French Open

Fans get behind Maria

Maria Sharapova of Russia jubilates after winning against compatriot Yaroslava Shedova in the French Open third round match at Roland Garros in Paris on Friday.

Dealing with adversity has brought Maria Sharapova a new fan base in Paris, the Russian glamour girl believes.

The former World No.1 has gone the distance in the three matches she has played to date at this year's French Open coming from behind with defeat staring her in the face on each occasion to reach the last 16.

And that in just her second tournament back after a 10-month injury layoff to deal with an injury to her right shoulder that was casting a dark cloud over the rest of her career.

It has revealed another side to a once dominant player much admired for her looks and star appeal and respected for her all-action style, but seldom a sentimental favourite.

Asked if she had noticed a change in the way the Roland Garros faithful had got behind her this year the 22-year-old Sharapova replied: "Yeah, probably because you're ranked outside the top 100, so people like you.

"When you're No. 1 in the world, for some reason they don't like you anymore. It's amazing how the society works.

"Especially here in France, I think they always love the underdog, and they always love the one that comes back from behind, or the one that's not expected to win. I'm probably that person."

Sharapova admits that the 10 months she sat on the sidelines have given her a new perspective on life allowing her to enjoy new experiences and take some time away from the spotlight.

But she says that the time was ripe for her return to competition and she is determined to make the most out of it no matter how it goes.

"I'm full of surprises. I surprise myself on a daily basis," she said.

"I'll tell you, just when you think you've seen everything, I manage to just shock everyone. Just ask a member of my team.

"I think coming into Warsaw and coming into this tournament, it's all really a test and it still is a test."

Next test for Sharapova on Sunday will be China's Li Na, herself the victim of a career-threatening injury to her right knee.

The two have played four times with Sharapova winning in straight sets each time. But it will be the first time that the two have played on clay and the first since the 2006 US Open.

The prize for the winner will be a quarter-final spot and every chance of reaching the last four.

KP admits T20 flaws?

The most expensive IPL player and flamboyant England batsman Kevin Pietersen has confessed he is not good at playing the hugely popular Twenty20 format but vowed to make amends during in the World Championships, beginning next week.

"I'm not very good at Twenty20 cricket, am I?" Pietersen said on the eve of the World T20 Championships in England.

"The more you play T20 cricket the better you become and I haven't played a lot of it, and I'm not very good at it," he was quoted as saying by 'The Mirror'.

Pietersen, who was not a part of the inaugural edition of IPL, played only six matches in the IPL-II in South Africa and has made just one T20 50 for England, averaging 26.

Pietersen disclosed he had developed new theories to suit his batting to the quickest format of the game.

"The more I play it though the more I'll catch up with my records in Test and one-day cricket definitely. I just know that I will get much better at it. I've worked out some new theories about how to go about my batting in T20 and that will make a difference, hopefully starting next week!" he said.

The 28-year-old ex-England captain, who failed to impress as the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain in IPL, said he loved the experience.

"I made a great captain didn't I," Pietersen said in a lighter vein.

Expecting much from Bravo:

While his colleagues shivered and slumped to an embarrassing Test series defeat in England, Dwayne Bravo was gaining crucial Twenty20 experience in the IPL.

Playing in the same Mumbai Indian squad as Sachin Tendulkar, he hit a memorable unbeaten 70 against Kings XI Punjab although his efforts weren't enough to give his side a semifinal place.

The 25-year-old Trinidadian had long been touted as a future West Indies star ever since his Test debut in 2004 when he snatched three wickets against England at Lord's.

His reputation grew, especially in the limited overs form of the game, and he took over the captaincy in 2007 when Chris Gayle was injured.

Bravo suffered an ankle injury in 2008 which kept him sidelined for eight months.

Despite returning to face England in the ODI series in the Caribbean earlier this year, he wasn't selected for the tour to face Andrew Strauss's side and he was allowed to play again for the Mumbai Indians.

Like Gayle, Bravo is a fan of the IPL.

"I learn about others. IPL has been great in that way. These are the players you are playing against, and now you get to know them better," he told www.cricinfo.com.

He also admitted that his frustrating time out of the game also helped him refocus.

"For those eight months, I had a lot of time to think about where I wanted my career to go. I definitely want to make up for mistakes," added a man who is averaging just over 16 with the bat in his nine T20 internationals while also picking up four wickets.

"Sometimes the shot selection wasn't great, some times it was bad decisions by me and other times, I used to bat after a long bowling spell and felt tired."

"That's why I am working very hard on my fitness now. I want to play well and for long, contribute to my team's success consistently."

ICC World Twenty20

An Indian encore?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will relive a pathbreaking moment in his fairytale career when he leads India's defence of the World Twenty20 title in England.

Dhoni marshalled India to a stunning triumph in the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007, his first assignment as captain after just two years as a regular team member.

He has not looked back since, rising from a lowly and poorly paid railway employee in his home town Ranchi in eastern India to become one of the country's most celebrated sportsmen.

Some call him India's lucky mascot, others marvel at his unflappable composure that has earned the dashing batsman-wicketkeeper the nickname of 'Captain Cool', but no one doubts his Midas touch.

The supremely confident Dhoni has won five of his seven Tests as captain, with the remaining two ending in draws.

He also has 31 wins in 50 one-day matches at the helm and six victories in 12 Twenty20 internationals, securing Dhoni the status of cult figure in the cricket-obsessed country.

Lucrative sponsorship deals have followed and he is the highest-paid home star in the Indian Premier League with a 1.5-million-dollar-a-year contract with the Chennai Super Kings.

"He is a very impressive captain who knows how to get the best out of his team," said former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who handed Dhoni the top job in 2007 as chairman of the selection committee.

World batting record holder Sachin Tendulkar, now in his 20th year in international cricket, is another Dhoni fan.

"I am extremely happy and delighted at the way he has conducted himself," said Tendulkar. "He is a balanced guy and is always on his toes all the time.

"Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him, and he picked up a lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain.

"His approach is pretty clear and not complicated."

Dhoni led India to its first Test series win in New Zealand in 42 years in March, following impressive home wins against world champions Australia and England earlier in the season.

But he himself admits that retaining the World Twenty20 title will be a tough act to follow.

"It will be silly to name favourites in a 40-over game, things can change so quickly," he said. "It all depends on how one plays on a particular day.

"The secret is to play to your potential and try to be as consistent as possible. Hopefully we will do that in England."

India are drawn with Bangladesh and Ireland in the preliminary round, but face the prospect of battling Australia, South Africa and England in the Super Eights.

French Open

Samantha stuns Elena

Roddick in last 16

Australia's Samantha Stosur pumps her fist after beating Russia's Elena Dementieva in the French Open third round match at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday.

Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva, the 2004 Roland Garros runner-up, was sent crashing out of the French Open in the third round on Saturday by Australia's Samantha Stosur.

The 30th seed won 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for only the second time in her career, and the first time on the testing clay courts of the French capital.

Stosur will now tackle France's Virginie Razzano, who put out Italian veteran Tathiana Garbin 7-5, 7-5, where a victory would make her the first Australian woman to make the quarter-finals here since Jelena Dokic in 2002.

"I am far away from being in good shape," admitted the 27-year-old Dementieva.

"She was very solid and there wasn't enough power from me so I will have to work on my physical conditioning in time for Wimbledon."

The 27-year-old Russian had struggled in the previous round when she went a set down to Dokic before the Australian retired in tears with a back injury.

Dementieva praised Stosur's physical ability and fitness.

"It's difficult to play against someone who is so fit. Her serve is unusual for the women's game, there's a lot of spin and she has a very powerful game," said Dementieva.

Gold Coast resident Stosur, who had lost to the Russian in the third round of the Australian Open, took the first set with a trademark, big forehand before both players struggled with the windy conditions inside Court Philippe Chatrier.

The first four games of the second set all went against serve until Dementieva made the crucial break in the 10th game to level the tie.

But 25-year-old Stosur raced away in the decider taking a 4-0 lead before wrapping up the match with another power-packed, crosscourt winner as Dementieva joined third seed Venus Williams as a major third round casualty.

"I came out playing well. I wasn't too nervous and I tried the handle the wind as best as I could," said Stosur.

"Even though I lost the second set, I knew I had to keep plugging away in the third."

Fifth seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic, a semi-finalist in the last two years, brushed aside Australia's world number 73 Jarmila Groth 6-1, 6-1.

Jankovic will face either Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki or Romania's Sorana Cirstea for a place in the quarter-finals.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian seventh seed, continued her low-profile progress through with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Hungary's Melinda Czink.

Kuznetsova, a former US Open champion and who was runner-up here in 2006, has lost just 11 games on her way to the fourth round for a sixth successive year.

The 23-year-old will face Polish 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska who put out unseeded Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-4 for a place in the quarter-finals.

"Radwanska moves well. She reads the game well. It's her strength. As far as weaknesses are concerned, I will keep to myself," said Kuznetsova.

Belarussian ninth seed Victoria Azarenka set up a last 16 clash against defending champion Ana Ivanovic after she beat Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 in a tie held which was suspended Friday because of bad light.

Later Saturday, American second seed, and 2002 champion, Serena Williams faces Spain's Maria Jose Martina Sanchez who has never made the last 16 of a Grand Slam.

Andy Roddick reached the last 16 at the French Open for the first time in his career on Saturday by defeating France's Marc Gicquel 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

It was a stunning turnaround in fortunes on clay for the former world No.1 who went out in the first round here in 2006 and 2007 before missing last year's tournament with a shoulder injury.

The win made him just the second American through to fourth round at the French Open since Andre Agassi in 2003, Robbie Ginepri having achieved the feat last year.

Also through to the last 16 in early action was German veteran Tommy Haas who defeated France's Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

It was just the second time that the 31-year-old had made it through to the fourth round in Paris and he will take on either second seed Roger Federer or Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu for a place in the last eight.

Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro reached the French Open last 16 on Saturday with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win over Russia's 25th seed Igor Andreev.

Del Potro faces either France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Christophe Rochus of Belgium for a place in the quarter-finals.

ICC World Twenty20

Big-talking Kiwis

Despite their unimpressive credentials, the New Zealand World Twenty20 squad are talking boldly from their camp at Sir John Paul Getty's palatial estate on the outskirts of London.

"A lot of thought has gone into the preparation for this tournament and we hope that it will be rewarded," coach Andy Moles said.

If the just-completed Indian Premier League (IPL) series is any yardstick that is a big hope, but then New Zealand takes the view that the shorter the game the more level the playing field.

Ranked eighth in Test cricket and leaping to fourth in ODIs, New Zealand sees opportunity in the blossoming Twenty20 version of the game -- even if none of its seven players in the IPL tournament performed with real distinction.

Ross Taylor of the Bangalore Royal Challengers -- the beaten finalists -- was the best of the stroke makers but his average 31.11 only ranked him 15th in the tournament.

Kyle Mills was on the Mumbai Indian payroll but not used at all while the rest of the New Zealand contingent fell somewhere between Taylor and Mills with largely non-descript performances from limited appearances.

But the failure of the cream of New Zealand's cricket crop to set the IPL alight did not bother selector Glenn Turner going into the World Twenty20.

"The nature of the beast which is the Twenty20 game is very hit and miss," Turner said, adding that even net practice at the IPL was better than "sitting at home in the winter doing nothing".

Notwithstanding the IPL performances, an upbeat Moles maintained New Zealand deserved to be ranked as potential champions given that the hit-and-hope nature of Twenty20 reduced the talent difference between sides.

"We have plenty of match-winners with bat and ball; it's a matter of them performing as consistently as possible. This is our strongest squad so there are no excuses," he said.

Moles is promising New Zealand will be "very aggressive" in the tournament, and one area which could prove vital is their renowned fielding, where accuracy can go some way towards compensating for batting and bowling shortfalls.

There could even be a lift from the pride of playing for country instead of IPL cash, although a recent survey of New Zealand's top cricketers showed 45 percent now see an IPL contract as the pinnacle of world cricket.

But the bottom line is that the senior players who failed to impress at the IPL who will have to find a sudden burst of form to lead the way.

In addition to Taylor, Brendon McCullum was showing signs of class with the bat towards the end of the IPL although his Kolkata Knight Riders finished last.

However, the remainder of the New Zealand contingent -- Jesse Ryder, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori and Scott Styris, were relegated to being spare parts contributors.

Of the balance of the squad Iain O'Brien, James Franklin, Ian Butler and Peter McGlashan have been playing in England while Brendon Diamanti, Nathan McCullum, Neil Broom and Martin Guptill remained in New Zealand.

ICC World Twenty20

Fatigue India's worry

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (L) and Harbhajan Singh arrive for an official team photo shoot yesterday in Mumbai prior to leave for England to play the Twenty20 World Championship scheduled from June 5-21.

Tired limbs, jaded minds and a tricky draw have toughened India's path as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men defend their World Twenty20 title in England next month.

The June 5-21 tournament is the latest event for Team India in a non-stop roadshow that began with a full tour of New Zealand in February-April before a five-week sojourn in South Africa for the Indian Premier League.

Dhoni's team returned home for just three days after the IPL before setting off again for England to defend the title they won in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.

Coach Gary Kirsten admitted the heavy workload was a cause for worry, but the former South African opener was confident his wards will rise to the challenge in England.

"The Indian players have been on the road for a long time and the biggest challenge will be mental fatigue," Kirsten said recently.

"But they have enormous pride when representing India and have become a tight unit over the past few months. I am sure they will look forward to reuniting and playing for their country."

The gruelling schedule has already seen aggressive opener Virender Sehwag miss some IPL matches due to a finger injury, while pace spearhead Zaheer Khan is recovering from a sore shoulder.

Skipper Dhoni has been nursing a back strain as a result of being one of the world's busiest cricketers, who keeps wicket, bats and leads his team in all forms of the game.

"I am not worried at all," said Dhoni. "One gets used to the modern day schedule and I am sure we will all be raring to go once the tournament starts."

The road to the semi-finals is no joy ride for the defending champions even though they are drawn with lowly Bangladesh and Ireland in the preliminary round.

Three of the toughest rivals in the 12-nation tournament -- Australia, South Africa and hosts England -- await them in the Super Eights round where the real battle for semi-final places begins.

India had beaten all three in the space of four magical nights in Durban in 2007 to advance to the final against Pakistan, but few are willing to take an encore for granted.

"You can't afford to look too far ahead, there is the first round against Bangladesh and Ireland to get through," said the Indian captain. "We all know what can happen."

During the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, India were sensationally knocked out by Bangladesh in the preliminary stage, while Ireland delivered Pakistan a killer blow at the same stage.

"When you are defending champions there will always be added pressure," said Kirsten.

"That goes with the territory of high-performing teams. This team has played in many pressure situations and has shown what they are capable of.

"There is certainly no danger of complacency within the Indian team. We pride ourselves in taking each game as it comes and giving 100 percent on a daily basis."

India have a good Twenty20 record, with eight wins in 13 matches so far.

French Open

Ana, Dinara roll on

Heartbreak for Venus

Gisela Dulko of Argentina plays forehand against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the French Open third round match at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday.

Defending champion Ana Ivanovic and top seed Dinara Safina moved a step closer to a quarterfinal showdown at the French Open on Friday as both brushed aside third round opponents.

The Serb trumped Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2 while the Russian blasted her way past compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a near identical score of 6-2, 6-0.

In three matches played, Safina has dropped just four games and Ivanovic 14.

One more win and they will meet in the quarterfinals setting up a repeat of last year's final won by Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3 for her first Grand Slam title.

There was heartache, however, for another of the tournament favourites as Venus Williams lost 6-0, 6-4 to Agnes Szavay of Hungary to continue her run of flops at Roland Garros.

Ivanovic, wearing strapping on her troublesome right knee but showing no signs that the injury was hampering her, had too much power and all-round skill for Benesova as she set up a fourth round encounter with either ninth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

The 21-year-old Belgrade beauty, who reached the world No.1 spot after her win here last year but who has struggled for form and fitness since then, said she had played one of her best matches of the year.

"I feel fit and ready to handle any kind of opponent," she said.

"My game is coming back and I feel more comfortable. I really missed competition last month.

"These kind of matches help for the tough matches ahead in the second week."

The 23-year-old Safina once again blasted out of the blocks peppering her younger opponent with her powerful groundstrokes down both sides of the court.

The Russian, who is the sister of men's former world No.1 Marat Safin, is on a mission here to win a Grand Slam as the No.1 status she took on April 20 has been discredited in some quarters for her failure to have won one of the four major tournaments.

She also is keen to bury the memory of last year's final when she allowed nerves to get the better of her against Ivanovic.

Williams, who had needed to save a match point on Thursday against Lucie Safarova just to get into the third round, was outplayed 6-0, 6-4 by Szavay to go out at this stage of the competion for the third year in a row.

It was a dismal performance from the reigning Wimbledon champion who has clawed her way back up the world rankings in parallel with sister Serena.

Szavay wrapped up the first set in just 30 minutes yanking her opponent from side to side and showing better footwork at the net.

Williams did grab a glimmer of hope by breaking the Hungarian's serve to lead 4-3 in the second, but with the gusting wind playing havoc with her service throwup, she lost the next three games to end her campaign.

Szavay, a quarterfinalist at the 2007 US Open, will next take on Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia with a place in the quarterfinals the prize for the winner.

Cibulkova comfortably defeated Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-4, 6-2.

Portuguese teen prodigy Michelle Larcher de Brito meanwhile saw her dream of becoming the youngest ever women's winner in Paris bite the dust.

At 16 years and four months the youngest player left in the women's draw, Larcher de Brito went down 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 to France's Aravane Rezai in a bad-tempered clash that saw the players trading barbs over the Portuguese player's ear-splitting on-court vocals.

Rezai is one of only two Frenchwomen left after the early defeats of Amelie Mauresmo, Marion Bartoli and Alize Cornet. She will be Safina's opponent in the fourth round

Fernando Verdasco edged closer to another potentially epic Grand Slam showdown with Rafael Nadal on Friday after taking the hard road to see off Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro.

Eighth seed Verdasco needed nine match points to defeat the 31st seed Almagro 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8) in their third round clash and will next face Russian 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko, a two-time semifinalist.

Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 win over Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Djokovic will face German 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber who put out Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 champion, for a place in the last 16.

Chilean 12th seed Fernando Gonzalez, twice a quarterfinalist and the junior champion in 1998, ended the hopes of French wildcard Josselin Ouanna, who put out Marat Safin in the previous round, with a 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 win.

Gonzalez will take on either French seventh seed Gilles Simon or 30th seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu for a place in the quarterfinals.

Davydenko, a semifinalist in 2005 and 2007, saw off Stanilas Wawrinka of Switzerland, another former junior champion, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal beat Australia's Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the French Open last 16 on Friday.

He will face either compatriot David Ferrer or Robin Soderling of Sweden for a place in the quarterfinals.

Bashundhara Champions Club Cup

Sabuj Sena win big

Sabuj Sena Club of Faridpur wiped out Football Player's Welfare Association 7-0 in the Bashundhara Champions Club Cup at the Gopalganj Stadium yesterday.

Nuromnol scored an amazing five goals in the 4th, 7th, 16th, 33rd and 72nd minute while Shahadat and Palon increased the margin in the 41st and 89th minute respectively.

Up north in Sherpur, Young Men's Club of Fakirerpul drubbed locals Ghagra Sporting Club 3-0, with Shanto (34th and 79th) and Babu (41st) sharing the team's success. To make things worse for Ghagra, Sohail was sent off in the 70th minute.

Purbani Tarun Sangha triumphed by a similar margin of 3-0 at the Feni Stadium against Laxmipur's Chowrasta Club. Roni, Jewel and Shyamol were the scorers for the winning team.

Brothers Union Club (Pabna) beat Shinga Upazilla (Natore) 2-0 while at the Rajshahi Stadium while in Tangail, Bipsnob Sangha (Gazipur) bettered Shonali Atit Club (Manikganj) 2-1. Two goals were scored in the space of ten minutes for the winners with Faruk (17th) and Rupom (27th) netting for the winners while Shonali's Bikash replied with the lone goal two minutes later for Shonali.

At the Habiganj Stadium, GRC Sporting Club (Narsingdi) sauntered past locals Young Tiger Nurpur 1-0 while Janani Sheba Sangha (Magura) defeated Crescent Club (Kushtia) also by a 1-0 scoreline in Meherpur.

Ummochon Club (Bagerhat) and BBS Player's Welfare Association played out to a goalless draw at the Narail Stadium in what was the only drawn match of the day.

Rain shortens Day Two:

Rain played havoc on the second day of Bangladesh A's four-day match against Maharashtra Cricket Asso-ciation at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra yesterday.

Only 22.1 overs of play was possible although Day Two began on time, but a mid-day shower storm dented hopes of a full day's play.

During the little play that was possible, the second-string side added just seven runs to their overnight total to be bowled out for 343 from 91 overs. In their reply, MCA made 69 for two.

When the visitors came out with the willow, Bangladesh A pacer Sajidul Islam removed opener Harshad Khadiwale for eight in the third over.

Rohan Bhosale, the other opener, added 52 for the second wicket with Amey Sirikhande. Talha Jubair stopped the threatening partnership when the tall paceman had Sirikhande caught behind for 23 in the 19th over. Bhosale remained unbeaten on 23 along with Kedar Jadhav.

Earlier, Samad Fallah added to his five-for, taking six for 108.

BRIEF SCORES
BANGLADESH A: First innings 336-9 in 89.5 overs (Kayes 4, Nafis 30, Imran 90, Hannan 39, Rajin 1, Mehrab 81, Sahagir 2, Dollar 79, Sajid 0, Enamul 6*; Samad 5-101, Aditya 1-68, Kiran 2-73).

MAHARASHTRA CRICKET ASSOCIATION: First innings 69-2 in 21 overs (Khadiwale 8, Bhosale 24*, Sirikhande 23, Jadhav 7*; Sajid 1-33, Talha 1-23).

Rubel strikes two blows:

Pacer Rubel Hossain picked up two wickets as Scotland were struggling against Bangladesh in the third practice match at the Wormsley cricket ground yesterday.

Scotland were perilously placed at 38-3 in 7 overs when the last report was received here.

Pace spearhead Mashrafe Bin Mortaza took the other wicket.

Nayeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Zunaed Siddiqui and Shahadat Hossain have been given rest for the final additional practice match.

Today is a rest day and on Sunday the Tigers move into their World Twenty20s base in Nottingham.

Javed weaves magic over Shingra:

Javed of Laxmi Narayan Cotton Mills scored a double hattrick to send Shingra Dum Dum Pilot School and College tumbling to a 8-0 loss in the Citycell National School Football Championship at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The young striker weaved his magic in the 15th, 22nd, 35th, 48th, 68th and 80th minutes while Anik and Indrajeet contributed furthermore in the 70th and 76th minutes respectively.

Also at the Big Bowl, Town Secondary School beat RSKH Institution Mohammadia 4-2 and Victoria High School defeated Koyagola Hat High School 3-1.

At the Brother's Union ground, Koyra Madinabad Secondary School drubbed Younus Ali High School 3-0 while Government Nasirabad School edged past Netrokona Dutta High School 1-0.

ICC World Twenty20

Don't forget the Tigers

Given Bangladesh's track record, few rivals will lose sleep over Mohammad Ashraful's men during the World Twenty20 tournament.

The Tigers have lost their last six T20 internationals, 13 of their last 14 Tests and 13 of their last 15 one-day matches, a record that will make even their most ardent supporters squirm.

But write-off Bangladesh at your own peril, as title hopefuls India famously discovered at the 50-overs-a-side World Cup in 2007 when they were knocked out in the first round.

Later the same year, the West Indies suffered the same fate when they lost to Bangladesh in the inaugural T20 Worlds in South Africa and failed to make the second round.

Those two wins in an otherwise dismal international record propelled Bangladesh to centre-stage and sparked a joyous frenzy in the cricket-crazy South Asian nation.

But success continues to elude Bangladesh and it will need a remarkable turn in fortunes for Ashraful's men to excel in the showpiece event of cricket's shortest format.

Bangladesh need to beat either defending champions India or Ireland in the preliminary round to make the Super Eights stage for the second successive time.

"We have a good team suited for Twenty20 cricket, so I am confident we can deliver if we play to out potential," Ashraful said. "We are not scared of taking on the best."

Bangladesh's chief selector Rafiqul Alam said his team's initial target was to repeat the 2007 feat and qualify for the Super Eights.

"I have a lot of confidence in this team which is a nice blend of youth and experience," he said. "The best thing is that the boys have played together for a long time at different levels and know their strengths.

"I am very hopeful that Bangladesh will play some quality cricket in England."

Desperate to see favourable results, Alam and his co-selectors have not hesitated to gamble with raw, young talent for the T20 Worlds.

Among the new faces are two hard-hitting batsmen in Shamsur Rahman, 20, and reserve wicketkeeper Mithun Ali, 19. Ali was picked in the 15-man squad despite the presence of frontline 'keeper Mushfiqur Rahim.

Bangladesh's fortunes will, however, still revolve around their experienced trio of skipper Ashraful, pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

The Tigers will be based in Nottingham where they play India on June 6 and then clash with Ireland on June 8.

Ponting fires a shot:

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned England that playing Andrew Flintoff in the forthcoming Ashes series could be fatal if the all-rounder is not fully fit.

Ponting and his teammates flew into England this week ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament which precedes the Ashes and the combative batsman wasted little time turning up the heat on the old enemy.

While Ponting claims he feels refreshed and ready for battle after four weeks away from the game, England are fretting over the fitness of Flintoff, who has been ruled out of next month's Twenty20 event as he continues to recover from knee surgery on an injury suffering during his stint in the Indian Premier League.

Flintoff was a key figure when England regained the Ashes in 2005 and, although he has rarely reached those heights, he remains a talismanic figure for Andrew Strauss's team.

Ponting, whose side won back the Ashes in 2007, believes that dependency on Flintoff could force England to throw him in when the latest series starts in July even if he isn't completely ready.

"That's going to be the great decision the England selectors are going to have to make come the First Test," Ponting said at Trent Bridge on Friday.

"Flintoff is obviously very important to their make-up and set-up. Maybe, as we saw in 2007, if he's not 100 percent fit then maybe that sort of impact he can have around the team is not there.

"2005 to 2007 we saw two completely different players and that had a lot to do with the level of fitness that he had under his belt going into each series.

"That's where they're going to have a tough decision to make.

"I don't know where Pietersen's at the moment, I'm not sure how bad his problem is, but they could face something similar there as well."

Flintoff isn't England's only fitness concern ahead of the Ashes.

Former captain Kevin Pietersen is also struggling to shake off an Achilles problem sustained during the IPL.

Although Ponting stopped short of condemning Flintoff and Pietersen's decision to play in the IPL, he believes he was right to stay away.

"There was obviously great incentive for those guys to go and play with the amount of money they went for and I guess they were always coming back from the IPL early for the Test matches," he said.

"For us it was a great opportunity to step away from cricket for a few weeks and make sure we're in the best shape we could be in.

"For me it was pretty simple, it was about how long our summer was and how much cricket we played.

"It was a good opportunity for me to have a couple of weeks off cricket and make sure that when I got here for the start of this tournament I was in the best physical and mental shape I could be."

England's Test side appear to be in good shape heading into the Ashes after a comfortable 2-0 series victory over West Indies, while Australia arrive with a slightly inexperienced team missing retired stars such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.

However, the level of opposition offered by the West Indies was low and Ponting believes England will have to step up their game to have any chance against his men.

"From the England side, they played some very good cricket against the West Indies but the competition and opposition they'll be coming up against us is vastly stiffer than what they've faced in the last few weeks," he said.

Ponting is keen to put pressure on Strauss, who will be in charge of his first Ashes campaign and he added: "We haven't had the chance to see him against us as a leader and under intense pressure, and hopefully over the next few months we'll get to see that."

breaking news

UEFA Champions League

Italy hails the new king

The city of Barcelona erupted in celebration yesterday (L) after their beloved Catalan side won the Champions League by beating Manchester United in the final in Rome. (R) Barca's victory was the icing on the cake of a fabulous season under new coach Josep Guardiola, as they completed a historic treble by winning the domestic league and cup and the Champions League.

Italian press on Thurs-day crow-ned Lionel Messi the new king of world football following Barcelona's comprehensive 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final here.

A major sub-plot in the build-up to the match was not only the clash between the best two teams on the planet but also the top two players: Barca's Messi and United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

And while United's Portugal winger started brightly, it was goalscorer Messi who got the nod from the Italian judges.

"Messi made Ronaldo disappear, it's him the new king of the world," proclaimed the Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy's most popular newspaper.

"The beginning was Ronaldo's. Three shots in nine minutes. But after (Samuel) Eto'o's goal, the story changed completely.

"Barca started to stamp their rhythm, to dance their dance, playing quick and precise passes."

But the plaudits weren't just showered on Messi. His fellow goalscorer Eto'o and midfield lynchpins Xavi and Andres Iniesta also came in for lavish praise.

"Iniesta was great, Xavi played like three people, Messi was an incredible flea (untouchable), Eto'o was deadly," enthused the Corriere dello Sport who also hailed Barca coach Pep Guardiola's victory over his United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Guardiola dominated Ferguson, an historic treble for the Catalans," it added, referring to the three trophies Barca have won, including the Spanish league and cup.

On United's side only goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and Ronaldo escaped criticism from the Corriere.

"Van der Sar limited the damage, Ronaldo on his own wasn't enough, (Ryan) Giggs up front was a fish out of water, (Wayne) Rooney was merely a support act, (Michael) Carrick was isolated," was their damning verdict.

Another newspaper, the Corriere della Sera, hailed Cameroon forward Eto'o, who Barca had tried to offload before the season began.

He refused to budge and became an integral factor in the club's stunning success.

"The night of the man with the suitcase," it proclaimed. "Eto'o: from the exit door to triumph."

It also had a word to say about the Italian government's attempts to avoid trouble by imposing a much-flouted alcohol ban.

"Two injured, a few bruises, 15 arrests. The alcohol ban didn't work," was its sombre assessment.

Nasir's four lifts Feni:

Three teams won by big margins in the Basundhara Champions Club Cup held across the country yesterday.

Nasir scored four out of Feni Soccer Club's nine against Comilla Mohammedan at the winner's home ground.

Up north, hosts Rajshahi's Diganta Prasari Sangha crushed Alor Disari of Chapainawabganj 7-1 and Dinajpur Football Academy rode on Sharif's hattrick to beat Samya Sports and Cultural Ghoshti 6-0.

In the other matches, Jamalpur Mohammedan, Shariatpur, Moin Smriti Sangsad (Jessore) and Udayan Krira Chakra (Tangail) won their respective matches while the match between PK Union (Satkhira) drew with Raipur Jagarani (Meherpur).

2011 WC to cost $50m:

The 2011 World Cup, to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is expected to cost the ICC between US$40 million to $50 million according to reports.

The PTI quoted Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer and tournament director, on the figures after he and representatives of other member countries attended a preliminary meeting with ICC commercial manager Jamie Campbell and events manager Christopher Tetley.

"All the expenses are to be borne by the ICC," Shetty said. "The representatives of the member countries were told by the ICC representatives how to take care of the expenses."

Shetty said each country will prepare an individual budget and then a combined budget will be presented to the Central Organising Committee to meet in London in June.

Sachin praises photographers:

Having been chased endlessly by them all his life, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar acknowledged the importance of photographer in a cricketer's life in his own modest way.

"As a cricketer I can tell you, I have seen photographers sit under the sun on a cricket field for an entire day, waiting for that one magical moment," said the champion batsman who felicitated the winners of the photo contest based on the theme "Streets of Mumbai" here last night.

"It is thanks to you that we cricketers get a chance to relive all those golden moments in our lives once again," Tendulkar said.

To the sheer delight of the queuing photographers, who had till then scrambled to snap him with their lenses, the cricket legend also fulfilled their desire of being clicked with him.

Lauding them, the master said, "The theme of 'Streets of Mumbai' is a novel concept. The photo-journalists have made a real effort in capturing the spirit of Mumbai."

Champs League out of ICC FTP:

The ICC has contradicted claims made by Lalit Modi on the IPL's official website by insisting the Champions Twenty20 League has not been incorporated into the Future Tours Programme. Modi, the IPL chairman, told the tournament's site the "Champions League has already been slotted in as part of the FTP", but Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has denied the claim.

"The ICC Board, which includes all Full Members, worked together last October to come up with a date for this year's Champions League tournament that was mutually convenient for all," Lorgat said in a statement. "However, that was only as part of a wider discussion on when we could play the Champions Trophy, which was postponed from Pakistan in 2008 and relocated to South Africa.

"The FTP does not include any fixtures between domestic teams, even those from more than one country, and only features ICC events, such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Twenty20, and bilateral fixtures between Full Member international teams.

Lorgat added that he had been in contact with Modi, and the pair were in "full agreement on this matter."

The Champions Twenty20 League, sanctioned by the ICC, gets underway on October 8, just five days after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy in South Africa. The tournament, which will feature the top domestic Twenty20 teams from Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies, finishes on October 23. The inaugural edition was set for last year but it was cancelled following the terror attacks in Mumbai.

The 2009 edition will feature 12 teams instead of eight and the venues will be decided next month.

UEFA Champions League

Fergie blasts defending

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson blasted his own team's dire defending for their convincing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in Wednesday's Champions League final in Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

United had been the reigning champions and were attempting to become the first team to retain the title since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1993.

They were also hoping to complete a remarkable quadruple having already won the English Premier League, League Cup and Club World Cup this season.

And with the experience of knocking Barcelona out of this competition at the semifinal stage last season with a rock solid defensive display that saw their rearguard unbreached over two legs, he was expecting better from his team here.

But they were stunned by a 10th-minute opener from Samuel Eto'o having dominated until that point and then the diminutive Lionel Messi got between towering giants Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea to head home 20 minutes from time.

"It was the first goal which didn't help, for sure. It gave them the opportunity to keep possession and do really well," said Ferguson.

"We didn't plan to lose a goal as early as that. We didn't deal with it well enough, that really was the story.

"It was a disappointing performance and some individuals will feel it themselves. It's very difficult to put a finger on every part of the game.

"I thought that at the start of the game we did very well and to lose a goal from a situation like that was bad.

"If you look at our best performances this season we defended really well, tonight our defending was shoddy.

"The first goal gave them a great boost and after that their ball possession with Messi dropping into midfield made it very difficult to get the ball back.

"But credit to them, the better team won and there's nothing we can do about that now."

Although United started brightly with Cristiano Ronaldo going close on three occasions in the first nine minutes, they then failed to play the kind of bristling attacking football they are capable of.

Ferguson had picked a seemingly less attacking line-up than he might have done, leaving Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez on the bench and playing Ryan Giggs in the hole behind lone striker Ronaldo.

Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-Sung played disciplined roles on the flanks but the England man was far from his best and the Korean had a poor game.

Even so, Ferguson defended his team selection against a club who are known for their mesmeric midfield passing game with conductors Xavi and Andres Iniesta leading a footballing opera.

Asked why he hadn't picked a more attacking line-up, Fergie was defiant.

"It's a simple reason, we recognised the strength of Barcelona's three central midfielders (Sergio Busquets being the third on Wednesday) and we tried to use Ryan Giggs as a player who can play towards the front but can also drop into midfield, and he's better at that (than another forward) because he's a natural midfield player," he said.

The 67-year-old Scot also said the absence of suspended countryman Darren Fletcher had hurt the team as Anderson had an inglorious game before he was substituted at half-time to make way for Tevez.

"I thought before the game that maybe he could be important for us because he's a big game player," said Ferguson.

"Of course it was a loss but they had losses as well (Eric Abidal, Dani Alves and Rafael Marquez).

"It's difficult to measure against Barcelona's losses but it showed itself tonight as a loss."

UEFA Champions League

England roasts MU

Manchester United were ripped to shreds by a superior Barcelona in the Champions League final, taking Alex Ferguson's hopes for a place in history down with them, British newspapers said Thursday.

"United leave Rome in ruins," said The Times, after the 2-0 defeat in the Italian capital on Wednesday. "United fold without a fight," said the Guardian.

There was universal admiration for Barcelona's performance -- and scathing words for United, which had hoped to become the first team to retain the Champions League for a second year running.

The Sun said Barca offered a "mesmerising" performance which made United look "as lifeless as the statues that lined the road to the Stadio Olimpico".

"It's Messi-cre for Fergie flops" said the Sun, referring to Barcelona's Lionel Messi who scored the second goal of the night 20 minutes from time.

"Ferguson's side, making elementary mistakes at the back, didn't have an answer," said one commentator in the tabloid.

A columnist in the Daily Mail defended the English side, saying: "United are the real deal. Champions of England, Europe and the world going into this game and for Barcelona to make them look second best was a stunning achievement."

It noted that United started well but were thrown off by Samuel Eto'o's first goal on 10 minutes -- and never recovered.

"United are a side awash with knowledge and confidence, yet those qualities are no protection against the shock that follows the loss of a goal so early on a night of this importance," said one commentator in the Guardian.

Even with the knowledge that United are kings of the English Premier League and also won the English League Cup and World Club Championship this year, the defeat will weigh heavy on Ferguson, who has managed the team since 1986.

The 67-year-old Scot had hoped to secure his place in the history books with a second successive Champions League win for the team and a third European trophy for himself -- but will have to wait another year.

"No matter how much you've won, losing hurts like hell. It burns away at your soul," said one commentator in the Daily Mirror.

"And as Sir Alex Ferguson's dreams of another chapter in the history of the game evaporated in the fetid Roman air last night, there was nothing even he could do about it."

Immortal' Barcelona:

The Spanish press Thursday hailed Barcelona as a "legend" and "immortal" after it won the Champions League and completed a unique treble for the season.

"Champions! (three times)", headlined the Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia.

Barca and their supporters have experienced "the greatest night in their history by winning the Champions League," it said.

Barcelona "has become a legend" and its name "will remain in history forever," said another newspaper from the semi-autonomous Catalonia region, of which Barcelona is the capital.

Goals from star forwards Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi gave the Catalans a deserved victory over Manchester United in Rome on Wednesday night. They also achieved an historic treble, having already won their domestic league and cup.

Papers in the Spanish capital, home to Barca's arch-rival Real Madrid, also acclaimed the victory.

"This team ... is a work of art" and "the whole planet bows before the best team in the world," said sports daily Marca.

Another sports paper, AS, described it as a "fabulous victory" and said Spanish football "confirms its supremacy."

The nation's top-selling paper, El Pais, said Barcelona now has "a legendary triple crown" and is "at the top of the world"

El Mundo said the "Barcelona empire" had "buried the dreams of Manchester United.

'Ribery going nowhere':

Bayern Munich have moved to dismiss reports that Chelsea are locked in negotiations to sign midfielder Franck Ribery, claiming that the Frenchman is ''not for sale''.

Various tabloids in the UK have linked the Frenchman with a move away from Germany in recent weeks, and new speculation had suggested that the two clubs have now agreed a fee for the 26-year-old.

Bayern have stated that they want to keep Ribery, although that has not stopped the speculation about his future, forcing the club into another public statement.

"This story is completely untrue," Bayern media officer Markus Horwick told Deutsche Presseagentur. "Franck Ribery remains not for sale."

Ribery currently earns around 134,000 pounds-a-week in Germany but may choose to leave the Allianz Arena in the summer, and Chelsea target Carlo Ancelotti recently revealed that he would be one of the first players he would sign if he took over as manager at Stamford Bridge.

If the Londoners do eventually do a deal it will be considered be a bitter blow to Premier League rivals United, who have long wanted the Frenchman as a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, Ronaldo's apparent willingness to stay at Old Trafford after the long-running saga over his prospective move to Real Madrid means that Sir Alex Ferguson has cooled his interest.

Ribery has also been linked with Real in recent months, while Barcelona dropped their interest after talks with Bayern over a possible deal were made public.

Prior seals series

England skipper Andrew Strauss (C) holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates their one-day international series victory after the third and final match against the West Indies at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Matt Prior's one-day international best of 87 set up England's 58-run win in the third and final match of their series against the West Indies at Edgbaston here on Tuesday.

Victory saw England win the series 2-0 after a six-wicket win in Bristol on Sunday following Thursday's washout at Headingley.

Wicketkeeper Prior's innings was the centrepiece of England's imposing total of 328 for seven in their permitted 50 overs.

That was their highest in this form of cricket against the West Indies, surpassing the 306 for five they made in a 55 overs per side match at the Oval in 1995.

West Indies, chasing 329 to win, finished well short on 270 all out.

Prior has not been selected for next month's World Twenty20 in England, with James Foster the hosts' specialist wicketkeeper.

But the Sussex gloveman, who has been struggling with a right ring finger injury, was not too disappointed.

"I'm actually quite looking forward to having time off to get the finger right," man-of-the-match Prior told reporters.

However, he added: "It's a World Cup in your home country, of course you would be gutted to miss out.

"But there are a huge amount of positives to have come out of the last month. I couldn't have wished for a better Test series and to get the opportunity at No 3 (in the one-dayers) was fantastic."

Defeat completed a miserable tour for the West Indies, who suffered a pair of heavy losses in their preceding 2-0 Test series loss to England.

They only arrived in the early part of an English season after Sri Lanka, the scheduled tourists, had pulled out because of their players' commitments in the Indian Premier League.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle, whose side were beaten by six wickets in the second one-dayer in Bristol after the series opener at Headingley was washed out, did not look especially enthusiastic about having to cut short his time in the IPL to come on this tour.

Asked if this was one of his worst experiences as West Indies captain, Gayle replied: "It is. It wasn't the best but I have to give credit where it is due, England set the game up in the batting department."

Prior put on 149 for the third wicket with Owais Shah, who made an entertaining 75, after Gayle had won the toss and chose to field.

Prior, batting at No 3 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen, saw his innings better the 52 he made against the West Indies at Edgbaston in 2007.

Miscast as a 'pinch hitter' early in his career, Prior was happy to be batting at first-wicket down.

"I was told you are batting at three in your own right," he said.

Gayle - a man whom the tourists would have been looking to for a big score - fell for just 11 when he miscued a pull off Stuart Broad to Ravi Bopara at mid-on.

And when England captain Andrew Strauss held a brilliant one-handed catch in the covers off Stuart Broad to get rid of Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies had slumped to 22 for two.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a class player in all forms of the game, steadied the ship with an innings of 68 and put on 82 with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin (45).

But the run-rate was always against them and when they both fell in quick succession, Ramdin departing after a diving one-handed catch by Prior off James Anderson, the West Indies were 189 for six and the game all but over.

England openers Strauss (52) and Bopara (49) made a solid start.

The fifty came up in 62 balls and Bopara continued to find the boundary with some superb square-cuts and drives in a spell of four fours in nine balls.

But Bopara was one short of his fifty when he played on to Dwayne Bravo.

Strauss, who has opted out of the World Twenty20, did get to fifty, off 65 balls with seven fours, but his next ball saw him stumped by wicketkeeper Ramdin off giant spinner Sulieman Benn.

Strauss's Middlesex colleague Shah completed a run-a-ball fifty in flamboyant fashion with a wristily pulled six off Bravo that also brought up a century partnership with Prior.

Crespo going to Genoa

Genoa president Enrico Preziosi on Tuesday claimed his club were close to tying up a deal to sign Inter Milan pair Hernan Crespo and Ricardo Quaresma.

Inter are themselves close to finalising a deal for Genoa stars Diego Milito and Thiago Motta and now it seems Crespo and Quaresma will travel in the opposite direction in a direct swap.

"I'm meeting (Fernando) Hidalgo (Crespo's agent) on Wednesday to finalise the Crespo deal," Preziosi told Radio Radio TV.

"We're (also) interested in Quaresma, there's a deal in place with Inter on the basis of 10 million euros and now we just have to come to an agreement with the player."

Quaresma only joined Inter at the beginning of the season but was a complete flop and was loaned out to Chelsea in January.

However, he couldn't force his way into their team either and has hardly played this season since joining from Porto for 19 million euros last August.

It is the second time a move to a big club has gone sour for the Portugal winger after he also struggled at Barcelona in 2003-04.

Barclays English Premier League

US tycoon takes over Black Cats

American tycoon Ellis Short is to secure 100 per cent control of English Premiership club Sunderland.

The club's majority shareholder, who bankrolled their summer spending spree last year, will complete his buy-out of the Drumaville consortium put together by chairman Niall Quinn three years ago.

Quinn told the club's official website, www.safc.com: "This is fantastic news for the club.

"Ellis has already shown tremendous commitment to date, but today's announcement opens the door for a new era at the Stadium of Light."

Short, who had previously kept a low profile since becoming involved with the club, has recently become a more public figure, appearing beside Quinn in the directors' box at Portsmouth last Monday and then again at the Stadium of Light at the weekend.

He was on hand to witness the wild celebrations as the Black Cats secured their Barclays Premier League status despite a 3-2 defeat by Chelsea as arch-rivals Newcastle slipped into the Coca-Cola Championship.

However, amid suggestions he could pump up to a further 20 million pounds into the club, Quinn revealed Short has already played a major role in its recent development.

"Even before today, he has personally invested more in Sunderland than all previous chairmen, directors and owners combined in the club's history.

"Late last summer, he injected tens of millions of pounds to fund our new signings and the resultant increased wage bill.

"In going forward, as long as we invest the funds wisely, he will continue to provide what has been the missing ingredient in Sunderland's make-up, namely the financial muscle necessary to compete at the highest level.

"And Ellis' involvement to date also enabled us to turn down a club record bid of up to 20 million pounds for Kenwyne Jones from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window."

News of Short's takeover came as the club launched its search for a new manager, although amid suggestions they have gone some of the way towards appointing Wigan's Steve Bruce, Quinn insisted they would take their time.

He said: "It goes without saying that the search for a new manager has started, and we will take what ever time is necessary to make this important appointment.

"It is imperative that we find somebody who will raise the bar and introduce a whole new mentality to our dressing room."

Juninho set to leave

Olympique Lyon captain Juninho leaves a press conference after announcing his departure from his club in Lyon on Tuesday.

Former Brazilian international midfielder Juninho will certainly play his last match for seven-time French champions this weekend ending a spectacularly successful spell there, club president Jean-Michel Aulas announced on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old has been the inspiration behind Lyon's seven titles, including last year's domestic double, since joining from Vasco da Gama in 2001.

He notched up his 100th goal for the club - including 44 from freekicks - last weekend.

However, Aulas has reluctantly agreed that perhaps the greatest player in the club's history can leave prematurely.

"Juninho is going to leave us," Aulas told a press conference.

"We are going to allow him to terminate his contract early as there is still a year to go on it. He can go where he wants."

Aulas, who will endure a trophyless season for the first time in eight seasons, said that the strong emotions swirling round the club reflected the ties the 44-times capped Brazilian had established in his time there.

"Everything that Juninho has brought to Lyon whether it be to do with the tactics, or his passion and professionalism, is reflected this evening by the highly charged atmosphere here," commented Aulas.

"Because we are coming to the end of a superb relationship which was shared equally by the club and the supporters with Juninho.

"It's the end of an era, of a story and it is hard to swallow."

Juninho, who reached three Champions League quarterfinals with Lyon and is their leading scorer in the competition with 18 goals, was so moved by the occasion that he left the press conference without saying a word.

Gareth stays Boro boss

Gareth Southgate will remain as manager of Middle-sbrough and try and guide them to an immediate return to the Premier League the club chairman Steve Gibson told the BBC on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old former England international has been in charge since June 2006 but having taken them to 13th in his first campaign he failed to keep them up this term as they joined fellow North east club Newcastle in being relegated.

However, Gibson, who has bankrolled the club for well over a decade insisted that Southgate - capped 57 times by England but who will probably be best remembered for failing to convert a penalty in the Euro '96 semifinal defeat to Germany - was the right man for the onerous task of lifting them out of the Championship.

"Gareth has convinced me he knows what it takes to get us back up," Gibson told BBC Radio after meeting with Southgate.

"He is a man I know and admire and we will work together to get this club back to the Premier League."

Gibson, who has seen his side lift the League Cup and reach the UEFA Cup final when Steve McClaren was in charge, said that there should be no witch hunt of Southgate.

"We will not have a scapegoat at this football club, it will not be Gareth Southgate," added Gibson.

"He is a good man, an intelligent man capable of being a top, top manager.

"What we need is the support of the fans and the town, and let's work together to get the club back in the Premier League.

"You may disagree with my decision and I respect that, but I have to make the decision and I am convinced that Gareth is the right man for the job."

Gibson also rejected claims that the club was in a parlous state financially and was in no danger of going into administration, insisting that the 90million pounds debt had been reduced by two thirds.

He was also at pains to deny he was pleased they had fallen into the Championship so it would mean he could cut costs with several of their higher paid stars set to move on such as Turkish international Tuncay Sanli.

"We hate the Championship, we don't want to be here," he said.

"We are a Premier League club, we are a Premier League town with Premier League supporters.

"At the moment, I am a Championship chairman - I want to be a Premier League chairman. It's daft to suggest anything else.

"It's just daft. There is no evidence to support that theory whatsoever."

Ajax appoint Jol

Martin Jol was handed the task of reviving the fortunes of ailing Dutch giants Ajax on Tuesday when he was named their new coach according to a statement on the side's website.

The 53-year-old Dutchman had guided Bundesliga side Hamburg to fifth place - and to semifinals in both the German and UEFA Cups - in the championship and was under contract to them till June 2010.

However, the former Spurs manager is to sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with the four time European champions, whose previous coach Marco van Basten resigned at the beginning of the month after a disappointing campaign which saw them finish third and fail to gain a Champions League place for next season.

Ajax, who won the last of their record 29 league titles in 2004, have handed Jol full powers in not only the head coaching role but also in terms of transfers and the youth programme.

"Ajax have offered me a fantastic opportunity to develop a long term plan and also handed me responsibility in all fields," said Jol.

"I am delighted to come home after several years abroad."

Rik van den Boog, the club's managing director, said that Ajax had pulled off a remarkable coup in persuading Jol to take the post.

"Martin is experienced. He has all the qualities required for our club," said van den Boog.

"He is a coach that gives young players their opportunity to shine at this level and that is number one for Ajax."

Ajax had already been rebuffed in their search for a coach by Co Adriaanse, Frank Rijkaard and Danish duo Michael Laudrup and Morten Olsen.

UEFA Champions League

Six of the best finals

Six of the best European Champions League (European Cup) finals from the tournament's history:

1960 GLASGOW
Real Madrid (ESP) 7 Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 3
Real's fifth consecutive victory in the competition, the 1960 final also saw more goals than any other final. The 135,000 fans crammed into Hampden Park saw Eintracht go ahead only for the Germans to be overwhelmed by the combined magic of Alfredo Di Stefano, who scored three, and Ferenc Puskas (four).

1967 LISBON
Celtic (SCO) 2 Inter Milan (ITA) 1
Celtic became the first British winners of the European Cup when Steve Chalmers scored a late winner to down the cautions Italians, who had taken the lead through Alessandro Mazzola before Tommy Gemmell's equaliser.

1968 LONDON
Manchester United (ENG) 4 Benfica (POR) 1 (aet)
Ten years after the horrors of Munich, when Manchester United's 'Busby Babes' were decimated in a plane crash, the English champions finally delivered an emotion-fuelled victory at Wembley. Bobby Charlton scored two of United's goals, with George Best and Brian Kidd adding the others.

1972 ROTTERDAM
Ajax (NED) 2 Inter Milan (ITA) 0
A match often described as the defining moment in the history of 'total football'. Ajax, with two goals from Johan Cruyff, scored the second of three consecutive European Cup wins after overwhelming a negative Inter Milan employing the 'catenaccio' system.

1999 BARCELONA
Manchester United (ENG) 2 Bayern Munich (GER) 1
A forgettable final made unforgettable by the most thrilling finish in Champions League history. Trailing 1-0, United looked beaten as the match headed into injury time. But an equaliser from Teddy Sheringham (90+1) was followed by a winner from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (90+3). The victory earned United a remarkable treble.

2005 ISTANBUL
Liverpool (ENG) 3 AC Milan (ITA) 3 (aet; Liverpool 3-2 on penalties)
A match that has became known simply as the Miracle of Istanbul. Trailing 3-0 at half-time, Liverpool looked to be heading for a humiliating defeat to the Italians. But goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso drew the English team level before Jerzy Dudek's heroics in the shoot-out.

Sania blames injury for exit

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza serves to Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva during the French Open first round match at Roland Garros in Paris yesterday.

India's Sania Mirza blamed a lack of match practice after being eliminated in the first round of the French Open here on Tuesday.

The world number 95 is trying to regain form after an injury-plagued 2008, but looked short of sharpness in a rain-hit 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) defeat to Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva.

"It was tough conditions to play in, going on the court and then going off, and it was windy," said Mirza.

"I haven't had too much practice as well because I injured my wrist again after (the) Madrid (Open) and had to head back home and get that treated. And it's not one of my favourite surfaces to play on!

"But I take nothing away from her. She played really well, she served really well and I think that was the difference."

Mirza held to love in an emphatic opening service game before the heavens opened, forcing the players off with the score 1-1.

The 22-year-old surrendered her serve in the first game after the rain delay and spurned two chances to break back in game six, letting another two break points slip by at 4-3 down as Voskoboeva, 24, closed out the set.

The players exchanged breaks twice in the second set before Russia-born Voskoboeva, the world number 81, took advantage of her opponent's misfiring serve to clinch victory in the tie-break, sealing her win with an ace.

Voskoboeva will play Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in round two.

Mirza became the first female Indian player to earn in excess of one million US dollars in 2008, despite a season disrupted by a recurring wrist injury that caused her to miss last year's French Open.

Her Australian Open mixed doubles success in Melbourne this year, with partner Mahesh Bhupathi, made her the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title.

"The amount of people who came up to us and said congratulations - those kind of things are really small things, but they really mean a lot," Mirza said.

"A stranger walks up to you and says 'I'm so happy', because you won a tennis match. You bring smiles to people's faces.

"It's great support, because there's a lot of Indians out there trying to support you, but there's also a lot of pressure.

"That's the way it is though. They expect me to win every match I play, but I think I'm used to it now."

OTHER FIRST RD RESULTS
Women
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x7) bt Claire Feuerstein (FRA) 6-1, 6-4

Jelena Jankovic (SRB x5) bt Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 6-2, 6-3

Petra Martic (CRO) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 6-4, 6-2

Melinda Czink (HUN) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Sybille Bammer (AUT x28) bt Nathalie Dechy (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/1)

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1, 2-6, 8-6

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN x24) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x10) bt Vera Dushevina (RUS) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

Men
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x5) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Marc Gicquel (FRA) bt Rainer Schuttler (GER x27) 6-0, 6-0, 6-4

Daniel Gimeno (ESP) bt Evgeny Korolev (RUS) 6-4 abandon

Victor Crivoi (ROM) bt Simon Greul (GER) 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2

Novak Djokovic (SRB x4) bt Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 6-3, 3-1 abandon

Andreas Beck (GER) bt Ivan Navarro (ESP) 7-6 (11/9), 6-4, 6-1

Gael Monfils (FRA x11) bt Bobby Reynolds (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1

Tigers score 146 for six:

Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh put up a descent total in their first T20 practice match against New Zealand at the Wormsley Cricket Ground in England yesterday.

Bangladesh scored 146-6 in their share of 20 overs.

Riyad top scored with 43 and Shakib added 35.

Dashing opener Tamim Iqbal made 19 and captain Mohammad Ashraful scored 17 runs after the Tigers had decided to bat.

The other notable scorers were Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (15 not out) and Nayeem Islam (11 not out).

After this game the Tigers travel to neighbouring Kent to play the second additional practice game against Netherlands tomorrow while their third match is scheduled for May 29 against Scotland.

Bangladesh's official practice games are against Australia on June 1 and Sri Lanka the next day at Nottingham.

The Tigers, who have been pitted in Group A, will play their first group match against India on June 6 and second match against Ireland on June 8 at Trent Bridge.

Rasel, Humayun take National to club title

National Cricket Club of Nilphamari clinched the National Club Cup cricket title with a 22-run victory over Nazrul Pathagar of Barisal in a low-scoring game at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Left-arm spinner Humayun Kabir helped fashion the win with three wickets as Nazrul Pathagar were bowled out for 164 in 48.3 overs after the club from north themselves scored a modest 186 from 50 overs.

Out of the three, Humayun picked up the dangerous Maydul Islam, who made 60 off 82 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

SM Jaidi and Mohammad Hussain took two each while Nadim Sheikh, Rajib Prasad and Jamiul Alam had one each.

Earlier, Mohammad Rasel hit a patient 103-ball 59 that including five boundaries. For the Barisal club, Mohammad Mahin took four wickets while Piar Amin took two wickets.

Rajib's hattrick seals victory:

Riding on Rajib's brilliant hattrick, Barguna Zilla School crushed Nilphamari Kayagola Hat High School 5-2 in a final round match of the Citycell National School Football Championship at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Khulna Koyra Madinabad Secondary School beat RSKH Institution Mohammadia of Magura 2-1 at the same venue. Mamun and Wahiduzzaman scored one goal each for Koyra while Raju netted the lone goal for RSKH Institute Moha-mmedia.

At the Brothers Union Ground, Kishoreganj Azimuddin High School defeated Brahmanbaria Zia Sar Karkhana High School 2-1. Ashraful and Golam scored one goal each for Azimuddin High School while Tuhin pulled one back for Zia Shar Karkhana High School.

In another match, Moulvibazar Victoria High School blanked Cox's Bazar Ramu Khizari High School 4-0 at the same venue. Billal struck twice while Kazi and Ismat scored one goal apiece for Victoria High School.

At the Abahani ground, Rajbari Raja Suriyakumar Institute edged past Jhenidah Moslemuddin Secondary School by a solitary goal scored by Bandhan. In another match, Pabna Yunus Ali High School drubbed Barisal Town Secondary School 2-0 goals also at the same venue.

Shahid and Mainuddin netted one goal each for Yunus Ali High School.

Akhtar barred from T20 meet:

Shoaib Akhtar has been barred from playing in the national Twenty20 tournament by the Pakistan board after they had him replaced in the World Twenty20 squad because he was suffering from a skin infection.

Shoaib had been named captain of the Islamabad Leopards squad two days after he was cut from the Pakistan team. A PCB official, however, said the board had informed the Islamabad Cricket Association (ICA) that Shoaib would be violating his central contract if he played for them despite medical advice advising 10 to 12 days' rest.

"The [Pakistan] board has sent us the medical report and a copy of the central contract, which states that a player playing against medical advice can be fined," Shakil Shaikh, president of the ICA, told Dawn.

Shoaib was initially a part of Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 but he missed the training camp in Bhurban because of a skin infection and was advised 10 days rest by a three-member medical panel appointed by the PCB. The panel's decision prompted the board to replace Akhtar with medium-pacer Rao Iftikhar Anjum.

BFF & DIU sign MoU:

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and Daffodil International University (DIU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve national and age group footballers' language and presentation skills at the BFF House yesterday.

Under this one of a kind agreement, DIU will provide technical and theoretical assistance to the national and age group players to strengthen their abilities in English, at their language laboratory.

"We want to spread education to all the working professionals of our country including sports. As an institution this agreement with the BFF will enable us to contribute in the nation building capacity. Through our English programme the players will be able to work efficiently and smartly, there are lots of talented players who go abroad for their game and face the media so our input will aid them," said Mizanur Rahman, registrar of the DIU.

BFF expressed their sincere gratitude to DIU for the initiative and said it was a noble gesture on their part to spare a thought for the country's footballers.

"We welcome this initiative of DIU to teach our footballers the basics of English and communication. There is no age limit to learn a new language or a new skill," said BFF vice-president Kazi Nabil Ahmed.

BFF officials also believed that better English language skills would ease the communication between national coach Edson Silva Dido and the players.

BFF general secretary Al-Musabbir Sadi and Mizanur Rahman signed the deal on behalf of their respective organisations.

UEFA Champions League

Messi praises C'Ron

Barcelona star Lionel Messi will have the chance to watch Cristiano Ronaldo at close quarters on Wednesday after admitting the Manchester United winger is the one player he would pay to see in action.

Along with Ronaldo, Argentina forward Messi is widely regarded as one of the top two or three players in the world, and the duo will be the centre of attention in Wednesday's Champions League final in Rome.

But it is the Portuguese playmaker's flamboyant skills that most excite Messi when he sits down to watch a match on television.

"Manchester United have quality everywhere," Messi told the Daily Mail. "So many good players. But if I had to pick one out it would be Ronaldo. He is a player I would pay to watch.

"He and I are very different players but he is unbelievable, very special, and it will not be easy to stop him.

"But we must not pay all attention to him and forget about Berbatov, Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

"Manchester United have players all over the pitch who can punish you in the same way we have."

Messi also reaffirmed his loyalty to Barcelona and insisted he wants to remain with the club for the rest of his career.

The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to arch-rivals Real Madrid, but he has no intention of leaving Camp Nou.

"I have said so many times that I am so happy at Barcelona, and I have no desire to ever leave," he said.

"I owe them so much. I want to repay them for the rest of my career. I am loyal to Barcelona.

"The doctors at home in Argentina told my parents I would never grow past 4ft 5in.

"The medical bills were very high. My father took on other jobs but even then it was not enough for the other bills.

"Nobody else was prepared to take a chance on me apart from Barcelona and if it was not for them I would not even be a professional football player."

Zia wins 3rd game

Grand Master Ziaur Rahman drew his second round game against Lau Yiping of China but won the third board against Jony Habla of Philippine in the 2nd Subic Open International Chess Tournament which is now being held at Subic Freeport, Olongapo City in the Philippines.

After the third round Zia improved his tally to 2.5 points to share the second spot along with eight other players.

Another Bangladeshi Grand Master, Niaz Murshed secured earned two points as he lost the third round against International Master Richard Bitoon of Philippines.

Juve seal Diego signing

Juventus announced on Tuesday the signing of Brazilian playmaker Diego from Werder Bremen for a fee of 24.5 million euros.

The 24-year-old has signed a deal until June 2014 having spent three years in Germany after joining the club from Portugal's Porto.

Diego's last match for Werder will be in the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.

Over three seasons he played 84 league matches for Werder, scoring 38 goals and he has appeared for his country 15 times.

He has been bought to replace Czech veteran Pavel Nedved who is retiring at the end of the season.

Diego's fee will be paid over three seasons with an extra 2.5 million to be added on depending on his success with the Italians.

Serie A giants Juve are in the process of rebuilding having been relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to their role in a match-fixing scandal and administrative delegate Jean Claude Blanc said the Brazilian was an important part of that process.

"Due to his technical characteristics Diego is a fundamental part of the rebuilding of our team," he said.

"We've always said that we want to build a team of young players and talented ones and Diego exudes both qualities.

"Despite his age of 24 years he's a player of great experience with having already played at the highest level for seven years."

Diego started his career at Pele's old club Santos where as a teenager he formed a formidable attacking partnership with Robinho, now of Manchester City.

He moved to then Champions League holders Porto in 2004 as a replacement for the Barcelona-bound Deco.

However, his Porto experience soon turned sour as he found himself out of favour with Dutch coach Co Ariaanse and he signed for Bremen two years later for six million euros.

He won league titles with Santos in 2002 and Porto in 2006 as well as two Copa America titles with Brazil in 2004 and 2007.

Baz in high demand:

New South Wales could fork out 250,000 dollars to secure Brendon McCullum for October's Champions Twenty20 League after his New Zealand domestic team, Otago, were announced as one of the extra sides in the expanded tournament. The Blues are likely to lose David Warner to his IPL franchise, Delhi Daredevils, for the two-week event and would view McCullum as a strong replacement.

McCullum made a controversial fly-in appearance for New South Wales in the Twenty20 final against Victoria in January so he could qualify for the Blues. McCullum and Warner are among a group of players who have reached the Champions League through two teams and must therefore decide which side to represent.

Should Warner choose Delhi Daredevils, the franchise would need to pay New South Wales compensation, as would the Blues to Otago if they signed McCullum. David Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket New South Wales, said if they received money for Warner they would consider making Otago an offer.

"There is no doubt having Brendon McCullum in your team increases your chances of a win, that is an undeniable fact," Gilbert told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's about ensuring we have got all the bases covered. It is certainly something we will consider. It is a cost-neutral exercise."

It could have been a three-way race for McCullum's services had his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, not had such a dismal tournament. Earlier in the year McCullum said it would be his preference to play for Otago, although a hefty cash injection could tempt them to accept an offer from New South Wales.

"Given the fact he has played for them in the last 12 months, I think it could happen," Ross Dykes, the Otago chief executive, said. "You can't ignore figures like that. But on the other hand, you have loyalty reasons for which you wouldn't want to do it. Brendon would have to be involved in these discussions."

Craig Cumming, the Otago captain, said that he was keen to retain McCullum. "We get first dibs on him [McCullum] now that Kolkata didn't get through," Cumming told Radio Sport. "Someone would have to have a pretty strong argument to get him out of the team that I'm playing for. [For guys like Brendon], they play for New Zealand and the franchises in the IPL but this is unique in that you're representing your province on a world stage. This is a real opportunity for him to do something a little bit different from what he normally does because it is for his province. It's a unique chance."

Other players with decisions to make include Dirk Nannes (Victoria and Delhi Daredevils), Andrew McDonald (Victoria and Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victoria and Royal Challengers Bangalore), Nathan Bracken (New South Wales and Royal Challengers Bangalore), Herschelle Gibbs (Cape Cobras and Deccan Chargers) and Farveez Maharoof (Wayamba and Delhi Daredevils).

Victoria's coach Greg Shipperd is also in an unusual position having been in charge of the Delhi Daredevils, who qualified by virtue of finishing on top of the IPL table. However, Shipperd has previously stated that Victoria would be his first priority should both his teams reach the Champions League.

Seniors await battle:

Brett Lee and Stuart Clark will have to wait until the first two tour games to secure their spots in the bowling pecking order for the Ashes. Both men are coming back after lengthy injuries and must leapfrog a couple of the incumbents to win places in the opening Test of the series in Cardiff on July 8.

Mitchell Johnson grew into the attack leader in Lee's absence and was backed up by Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, who are both expected to suit English conditions, during the strong 2-1 victory in South Africa. "Where Stuart and Brett are in the pecking order, we don't know at the moment," the captain Ricky Ponting said. "Lee is a bit of an unknown [after ankle surgery]. The first two games before the first Test will tell us."

Australia are already talking about playing more than 11 in the lead-up matches in Hove and Worcester to give all five of their frontline weapons a chance to impress, as well as testing the fitness of the all-rounder Shane Watson. In 2005 there was only one first-class affair after the one-day series and the lack of lead-up time led to Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz struggling without the extra work.

Another factor both Ponting and Michael Clarke spoke of during the team camp on the Sunshine Coast was the time it takes for visiting players to get used to the Duke balls used in England. "Our guys will get a great opportunity to use their [England's] cricket ball for a few weeks leading into the first Test," Ponting said. "That was probably what brought us undone last time, their ability to use their ball well and we were a little off the boil with it."

Reverse-swing was one of England's major strengths when they ended Australia's 16-year hold on the urn, but Clarke was confident the current batsmen would be able to negotiate the tricks this time. "Our knowledge, certainly of the guys who have been there before, is a little bit more educated than what it was four years ago," he said. "Generally the difference with the English ball and the Kookaburra [which is used in Australia] is our ball swings from the start.

"It doesn't swing as early in England, then it starts to swing a bit later. Reverse-swing is as big a part as natural swing over there. It sounds like they are having a pretty good summer with weather, that being the case it will probably be pretty dry and we'll have to combat reverse-swing as well."

Australia could not get the ball moving as easily as England's bowlers and that trend was repeated in India last year despite the acquisition of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach behind the 2005 success. Tim Nielsen, the current coach, believes he has a complementary attack that can be relied on in all conditions.

Perez faces no contest:

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will automatically take charge of the club again on June 1 because the only other candidate still in the race for the job will not qualify to run, sports daily AS reported Tuesday.

Little-known Eduardo Garcia will be unable to lodge a bank guarantee of 57.4 million euros with the club which is needed to be able to run for president by a May 31 deadline, the newspaper said.

The only other candidate who had announced his intention to run, former Real vice-president Juan Onieva, withdrew his candidacy over the weekend, saying his proposed programme had not been well received in the Spanish media.

According to the club's rules, if there is only one candidate for president, he will be appointed to the post on June 1, otherwise a vote will be held on June 14.

Perez led Real from 2000 to 2006, when it earned the nickname "Los Galacticos", winning the Primera Liga twice and European Champions League with such stars as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and David Beckham.

But the 62-year-old has already hinted at the return of Zidane and former coach Jorge Valdano of Argentina as possible advisors to him.

While the club normally holds elections every four years, it faces the prospect of holding a ballot a year early due to the resignation of former president Ramon Calderon in January.

CB denies contact:

Pakistan's cricket authorities have said they weren't contacted at all with regard to their ouster from the pool of teams that form the lucrative Champions League, a further worrying indicator of their increasing isolation in world cricket.

The tournament - with 6 million dollars in prize money - is scheduled to be held in India this October and though the number of teams participating has increased from eight to 12, Lalit Modi, the tournament's chairman, said no team from Pakistan would be among them. "Unfortunately, the Pakistan government won't give them [the players] clearance to come to India, and since Saturday was our cut-off date, it's not possible to have a team from Pakistan this year," Modi was quoted by AFP as saying on Sunday.

But a senior PCB official, reacting to Modi's comments, told Cricinfo the board had not been contacted at all by anyone regarding the tournament. "Sialkot had been invited for the first tournament but since that was postponed, we have heard nothing from them at all. We weren't told about any cut-off dates or deadlines. I am surprised Mr Modi is second-guessing what the Pakistan government is likely to be thinking in October," the official said. Incidentally, the PCB's domestic Twenty20 tournament is currently underway with a winner due to emerge on May 29.

Pakistan had a representative - Sialkot Stallions - for last year's tournament that was postponed following the Mumbai attacks. Relations between India and Pakistan then deteriorated; India refused to tour in January and Pakistan's government stopped their players from travelling to India to take part in the IPL - the basis of the decision - though that situation is open to review and, possibly, to change given how quickly relations between the two countries fluctuate.

A BCCI official said the decision was a "precautionary" one. "We don't want a problem in the last minute... with so much money at stake, we don't want to take the risk of inviting a team when - as of now - it is clear that there will be political problems with visas, clearance," he said.

As well as the financial fallout - both team and home board are guaranteed a considerable sum - the move pushes Pakistan further to the margins of world cricket, given that domestic teams from all members (apart from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) have also been invited to the tournament.

It is another sign possibly of how relations between the PCB and BCCI have cooled off considerably under the present Pakistan administration; though India's refusal to tour in January this year was a state-level decision, tensions have risen between the neighbours over the 2011 World Cup, with the BCCI believing the PCB was misguided in picking a legal fight with the ICC and the PCB believing India manipulated them out of hosting World Cup matches in Pakistan. In contrast, the previous PCB administration under Nasim Ashraf, had been accused, rather like Tony Blair to George Bush, of being India's puppet.

The PCB's own inaction has done nothing to ease the situation. The day after the decision was announced, a number of senior officials were contacted, none of whom had any coherent reply to the situation. One senior official didn't know what the Champions League was, while others referred the matter to the chairman, who simply referred it back.

A prickly relationship with the ICC will not help: the world's governing body isn't a stakeholder in the Champions League, but has sanctioned it and, according to Modi, set a window aside for it in the FTP. ICC members CA and CSA are founding members of the tournament and though they are among those who reiterate that they want to ensure Pakistan does not get isolated, this latest blow, in fact, achieves precisely the opposite.