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HUNGRY ISINBAYEVA ! …………

The 28-year-old double Olympic champion announced an indefinite break from the sport earlier this year after bombing at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where she broke down in tears on the mat.But the Russian is preparing to return next year, with new goals to meet.

“I will now come back next year to the field. Now I feel like a completely new person and I have to prove myself from zero, I can be the best,” she said late Tuesday in Singapore, where she is an ambassador at the inaugural Youth Olympics.

“I only took a break in 2010 because I realised after all my achievements I needed a break ahead of the big competitions that are coming up.

“There are the Olympics in London in 2012 and the World Championships in Daegu (2011) and Moscow (2013).

“I must rest now so that I can retire with 100 per cent satisfaction.”

Isinbayeva, who has set 27 world records, warned that she wanted to set another new mark that would not be broken for a long time.

“I’m hungry,” she said, “I want to be the best, like the captain of the ship. I want to be the best again.”

Prior to her meltdown in Berlin, Isinbayeva had appeared infallible.

She won two Olympic golds with world records, added a pair of World Championship golds and was the first woman to pass the five-metre mark.

Although she was able to set a world record in the aftermath of Berlin, it hid the real problems she was facing.

“When I was defeated in Berlin last year I cried for two days,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a bad dream and just wanted to wake up.

“My coach gave me three days off. I recovered and then I went to Zurich 10 days later and set a new world record (5.06m).

“I hoped that after Berlin that it was just a one-off, but after Doha (where she finished fourth in the 2010 World Indoor Championships) I realised what the problem was.

“The break has given me new determination to be the best again.”

On her return, Isinbayeva will face a renewed threat from compatriot Svetlana Feofanova, who added the 2010 European Championship gold to her 2003 world title.

Also out to cause her problems will be German pair Silke Spiegelburg and Lisa Ryzih, who won silver and bronze behind Feofanova at the Europeans.

INDIA WON BY SIX WICKETS

Virender Sehwag scored his runs from exactly 100 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes as India raced to the target of 171 in 34.3 overs to earn the much-needed one bonus point.

Earlier, the Indian bowlers put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the Lankans to 170.

Paceman Praveen Kumar (2-20) rocked Sri Lanka’s top order when he bowled Upul Tharanga with the first ball of the match and then trapped former captain Mahela Jayawardene leg-before in his fourth over.

Left-arm spinners Pragyan Ojha (3-36) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-34) also kept pressure as India never allowed the hosts to build a big partnership in the day-night match in Dambulla.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with a fighting 45 in Sri Lanka’s disappointing batting performance after the hosts elected to bat.

Dilshan was the fifth man to be dismissed, sweeping Ojha to Rohit Sharma at mid-wicket after hitting five fours in his 62-ball knock.

Sri Lanka, struggling at 103-7 in the 32nd over, managed to cross the 150-mark, thanks to gutsy knocks from Suraj Randiv (43) and Nuwan Kulasekara (22). Randiv hit four boundaries in his 61-ball knock.

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma took 2-32.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SRI LANKA: 170 all out (Dilshan 45, Mathews 15, Kapugedera 10, Randiv 43, Kulasekara 22; Praveen 2-20, Ishant 2-32, Ojha 3-36, Jadeja 2-34)

INDIA: 171 for 4 (Karthik 10, Sehwag 99 not out, Raina 21, Dhoni 23 not out; Mathews 2-32, Fernando 2-33)

Result: India won by six wickets.

Man-of-the-match: Virender Sehwag.

KIM Vs MARIA

Belgian fourth seed Clijsters needed only 12 minutes to reach Sunday’s title match of the two million-dollar hardcourt event after Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic retired due to a left foot injury and left the court in tears.

Sharapova needed two and a half hours to defeat Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Sharapova made 40 unforced errors to 35 for her rival.

Clijsters led 2-1 after breaking Ivanovic in the third game, but the showdown of former world number ones would end after only 25 points being played and with the Serbian’s US Open hopes in great jeopardy.

Ivanovic hurt her left foot making a forehand return from the baseline and after one more shot dropped her racket and doubled over in pain.

“I was very scared,” Ivanovic said. “All of a sudden on that one shot, I felt something crack a little bit.

“Just on that one forehand when I went to step around it, I just felt like pain all of a sudden, so much pain in my foot and I couldn’t step on it anymore.”

Ivanovic limped to her chair and called for the trainer who taped the injured foot.

But after the next point, a serve Ivanovic never challenged, she halted the match and hobbled to the net where Clijsters embraced her and advancing to her third final of the year.

“I tried bit of tape, but I could not put any weight on it and there was no point in me continuing,” Ivanovic said.

Ivanovic, ranked 62nd, struggled with a right shoulder injury earlier this year and was in only her third semifinal of the year, having yet to reach a final.

“I played some really great tennis and I was very excited about this match,” Ivanovic said.

Clijsters made her return to tennis last year at Cincinnati after a two-year layoff to have a family and went on to lift the US Open trophy.

This year she missed nearly two months after a left foot injury that kept her out of the French Open.

“It sounds very similar to what I had with my left foot,” Clijsters said of Ivanovic’s injury. “I hope it’s not that bad.”

Clijsters, ranked seventh, ran for half an hour after the abbreviated match and practiced to keep her form.

PAK AND ENG EXHIBITION MATCH

Pakistani and English cricket chiefs are working on a plan for an exhibition match to raise funds for the millions of people hit by Pakistan’s devastating floods, a statement said Thursday.

The severe floods in the country’s northwest and south have affected as many as 14 million people, according to the Pakistani authorities.

The Pakistan team is currently on a Test and one-day international tour of England.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the proposed match would be between a Pakistan XI and an International XI featuring stars from various countries, the PCB said in a statement.

“PCB is working on a proposal along with the England and Wales Cricket Board to organise an exhibition cricket match for the benefit of the millions of Pakistanis affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan,” the PCB statement said.

END OF THE BAD TIME………..

Batista has expressed his desire to retain the job on a full-time basis through to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, not just for the rest of the year, and his cause will be helped by Messi’s glowing assessment of the former central midfielder.

“We’ve got to let him get on with the job. I had him at the Olympic Games (in 2008) and I get on very well with him. Today he’s the one and we regard him as the national team coach, not a stand-in,” Messi told reporters.

The narrow win in Dublin was exactly the kind of result Batista was hoping for ahead of a more demanding home match against world champions Spain in Buenos Aires early next month.

Messi was happy in an Argentina shirt in Beijing two years ago when he inspired his country to a second successive soccer gold medal and the Barcelona forward admitted he felt similarly as comfortable on Wednesday.

“I liked how we played, it’s the same system we use in my club, the same game. I felt comfortable because that’s how I play with Barcelona,” Messi told TyC Sport, who broadcast the match to Argentina.

Messi found himself increasingly isolated in former coach Diego Maradona’s side at this year’s World Cup as Argentina progressively came up against tougher opponents and cut a forlorn figure when they lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals.

“Checho” Batista, a bearded commanding defensive midfielder in the 1986 World Cup-winning side, fielded a balanced midfield with plenty of back-up for captain Javier Mascherano from Fernando Gago, overlooked for South Africa, and Ever Banega.

All three were in Batista’s Olympic team, along with Wednesday’s scorer Angel Di Maria and the recalled fullback Pablo Zabaleta.

“We played very well, I liked the first half a lot,” Batista told reporters. “After a (prior) 30-minute practice, I’m happy because the lads had possession and respect for the ball. They got the message right away.”

The confident Batista believes in his chances of getting the job, saying in a recent interview with the sports daily Ole: “I hope everything is taken into account, what I did at the Olympic Games and the work with the national juniors.”

Batista also gets on with Carlos Bilardo, the 1986 and 1990 World Cup coach now the Argentine Football Association’s technical director, who was often at loggerheads with Maradona.

How the friendlies go against Spain next month and then Brazil could ultimately decide his fate but Batista said: “I don’t feel like an interim (coach), I’m going to work as if I were the man, with a contract until 2014.”

NEW ZEALAND WON BY 200 RUNS

It was New Zealand’s biggest one-day victory over India by run-margin, the previous being by 108 runs at Dunedin in 1990.Sri Lanka are the third team in the tournament. Each side will play the other twice in the preliminary league before the top two qualify for the final on August 28.

New Zealand were indebted to skipper Ross Taylor (95) and all-rounder Scott Styris (89), who put on a record 190 for the fourth wicket to help their team set a stiff target.India virtually lost the match in the opening 12 overs when they were reduced to 50-4, with Tuffey taking three wickets and Kyle Mills one.

Tuffey also had a hand in the run-out of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who could make only two to leave his team tottering at 53-5 in the 14th over.Ravindra Jadeja (20), Virender Sehwag (19) and Dinesh Karthik (14) were the only batsmen to reach double-figures in India’s dismal batting performance against New Zealand’s pace.

Fast bowlers Mills and Jacob Oram bagged two wickets each.New Zealand were earlier struggling at 28-3 after winning the toss before Taylor and Styris came to their rescue with their big stand.

Their partnership was New Zealand’s best for the fourth wicket in one-day internationals, the previous highest being 168 between Lee Germon and Chris Harris against Australia in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final at Chennai.

Taylor looked set to complete his fourth one-day hundred when he was trapped leg-before by left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who was the most successful bowler with 4-47.The New Zealand captain hit one six and eight fours in his 113-ball knock.

India paceman Praveen Kumar did the early damage when he had opener Martin Guptill caught behind for 11 and then bowled debutant Kane Williamson for no score in his lively opening spell.

Nehra was the other wicket-taker in the initial overs, having opener Peter Ingram caught behind for 12.India then had to wait for more than 31 overs to get another wicket as Taylor and Styris applied themselves remarkably well to boost the innings.

Styris was bowled by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha immediately after hoisting the bowler for a straight six. He also completed 4,000 one-day runs during his 95-ball knock.

ENGLAND WON BY NINE WICKETS

England, set 118 to win, finished on 118 for one as they went an unbeatable 2-0 up in this four-match series with more than a day to spare.Opening batsman Strauss and Jonathan Trott were both 53 not out, with England winning their sixth Test in a row.

“We had a few butterflies because we knew we had to work hard for a Test match win. It was a timely reminder for us we have to work for a Test match win. All credit to Pakistan.”

England had made just seven when Alastair Cook was clean bowled by left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer after a full length delivery kept low.England could then have been 17 for two when off-spinner Saaed Ajmal, with only his third ball, induced an edge from Strauss, playing a forcing shot, on 10.

But debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, brought in after Kamran Akmal missed several chances and bagged a pair in Pakistan’s 354-run first Test defeat at Trent Bridge, could not hold the tough catch with England then on 17 for one.

Zulqarnain then failed to hold a simpler chance off a defensive edge from Strauss, on 38, with Ajmal again the unlucky bowler.Strauss, was on 43 when Mohammad Asif, running back at mid-off, failed to hold a skyer off Shoaib Malik but England were almost home.Trott went to his second fifty of the match with a cover-driven four off Malik that levelled the scores before Strauss’s inside-edged single off Ajmal ended the match.

Pakistan were earlier dismissed for 296, after resuming on 291 for nine, with Asif (14) caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen off Stuart Broad.Umar Gul, batting with a runner, was 13 not out. But Gul’s hamstring injury meant the paceman was unable to bowl.Zulqarnain, in on a king pair, top-scored with 88.It represented a remarkable recovery after Pakistan made just 72 — their lowest score against England — in the first innings.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann took a Test-best six wickets for 65 runs in Pakistan’s second innings and was named man-of-the-match.Pakistan were all but beaten in this match on Friday when, for the second innings in a row, they were bowled out for a record low score against England after they made 80 at Trent Bridge.Not since the 19th Century had a team been bowled out for 72 or fewer in their first innings and still won a Test.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt opted to bat first in overcast conditions ideally suited to England’s seamers. James Anderson (four for 20) and Stuart Broad (four for 38) cashed in as Pakistan again struggled against the swinging ball.

England then made 251, thanks mainly to a third-wicket stand of 133 between South Africa-born batsmen Pietersen (80) and Trott (55).
Ajmal, recalled in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, took five for 82.But Pakistan were once more left lamenting their poor fielding after dropping six catches.

They collapsed to 82 for five in their second innings.But Zulqarnain and Ajmal, whose 50 meant he returned Test-best figures with both bat and ball in the same match, added 115 for the eighth wicket as blue skies reduced England’s swing threat.

Test-best six wickets for 65 runs in Pakistan’s second innings and was named man-of-the-match.Pakistan were all but beaten in this match on Friday when, for the second innings in a row, they were bowled out for a record low score against England after they made 80 at Trent Bridge.

Not since the 19th Century had a team been bowled out for 72 or fewer in their first innings and still won a Test.Pakistan captain Salman Butt opted to bat first in overcast conditions ideally suited to England’s seamers. James Anderson (four for 20) and Stuart Broad (four for 38) cashed in as Pakistan again struggled against the swinging ball.

England then made 251, thanks mainly to a third-wicket stand of 133 between South Africa-born batsmen Pietersen (80) and Trott (55).
Ajmal, recalled in place of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, took five for 82.But Pakistan were once more left lamenting their poor fielding after dropping six catches.They collapsed to 82 for five in their second innings.

But Zulqarnain and Ajmal, whose 50 meant he returned Test-best figures with both bat and ball in the same match, added 115 for the eighth wicket as blue skies reduced England’s swing threat.

PAKISTAN ALL OUT IN 72 RUNS

This slump came just five days after Pakistan had been dismissed for their previous lowest against England of 80 in the first of a four Test series that the hosts won by a crushing 354 runs at Trent Bridge on Sunday. England compounded Pakistan’s plight by reaching 43 without loss at tea.

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, who’d started the reply with a first-ball boundary, was 24 not out and fellow left-handed opener Alastair Cook 17 not out, after having an lbw verdict overturned by the Decision Review System (DRS).Pakistan, as happened at Trent Bridge, were again found wanting against accurate swing bowling in helpful, overcast conditions.

Umar Amin (23), Umar Akmal (17) and Mohammad Aamer (12) were the only batsmen to make double-figure scores in an innings featuring five noughts.But for a seventh-wicket stand of 27 between Amin and Aamer, Pakistan may well have been dismissed for under their record low score of 53 against Australia at Sharjah in 2002.As it was, they were all out inside 40 overs in under three hours.
Anderson had been Pakistan’s chief tormentor at Trent Bridge with a career-best 11 for 71.

And he produced several near-unplayable deliveries after Pakistan captain Salman Butt won the toss and batted.But it was Broad, on the ground where a fortnight ago he took a first-class career-best eight for 52 for Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire, who began a collapse that saw Pakistan 37 for six at lunch.

Imran Farhat completed a 24-ball nought when he edged a good length Broad delivery, angled across the left-hander, through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.And fellow left-handed opener Butt attempting a rare attacking shot, edged a drive off Finn to Graeme Swann at second slip.Butt spent nearly an hour at the crease for seven runs.

Umar Akmal clipped Anderson off his pads and whipped Broad legside for an audacious six.But Pakistan saw Azhar Ali lbw to a Broad inswinger for a 32-ball nought.Umar Akmal was also lbw to Broad but replays suggested the ball had pitched outside off-stump. However, Pakistan chose not to refer South African umpire Marais Erasmus’s verdict.

Wicketkeeper Zulaqarnain Haider made a first ball nought on his Test debut, caught behind off Broad, after Pakistan dropped Kamran Akmal, who made two ducks and missed several chances at Trent Bridge.

Amin, dropped on 10 by Graeme Swann, batted for over an hour and struck three fours before he was caught by third slip Paul Collingwood off Anderson.Umar Gul, who made a Test-best 65 not out at Trent Bridge, fell for nought as Anderson took Pakistan’s final three wickets for one run in 10 balls.

SCORES IN BRIEF
PAKISTAN: First innings 72 all out (Butt 7, Akmal 17, Amin 23, Aamer 12; Anderson 4-20, Broad 4-38, Finn 2-10)

ENGLAND: First innings 43 for no loss (Strauss 24 not out, Cook 17 not out)

PONTING IS NOT PLANNING TO RETIRE

Australia’s selection chairman is hoping he maintains the desire to stay on. Ponting’s camp has dismissed speculation he is considering standing down and Andrew Hilditch has stepped in to support the 35-year-old’s long-term ambitions.

Hilditch does not believe Ponting, who has been in charge for 71 matches, is mapping out his retirement plans.

“I’d be expecting Ricky just to be focussing at the moment on trying to win back the Ashes, which is the highest priority for him and the team,”

Hilditch said. “I suspect he hasn’t thought much about his future past then, [the Ashes] is just a high priority for him at the moment. I’m hoping he achieves that goal and is playing well and wants to play on.”

Last month Ponting again toyed with the idea of going back to England in 2013 in an effort to correct the mistakes of the past two Ashes tours, but his batting has begun to wane to the point he is now successfully attacked by rival teams. Since The Oval defeat Ponting has averaged 40.61 in 10 Tests, the figures of a good player instead of a great of the game. When his 209 against Pakistan is taken away, an innings which began with a dropped catch, his mean falls to a modest 29.5.

It is hard to believe Ponting will continue if he can’t recapture his elite standards, and a farewell involving the Ashes and the World Cup could be enticing. One thing Ponting won’t do in the meantime is back down, not from pulling early in his innings or demoting himself in the order.

There has been talk of Ponting slotting in at five or six, like Steve Waugh and Allan Border when they finished their careers, and allowing Michael Clarke to enter at first-drop. Hilditch won’t be suggesting a move. “I’d be expecting him to play out his career at No.3,” Hilditch said. “That’s where he’s always batted, and played such a great role for Australia in that position, so I wouldn’t envisage it changing.”

Australia’s next Test duty is a two-match series in India in October, with the Ashes beginning in Brisbane on November 25. Shane Warne has called the schedule “a shambles”, but Hilditch is not concerned and believes the contest against the No.1-ranked side will be ideal ahead of England’s visit.

“Two hard Tests against India, I think it’s a really good preparation,” he said. “It will be tough, this is their first real break for a couple of years, and they are playing in somewhere we haven’t been terribly successful.

“It’s a real big challenge, it will be a monumental one for them, but it will get them very quickly Test-match hardened for the Ashes. All I can say is that preparation won’t be an excuse. There’s plenty of cricket.”

Australia are currently on a two-month break after finishing a disappointing tour of England, which included a lost one-day series and a drawn Test campaign with Pakistan. The time off gives some key players a chance to recover from injury and Hilditch expects Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, to have overcome his foot problem in time for the India tour.

He said Brad Haddin was also on track for the trip and had resumed batting following a lingering elbow problem that prevented him from going to England. Peter Siddle, the fast bowler, won’t be ready for India, and is due to return from back stress fractures in the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa next month.

IT’S A MAGIC………..

The Argentinian superstar made his pre-season debut halfway into the game and scored two quick goals, giving his team the spark it needed to notch up an impressive victory.

Barca, dressed in the famous turquoise-coloured strip, looked rusty out of the blocks and were punished after a minute as Choi Sung-Guk scored the opening goal for the K-League All-Stars.

It did not take long for Barcelona to respond, however, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic conjured an equaliser in the sixth minute.

Messi was brought on in the 29th minute to loud applause from the 32,581 crowd.

But his introduction did not stop the K-League All Stars regaining the lead through a header from Lee Dong-Gook in the 36th minute.

That advantage proved short-lived as Messi showed his skills scoring off a pass from Eduard Oriol Garcia in the 42nd minute.

The diminutive Argentinian struck again three minutes later to give his team a one-goal lead at the end of the first half.

Messi and Ibrahimovic sat out the second half but a Barcelona team consisting of reserve players came out in full control and dominated possession with crisp passing.

The K-League All Stars managed to create a few chances but Victor Sanchez Mata added a goal in the 80th minute and Eduard Oriol Garcia scored three minutes later.

Messi’s appearance in the friendly had been in doubt.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola had said Tuesday that Messi — whose World Cup ended in disappointment as Argentina were humbled 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals — would not feature as he had just returned from holiday and was not match-fit.

However, following a hastily-arranged meeting with the promoters, the Catalan club issued a statement saying that Messi would play a role after all.

“The promoters of the tournament and Barcelona representatives held a meeting in which the matter of Leo Messi playing in the match was raised,” read the statement.

“In the light of the good progress shown by the player in the last training session and that there will be another one before the match, the coaching staffs believe that it is fine for the Argentinian striker to play for a few minutes of the match.”

Comments in the Spanish press claimed that Messi’s appearance came only because he was compelled to play for at least half-an-hour under the terms of the tournament contract — otherwise Barcelona would receive no money.

Source: thedailystar.net