The New Nation - Internet Edition

Ansar & VDP beat Ispahani SC by 7 runs

UNB, Dhaka

Ansar & VDP earned a hard-fought seven-run victory over Ispahani Sporting Club in the final round of the Parachute Women's Open Cricket at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium (DCS) here Monday.

Coin-favoured, Ansar & VDP batted first to score 133 for 9 in the stipulated 35 overs with number seven Shamima Akhter remaining unbeaten on 19 off 24 balls featuring two fours.

Opener Chamely also contributed 19 off 44 balls hitting two fours while team highest 27 runs came from extras.

Khadija Akhter 14, Sohely Akhter 14, Ayesha 10, Tithy Rani 10 were the other notable scorers for the Services team.

Skipper Salma Khatun, Jahanara and Rumana bagged two wickets each.

Replying to a moderate target, Ispahani Sporting Club were bundled out for 126 in 34.5 overs with captain Salma topscoring with 41 off 43 balls that included five fours while lower middle-order Jahanara Alam could put some resistance making 17. Soheli Akhter and Shamima Akhter Pinky took two wickets apiece for 26 and 27 run respectively.

Salma Khatun of Ispahani Sporting Club was later adjudged man of the match.

Jamshed impresses in Pakistan win : One-day International, Karachi: Pakistan 347-5 (50 overs) beat Zimbabwe 243-7 (50 overs) by 104 runs

Internet

Debutant Nasir Jamshed smashed a rapid 61 and four other batsmen hit fifties as Pakistan crushed Zimbabwe by 104 runs in the opening one-day match.

Jamshed hit three sixes, while Younis Khan (79), Mohammad Yousuf (72), Salim Malik (63) and Misbah-ul-Haq (55no) weighed in as the home side made 347-5.

Vusi Sibanda, Justice Chibabha and Sean Williams also hit fifties in reply.

But spinners Malik (3-34) and Shahid Afridi (2-33) bowled tightly to limit the tourists to 243-7 on a flat pitch.

Vusi Sibanda scored an entertaining fifty, well supported by Chamu Chibhabha, to lead Zimbabwe's aggressive reply in pursuit of a mammoth 348. Although a Zimbabwe win looks unlikely, batting practice is what the touring side will be looking for as they hope to play out the full quota of 50 overs. While Pakistan showed signs of complacency in the field, following their confident batting display, Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza, the two openers, got off to a confident start with Sibanda clipping Samiullah Khan over midwicket before dispatching Sohail Tanvir through extra cover. Zimbabwe were also gifted easy singles, as Pakistan stuttered in the field.

Tanvir induced an edge off Masakadza with Kamran Akmal taking a stunning one-handed catch. Undeterred, Sibanda drove Iftikhar Anjum - the fastest of the pace trio - twice down the ground to bring up his half-century from 51 balls. A mis-hit to mid-on, however, proved to be his downfall, handing Younis Khan a back-peddling catch.

Chibhabha, who was content to tick along with singles and twos, mostly through the leg-side, put on 27 with Tatenda Taibu before Taibu was trapped leg-before in Shahid Afridi's first over. At the halfway point, Zimbabwe were keeping in touch with the run-rate, though a win is surely out of their reach.

Put in on a batting-friendly track, Pakistan's batsmen tore into some ordinary Zimbabwe bowling to stack up an imposing 347 in the first ODI at the National Stadium in Karachi. Capitalising on a stunning 48-ball 61 by Nasir Jamshed, the debutant opener, Pakistan added 90 runs in the last ten overs and nearly matched the 349 they scored the last time these two met.

The total was truly a team effort, with five men posting half-centuries, a first for any ODI.

The powerful hitting began early with the 18-year-old Jamshed, fresh from thrashing the Zimbabwean attack for 182 in the preceding tour match, taking ten off the first over. Jamshed showed a liking for the midwicket boundary in the four-day match, but here showed his prowess on the opposite side of the ground, his immaculate timing fetching him not only six fours but three sixes as well.

While being responsible for Salman Butt's run out - turning a blind eye to his call for an easy single - Jamshed remained undeterred. Lofting an overpitching Christopher Mpofu straight over his head for six, Jamshed then followed that up with a driven six over extra cover to bring up his half-century off only 40 balls. With Jamshed in full flow - a pulled six over midwicket followed - Younis Khan remained content with singles, twos and the occasional deft touches.

As aggression finally got the better of Jamshed - caught at mid-off off a slower ball from Chamu Chibhabha - Younis found an old ally in the form of Mohammad Yousuf. The pair put on 113 from 99 deliveries as an inexperiened attack wilted. Supplied with plenty of half-trackers both batsmen collected regular boundaries.

Propser Utseya introduced himself into the attack in an attempt to slow the rate down, but Younis went on a rampage instead. He smashed Utseya over midwicket and swept him to square leg for boundaries before dispatching him over the sight screen to bring up his 50. Chibhabha, too, came under heavy attack as Younis dispatched him over cover twice to bring up the 100 partnership.

It was a case of score-as-you-please for Pakistan as Utseya failed to restrict the stroke play even as he regularly changed his bowlers. Ray Price accounted for Younis but, with Yousuf and a returning Shoaib Malik in no mood to take their time, the carnage continued. Price did manage to induce a false stroke from Yousuf as he was steaming towards his century but it was met with only mild celebrations. Any hope of restricting Pakistan was thwarted by the arrival of Misbah-ul-Haq.

Malik became the fourth batsman to score a fifty while Misbah continued his terrific form to finish unbeaten on 55. The total has left Zimbabwe virtually out of contention.

Muntari scores late to give Ghana 2-1 win over Guinea

Internet

Sulley Muntari scored in the 90th minute Sunday to give host Ghana a 2-1 win over Guinea in the opening match of the African Cup of Nations.

Muntari ran through the defense and sent a 25-yard shot past Guinea goalkeeper Kemoko Camara to give the Black Stars three points in Group A. "It's never easy to win the first game," Ghana coach Claude LeRoy said.

Asamoah Gyan had given Ghana the lead in the 54th minute from the penalty spot, but Guinea tied it in the 64th when Oumar Kalabane scored.

Gyan got his goal after Kalabane had tripped Junior Agogo in the area. Kalabane made up for his foul by scoring off a corner from Ismael Bangoura.

On Monday, Morocco will face Namibia in the other group match.

Ghana hit the post three times in the first half, and had plenty of other chances.

"If we don't beat Morocco (on Thursday), then there's no point playing the third game," Guinea captain Pascale Feindounou said.

Guinea coach Robert Nouzaret called it the "worst performance" since he took over the team one year ago.

Ghana, a four-time African champion, played without injured midfielder Stephen Appiah. But there was still a carnival atmosphere in the streets leading up to the Ohene Djan stadium as flag-waving fans danced to the nonstop sound of whistles.

Some locals painted their bodies in the red, yellow and green colors of the national flag, while others walked on giant stilts or wore colorful face masks -- all accompanied by the incessant drum rhythm of local bands.

Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor, CAF president Issa Hayatou, FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were among about 40,000 fans watching the opening ceremony, which featured hundreds of dancers and acrobats.

Hantuchova caps comeback with Grand Slam quarterfinal

AP, Melbourne

It's been a tumultuous five years since Daniela Hantuchova last reached a Grand Slam quarterfinals. She rallied to beat Russian No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday, answering lingering doubts about her capacity to return to the second week of a Grand Slam.

"I always believed I could do it. I thought it was just a matter of time, probably getting a little bit more mature and understanding myself better," she said. "There was never a time that I thought I was not being able to do it again."

After finishing the 2002 season ranked No. 8 following quarterfinals appearances at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, she reached a career-high No. 5 shortly after making the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Then she faced a series of personal trials, including constant speculation about her weight, and her ranking plummeted to No. 31 ranking at the end of 2004. The 24-year-old Slovakian player, seeded No. 9 in Melbourne, says the maturity she's gained in the ensuing years is now showing on the tennis court.

"I think I realized that it's OK to make mistakes sometimes and it's OK not to be perfect all the time," she said. "And I think that made me much, much calmer and more relaxed on the court and off the court."

Hantuchova next faces Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Nadia Petrova to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinals. "She's a very tough player, very talented," a relaxed Hantuchova said. "I think we've both got a great opportunity to get to the semis, so it's going to be a very good match. I'm really looking forward to it."

Federer, Blake to meet in quarterfinals; Venus joins sister Serena in last 8

AP, Melbourne

Venus Williams reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the first time in five years and James Blake for the first time, period. Roger Federer advanced, as usual.

Federer, aiming for a third consecutive Australian title and a fourth in five years, had to save two set points in the tiebreaker en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-3 fourth-round win over No. 13 Tomas Berdych on Monday.

The Swiss star is into his fifth straight quarterfinal at Melbourne Park and next will play Blake.

Blake beat 19-year-old Croatian Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena to equal his best run at a major following quarterfinal appearances at the U.S. Open in 2005 and '06. That was the good news. The bad: he lost to Federer in four sets at the '06 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Williams advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska at Melbourne Park and will next play No. 4-ranked Ana Ivanovic.

Williams, in her first tournament since withdrawing from the season-ending champion at Madrid in November due to illness, lost in the final here in 2003 to her sister Serena and had not gone beyond the fourth round at the season's opening major since. Venus Williams has six Grand Slam singles titles, but her run to the 2003 final remains her best performance in the season's first major.

"I have come close, then this girl named Williams took my dream away," Venus said of her Australian aspirations. Serena Williams, the defending Australian champion, moved into the quarterfinals on Sunday along with top-ranked Justine Henin and last year's finalist Maria Sharapova, seeded fifth. Serena will play No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and Henin is against Sharapova.

After her 6-1, 7-6 (2) win Monday over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, Ivanovic was looking forward to her quarterfinal match. Venus Williams "is definitely a tough opponent. Last two Grand Slams I lost to her. Exactly the time for some revenge," Ivanovic said. "I think I'm a little bit different player than I was last time I played her."

In the adjacent quarter of the draw, No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova needed four match points before finishing off Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-5, 6-0.

Federer was taken to 10-8 in the fifth set of his third-round match against Janko Tipsaravic, and was happier with a quicker finish.

"I like this one today better, after all," he said. "I'm quite pleased with the result, pulling up from a tough match. "Tomas played well and is always a danger. Every time he hits a great ball."

Red Swiss flags were scattered around the stadium, but Berdych had the most vocal support, a rowdy group of about two dozen in the upper deck that included young men with the Czech flag painted on their faces and letters of Berdych's name on their bare chests. Federer was pushed again, with one good shot by either man often not enough to win a point. But under pressure, he played his best while Berdych faltered.

Berdych, with a strong serve and sharp groundstrokes, had a tendency for poorly executed drop shots at critical times. He dumped one into the net while getting broken for the only time in the first set while serving at 4-4, then again serving at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker after Federer rallied from 2-5. Berdych squandered a second set point at 7-6 when he flailed a forehand long off an easy short ball, and Federer ran off the last three points.

Always a great front-runner, Federer got an early break in the third set, then held the rest of the way, dropping only four points in his five service games.

He finished in 1 hour and 59 minutes - 2 ½ hours less than his five-setter in the last round.

With sister Serena shouting encouragement, Venus Williams had her hands full with Domachowska.

Far from being intimidated by Williams' power, Domachowska matched it with her own - she had aces on three of her first five serves - along with a variety of spins.

Williams often found herself on the defensive as Domachowska swung for winners at every opportunity.

Williams' right thigh was strapped, and Domachowska gave it a workout, keeping her constantly sprinting from side to side. "I got a little something going on, but it's not going to hurt anybody," Williams coyly said of the strapping. Henin beat Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei on Sunday and now will put her 32-match winning streak on the line against Sharapova in their first meeting since the season-ending championship final in Madrid. Sharapova pounded fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-0, breaking the 11th-ranked player in six of her seven service games, including one at love to finish off the match in 62 minutes. "Justine's the one to beat," Sharapova said. "She's on a pretty good winning streak, but every match is new."

US beat China 1-0 in Four Nations Tournament title game

Internet

Shannon Boxx scored on a looping header in the 77th minute Sunday and the United States beat China 1-0 to win the Four Nations Tournament.

The Chinese held off the Americans with a conservative, low-pressure game, as their players sagged back in their own half of the field most of the time.

But the Americans -- undefeated in the three-game tournament -- kept attacking and eventually Boxx headed the ball over the goalkeeper from 11 yards out.

Hope Solo, briefly dismissed from the U.S. team for criticizing the former coach's decision to drop her during the World Cup, started in goal for the second time in the tournament and had one save.

"At the end of the day, it was speed," said new U.S. coach Pia Sundhage. "You get tired after a while and the header Boxx put in the goal, that was just excellent -- a good finish for us in this tournament."

Sundhage, hired two months ago, was pleased with the overall performance of her team, which had 12 players from last year's squad that finished third in the World Cup.

"The Chinese team forced us to change the system in the first half to the second half," said Sundhage, an assistant coach for China last year. "The defending of the Chinese team challenged us a little bit, which was good because this is what it's all about. The next game, we'll make sure we can attack in different ways."

China coach Elisabeth Loisel was impressed with the Americans' speed and strength, but thought her players could improve.

"I'm very happy with our team's defense," said Loisel, China's seventh head coach in four years. "I believe through different training and competition, we'll get good results."

Canada finished third after a long-range goal by Jodi-Ann Robinson in the fourth minute of stoppage time for a 1-1 draw with Finland. The Finns scored in the first half.