The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sports Reporter

The first phase of the Third Division Football League concluded on September 26. A total of 22 teams took part in the first phase of the league. The first phase of the league was held on single league basis. A number of 10 teams move into the Super League. Ten teams spliting into two groups will take part in the Super League.

Friends Social Welfare Organisation, Euro Famous Club, Spondon KC, Tongi KC, The Muslim Institute have been placed in Group A while Matuail Udayan Sangsad, Gulistan Club, Gazirchat SC, PWD SC, Lalbagh SC have been billed in Group B.

The champions, the runners-up, the third place winners and the fourth place winners of each group will get tickets to participate in the next year's Second Division Football League.

The matches of the Super League will be held at the Kamalapur Bir Srestha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium.

Today Matuail Udayan Sangsad will face Lalbagh SC at 1.45 PM while Euro Famous Club will meet Tongi KC at 3.30 PM.

BBC Online

Off-spinner Mutiah Muralitharan looks likely to miss Sri Lanka's five-match one-day series against England which begins in Dambulla on 1 October.

The 35-year-old is recovering from a bicep injury which ruled him out of the recent World Twenty20 tournament

Captain Mahela Jayawardene said: "I would say he's definitely out of the first couple of games.

"We'll see how things go after that We have a lot of Test cricket coming up so we need to make a sensible decision."

England, aiming to claim their first one-day series win on Sri Lankan soil, are not taking Muralitharan's absence for granted, however.

"We're told he's going to be out for the first couple of games, but we're preparing as if he's going to be playing," said captain Paul Collingwood.

If Muralitharan fails to make the start of the series, leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi is expected to replace him.

New Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss said: "He's a leg-spinner, he's good in the field and he can bat a bit

"If he gets an opportunity in this series I'm sure he'll be able to hold his own."

Sri Lanka squad for series against England:

M Jayawardene (captain), K Sangakkara, S Jayasuriya, U Tharanga, C Silva, T Dilshan, J Mubarak, F Maharoof, C Vaas, L Malinga, D Fernando, K Lokuarachchi, M Muralitharan (subject to fitness), G Wijekoon, D Perera. Stand-by: M Bandara, N Kulasekara, C Kapugedera, C Welagedera.

AFP, Pakistan

Record-breaking Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf said Thursday he has ditched a contract with the breakaway Indian Cricket League and will play for his national side.

Yousuf, 33, signed with the multi-million dollar ICL last month after he was not selected for the Twenty20 world championship in South Africa, in which Pakistan reached the final.

But after a lengthy meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf in the eastern city of Lahore, Yousuf said that he had been convinced to sign a central contract

"I have always wanted to play for my country and I can sacrifice my life for my country," Yousuf told a press conference.

"I did not know about the clause in the Indian league contract that if both the league and Pakistan team matches are held at the same time I had to give preference to the league. I cannot agree to that," he added.

The development means Yousuf will be available to play for Pakistan in the first Test against South Africa starting here from Monday.

Yousuf scored a world record of 1,788 runs in a calendar year in 2006 and was declared the best Test player of the year, but was not picked for the Twenty20 tournament

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, opener Imran Farhat and all- rounder Abdul Razzaq also signed up for the rebel league, bankrolled by country's biggest media group which owns the Zee television.

The PCB had warned that players signing for the Indian league would not be considered for selection in the Pakistan team.

"I had a fruitful meeting with Yousuf and he has signed the central contract with the PCB after agreeing not to play in the Indian league. He is available to play for Pakistan," Ashraf said.

Ashraf said Yousuf has been a star for Pakistan team.

"Yousuf has been the backbone of Pakistan team's bating and we are happy that he is back and will bolster the team against South Africa," said Ashraf.

Yousuf has played 75 Tests, scoring 6,553 runs. He also has 8,081 runs in 242 one-day internationals.

Pakistan are due to announce their squad for the first Test on Friday.

AFP, Hangzhou

The streak is over, and so is the United States' bid for a third Women's World Cup championship. Brazil and its star player Marta put on a dazzling performance against the Americans and cruised to a 4-0 victory in the semifinals Thursday, ending the U.S. unbeaten streak at 51 games and sending the Brazilians into their first title match, against Germany on Sunday.

Brazil went ahead on an own-goal in the 20th minute, and Marta made it 2-0 soon after. Cristiane and Marta added goals in the second half, with Marta becoming the tournament's leading scorer with seven goals.

The U.S. played the final 45 minutes with 10 players after midfielder Shannon Boxx was sent off in first-half injury time for a contentious second yellow card.

The Americans play Norway in Sunday's third-place game.

Bidding for another title to go with championships in 1991 and 1999, the U.S. team was clearly outplayed and outhustled by the Brazilians in their worst defeat in any World Cup match. The semifinal loss was a repeat of the 2003 event, when the Americans were eliminated by Germany.

In the 20th minute, Formiga sent in a corner, which bounced just short of the goal. Atempting to head it behind, midfielder Leslie Osborne headed it into the net between goalkeeper Briana Scurry and Lori Chalupny.

Scurry, playing in her 164th game for the U.S., was surprisingly picked ahead of Hope Solo, who started the first four games. Solo gave up two goals in the first match but was unscored on for the following 300 minutes. Scurry, meanwhile, hadn't played a full game in three months.

Marta, Brazil's creative striker, struck seven minutes later. She evaded a half-dozen players and cracked a left-footed shot from 15 yards that hugged the ground and beat Scurry diving to her left She got her left hand on the ball but couldn't stop it

Brazil may have also deserved a penalty in the fifth minute when American defender Cat Whitehill escaped despite bringing down Cristiane in the area.

Forced to push for the goal in the second half, the U.S. left itself exposed at the back with Maycon, Daniela and Cristiane narrowly missing in the opening minutes. Cristiane finally broke through in the 56th to make it 3-0, left-footing a shot home in a one-on-one contest with Scurry.

The Americans had only two shots on goal in the first half and top striker Abby Wambach was never a factor. Kristine Lilly, playing in a record fifth World Cup, had the best U.S. chance in the second half but her point-blank shot landed in Andreia's hands in the 63rd.

After the third goal, Brazil slowed the play as the Americans kept pressing for a score.

Brazil's last flurry came in the 79th when Marta showed off all her talent Off the left wing, she faked around U.S. defender Tina Ellertson, raced into the box, dummied around another and beat Scurry with a shot that drew a huge ovation from a crowd of 48,000.

Scurry, the 36-year-old veteran who was coach Greg Ryan's surprise goalkeeping choice against Brazil, had a nervous first half. In the seventh minute, she came out to catch a free kick, but it slipped through her fingers although Brazil missed the scoring chance.

Ryan said he picked Scurry because of her quick reflexes. She was in goal in a 2-0 win over Brazil in June in New York, and she also was the keeper in the Americans' 2-1 victory over Brazil in the 2004 Olympic final. Badly outplayed in that match, Scurry was credited with bringing the Americans gold.

Brazil's victory was only its second over the United States in 23 games.

Despite winning Group B, the Americans seldom looked threatening on offense in this tournament, and was unable to sustain the form of its 3-0 victory over England in the quarterfinals.