The New Nation - Internet Edition

Abahani, Usha KC dominate hockey league with all win

UNB, Dhaka

Abahani Limited and Usha KC dominate the Green Delta Insurance Metropolis Premier Division Hockey League with all-win run as both beat respective rivals in their 4th league encounters at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

The popular "sky-blue" Dhanmondi outfit Abahani came from behind to manage a 6-3 goals victory over spirited Azad SC, while old Dhaka hockey giant Usha KC earned a comfortable 7-1 victory against Sadharan Bima KS in the afternoon.

With the day's wins, two joint league champions Abahani Limited and Usha KC registered their fourth consecutive wins to share the top slot again, securing full 12 points from four matches.

In the day's first match, Mamunur Rahman Chayan struck four goals for Abahani - in the 10th, 13th, 21st and 63rd minutes, all from penalty corners.

Vice-captain Russell Mahmud Jimmy and Musa Miah scored one field goal each -- in the 15th and 48th minutes -- for the winners, which dominated the first half 4-1.

Jamil Bin Talib earlier put Azad SC ahead scoring the match's first goal in the very 3rd minute from a penalty corner.

Ajit Kumar Ghosh scored the second goal in the 42nd minute by a field goal, while Belal Hossain completed the Azad SC tally in the 61st minute, converting a penalty corner.

In the day's other match, Rahul Kanti Roy scored three field goals in the 22nd, 36th and 50th minutes, while Mustafizur Rahman Dinar, Maksud Alam Habul, Akhter Ali and Tariq Aziz netted one goal each for Usha KC, which led the first session 4-0.

Afsaruddin scored the consolation goal for Sadharan Bima KS in the 43rd minute.

Friday's matches: Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club vs Wari Club (2:30pm), Mohammedan SC vs Sonali Bank (4pm).

Warid Telecom Golf begins

Sports Reporter

The two-day long Warid Telecom Golf Tournament began yesterday at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka Cantonment.

The Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed inaugurated the tournament by releasing the balloons as the chief guest while Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Warid Telecom Muneer Farooqui was present as the special guest. Vice-President of Kurmitola Golf Club Major General Md Shafiqul Islam was also present at the time.

A total of 450 golfers are taking part in the two-day long golf tournament.

The tournament will come to an end today (Friday).

Warid Telecom, the sponsor of the golf meet will award the winners Taka five lakh as prize money.

Warid Telecom, the fastest growing mobile phone operator in the country, is associated with the golf meet due to its commitment to promote sports in Bangladesh.

It may be mentioned that in February, Warid Telecom successfully sponsored Warid Golf Tournament at the Savar Golf Club in Savar Cantonment.

General Moeen U Ahmed planted a palm sapling at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Thursday.

Pakistan take revenge

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh eves' team suffered a 38-run defeat against Pakistan in a low-scoring return league match of the Women's Asia Cup Cricket at the Dambulla Stadium in Sri Lanka Thursday.

The Bangladesh eves' team, which came to limelight with a four-wicket win over Pakistan Saturday to celebrate their first-ever victory against any ODI team, today also made a good start dismissing Pakistan cheaply for 110 runs in 44.4 overs.

But the brilliant efforts of Bangladeshi bowlers went in vain as no Bangladeshi cricketer could stay at the crease for long and were bundled out for 72 runs in 33.1 overs in the face of devastating bowling by Javeria and Mumtaz.

Javeria grabbed six wickets conceding just eight runs while Mumtaz took three wickets for 19 runs enabling Pakistan team to take revenge of their defeat in the first phase against Bangladesh.

For Bangladesh, only three cricketers -- Shathira Jakir (19), Ayesha 12, Shamima (11) - could reach the double digit.

Earlier, Panna Ghosh and Tithy Rani Sarker restricted Pakistan at a poor total claiming three wickets each.

Panna captured three wickets for 18 runs while Tithy also bagged three for 29 runs. Salma Khatun took two for 8 and Shathira took one for 16.

The Bangladeshi eves will play their last match against Sri Lanka today (Friday) at the same venue.

Bangladesh face Kyrgyzstan today

UNB, Dhaka

Visiting Bangladesh face strong Kyrgyzstan today (Friday) in their 2nd match of the group C AFC Challenge Cup at Spartak Stadium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The match kicks off at 5:30 pm (Bangladesh time).

In the last encounter with Kyrgyzstan in Nehru Cup last year in New Delhi, Bangladesh suffered a 3-0 goals defeat.

Earlier, in the opening group match on Monday, Bangladesh were held to a goalless draw by Afghanistan, who beat hosts Kyrgyzstan by a solitary goal in their 2nd match on Wednesday.

Bangladesh cricket team to tour South Africa in Nov

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh National Cricket team will tour South Africa next November to play two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 International match.

Besides, the touring Bangladesh will also play a three-day match against the Proteas A team on Nov 15-17 at the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley.

Cricket South Africa on Thursday released the complete itinerary for Bangladesh's tour to South Africa.

Bangladesh will start their campaign with a day-night Twenty20 International match on Nov 5 at the Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

The Bengal Tigers will play the first ODI (Day-Night) on Nov 7 at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, 2nd ODI on Nov 9 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, and the 3rd and last ODI (Day/Night) on Nov 12 at Buffalo Park in East London.

The Test match between Bangladesh and South Africa will be held Nov 20-24 at the OUTsurance Oval in Bloemfontein, while the 2nd and last Test will be held on Nov 28-Dec 2 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Narayanganj, Magura, Nilphamari DSAs reach zonal finals

UNB, Dhaka

Three more teams -- Narayanganj, Magura and Nilphamari DSAs -- reached the zonal finals of the 28th National Cricket Championship beating their rivals in the semis at different zonal venues across the country on Thursday.

Narayanganj play Rajbari DSA and Nilphamari meet hosts Bogra in the zonal finals tomorrow (Friday), while Magura will play the zonal final on Sunday against opponents yet to be finalized.

In the day's matches, Narayanganj DSA (197/4 in 36 overs) beat hosts Faridpur DSA (194/9 in 45) by six wickets at the Faridpur Stadium, Magura DSA (221/9 in 50) defeated Narail DSA (197/10 in 47.2) by 24 runs at the Jessore Stadium, while Nilphamari DSA (132/5 in 38.2) outclassed Thakurgaon DSA (130/9 in 50) by five wickets at the Bogra Stadium.

Meanwhile, Rangpur DSA (253/9 in 50) advanced to the zonal semi-final beating Natore DSA (97/10 in 30.2) by a huge 156 runs at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium.

In the day's other match, Cox's Bazar beat Feni DSA by eight wickets at the Comilla Stadium.

Eriksson holds Benfica job talks

BBC Online

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has held talks with Portuguese club Benfica about returning there for a third spell as coach.

A Benfica statement confirmed talks had taken place, but said: "No details of the contract, namely salaries and timing, have been discussed."

Eriksson said: "I'm considering the offer and it could be a step forward in my career - let's see what happens."

BBC Sport understands Eriksson has been told by City he will be sacked.

On Wednesday, City owner Thaksin Shinawatra claimed he would not make a decision on the Swede's future until the end of the season.

However, BBC Sport has also learned that Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has already been approached by the club as the Swede's replacement.

Eriksson met Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira and their new director of football, Rui Costa, in Manchester on Wednesday.

BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard said Eriksson's meeting made it clear what he thought of his future chances at Eastlands.

"Eriksson's current boss may have refused to confirm or deny whether he was about to be sacked, but his meeting in Manchester, captured by Portuguese television, clearly shows what he believes is about to happen," he said.

"The move for Scolari, despite the denials by his agent, indicate Eriksson's imminent departure. I understand however, that Eriksson won't be rushed on a decision about a return to Benfica."

Eriksson has coached Benfica twice, leading them to two championships and a domestic cup in the early 1980s.

He then went to Italy but returned to Benfica in 1989, taking the club to the 1990 European Cup final, a game they lost to AC Milan, before winning the Portuguese title in 1991.

Benfica risk missing out on a Champions League spot for next season after a disappointing season. They are fourth in the SuperLiga, three points behind rivals Sporting Lisbon.

City, meanwhile, lie ninth in the Premier League ahead of Sunday's final game against Middlesbrough - which looks certain to be Eriksson's last league match in charge.

Scolari and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho have been linked with the job at City but Thaksin would not be drawn on who might be in charge next season, only saying: "They all - Sven, Scolari, Mourinho - they are great coaches, great managers."

However, he did say he had told Eriksson he was unhappy with City's mid-season dip in form which saw them fall out of contention for European football.

"During the season, we may complain for improvement but that's normal for every club," he said.

"But we will discuss at the end of the season what needs to be changed, what needs to be added to the success of the club."

BBC Sport understands contact has already been made between City and Scolari's representatives in a bid to bring the Portugal boss to Eastlands, with a deal worth a reported £3.2m-a-year ready to be rubber-stamped.

Scolari, 59, is believed to be interested in succeeding Eriksson - but wants to wait until after Euro 2008 before making a decision.

Scolari has also previously been reluctant to uproot his family from Portugal and cited intrusion into his private life as one of the reasons he rejected the chance to succeed Eriksson as England coach in 2006.

Thaksin, on the other hand, is thought to want a swift answer from Scolari.

City fans have reacted angrily to Eriksson's imminent departure and Thaksin hopes to head off further unrest with a quick announcement that he has captured the man who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002.

Despite his treatment at the hands of Shinawatra, Eriksson is willing to lead City on their post-season tour of Thailand and Hong Kong next week, a source close to the Swede has told BBC Sport.

The source said it was "business as usual" for Eriksson and his coaching team and that no further talks were planned with Shinawatra before the end of the season.

If City fail to land Scolari, they are likely to turn their attention to Slaven Bilic, even though he signed a new contract with Croatia last week.

Gavaskar steps down from ICC role

BBC Online

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has quit as chairman of the International Cricket Council's cricket committee after eight years in the job.

He was asked to choose between his role and working as a media pundit amid concerns about a conflict of interest.

"It has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game.

"But with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs," Gavaskar said.

"I envisaged the potential for this sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be re-elected.

"Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC cricket committee," he added.

The 58-year-old is renowned for pulling no punches in his newspaper columns.

In 2002, he called England the "champion whingers of the world" after they complained about practice facilities in India.

And at the start of this year, Gavaskar accused match referee Mike Procter of being biased against Indians after Harbhajan Singh was found guilty of racially abusing Andrew Symonds following a Test match in Australia.

In March, he called England and Australia "dinosaurs still trying to voice their prejudiced opinions in the media" in response to India's growing influence in the modern game.

As a result, he was summoned to a meeting with then ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed to discuss the matter

Despite that, Dave Richardson, the ICC's current acting CEO, praised Gavaskar for his work, saying: "He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear."

He added: "Having someone of Sunil's stature involved has to be of benefit to the game and given the ICC's lengthy relationship with him we hope we can still utilise his knowledge in some other capacity in the future."

During his playing career, Gavaskar appeared in 125 Tests and 108 one-day internationals for India, and was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning side.

He was the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs and still lies fifth in the all-time list behind Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

In his ICC role, he was in charge of one of the world governing body's most important committees, which is responsible for discussing and making recommendations on any cricket-playing matters.

Murray slumps to defeat in Rome

BBC Online

British number one Andy Murray lost 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Rome Masters.

With the French Open looming, the 20-year-old Scot struggled again on the clay and was broken twice in a first set in which he called for the trainer.

Murray, who later insisted he was not injured, rallied to take a 4-2 second-set lead, but Wawrinka broke back and sealed victory in a tie-break.

Wawrinka will now meet Juan Carlos Ferrero, who shocked Rafael Nadal.

Murray was desperate to find some form on clay ahead of the season's second Grand Slam but Wawrinka was stronger and more measured in Rome.

The Swiss world number 24 took an early advantage, breaking Murray for a 3-1 lead in the opening set.

Murray's situation was not helped as he appeared to hurt his left leg sliding for the ball and he called for the trainer.

The Scot complained about a tightness in his legs and after receiving treatment he conceded a second break with some wild groundstrokes.

Just as he slumped in the opener, Murray seized the momentum in the second, immediately breaking Wawrinka and taking a 2-0 lead.

His renewed resolve and focus saw him fend off break points in the fourth game but when Wawrinka pushed him at 4-3, the Briton lofted his drop-shot wide to surrender the break.

The Swiss almost sealed victory on Murray's next service game but the Scot fought back from 0-40 with some brilliant play to level at 5-5.

A tense set between the two off-court friends was settled by a tie-break and Murray's inability to deliver a strong first serve was telling.

The Scot failed to hit an ace throughout the entire match and when he needed a big serve most he could not find one, and was forced to try to out-play Wawrinka with his groundstrokes.

Murray saved another match point at 6-5 but went long at the crucial moment to hand the Swiss the match and a third-round tie with Ferrero, who upset second seed Nadal.

Afterwards, Murray insisted that injury had played no part in his defeat.

"I didn't feel that great first set, my legs were a bit heavy, but after that it was fine," he said. "I didn't feel that great, that's all.

"I saw the physio and the doctor and just got some hot cream. The doctor gave me a vitamin tablet or something - I don't know exactly what it was - and, yeah, I felt fine."

BBC Radio 5 Live tennis correspondent, Jonathan Overend, said: "Murray started feeling his groin in the third game of the match and really struggled for movement in the whole of the first set.

"It did improve after treatment from the trainer but his assessment afterwards of just heavy legs and poor tennis came as a big surprise to those who watched the match and were expecting a full medical bulletin."

Super league matches of Premier Div Cricket begin today

UNB, Dhaka

The high-voltage super league matches of the Metropolis Premier Division Cricket League begins today (Friday) at three venues in the capital and adjoining areas.

On the opening day, league leaders Biman Bangladesh Airlines will play sixth-ranked City Club at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Mohammedan SC face Surjotarun Club at the BKSP ground-2, while Abahani Limited meet newcomers BKSP at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium at Fatullah.

After the eleven rounds of first phase matches, Biman Bangladesh Airlines advanced to the title-deciding "super six" league securing 19 points while Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited follow closely with 18 and 17 points respectively.

Matuail CA crush Tongi CA by 104 runs

UNB, Dhaka

Matuail Cricket Academy crushed Tongi Cricket Academy by 104 runs in a match of the 3rd Division Relegation Cricket League at the Jagannath Hall ground on Thursday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Matuail CA scored 217 for 9 in 47 overs with Izharul contributing 76 runs, while Fazley made not out 54.

Rezwan and Shahinul grabbed two wickets each for 30 and 40 runs respectively.

In reply, Tongi CA were dismissed for 113 in 35.5 overs with Harun scoring 18 runs.

Sakib claimed three wickets for five runs while Partha took two for 19.

In the day's other matches, Kamrangirchar SC (220/6) earned a four-wicket win over Gulshan Youth Club (216/10) at the City Club ground, Talent Hunt Cricket Academy (117/7) beat Young Pegasus A (114/10) by three wickets at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium and GMCC (167/7) outplayed Orient SC (163/10), also by three wickets, at the Dhaka University ground.