legal action for defamation against him. The possibility that Majeed took Farhat's name mistakenly, the source said, is being considered. "He might have been talking about someone else and Farhat's name came up by accident but this has to be clarified by him." A Pakistani TV channel, broadcasted previously unseen video footage in which Majeed takes the names of four more Pakistani players who, he claimed, work with him. The footage was shown as an exhibit in the ICC's provisional suspension hearings of Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, held in October in Dubai, and was part of the evidence submitted by ICC against the three suspended players linked to the spot-fixing scandal. Farhat was part of Pakistan's squad in the series against South Africa but was dropped for the tour of New Zealand.
ADELAIDE: Australia's Hussey is hit by the ball during the first day of the second Ashes cricket test against England.-Reuters
Afridi concerned over axing of Kamran, Malik KARACHI: Pakistan's oneday captain Shahid Afridi on Friday questioned national selectors' decision to drop senior players Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal from the squad for New Zealand tour, saying that it would affect preparations for the 2011 World Cup. "I am definitely not happy with the way we are preparing for this mega event. I think we need to have experienced players like Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik in the team (for the New Zealand tour)," Afridi told reporters. The outspoken all-rounder said that the media should ask
the Pakistan Cricket Board and selectors why Kamran and Malik were not included in the squad. "I think the media should ask the board because we need experience players for a major tournament like the World Cup and you can't expect to go into such a big event with a young and inexperienced side," Afridi said. The national selectors ignored senior players Kamran, Malik, Rana Naved and Danish Kaneria while announcing the Test and Twenty20 teams for the New Zealand tour starting this month.
Afridi also urged the selectors to announce a pool of players for the World Cup as soon as possible so that the players could gel together and start preparing for the mega event. "We need to work with a pool of players as soon as possible," he said. Afridi declined to make any predictions about how Pakistan would perform in the World Cup next year being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "In modern day cricket, it is very difficult to make any predictions about who will win the World Cup.-Agencies
China likely to be next neutral venue for PCB Staff Reporter KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering using China as a neutral venue for its international cricket events, Chinese state media said Friday, amid security concerns in Pakistan. The official Xinhua news agency cited sources as saying that the board's director Javed Miandad had submitted a report to the PCB suggesting its management "take special
steps to finalise China as a neutral venue." "We should take immediate and solid steps to decide this issue soon before the time passes away," Miandad was quoted as saying. Pakistan became a no-go area for cricket's leading nations after an armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March last year killed eight people, and injured seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach. Pakistan was due to host
matches in next year's World Cup. But the attack on the Sri Lanka bus saw the tournament restricted to the three remaining Asian Test nations of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Even before the Lahore incident, countries such as Australia had refused to tour Pakistan, where thousands have died in a decade of conflict. The security situation led Pakistan to play its "home" series against Australia in England this year.
Eng rejects FIFA bidding system ZURICH: There is no point in countries like England, Australia or the United States bidding to host World Cup finals in the future until FIFA changes its voting system, England's bid chief Andy Anson said on Friday. He also said that he believed England's bid was fatally damaged when FIFA president Sepp Blatter warned executive committee members of the "evils of the media" just before they voted. Russia won the right to stage the 2018 finals on Thursday while England, who expected at least "seven or eight votes" were knocked out in the first
round with just two including one from their own representative. Anson told a news briefing on Friday that some FIFA members told him they turned off England's bid by the British Broadcasting Corporation's Panorama documentary and the Sunday Times' investigations into corruption at FIFA. Asked if he would advise England to bid again Anson said: "I would say right now don't bother until you know that the process is going to change to allow bids like ours a chance to win. "When you have the best
technical bid, fantastic inspection visits and the best economic report, and from what people told us the best presentation yesterday -- it's quite hard to stomach that seemed to count for absolutely nothing. "Having only 22 guys voting gives them too much power and influence." Running two bids together for 2018 and 2022 was clearly a huge mistake. "Everyone who had a vote and a bid clearly wanted to trade that vote for something that helped them get over the line in that campaign. "Australia had a very good bid they got one vote, we had
a very good bid and we got two, the United States had an unbelievably strong technical bid and got three. "Six votes in the first round between those three, there's something not quite right. "For me this is an issue and FIFA needs to look at the process, because it makes it easy for formidable competitors like Russia and Qatar to gain influence." He suggested that FIFA consider reverting back to their old method of choosing hosts by a much bigger vote taken by all of its 208-members. That was the method used until the early 1970s.
UNHELPFUL BLATTER Regarding Blatter's intervention, Anson said: "I think that was unhelpful -- the last thing those guys needed to hear before they go and tick the box is the evil of the media is not helpful and actually inaccurate. "There was a final sum-up before they voted and I think it was at the beginning of that. That's not helpful to our cause." Anson admitted that the defeat was hard to accept and he felt totally let down. "I still find it hard to understand what happened. I'm not going to beat around the bush -individual members promised to vote for us and didn't clearly.
"That's difficult to stomach when they have given you assurances. They are saying to us that our media killed us but I don't believe that for one minute, but that's what we are being told. "Russia did a lot of lastminute lobbying and votes appeared to switch at the last minute -- we know some switched in the early hours of the morning. We are not naive and we were up until 5am, we left no stone unturned." "But I would advise any future England bid team not to bother, until the system changes. It is very hard to look some people in the eye this morning."-Reuters