The New Nation - Internet Edition

Good start for Abahani, Mohammedan in 1st Citycell Futsal tourney

UNB, Dhaka

The first-ever Citycell Futsal Tournament, organised by Bangladesh Football Federation, began at the NSC wooden floor gymnasium here Thursday with Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited making good start.

B. League champions Abahani Limited, riding on two hattricks by Tipu and Mamun, earned an emphatic 7-2 goals victory over Rahmatganj MFS in the opening match in the afternoon.

Tipu and Mamun scored three goals each, while Siraji netted the other goal for the "sky-blue" Dhanmondi outfit. Hirok and Zakir scored for Rahmatganj.

In the day's second match, Arambagh KS upset Sheikh Russell KC by 5-2 goals at the same venue. Khaled, Turjo, Surat, Imrul and Karim scored one goal each for the winners, while Shahidul netted both the goals for the losers.

In the day's third match, Federation cup champions Dhaka Mohammedan SC earned a hard-fought 4-3 goals victory over formidable Farashganj SC as three magical goals by Shahed in the span of only five minutes went in vain.

Kamol struck twice, while Bakhtiar and Faisal Mahmud netted one goal each for the traditional "black and white" team. Shahed scored all three goals for Farashganj SC in quick succession in the 31st, 33rd and 36th minutes.

In the day's other match, Brothers Union Club got walkover against Muktijoddha Sangsad KC who failed to turn up in time. Muktijoddha SKC has been scratched from the meet.

Participating teams:

Group A - Abahani Limited, Sheikh Russell KC, Arambagh KS and Rahmatganj MFS.

Group B - Mohammedan SC, Brothers Union Club, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Farashganj SC.

Nadal goes late to reach US Open semis

AFP, New York

World number one Rafael Nadal advanced to his first US Open semi-final with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6- 2 victory over American Mardy Fish early Thursday morning at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion from Spain will face British sixth seed Andy Murray in Saturday's semi-finals of the year's last Grand Slam tennis tournament. Nadal has a 5-0 record against Murray.

Nadal could match Rod LAver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer as the only men to win three Slam titles in a row in the 40-year Open era.

Saturday's other semi-final pairing will be decided later Thursday when four-time defending champion Federer meets Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller and Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic faces US eighth seed Andy Roddick.

Sri Lanka firm on England tour despite India T20 clash

AFP, Colombo

Sri Lanka's cricket tour of England will go ahead as planned next year despite the dates clashing with a lucrative Indian Twenty20 tournament, officials said today.

"We have a memorandum of understanding with the England and Wales Cricket Board for the tour and we must honour that," Sri Lanka Cricket chief Arjuna Ranatunga told AFP.

The tour of two Tests and three one-dayers in May next year was arranged after a visit by Zimbabwean cricketers to England was cancelled on the advice of the British government.

The hastily arranged tour is opposed by top Sri Lankan players like captain Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara, who want to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in April- May.

The players argued their IPL contracts were signed before the England tour was finalised, and said they stood to lose thousands of dollars if they did not take part in the Indian Twenty20 tournament.

However, Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan World Cup-winning captain, said his body would honour the commitment made to England in July.

Sources in the Sri Lankan sports ministry said the government wanted a compromise by which players can take part in the IPL and also play in the England series.

Khan ready to mount a strong defence

AFP, Manchester

Amir Khan hopes his 19th professional fight and first with new trainer Jorge Rubio will offer a strong argument for his defence on Saturday.

Being deposited on the canvas for the third time in his professional career in his last fight against Michael Gomez has prompted the unbeaten English lightweight to hire a new trainer.

That scare also convinced Frank Warren, the British promoter, that Khan is not ready yet to challenge the likes of Nate Campbell, the American who defends three versions of the world lightweight title against Joan Guzman, of the Dominican Republic, in Mississippi on September 13.

So, instead, Khan is seeking to extend his unblemished record against Breidis Prescott, of Colombia, with the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Intercontinental lightweight title on the line at the MEN Arena in Manchester.

After sacking Oliver Harrison earlier this year, Khan used another British trainer, Dean Powell, in his last fight in June during which the 2004 Olympic silver medallist's defensive frailties were again exposed.

Gomez, a former British super-featherweight champion who is past his prime, managed to floor Khan, who had previously been knocked down by Scotland's Willie Limond and France's Rachid Drilzane.

Khan regained his composure to hammer out a fifth round stoppage win over Gomez, but the second round knockdown was enough to convince him to employ an additional trainer to Powell for the Prescott fight.

Khan, 21, has experienced new training methods under Cuban Rubio, who is a former coach of the formidable Cuban amateur team and is now based in America.

Khan, whose lightening fast fists have stopped 14 opponents, is confident his work with Rubio will show a tighter defence against 25- year-old Prescott, who has assembled an unbeaten 19-fight record with 17 stoppages.

"I've been working on defensive moves and keeping my hands up and it has been a completely new thing working with Jorge," Khan told AFP.

Visa hitch delays Akhtar move to Surrey

AP, Islamabad

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's bid to join Surrey in the English County Championship hit a hurdle Thursday when British authorities said he could not play without a working visa.

"He is on his way back home," a person close to the 33-year-old Pakistani paceman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. "He will soon be going back after fulfilling the necessary visa formalities."

Akhtar had a valid visa to visit England but not a working visa, which is a prerequisite to play in county cricket.

Akhtar was hoping to join Surrey for its last three matches of the season but the delay - he is not expected to make his way back to England until the weekend - means he will now only be available for the last two.

Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon had expected Akhtar to make an impact for the London county, which is struggling to avoid relegation to the second tier of the English domestic championship.

"We did everything we could to get him here, but it hasn't worked out. We thought he'd make an impact as he wanted to get his career up and running again," Sheldon was quoted in Thursday's Daily Mirror.

Akhtar has not played first-class cricket since December 2007. In April this year he was banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board for violating the players' code of conduct by publicly criticizing the board.

The ban was later suspended to allow him to play in the Indian Premier League. It was then reduced to 18 months by the PCB, and finally suspended by a court, enabling him to be selected in Pakistan's squad for the Champions Trophy, which was later put back until 2009.

The PCB had been reluctant of late to allow its pace bowlers to play in English county cricket due to the risk of burnout, but had been eager for Akhtar to take up this stint with Surrey to enable him to get some much-needed match practice.

Akhtar's career has been accompanied by a string of controversies including doubts over the legitimacy of his bowling action, a drug ban in 2006 for use of the banned steroid nandrolone that was subsequently put aside on appeal, and being sent home from the World Twenty20 championship for hitting a teammate with a bat.

The paceman, dubbed the 'Rawalpindi Express' had previously played with Somerset, Durham and Worcestershire with underwhelming results.

Phelps pledges support for Chicago's Olympics bid

AP, Chicago

Olympic champion Michael Phelps says he'll do "anything" to help Chicago win the 2016 Summer Games.

Chicago Olympic organizers are banking on the international attention Phelps brings to the city's bid. And the American swimmer is ready to work to convince the International Olympic Committee the city should get the games.

"I'll do anything I can do, anything I can do to help," Phelps said on Wednesday, with his lanky swimmer's body cloaked in a Chicago 2016 polo shirt and jeans.

Chicago is a finalist for the 2016 games along with Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Madrid, Spain. The IOC will pick a host city next year.

The swimmer attended events promoting Chicago's Olympic bid the rest of Wednesday, including an evening reception with Mayor Richard Daley and a short live streaming Web chat for Chicago 2016.

Phelps told participants he intends to help bring the Olympics to the U.S. even though he won't compete in 2016 himself. He said he hopes to compete in one more Olympics, but he won't swim after age 30.

He described how he lived on pasta, pizza, fruit and chocolate bars while in Beijing. When asked what he would be if he wasn't a swimmer, he answered, "A couch potato, I'm lazy."

Phelps was in the city to tape the TV season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with more than 170 other U.S. Olympians. It's all part of the whirlwind tour Phelps has been on since he snagged a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last

month. Besides Winfrey's show, Phelps has been feted with a parade at Walt Disney World, filmed a cameo for HBO's "Entourage" and will be a presenter at the 2008 Video Music Awards.

The 23-year-old Phelps knows his is not the typical swimmer's life, where name recognition doesn't extend beyond the pool.

"I'm living a dream right now, so I want to have fun and enjoy it," he said.

And that's not all Phelps is up to. He has announced he will use a $1 million (euro690,000) bonus he got for his record-breaking swimming to start a foundation that promotes water safety and youth swimming.

He said he wants to "try to get more people in the water, to be comfortable around the water" because that can help in drowning prevention.

Phelps says his coach wants him back in the pool training early next year. In the meantime, he plans to keep up his travels and try to take some time to relax - including spending some valuable time on the couch watching television.

"I like to just live my life," he said.

Serena shocks Venus to reach semis

AP, New York

Serena Williams barely got the better of older sister Venus Williams in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that was fit for a final, coming back in each set to win 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) on Wednesday.

Serena trailed 5-3 in both sets. She faced set points in both, including eight in the second. But she advanced to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2002, the year she beat Venus in the final for her second U.S. Open championship.

It was the siblings' 17th meeting as professionals, and Serena leads 9-8. That includes 11 matches at Grand Slams, where Serena leads 6-5.

She also has the edge in major championships, 8-7, and only she can add to that total this weekend. The fourth-seeded Serena will meet No. 6 Dinara Safina in the semifinals.

"It's really just unfortunate it had to be in the quarters," Serena said.

In the semifinals, Serena will meet No. 6 Dinara Safina, who overpowered No. 16 Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3. No. 2 Jelena Jankovic will face No. 5 Elena Dementieva in

Friday's other semifinal.

Venus had a bunch of chances to take control, but in the end, as both women's play reached a very high level, it was Serena who pulled through. In the second tiebreaker, Venus had four set points - and Serena saved them all.

"I'm a very good closer," Venus said, "so today was, um - I've never had a match like this in my life, so I guess there's always a first."

Then, when Serena earned her first match point, nearly 2{ hours into the match, she converted it, when Venus ended an 11-stroke exchange by missing a forehand.

"If it was someone else," Venus said, "I definitely feel like I would have won the match."

Back when they were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, the siblings could meet only in tournament finals. But because of injuries, inactivity and inconsistency, they dropped in the rankings, and now it's the luck of the draw that determines at which stage they potentially meet.

Two months after Venus beat Serena in the Wimbledon final, the start of the latest all-Williams showdown was delayed by more than an hour because of two lengthy matches that preceded it on the tournament's main court, including a women's doubles match and No. 6 Andy Murray's four-set victory over No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro in the men's quarterfinals.

Murray reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by winning 7-6 (2), 7-6 (1), 4-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.

Murray, who ended del Potro's 23-match winning streak, clinched a rise to No. 4 in the rankings, matching the highest spot ever for a British man since the rankings began in 1973. Neither he nor del Potro played particularly well - each made far more unforced errors than winners - but Murray's biggest complaint was when his request to have the overhead video boards shut off during points was denied.

There were all sorts of nerves and erratic play by Serena and Venus - a combined seven first-set double-faults, for example - that have marked many of the siblings' encounters as they have adjusted to playing one another.

"I try not to look at her, because if I look at her, I might start feeling sorry," Serena told the crowd afterward. "I want the best for her. I love her so much. She's my best friend."

Neither of their parents, who also serve as their coaches, were sitting in the guest boxes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. An older sister, Isha Price was there, sitting with her hands clasped in front of her face, eyes shut, during the first-set tiebreaker.

How could she possibly cheer for one sister against another? "I was stressed," she said. "It is so difficult to watch them.

At the end of the day, you want them to play a good match and for

the best person to win." And did the best person win?

"I'm not sure," Price said.

The 23,763 spectators sitting in the packed stands had a hard time figuring out which Williams to support, too. When Venus missed a backhand wide on the match's first point, there wasn't a sound out there - no applause, no yelling, no booing. Nothing.

It wasn't easy for either player anytime during the match, and Serena saved three set points as Venus served for the second set at 5-3, and a fourth when Serena served while down 6-5.

Then came the second tiebreaker, which featured the point of the match. Serena tried a forehand passing shot but Venus stretched and put a volley into a corner. Serena got to that and flicked up a lob that wasn't good enough to get over Venus, who pounded an overhead smash. Now the point was over, right? Nope. Serena got to that, too, stretching the exchange until Venus finally put away a volley to go

ahead 5-2.

Fans rose for a standing ovation. Serena was left gasping for air.

Venus wouldn't allow herself to smile.

Soon after, Venus was ahead 6-3, but Serena won six of the last seven points.

"When I got down, I got so relaxed," Serena said, "and then I started running a lot of balls down."

Safina, the sister of 2000 champion Marat Safin, reached her first semifinal at Flushing Meadows. The Russian has won 37 of her past 41 matches and made it to the finals at six of her previous seven events.

"I'm getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother," Safina said.

The French Open runner-up and Beijing Olympics silver medallist compiled a 25-13 edge in winners against Pennetta and was only broken once.

"She was playing unbelievable, you know," said Pennetta, from Italy. "She didn't give me a lot of chances."

Lee confirms he will be ready for India

AP, Darwin

Fast bowler Brett Lee is committed to returning for Australia's four-test tour of India next month after skipping the limited-overs series against Bangladesh because of a marriage split.

"Absolutely. I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait," Lee told reporters during a brief trip to this northern Australia city Thursday for a meeting with Australian cricket teammates.

Lee, 31, announced last month his two-year marriage to Liz Kemp had broken down and he was given compassionate leave by Cricket Australia for the series against Bangladesh.

Despite playing 68 tests, including eight for five wins and two draws against the Indians, Lee has never played a test match in India.

"That's something that's been burning inside of me for a long period of time now, so I'll be looking forward to getting over there," he said. "The crowds are brilliant, the people are so friendly and lovely.

"It's a tough place to play cricket but also one that is very enjoyable."

Lee's availability for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy defense is a boost for Australia in the likely absence of allrounder Andrew Symonds, who was sent home from Darwin last weekend for disciplinary reasons - after skipping a team meeting to go fishing - and is contemplating his future in international cricket.

Lee said a stint away from the game to deal with his personal issues had rejuvenated him.

"The time I've had away from cricket both physically and mentally, it actually freshened me right up so I hope down the back-end this is going to prolong my cricketing life," he said.

"I've had a bit of time away from cricket. "I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling fresh and I'm looking forward to the next tour."

BFF name 30-member preliminary squad for Merdeka Cup Football

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Thursday named a 30-member preliminary Bangladesh squad for the Merdeka Cup Football Tournament to be held October 15-25 in Malaysia.

The selected booters have been asked to report to team coach Shafiqul Islam Manik today (Friday) at 12 pm at the BFF Bhaban.

Ahead of the tournament, a weeklong practice camp will begin on Saturday (Sept 6) at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

In the last year's Merdeka Cup Football, Bangladesh lost all the three group matches -- identical 2-0 against Singapore and Zimbabwe and 1-0 against Indonesia.

Preliminary squad: Aminul Haq, Azharul Islam Himel, Hasan Al Mamun, Rajani Kanta Barman, Kazi Mozammel Hossain Saikat, Enamul Haq Sharif, Arman Aziz, Mohammad Robin (Mohammedan SC), Biplob Bhatacharya, Mohammad Sujan, Wali Faisal, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Abul Hossain, Prantosh Kumar Das, Arif Khan Joy, Enamul Islam Mamun, Zahed Pervez Chowdhury, Zahid Hasan Emily, Mehedi Hasan Uzzal (Abahani Limited), Ziaur Rahman, Amit Khan Shuvra, Ariful Isalm, Atiqur Rahman Mishu, Motiur Rahman, Arup Kumar Baidya, Zahid Hosain (Brothers Union), Firoz Mahmud Hossain Tito (Muktijoddha SKC), Alfaz Ahmed, Parvez Babu (Sheikh Rusell KC), and Enamul Haq (Farashganj KC).

Jamil likes to see Bangladesh hockey at reasonable height in Asia

UNB, Dhaka

Newly elected general secretary of Bangladesh Hockey Federation Khandaker Jamiluddin wants to see Bangladesh hockey at a reasonable height in Asia.

“We want to elevate Bangladesh to the 5th position in Asia and a fresh hockey policy will be introduced very soon,” Jamil told reporters as he took over charge today.

He stressed the need for appointing a foreign coach and a physio-cum-trainer for hockey, and providing adequate facilities to hockey players to improve the standard of the game.

The Khandaker Jamiluddin-led panel was elected unopposed in the poll of Bangladesh Hockey Federation on August 28.

Pietersen warns England over complacency

AFP, Cardiff

Kevin Pietersen warned his England team that he won't tolerate them sliding into a comfort zone after wrapping up the one-day series against South Africa.

Despite seeing his hopes of a 5-0 whitewash shattered by the Cardiff rain, with only three overs bowled on Wednesday before the fifth and final match was abandoned, Pietersen said he was satisfied with the progress made.

The England captain won his one Test match in charge in August before leading his team to third place in the ICC world one-day rankings with a 4-0 series win over the country of his birth. Despite his early success, Pietersen insisted he will continue to push his players to their limits as they prepare for the Stanford Twenty20 clash in November followed by a gruelling tour of India.

"I would say it has gone better than I could have imagined," said Pietersen.

"Playing a against a quality side like South Africa who have won nine or 10 of their last series means you are an underdog. "But the way the guys have trained and played has been absolutely exceptional. I can't fault anybody for anything. They have delivered.

"All the guys are just hungry for success at the moment. A few of our guys in the past may have settled for some sort of comfort zone.

"But I won't settle for a comfort zone, I won't settle for mediocrity. I want people to chuck their talent around and be the best people they can possibly be.

"There is no point living if you can't be the best person you can be. Fair play to the guys, they have been amazing."

The return to form and fitness of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been key to England's success and coincided with Pietersen's leadership infancy.

The Lancashire player finished on top of both the batting and bowling series averages and deservedly claimed the man of the series award.

Steve Harmison's decision to come out of international retirement and Matt Prior's improved form behind the stumps were also factors, and Pieterseon paid tribute to all his players' contributions.

He said: "To have 'Fred' performing at those levels is incredible and all of the rest of the team have delivered which has been magnificent.

"At times all I have had to do is make a few judgement calls.

"It's easier to settle in when you're winning but I know of course there are going to be tough times. We're gong to enjoy the good times though.

"The way the guys are training and playing at the moment I don't think much can go wrong at the moment. We know it will do but we'll be ready for it."