The New Nation - Internet Edition

We still have to fight hard to pick all the 10 wickets: Shakib

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh spinner Shakib Al Hasan thinks they still have to fight hard to scalp all the 10 wickets of the Sri Lankan 1st innings although his inspired bowling put the visitors on back foot at the close of 1st day at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla national Stadium (SBNS) here Friday.

"Our first target (on the 2nd day) will be to pick up either of the wickets of (Thilan) Samaraweera and (Chaminda) Vaas early as Vaas doesn't bat badly. We'll have to fight hard to pick up all the 10 wickets," he said at a post-match briefing at the match venue today.

About his experience facing the press more frequently after putting up good performances, Shakib said: "Yes, my bowling has been good in the last two series against South Africa and New Zealand. I'm not putting any special effort; just continued my usual bowling as I did in the past. Besides, I am also getting more opportunity to bowl now."

An in-form Shakib, who took five wickets in an innings in both the tests against South Africa recently after notching his career best 7/36 against the Kiwis in Chittagong, believed that the day had been good overall his side.

He said: "It's not that the wicket produced more turns or I got more help from the wicket. Rather, our bowlers did well in the initial stage and they (SL) also committed some mistakes."

Shakib, the boy from Magura, also termed the wicket as sporting. "The wicket is sporting. Our pacers did well early in the innings, couple of their (SL) batsmen also scored runs," he said.

Shakib, also a dependable left-handed batsman, thinks that his strong feature in bowling is the ability to pitch the ball in the right areas. "Luck also (seemed) to favour me," he said.

The left-arm spinner told a questioner that he felt comfortable while bowling to the right-handers, rather than the left-handers.

He, however, stressed the need of formulating the 'review system' in the test matches as he thought there were a couple of close leg before appeals today during their bowling.

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka test scoreboard

Scoreboard at stumps on the opening day of the first test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday:

Sri Lanka 1st innings:

M. Vandort c Hasan b Hossain 44

M. Warnapura lbw b Mortaza 14

K. Sangakkara c Ashraful b Hasan 43

M. Jayawardene b Hasan 3

T. Samaraweera not out 20

T. Dilshan b Hasan 14

P. Jayawardene c Iqbal b Hossain 6

C. Vaas not out 0

Extras (b4, lb7, nb6, w11) 28

Total (for six wickets) 172

Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Warnapura), 2-119 (Sangakkara), 3-121 (Vandort), 4-135 (M. Jayawardene), 5-155 (Dilshan), 6-171 (P. Jayawardene).

Bowling: Mortaza 13-1-48-1 (nb5, w10), Alam 13-4-23-0, Hossain 13.4-2-47-2 (nb1, w1), Hasan 18-3-43-3.

Overs: 57.4

Toss: Sri Lanka

West Indies edge NZ in Twenty20 tiebreaker

Reuters, Wellington

West Indies beat New Zealand in a super over decider after their first Twenty20 international had ended in a tie at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday. After the visitors had finished on 155 for eight, tied with New Zealand's 155 for seven, each team nominated three batsmen to face one over.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle smashed three sixes and a boundary off counterpart Daniel Vettori to help his side post 25-1.

Xavier Marshall had been run out off the second ball while attempting a second run to keep Gayle on strike.

Jacob Oram hit the first ball of Sulieman Benn's over for six, scampered for two on the second but was caught in the deep off the next delivery.

Ross Taylor then hit a no ball for six to take New Zealand to 15-1 with three balls remaining, but was bowled on the next ball to give West Indies the victory.

Earlier, West Indies wasted a swashbuckling 67 off 41 balls from Gayle by losing four wickets for 21 runs off 19 balls towards the end of their innings.

Gayle smashed five sixes and five boundaries in his innings and the visitors were coasting to victory at 109-2 in the 14th over before they suffered a spectacular collapse after some crafty bowling by Vettori.

The New Zealand captain took three for 16 off four overs, while offspinner Jeetan Patel finished with figures of 2-34, including the wicket of Gayle.

Marshall added 28 for the visitors, though the late collapse meant they needed eight off the final over to win the match.

Benn edged a four off the penultimate ball then scrambled for a single off the last ball of the match by Tim Southee to tie the scores.

Taylor smashed four boundaries and four sixes to anchor New Zealand's innings with 63 and shared in productive partnerships with Scott Styris, Oram and Daniel Flynn.

Benn varied his pace and flight brilliantly to concede just 20 runs off his four overs, while Gayle captured 2-16 with his part-time off spinners.

The second and final match of the Twenty20 series is in Hamilton on Sunday.

Hammers dealt Ashton injury blow

BBC Online

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola says he could be without Dean Ashton until April as the striker continues to recover from a long-term ankle injury.

The 25-year-old picked up the knock in training and has been out since September after undergoing surgery.

Zola said: "I don't think we will have him back in January or February, but I hope soon.

"I can't say whether he will be back in March, April, Februaryt it depends how he progresses."

The Londoners have scored only five goals in their past 12 matches and are 17th in the Premier League table - one point above the relegation zone.

Zola said he was pleased with Ashton's progress but insisted he would not be rushed back into the team.

"This is the season so far," added Zola. "I've lost him, probably the best finisher in the team.

"He had an operation and will wait a couple of months before we can assess him. He is progressing very well.

"These things are down to the subject, how he reacts and improves.

"He had something causing problems with the cartilage in his ankle but because of his previous injuries it couldn't be a quick thing because they don't want to do any more damage."

"I've had problems at the club and so many things going on. But we'll face it all and we'll come through because we are strong."

Since breaking his ankle in August 2006, Ashton has been plagued by injuries.

He signed a new five-year deal with West Ham in June shortly after winning his first England cap in the friendly against Trinidad & Tobago.

Ashton, who scored 11 goals last season, joined West Ham from Norwich for £7.25m in January 2006 and helped the club to the FA Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Liverpool.

His performances that season earned him an England call-up for the friendly with Greece in August 2006.

But he broke his ankle in training for that game and missed the whole of the 2006-07 season, and also suffered injuries during the 2007-08 campaign.

Tottenham unsure of Bellamy deal

BBC Online

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admits he faces a battle to sign West Ham's Craig Bellamy after revealing he has made a bid for the striker.

Redknapp has only three senior strikers available and is keen to bolster his options in the January transfer window.

Spurs made a bid of about £6m for the 29-year-old, but could now look at other targets.

"I think there are teams interested in Bellamy, we'll have to wait and see on that one," he told Sky Sports News.

On succeeding Juande Ramos as Spurs manager, Redknapp inherited a squad that included only Darren Bent, Manchester United loanee Fraizer Campbell and Roman Pavlyuchenko, who is cup tied in Europe, as senior strikers.

And with Tottenham just one point above the relegation places going into the Boxing Day fixtures, Redknapp is keen to bring in a proven goalscorer to increase competition for places.

"I'm only looking at one or two players," he added.

"We're looking at strikers because you need four, what with the competitions we are in.

"Strikers are so important to a team because they are more than likely going to be the players that will win you matches," he added in the programme notes for Saturday's Premier League match against Fulham.

"However, I have said all along that if the players I want are not available then we will not do anything."

Wales international Bellamy has only scored twice for the Hammers this season, but he is also reported to be attracting interest from Manchester City.

West Ham are said to be holding out for a transfer fee of as much of the £7.5m they paid to Liverpool for Bellamy in July 2007.

However, Redknapp said the uncertain economic climate could force a number of British clubs to temporarily offload players in an effort to cut their spiralling wage costs, raising Tottenham's hopes of bringing in players on loan.

"With the current situation they will look to get players off their wage bill," said the 61-year-old.

"I've discussed it with the chairman but we haven't actually made a bid for anybody.

"But I'm not going to load us up with players that aren't better than we've got."

Ronaldo's fiancee gives birth to a girl

AP, Rio De Janeiro

Ronaldo's fiancee, Maria Beatriz Antony, on Wednesday gave birth to the striker's second child, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Antony gave birth to Maria Sofia in Rio de Janeiro's Clinica Perinatal, hospital spokeswoman Ana Maria Funky said by telephone,adding the baby was born weighing 2.98 kilograms (6.57 pounds).

She said Ronaldo was present when his daughter was born and cut the umbilical cord.

Funky said both mother and daughter were in perfect health and should leave the hospital no later than Friday.

Ronaldo, who is recovering from knee surgery and recently signed with Brazilian club Corinthians, already has an 8-year-old boy, Ronald, from a previous relationship.

The three-time FIFA player of the year hasn't played since injuring his knee in February while representing AC Milan in the Serie A.

Ronaldo led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title in South Korea and Japan, scoring twice in the final against Germany.

Black eager for switch to Hearts

BBC Online

Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder Ian Black says a move to boyhood idols Hearts was too good to turn down.

The 23-year-old, once a ballboy at Tynecastle, will follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a Hearts player after verbally agreeing a contract.

"I have enjoyed every minute of the time I've had up here with Inverness," said Black.

"But the Hearts chance is one in a million, a great opportunity - one that I could not knock back."

It is uncertain when Black, who joined Inverness from Blackburn Rovers in 2004, will actually make the switch to the Edinburgh club.

His is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club during January, has already met with Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo and is expected to sign for Hearts until 2012, but his Inverness deal does not end until the summer.

However, the clubs could yet agree a transfer fee that will allow the player to move when the transfer window opens.

"There are people behind the scenes that have looked after me very well and I've learned a lot," Black said of his time at Caledonian Stadium.

"But I used to play for Tynecastle Boys' Club and they have strong links with Hearts. I was a ball boy at Tynecastle and my dad used to play for them - so it's great to be joining the club.

"I met Csaba last week. He seems like a great guy. I know what his plans are for the club and he has high expectations - so it's going to be great.

"He knows what he is doing. Everything that he says gives you a lot of confidence and I liked what he had to say."

300 to 350 would be a competitive total: Vandort

UNB, Dhaka

Sri Lankan opener Michael Vandort thinks that 300 to 350 would be a competitive total although his side was tottering at 172/6 on the 1st day of the 1st test match against Bangladesh at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) here Friday.

"It's really difficult to say. Anything around 300 to 350 would be a competitive score. We have a good bowling lineup with Murali and Rangana, not to forget about the fast bowlers like Vaas. As the game goes on I think they will be a factor." said Vandort at a post match briefing at the match venue Friday.

About the current state of the match, the tall left-handed batsman said, "I think it's evenly poised. 172/6 not in a position we wanted to be. Guys left will have jobs in their hands and hopefully expecting the score of 300."

Answering to a query, he said that Bangladesh can do well in their day adding, "From now on it's our time to put our heads down. Hopefully we will have a good day (Saturday).

Asked if they were overconfident about their batting, the opener replied in the negative. "Everybody goes out to play positively and to play shots. But, today it didn't go for us."

He told a correspondent "I am disappointed. After batting for so long, getting up to 40 you will always look for big scores but my wicket put the team to a crucial stage. I am really disappointed to get out."

Vandort possesses a very good record. He had notched two centuries and two fifties against Bangladesh including the career best score of 140 back in 2002 in Colombo.

He gave full credit to the left-arm spinner saying that Shakib was just sticking into his basics, putting the ball in the right areas and also continued his good form that he gained recently against South Africa and New Zealand.

He also admitted that it was a little bit difficult to bat on early in the morning due to dew. "There was dew in the morning. You will find dew in the initial stages in any test match. But, it became easier to bat later on.

Aussies wobble after Ponting ton

BBC Online

Ricky Ponting struck an assured 37th Test century but South Africa reduced Australia to 280-6 after the opening day of the Boxing Day match at the MCG.

He chose to bat first but out-of-form Matthew Hayden made just eight before skewing to point in the eighth over.

Ponting was dropped at slip on 24 but went on to hit 10 fours and a six, sharing 121 with Simon Katich (54) before falling at short-leg for 101.

Michael Clarke was 36 not out but Brad Haddin fell in the penultimate over.

It was Ponting's 17th hundred as captain and his fourth in Melbourne, and was badly needed as his side endeavour to reverse a 1-0 deficit in the three-match series.

Hayden has an even better record at the MCG, with a remarkable six centuries in his last seven Tests at the ground, but his miserable run continued.

In six innings in home series with New Zealand and South Africa, the 37-year-old left-hander has made only 56 runs.

He thumped one boundary over mid-off off Dale Steyn in the third over, but drove loosely at one angling well wide of off-stump from Makhaya Ntini and was smartly caught by JP Duminy.

Ponting took 24 balls to get off the mark, but did so in style by hooking Morne Morkel over fine-leg for six.

In the final over before lunch the skipper pushed forward at Steyn and was fortunate Jacques Kallis was off the field and Neil McKenzie had deputised in the slip cordon.

AB de Villiers moved to second slip to cover for Kallis so the opportunity at third slip fell to McKenzie, but he fumbled the chance and could not hold on with his second attempt as the ball fell to the turf.

Ponting quickly ensured that the tourists would regret the error, passing fifty with three successive fluent drives to the boundary off Ntini.

Katich also looked in good touch but having recorded his 12th Test fifty he got an inside edge at one angling in from Steyn and the ball crashed into the timbers.

Mike Hussey lasted only nine balls before he attempted to leave one from Steyn outside the off-stump but the ball brushed the toe of the bat as he raised it and went comfortably through to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

It was the left-hander's third duck in his last five Test innings, and in the final over before tea, Ponting was caught off bat and pad prodding forward, a triumph for left-arm spinner Paul Harris, who had just moved Hashim Amla into the short-leg position.

When Andrew Symonds slashed wildly and was superbly caught two-handed by Kallis diving to his right at slip, the Australians were 223-5.

Haddin struck some positive shots in partnership with Clarke, but the South Africans were intent on restricting the scoring and got their reward when the wicketkeeper drove away from his body and was smartly snaffled by Graeme Smith at first slip.

That gave Ntini his 376th Test wicket, putting him level with the late, great West Indian paceman Malcolm Marshall, an inspiration for the South African in his formative years.

"He has always been my hero and I modelled my action on him after I had to change it through injury. Unfortunately I never got the chance to see him in live action but he has been a wonderful role model for me and this means a great deal to me.

"To emulate your hero means that you are going somewhere with your life and I hope I can now get to 400 wickets as quickly as possible."