THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013
Mayweather to face Guerrero in May, inks new TV deal LAS VEGAS: Unbeaten welterweight fighter Floyd Mayweather said Tuesday that he will face fellow American Robert Guerrero on May 4 as part of a new deal with telecasters CBS and Showtime. Mayweather, who previously had worked with rival telecaster HBO, called the new deal for up to six fights over 30 months the biggest in boxing history, but said financial details of the contract were confidential. Should all six fights take place and his pay-per-view averages of more than one million buys per bout hold steady, Mayweather claimed the deal would be the largest for an individual athlete in sports history. Mayweather, 43-0 with 26 knockouts, has not fought since taking a unanimous 12-round decision from Miguel Cotto last May. Since then, Mayweather has served a 90-day jail sentence for domestic battery. Southpaw Guerrero, 31-1-1 with 18 knockouts, has won 15 fights in a row since suffering his only loss, a 2005 split-decision defeat at the hands of Mexico's Gamaliel Diaz. AGENCIES
Thai veteran to open Asian Tour golf season today YANGON: Record-breaking Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant will have the honour of hitting the first drive as golf 's Asian Tour starts its 10th season with the $300,000 Zaykabar Myanmar Open on Thursday. Thaworn, 46, holder of an unmatched 15 Asian Tour victories and the winner of his second order of merit title last year, will symbolically get the season underway from the 10th tee. "I've played on the Asian Tour for many years so I'm not feeling nervous ahead of the new 2013 season," said the world number 78. "I want to keep going and improving on my world ranking. I want to stay in the top 100. Golf is a cycle. You don't expect to play good in every tournament." AGENCIES
Cook sparkles as England score easy win over Kiwis NAPIER: Alastair Cook's patient knock of 78 anchored a well-executed England run chase of 270 to beat New Zealand by eight wickets in the second one-day international at McLean Park, levelling the three-match series at 1-1 on Wednesday. England's bowlers, particularly James Anderson, had done a superb job to dismiss New Zealand for 269 in 48.5 overs at a small venue with short square boundaries, where a score of at least 300 was needed to set a competitive total. Joe Root (79 not out) then picked up from where Cook left off when the captain was dismissed by Tim Southee, while Jonathan Trott finished on 65 not out as England easily chased down the total for the loss of two wickets in 47.4 overs. England's victory ensured the series finale at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday would be a decider after New Zealand won the first match in Hamilton on Sunday by three wickets. New Zealand's innings was dominated by Ross Taylor's 100, his seventh one day international century, and a brutal 74 from 36 deliveries by captain Brendon McCullum, but it was well short of a ground that consistently yields innings in excess off 300. Taylor century: Taylor, who was dumped as captain by coach Mike Hesson in December and chose not to tour South Africa, had barely played any cricket since and had looked rusty in his return to the international scene. The 28year-old took a little time to get into his stride and also curbed his attacking instincts to anchor the innings after Anderson and Finn had put the hosts under immense pressure. Taylor combined with Kane Williamson (33) in a 72-run partnership, then 52 runs with Grant Elliott (23) for the fourth wicket before the latter was dismissed by Finn in the first over of the batting powerplay to leave New Zealand struggling at 143-4 in the 36th over. McCullum, however, then thrashed nine fours and four sixes in a 44-minute knock that included a 100-run partnership with Taylor, 77 of which came in 5.5 overs. McCullum's dismissal then sparked a collapse with the final five wickets falling for 26 runs as Anderson returned to mop up the tail and finished with impressive figures of five for 34. AGENCIES
Ian Bell of England bats against New Zealand during their second one-day international at McLean Park on Wednesday. AGENCIES
SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND INNINGS B Watling c Cook b Anderson 7 H Rutherford c Cook b Anderson 11 K Williamson b Woakes 33 R Taylor c Buttler b Anderson 100 G Elliott c Bairstow (sub) b Finn 23 B McCullum c Woakes b Broad 74 J Franklin c Root b Woakes 1 N McCullum c Buttler b Anderson 7 T Southee b Woakes 2 K Mills not out 3 T Boult c Woakes b Anderson 1 EXTRAS: (LB 3, W 3, NB 1) 7 TOTAL: (all out; 48.5 overs) 269 FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12, 2-19, 3-91, 4-143, 5-243, 6-245, 7-254, 8-261, 9-267, 10-269 BOWLING Anderson 9.5-2-34-5 Finn 10-1-33-1 Woakes 10-0-68-3 Broad 9-0-69-1
Pakistan names ODI, T20 squads for South Africa
Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik make comeback
Indian official expects global ban to be lifted MUMBAI: Indian International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Randhir Singh is confident the world amateur boxing federation (AIBA) will soon lift its ban on the country's pugilists, the official told Reuters on Wednesday. The AIBA suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) in early December for "possible manipulation" of its elections, in the wake of a wider Olympic ban that has sent shockwaves through sport in the South Asian country. Randhir, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general during the previous regime, said he asked AIBA chief Wu Chingkuo to lift the ban on the country's boxers when he spoke to the Taiwanese official on Tuesday. "I spoke to Wu and told him that the boxers should not be made to suffer for no fault of theirs," Randhir said by phone. The IOA was kicked out of the Olympic family for allowing government interference in its Dec. 5 elections, which also saw a tainted official being elected to a key post. AGENCIES
Tour de France unveils funfest for centenary race PARIS: Organisers of the Tour de France unveiled plans on Tuesday a series of celebrations to mark the 100th edition of the world's most famous bicycle race later this year. "We are overflowing with projects," said race director Christian Prudhomme. The race which starts for the first time in Corsica on June 29 and runs until July 21, will take in some of France's most famous landmarks such as the Chateaux de Versailles as well as Mont Blanc, Mont Saint-Michel and the Loire region which are renowned for their chateaux. One of the highlights will be the finish, which is expected to be at approximately 1945GMT local time and will include 500 of the 1400 former Tour de France riders who are still alive. There will also be a photo exhibition celebrating the 100 years of the Tour at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris as well as a film to be released on June 12 about an amateur rider who leaves one day before the peloton, after he was left by his wife and fired from his job. His popularity grows as he tries to stay ahead of the professionals before being finally caught, but not after a brief spell riding alongside the yellow jersey holder. AGENCIES
FIFA calls for strict anti-match fixing laws
OUR STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE: All-rounders Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have made a comeback to Pakistan's ODI squad for the series in South Africa, after being omitted for the tour of India in December last year. Batsman Asad Shafiq and spinner Abdur Rehman are the other inclusions for the fivematch series that begins on March 10. The players left out from the ODI squad that went to India were Anwar Ali, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail and Zulfiqar Babar. There is only one change to the Twenty20 squad, with Wahab Riaz replacing Sohail Tanvir, who was part of the team that had travelled to India. ODI squad: Misbahul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Imran Farhat, Abdur Rehman. Twenty20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez, NasirI Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan.
Swann ENGLAND INNINGS A Cook c&b Southee I Bell c Rutherford b Williamson J Trott not out J Root not out EXTRAS: (LB 1, W 3) TOTAL: (2 wickets; 47.4 overs) FALL OF WICKETS: 1-89, 2-149 BOWLING Mills Boult Franklin Southee N McCullum Williamson Toss: England and elected to bowl Umpires: Gary Baxter (NZL), S Ravi (IND) Third umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS) Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)
10-0-62-0 78 44 65 79 4 270 6.4-0-43-0 9-1-55-0 5-0-32-0 9-0-54-1 10-0-46-0 8-0-39-1.
KUALA LUMPUR: Football authorities vowed Wednesday to excise the "cancer" of match-fixing but said tougher laws were needed worldwide to smash criminal syndicates suspected of rigging hundreds of matches. FIFA's director of security Ralf Mutschke told a two-day gathering with Interpol that the world governing body's "zero tolerance" for match-fixing must be buttressed by "the right policies for law enforcement and the football community". The meeting follows revelations a fortnight ago that gambling gangs targeted almost 700 matches worldwide, including Champions League ties and World Cup qualifiers. "We are banning players and referees for life but criminals are out there free – they get no sentence. That's wrong," Mutschke told reporters when asked to comment on Singapore's refusal to arrest a key suspect wanted in Italy and suspected of rigging games. "We have to bring in governments to change legislation and laws. Many countries do not have laws to fight match manipulation," Mutschke said. He pointed to the November acquittal of three players in Switzerland accused of committing fraud by throwing games, where a judge said there was no obvious victim. Mutschke said FIFA was cooperating with the Council of Europe to draft legislation to fight match-fixing, with hopes it would be implemented across the continent. FIFA's legal team will also press the case at a May meeting of national sports ministers in Berlin where match-fixing is due to be discussed, he said. About 150 delegates from Asian football associations, player and referee representatives and government agencies are meeting in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, home to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). "We are ready to work hand-in-hand to eradicate this cancer from the game. AFC will not rest until this plague is completely stamped out in Asia," the AFC's acting president Zhang Jilong said in a speech. But he later admitted to AFP that eradication "could be difficult, especially in Asia", where gambling is widespread and flourishing. AGENCIES
Defending champ Radwanska into Dubai Open quarterfinals DUBAI: World number four Agnieszka Radwanska overcame a misfiring serve to beat Kazakh teenager Yulia Putintseva 7-5 6-3 in the second round of the Dubai women's tennis championships on Wednesday. The Pole, who received a firstround bye, lost three of her first four service games on an overcast centre court and she will need to improve if she is retain her Dubai title, with Petra Kvitova or Ana Ivanovic awaiting her in the next round. "For me, the first match is always a bit tricky," Radwanska told reporters. "I didn't hit on the centre court here this year, and I was just practising outside – it was actually much faster. I was surprised – the ball is just not going anywhere and it was tough for me." Serving at 3-3, Radwanska saved four break points after falling 0-40 behind, but Putintseva was undeterred and she earned another break point with a forehand winner down the line that fizzed past the advancing Pole. Rattled, the 2012 Wimbledon finalist double-faulted to fall 4-3 behind. Radwanska, 23, responded by coming to the net more frequently to force Putintseva, ranked 101 in the world, to play on the back foot. The Kazakh, seeking her third victory over a top-50 player, was found wanting and Radwanska broke for 4-4, with six out of eight games going against serve. Putintseva, who beat Britain's Laura Robson in an all-teenage first-round battle, prefers brute force over finesse and although a fast hitter, she consistently played the ball too short, allowing Radwanska to stay in rallies with relative ease. The Pole was too out of sorts to fully exploit her opponent's shortcomings but as the overcast sky gave way to a muggy desert sun she also upped the playing temperature on court, earning two set points with a flat forehand winner down the line. She needed only one as a tempestuous Putintseva smashed an attempted winner long. Radwanska's greater pedigree – she has 12 tour singles titles to her name, while Putintseva has never made it beyond the second round of a tournament – eventually told, and she won five of the last six games. "In the very important moments a bit of experience is always good to have," added Radwanska. Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki routed Chinese qualifier Jie Zheng 6-0 6-1, while Russian Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska serves the ball to veteran Nadia Petrova had a similar romp against Spain's Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva during their WTA Dubai Open match on Wednesday. AGENCIES Carla Suarez Navarro, winning 6-1 6-0. AGENCIES
Centurion will test Pakistan’s learning FIRDOSE MOONDA
ne thing was evident about Pakistan's mood when they left Cape Town for Johannesburg (and ultimately Centurion) on Tuesday: they were relaxed. Many of them, including Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Younis Khan, cradled babies, while the rest chatted and milled about like a tour group off on their next adventure. Most of their squad are on their first trip to South Africa and seem to be enjoying it despite defeat in the Test series. They know they have nothing but further improvement to gain and the difference between their performance at the Wanderers and their showing at Newlands indicates the learning process is taking shape. Pakistan should be careful not get too comfortable with
O
the upward curve, though, because SuperSport Park has been a snake pit for sub-continent sides and a fortress for South Africa. None of India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka have ever won a match at the venue while it also challenges both the Wanderers and Newlands for status as the home of South African cricket. In results terms, the title belongs to SuperSport Park. Since the ground came into existence after readmission, South Africa have lost on it only once to make it their most successful home venue. England are the only other team to have tasted victory in Centurion – theirs came in the 2000 Test in which both sides agreed to forfeit an innings and the result became famous for other reasons. But the sub-continental record reads like a sorry saga. Sri Lanka have been defeated four times at and India and Pakistan once each.
The last two teams beaten at the venue, India and Sri Lanka, were dealt innings defeats and South Africa have won five of the last eight Tests in Centurion by such a margin. Reasons for their success at Centurion are simple. It is a typical South African surface that offers
has often been enough to unsettle visiting sides especially because SuperSport Park has often hosted the first Test of a series and they have yet to find their feet. Coupled with the mental effects of seeing a pitch that two days before the match is only briefly
Although defeat in the series, Pakistan put in a much-improved display at Newlands on a surface that was more favourable to their game. However, coming back to the Highveld will be a different story again plenty for the quicks and turns batting into a challenge were only the toughest survive. The same can be expected this time with the pitch a familiar shade of green a day and half before game time. But the threat
distinguishable from the outfield, teams have been skittled out. In four of the last five Test at SuperSport Park, the first innings total was 250 or less and Kirsten expected the par score to hover around there again. Pakistan have
had three weeks to shift their mindset and the demons that face many visiting teams at Centurion should not affect them in the same way. Their first Test nerves were settled three weeks ago at the Wanderers where they did not even have to front up first on a tricky pitch. Graeme Smith chose to bat first to get the series underway and South Africa had to survive bowler friendly conditions. At Newlands they gave South Africa the ‘big battle’ Kirsten said they expected and now they have the chance to take that one step further. Problems against the newball remain but one thing they can hope for at Centurion is that their bowlers, and Mohammed Irfan in particular, will be able to take as much advantage of the surface as South Africa's attack. Words that will give Pakistan reason to snap out of any relaxation pretty quickly.