The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sidebottom seals crushing England victory

AFP, England

Ryan Sidebottom's devastating spell of four wickets for five runs in 19 balls propelled England to an innings and nine run third Test victory against New Zealand at Trent Bridge here on Sunday.

England's win, achieved before lunch on the fourth day, saw them take the three-match series 2-0.

Left-arm quick Sidebottom, who finished with figures of six for 77, routed the New Zealand lower order on his Nottinghamshire home ground.

But it was fellow fast bowler and man-of-the-match James Anderson, with a Test best seven for 43 in the first innings, who did the decisive damage that made New Zealand follow-on.

Only all-rounder Jacob Oram, with an unbeaten 39-ball fifty featuring two sixes and six fours offered much resistance Sunday.

New Zealand resumed on 177 for five - still 64 runs shy of making England bat again - after suffering the double blow of losing both Brendon McCullum (71) and Daniel Flynn (49) shortly before stumps on Saturday.

Test debutant Gareth Hopkins was seven not out and Oram eight not out.

Wicket-keeper Hopkins had added just five to his overnight score when he edged Sidebottom to England gloveman Tim Ambrose.

Oram, who made a hundred in the drawn first Test at Lord's, square cut Stuart Broad, a county colleague of Sidebottom's, and then pulled the fast bowler for successive fours.

And when the 21-year-old quick dropped short again, to expose the tall all- rounder's supposed weakness against the rising ball, Oram hooked him for the first six of the match.

At the other end though New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori gave his wicket away when driving Sidebottom to Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

Tailenders Kyle Mills and Iain O'Brien were both caught in the slips by Sidebottom before Anderson finished the match when last man Chris Martin was caught at second slip by Paul Collingwood.

New Zealand, as was the case during their six-wicket second Test defeat at Old Trafford, had enjoyed some early success in this match and reduced England to 86 for five after captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and fielded.

But a stand of 161 between Pietersen (115) and Ambrose (67) got England back into the match before tailenders Broad (64) and Anderson (28) both recorded their Test-best scores to bolster the hosts' total.

The Black Caps, several of whose batsmen demonstrated a faulty technique against the swinging ball, were bowled out for 123 - 42 short of avoiding the follow-on.

However, one concern for England was the form of struggling middle-order batsmen Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood and their collective failure, for the 12th successive Test, to reach the benchmark first innings score of 400.

But the likes of batsmen Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara will have to wait until the July 10 series opener against South Africa at Lord's to press their claims for a Test place.

And the selectors are likely to face another problem if star pace-bowling all- rounder Andrew Flintoff is fully fit following a side injury.

An inexperienced New Zealand side had played just four Tests in 10 months before losing 2-1 at home to England in a three- match series in March.

Their next Test assignment isn't until October when they are away to minnows Bangladesh.

But the World Cup semi-finalists remain an impressive one- day outfit.

They now meet England in a one-off Twenty20 clash at Old Trafford on June 13 before the teams play the first of five one- day internationals at the Riverside two days later.

Brave Swiss facing battle for survival

AFP, Switzerland

Switzerland have been left with a mountain to climb at Euro 2008 but head coach Jakob Kuhn insists his side can recover from a heartbreaking defeat to the Czech Republic in the tournament's opening match.

Having dominated for long periods, the Swiss were floored by Vaclav Sverkos's superbly taken but scarcely deserved late winner for the Czechs on Saturday evening.

The disappointing end to an evening that promised so much more was compounded for the co- hosts by the loss of captain and leading goalscorer Alexander Frei to an injury that ended his involvement in the tournament.

All Swiss interest in the competition will almost certainly be extinguished if Kuhn's men lose to Turkey here on Wednesday, but Kuhn was defiantly optimistic about his side's chances of emerging from a first-round group that also includes Portugal.

"I told them they can leave the stadium with their heads held high," Kuhn said. "Now we have to forget about this game and concentrate on the next match, against Turkey.

Arambagh Juniors earn 7-0 victory over Uttaran JS

UNB, Dhaka

Arambagh KS Juniors registered a comfortable 7-0 victory over Uttaran Jubo Sangsad in a West Zone match of the Metropolis Pioneer Football League at the Outer Stadium here on Sunday.

Salahuddin Nadim and Mohammad Tuhin made hattricks scoring three goals each while Mohammad Babla netted the remaining goal for Arambagh Juniors.

In a North Zone match, Siraj Smriti Sangsad outplayed Madhubagh Friends Club by 4-0 goals at the Mohakhali T&T ground this afternoon. Sohel struck twice, Mamun and Shafiqul netted one each for the winners.

At the Bashabo Tarun Sangha ground, Narayanganj Football Academy played to a 2-2 draw with Murapara SC in a Central Zone match. Monir and Ronny scored for Murapara SC while Russell and Ismail netted for Narayanganj team.

DCC Mayor to unveil plague of Dhanmondi Bridge name after Monem Munna

UNB, Dhaka

Dhaka City Corporation has decided to name the Dhanmondi Road number 8 bridge after former skipper of the national football team and "king back" Abdul Monem Munna.

Mayor of Dhaka Sadek Hossain Khoka will unveil the plague of "Monem Munna Bridge" at Dhanmondi today (Monday) at 12.30 pm on the occasion of the 40th brith anniversary of Monem Munna.

Sena Moitri Volleyball tournament begins in Dinajpur tomorrow

UNB, Dinajpur

The Dinajpur-Rangpur Sena Moitri Volleyball tournament, organised by Dinajpur DSA in cooperation with the 66 infantry division of Bangladesh Army, begins here Tuesday.

Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner M Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan will inaugurate the 9-day tournament at Dinajpur Baro Maidan in the afternoon. Commander of the 16 infantry brigade Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azami will be present as special guest.

A total of 10 teams - hosts Dinajpur, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Joypurhat, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh DSAs and Rangpur region team of the Army split into two groups -- will take part in the meet on round robin league basis.

GOC of the 66 infantry division of Bangladesh Army Major General Fatemi Ahmed Rumi will be present in the final as chief guest.

Pacey Portugal down Turkey

AFP, Geneva

Portugal avoided the same fate that befell them in 2004 when getting their Euro 2008 campaign off to the perfect start with a 2-0 win over Turkey here on Saturday.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, beaten as hosts in their opener four years ago by Greece, the gatecrashers that would go on to deny them in the final itself, took the points in this Group A tie with a second half goal from Real Madrid defender Pepe.

Late substitute Raul Meireles bagged the injury time second.

Scolari was forced into a late change of plan when his intended starter in goal, Quim, fractured his hand in training, with Ricardo standing in for the out-of-commission Benfica keeper.

'Big Phil' deployed Nuno Gomes as a lone striker with Cristiano Ronaldo on the right wing against a Turkish side that was fielding the same 4-3-2-1 format.

Manchester United's most prized asset was, surprise surprise, the first with a shot on goal.

Pepe headed in a corner past Volkan Demirel after quarter of an hour and ran half the pitch with his arms in the air in celebration only to have his Kodak moment ruined by the linesman's flag - held aloft for offside.

With both sides in attacking mode the near 30,000 full house at the Stade de Geneve had plenty to keep them warm on a chilly summer's night by Lake Leman, not least in the 30th minute when Ronaldo scythed his way through the Turkish defence only to scuff his shot.

On 38 minutes the 23-year-old goalscoring machine drilled in a low angled freekick from 20m out on the left and only the hand of Volkan which deflected the ball onto the far post stopped Portugal going into the lead.

Besiktas back Gohkan Zan then did well to snuff out a live threat as Portugal went for broke just before the break.

Turkish fans had to wait until first half injury time before their side found the target but Ricardo comfortably coped with Mevlut Erdinc's snap shot from 20m out.Mevlut failed to appear for the second half, coach Fatih Terim replacing him with Sabri Sanoglu.

Turkey's calls for a 47th minute penalty when Nihat Kahveci went down after a challenge by Simao fell on German referee Herbert Fandel's deaf ears.

Down at the other end in a move orchestrated by Simao, captain Nuno Gomes let fly with only Volkan to beat but the ball ricocheted off the near post.

With Ronaldo now a free agent and given licence by Scolari to roam as he pleased Portugal looked doubly dangerous and on the hour they finally got the goal they deserved.

It was the fruit of a neat three-cornered move involving Ronaldo then Gomes and finished off by Pepe's low 10m shot with the linesmen this time leaving the defender to enjoy his handywork.

Nuno Gomes, who almost doubled up with a header which hit Volkan's woodwork, was replaced by Nani with his United teammate Ronaldo inheriting the skipper's armband.

Substitute Emre Asik had a free shot late on but it didn't have enough legs to trouble Ricardo then FC Porto's Meireles popped up to leave Portugal sitting pretty to survive the opening round.

Portugal next face the Czech Republic, 1-0 winners over Switzerland earlier, on Wednesday with Turkey up against co-hosts the Swiss on the same day.

Sky's the limit for new tennis queen Ivanovic

AFP, Paris

Move over Maria, its Ana's time at the top.

Ana Ivanovic's breakthrough Grand Slam win in the

French Open final on Saturday and her elevation to the world No.1 spot, dislodging Maria Sharapova, has set the stage for the Serbian to attain iconic status both within the sport and on the wider scene.

She has the talent, she has the looks, she is only 20 and she is almost too good to be true. She is an ad man's dream.

Ivanovic is also the perfect foil in the glamour girl stakes to Sharapova, currently the best-known and best paid sportswoman in the world.

They are set to forge a compelling rivalry that could bankroll the women's game for years to come.

The 21-year-old Sharapova is explosive, often moody at press conferences and dauntingly single-minded. Ivanovic is niceness personified, a beaming smile never far away and ever courteous to players and press alike.

It's an image she says she has no desire nor intention of ever changing.

"On and off the court, it's obviously different," she said of her persona.

"I still believe it's important to be a fair player and don't lose your appearance just because people might say you're too nice," she said after her 6-4, 6-3 win over Dinara Safina of Russia in the Roland Garros final.

Much has been made of her struggles to make it to the top in tennis.

Growing up in war-torn Yugoslavia in the late 1990's, Ivanovic had to practice in disused swimming pools in a country that reveres its footballers and basketballers but had, until now, no tradition in tennis.

But in fact she comes from a reasonably well-off and stable family background in Belgrade with mother Dragana a lawyer and father Miroslav an economist and businessman.

She did have to travel to Germany at a young age, leaving her parents, to further her budding career and she says that was a move that was key in forging her character and single- mindedness.

"Obviously it makes you stronger," she said. "My parents never forced me into anything. They always supported my decisions and I think that is important because when you're on the court, first of all, you have to make your own decisions.

"In some ways it made me much stronger. And also since I was very young, I started travelling and my mom came often with me which was great. She's like my best friend too."

Next up for Ivanovic will be the grass courts of Eastbourne and then her fourth Wimbledon campaign, having last to eventual winner Venus Williams in a closely- fought semi-final last year.

It's too early to properly quantify her own chanches, she said, minutes after her French Open triumph, but she has realistic ambitions in London.

"I think I have a good chance. I've been working hard and this hard work gives results," she said.

"Next week I have time to relax a little bit, recover and then prepare for Eastbourne and Wimbledon."

Cash-rich Champions League gets go-ahead

AFP, England

The winners and runners-up in England's domestic Twenty20 competition will join their equivalents from Australia, India and South Africa later this year in a lucrative new tournament worth five million dollars to the winners, it was announced on Saturday.

A statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the inaugural Champions League would involve eight teams playing 15 matches in a 10-day period in late September and early October in either the Middle East or India.

The ECB statement added there would also be "significant sums for the teams finishing second, third and fourth."

New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who appeared recently in a similar, albeit domestic, Twenty20 event in India, welcomed the new competition.

"It sounds a pretty good idea to me. As long as you get the best players out there in competitive environment, I'm sure it will be a success," he said after stumps on the third day of the third Test against England here at Trent Bridge.

"It will be great to have the Champions League like football does, with that kind of following."

England fast bowler Stuart Broad, who plays at Trent Bridge for Nottinghamshire, said the tournament could change the face of county cricket: "It's certainly an incentive for domestic sides to take Twenty20 seriously which can only help the international team.

"I've always thought Championship cricket is the priority because it develops players for Test cricket and that's the ultimate. But this could change the emphasis."

The sums of money on offer are huge compared to the figures normally involved in county, state or provincial cricket which, unlike football, mainly takes place around the world in the shadow of the international game.

For example, most of England's 18 first-class counties make a loss and rely on an annual ECB grant of some 1.4 million pounds (2.8 million dollars) to remain afloat.

Talks regarding the Champions League were held last week between ECB chairman Giles Clarke and chief executive David Collier and their Australian counterparts Creagh O'Connor and James Sutherland.

The plans were finalised Friday following discussions between Clarke, Board of Control for Cricket in India representative Lalit Modi and Norman Arendse, the president of Cricket South Africa.

The winners and runners-up in the final of England's Twenty20 Cup at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground on July 20 will join Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from India, South Africa's Titans and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins and Western Australia and Victoria from Australia in the Champions League.

But with both finalists going through to the Champions League, the Twenty20 Cup semi-finals are now of arguably greater significance financially.

"We are extremely grateful to our great friends from Australia, India and South Africa for their hard work and determination to get this tournament off the ground," Clarke said.

Twenty20 matches - which last just three hours as compared to five days of Test cricket or eight hours of the 50-overs-a-side game - have become hugely popular across the world.

The showpiece World Cup every four years is played in the 50-over format.

But the last edition in the Caribbean in 2007 was widely derided for its excessive length and lack of exciting cricket when compared to the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa later that year.

After Olympics snub, Qatar looks to 2018 World Cup

AFP, London

Qatar is planning a bid to host the 2018 World Cup, according to a report in The Observer on Sunday.

Doha had hoped to enter the bidding for the 2016 Olympics but the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) snubbed the gas - and oil-rich state at a meeting in Athens last week.

The report said the snub has simply re-focused Doha's attention on bidding to host a major international sporting event. England are among the countries already in line to launch a bid for the 2018 World Cup.

According to The Observer an unnamed source close the Emir of Qatar suggested Qatar could launch a bid for football's flagship tournament in the near future.

"They are deadly serious about bringing a major event to Qatar and after the Olympics, the World Cup was always next on their list," said an insider who is close to the Emir.

The report added however that the Emir would want assurances that Qatar would not be 'humiliated' in the way he believes it was by the IOC, which refused to include Doha on the short-list for 2016 despite its own evaluation commission ranking the bid equal third on technical merit with Chicago - the favourites to host the 2016 Olympics - and ahead of Rio de Janeiro, which was put through to the next stage.

Qatar is only 4,416 square miles but is already making big plans to develop the infrastructure necessary by building stadiums and hotels in several key cities.

An earlier plan of co-hosting the event with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has been shelved. Qatar has already staged the 2006 Asian Games and is due to host the 2011 Asian Cup.

Pavlik retains WBC and WBO middleweight titles

AFP, New Jersey

Unbeaten American Kelly Pavlik emphatically stopped Welshman Gary Lockett in the third round Saturday to retain his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organisation middleweight titles.

The referee called a halt to the bout at the request of the battered Lockett's corner at 1:40 of the third, after Pavlik had put the challenger down three times.

Pavlik improved to 34-0 with 30 wins inside the distance.

Lockett fell to 30-2 with 21 knockouts.