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A 21-member Bangladesh ‘A’ team left for England on Friday night hoping to carry on the positive results that their seniors earned at the home of the game last month.
   ‘We will try to build on the positives of the national team,’ coach Shaun Williams described his motto at a press conference hours before boarding a Bangladesh Biman flight.
   ‘We have a number of talented players in the squad. We will try to make sure they perform at a level and gain a valuable experience from the tour,’ added the Australian.
   The second string Bangladeshi side, led by left-handed opening batsman Shahriar Nafees, will play four one-day and five three-day matches, mostly against the county sides, on the 35-day long tour.
   ‘The tour is very significant for us after our national side performed there well. The expectation is now very high from us following their successes,’ said skipper Shahriar.
   When it was pointed out to him that his team will have to compete with some stronger county sides than Northamtonshire and Sussex, against whom the Bangladesh national team struggled, Shahriar welcomed the decision.
   ‘This is what I am looking forward to. The more we play against the stronger teams, it will help us more. We do not need to bother about the strength of the opponents rather should concentrate on our game. Input is more important to me than the output,’ said Shahirar, who was also a part of the national team on the UK tour.
   Earmarking the longer version games as their most priority, the A team skipper said that their main strength will be the hunger of the players. Everyone is looking forward to playing for their own interest.
   Manager Golam Nowsher, however, said that they will not count the performance on the tour completely to inject someone into the senior team for the Sri Lanka series.
   We are going on the tour so that our boys can gain experience playing in different condition which is important for our preparation for the 2007 World Cup. I don’t guarantee anyone a place in the Sri Lanka series though he plays well. To be included in the national team he has to fulfil some criteria,’ said Nowsher, who is also a national selector.
   Squad: Shahriar Nafees (captain), Nafees Iqbal, Tushar Imran, Alok Kapali, Mehrab Hossain (jr), Nazimuddin, Hasanuzzaman Rozel, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mushfiqur Rahman, Alamgir Kabir, Talha Jubaer, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Russell, Enamul Hoque (jr) and Abdur Razzak. Officials: Shaun Williams (coach), Golam Nowsher (manager), Nurul Abedin (assistant coach), Theo Pickles (trainer), Mohammad Salahuddin (computer analyst) and Sam Byrne (physiotherapist).
   
   Itinerary
   July 16 Arrive in London
   July 18 One-dayer v British Universities at Oxford
   July 20-22 Three-dayer v Gloucestershire at Bristol
   July 24 One-dayer v Hampshire at Southampton
   July 26-28 Three-dayer v Glamorgan at Abergavenny
   August 1 One-dayer v Lancashire at Liverpool
   August 3-5 Three-dayer v Yorkshire at Headingley
   August 7 One-dayer v Durham at Riverside
   August 10-12 Three-dayer v Surrey at Brit Oval
   August 16-18 Three-dayer v Kent at Canterbury
   August 20 Bangladesh A team depart London

Mohammedans 6 Wanderers 1
   Title aspirants Mohammedans finished their first league in style crushing a hapless Wanderers side by 6-1 goals in the Premier Bank Premier Division Football League at the Bangabanhdu National Stadium on Friday.
   Striker Ashraful Kader Monju struck the third hat-trick of the league in the victory that ensured Mohammedans stay top at the end of the first league with 23 points.
   Brothers Union have 9 points and will play their last match with Sheikh Russell.
   On a muddy field Mohammedans capitalised on the poor goalkeeping of Wanderers custodian Indrajeet who was surprisingly inserted into the starting eleven instead of Sohel who later substituted him.
   Wanderers started brightly but faded away with the time as Mohammedans went up in an unexpected mode in the 7th minute of the match.
   Mohammedans left-back Mintu sent a regulation long ball in the left flank and Indrajeet received the rolling ball with his feet but instead of picking the ball first time he hesitated to allow Mintu to snatch the ball and put it into the net.
   The next 20 minutes belonged to Wanderers but Milon in the 10th minute shot direct at Mohammedans goalie Biplob and Ugandan striker Henry's shot hit the outside of the net in the 28th minute.
   Veteran Alfaz made it 2-0 in the 36th minute as his left-footed angular shot off a Motiur Munna minus gave Indrajeet no chance. Just before the break Henry's attempt was punched away by Biplob.
   Milon wasted two chances in the 46th and 47th minutes to demoralise Wanderers and Mohammedans scored the third in the 49th minute.
   Monju scored his second with a placing head off an Alfaz cross from the left.
   Wanderers were awarded a penalty in the 51st minute after Kamal brought down their substitute striker Shakil and Milon converted the spot-kick.
   Monju completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute as a Mintu cross flew in from the left flank and Indrajeet was out of position.
   Yusuf of Sheikh Russell and Liton of Brothers Union have slammed hat-tricks earlier.
   It was the fifth goal for Monju and he now joined the other four who have also scored five to be the top scorers.
   Zahid made it 5-1 with a first touch of the ball in the 81st minute after he came on for Alfaz just a minute earlier.
   He took an angular shot to finish off the forward pass from Nakib.
   In the penultimate minute Asad rocked the net with a powerful left-footer to beat Sohel after Kaiser initiated a short corner.
   Wanderers have five points from nine games and are under relegation threat.

West Indies (285 & 59/6) lead Sri Lanka (227) by 117 runs at stumps, day 3
   Sri Lanka fast bowler Chaminda Vaas took four wickets for 12 runs to leave West Indies precariously placed on 59 for six at the close of a rain-affected third day of the first Test on Friday.
   West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 29 with Omari Banks yet to score.
   The under-strength tourists, who are missing 10 of their leading players due to a contracts dispute, extended their slim second innings lead to 117 during the 106 minutes of play possible at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
   Vaas, 31, followed up a fine all round performance on the second day with the wickets of Narsingh Deonarine (seven) and Dwayne Smith for no score.
   Deonarine was trapped lbw while padding away a delivery that held its line sufficiently to hit off stump and Smith, who recorded a pair, was trapped lbw by an in-dipper that swung back extravagantly.
   Chanderpaul and 19-year-old wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin (11) survived a searching session before bad light forced the players off.
   After the resumption the sixth-wicket pair extended their partnership to 27 before Muralitharan pinned Ramdin lbw on the back foot with a sharp-spinning off break.

For the first time in nearly 20 years England enter an Ashes contest with cautious optimism rather than fear of a thrashing but Michael Vaughan’s men still face a formidable challenge if they are to end a run of eight straight series defeats by Australia.
   English cricketers have always been able to make a name for themselves against Australia even if, unlike now, the men in baggy green caps haven’t been the best side in the world.
   England have won their last five Test series to rise to second behind Australia in the world rankings and raise hopes of a first Ashes win since Mike Gatting’s men triumphed down under in 1986-87.
   But doubts about the standard of opposition - a West Indies side in turmoil, an injury-hit New Zealand and an out-of-their-depth Bangladesh - remain. Playing Australia will be a true test of England’s quality.
   The hype surrounding this Ashes contest, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday, was fuelled by England’s two early victories in a drawn-out one-day series.
   But just as their Champions Trophy semi-final win against the world champions at Edgbaston in September came at one extremity of a season so these successes came over an Australia side coming off a lay-off of several months.
   That is not Vaughan’s fault and previous England sides would not have had the confidence or skill to make the most of those circumstances and might well have been beaten before they started.
   But the crushing way Australia won the last two one-dayers between the sides, including Tuesday’s final limited overs encounter by eight wickets with more than 15 overs to spare, suggested the tourists were back on track.
   But legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne, a thorn in England’s side for a decade, said the old enemy will be taken seriously.
   ‘Sixteen years is a long time to really not be in a contest,’ he said. ‘But this time they have a realistic chance.’
   Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had long proclaimed the benefits of a fixture schedule which many felt would give his side just enough time to iron out any flaws and negate any early advantage established by England.
   With the Test series starting in July, when conditions are at their friendliest for visiting sides and with Lord’s - where Australia last lost a Test in 1934 - staging the opener, it looks as if England are overdoing the hospitality.
   But in Stephen Harmison, England have a tall, menacing fast bowler who when he gets it right has enough bounce and pace to trouble even the world’s best batsmen.
   And in Andrew Flintoff, one of several England players yet to play a Test against Australia and so minus the mental scars of defeat, they have an all-rounder who combines hard-hitting batting with aggressive pace bowling.
   Both men troubled the Australian top order during the one-day games and where South African-born Kevin Pietersen also starred.
   Self-confident in a way seen as perfectly desirable in Australia - Warne his county captain at Hampshire is a fervent admirer - Pietersen smashed 91 at Bristol and 74 at The Oval in unorthodox style to at least give Australia pause for thought.
   And on Thursday, by including Pietersen in the squad at the expense of 100-cap veteran Graham Thorpe, the selectors showed an Australian hard-headedness having previously allowed ageing players to enjoy over-long ‘farewells’.
   Thorpe has performed many a gutsy rescue mission in the past but if England are to have a chance this time someone will have to disturb pace bowler Glenn McGrath from his remorseless off-stump line.
   McGrath made ex-England captain Michael Atherton his ‘bunny’ and threatens to exert a similar hold over current left-handed opener Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss
   Even when Vaughan broke the spell with three hundreds in Australia in 2002-03 England still lost 4-1. One man alone will not be enough.
   But Vaughan, displaying the calmness that has been a hallmark of his captaincy, tried to put the one-dayers into perspective.
   ‘On Thursday we won at Headingley, and everyone was saying the momentum was with England. I didn’t believe that either and I don’t believe now the momentum has swung with Australia.’
   That hasn’t stopped one pessimistic punter placing a bet of 40 pounds at odds of 1000/1 that England fail to win the Ashes before 2100.
   For some Englishmen, it seems, losing to Australia will never be a problem.

Sri Lanka’s cricket tour of India later this year may be divided into two parts to accommodate the inaugural Super Series in Australia, an official said here on Friday.
   Sri Lanka were originally scheduled to play three Tests and seven one-day internationals in October-November on their first full tour of India since 1997.
   But the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Super Series between Australia and the World teams in October and South Africa’s five one-dayers in India in mid-November have forced the Indian board to propose a split tour by Sri Lanka.
   According to the proposal, Sri Lanka will now arrive in India in the last week of October after the ICC Super Series to play seven one-day internationals and come again in December for the three Test matches.
   ‘The split tour proposal by the Indian board is being considered by us,’ Sri Lanka Cricket official Tryphon Mirando told AFP.
   The proposal could see India playing as many as 12 one-day internationals at home in November—seven against Sri Lanka and five against South Africa.
   South Africa’s one-dayers in India are scheduled between November 17-29.
   India are already due to tour Sri Lanka for a triangular one-day series from July 30-August 9 and visit Zimbabwe for two Tests and another tri-series from the end of August.
   The ICC Super Series in Australia includes three one-dayers in Melbourne on October 5, 7 and 9 and a six-day Test match in Sydney from October 14-19.

National coach Dav Whatmore returned to Dhaka on Friday from Australia after attending the funeral of his father Danville Clifford Whatmore, who died on June 28 in Melbourne.
   Whatmore left the Bangladesh team in the UK on June 25 on hearing the news of his fathers’ illness and did not join up with them after the bereavement.
   His arrival in the city will now help the selectors to make a squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, the country which he guided to the World Cup glory in 1996.
   Chef selectors Faruque Ahmed said they are expecting to announce the final squad soon after discussing with Whatmore. The announcement is, however, unlikely before July 22, when the national captain Habibul Bashar is set to return home.
   Bashar went to the USA with his family to spend holiday following the gruelling UK tour.
   Opening batsman Javed Omar and his family are also accompanying them. Meanwhile, vice-captain Khaled Mashud returned from Europe on Friday enjoying vacation with his family.

Australia led Argentina 1-0 when play was suspended because of bad weather after the opening day of their Davis quarter-final on Friday descended into a bitter war of words.
   Lleyton Hewitt gave the Australians the perfect start when he won a feisty clash with Guillermo Coria 7-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 but David Nalbandian was
   looking to square the tie with a 6-3, 7-6, 5-7 lead over Wayne Arthurs.
   Their match was interrupted for more than a hour after the second set when it began to rain and although play later resumed under lights, the players called a halt after the third set because of the moisture on the temporary grass court at Sydney’s Olympic tennis centre.
   Relations between the teams were strained before the tie began following the clashes at this year’s Australian Open and deteriorated further after Friday’s opening singles matches.
   Hewitt’s match with Coria threatened to boil over after the pair traded insults and accused each other of bad sportsmanship.
   Coria, who became increasingly frustrated by Hewitt’s tempestuous behaviour, accused the Australian of swearing at him while Hewitt responded by calling the Argentinian a sore loser.
   ‘I admire his game but I don’t like the way he is,’ Coria told a news conference.
   ‘He can be the best player in the world, he can win every tournament but he can not behave the way he does, abusing the captain, abusing the other players.’
   ‘Outside the game is one thing but inside the court I really feel like killing him.’
   Hewitt denied swearing at his opponent and accused the South Americans of unsportsmanlike behaviour.
   ‘To be perfectly honest, I think he’s arrogant and he lost the match today and he’s looking for other excuses,’ Hewitt said.
   ‘Not once did I have words with him and to tell you the truth I think he’s a sore loser.
   ‘He grabbed his private parts at one stage...he spat in the referee’s direction and he wasn’t happy with the court surface.
   ‘He tried hip-and-shouldering me at the end of the first set and he complained the whole day so I’m not quite sure what his issue is.’
   Coria complained about the state of the court, saying it was not up to standard, while Hewitt took a swipe at Nalbandian and the Argentine captain, Alberto Mancini.
   ‘Their captain, who has been mouthing off all week about sportsmanship, was talking to the referee every second point on my service games,’ Hewitt said.
   The outbursts overshadowed the match where Hewitt had needed all his combative skills to subdue Coria, recovering from a slow start then surviving a determined comeback.
   Hewitt dropped his second service game, but recovered to win the first set tiebreak after Coria failed to serve out the set when he made three unforced errors and served a double
   fault.
   Hewitt broke Coria twice in the second set to grab a two-set lead but the Argentine fought back to win the third.
   The opening exchanges of the fourth set were dominated by the increasing bitterness between the players but it was the Australian who regained his composure first to seal victory.
   Nalbandian looked to be in complete control of his match with Arthurs before the weather turned foul giving the Australian the break he needed to come back and win the third set.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has told his former team-mates to forget about Shane Warne’s reputation when they face the legendary leg-spinner in the upcoming Ashes Test series.
   Warne, the world’s leading Test wicket-taker with 583 wickets has been a thorn in England’s side ever since he bowled Mike Gatting with ‘the ball of the century’ courtesy of his first delivery, a vicious leg-break, in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1993.
   Now 35 and captaining English county Hampshire, Warne - who is gearing up for his final tour of England in the midst of a very public separation from wife Simone - has been a key figure in Australia’s run of eight successive Ashes wins.
   But Hussain, who retired from all cricket last year, insisted the master bowler was no longer at his peak.
   ‘I reckon Warne was at his best about 10 years ago. Now his bowling doesn’t have the same fizz, and he hasn’t got the flipper after his shoulder operations,’ Hussain told the August edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
   ‘But he’s still a pretty good bowler because he has more guile and can out-think people.
   ‘He has developed this straight-on delivery that comes out the front of the hand and drifts in, to get batsmen lbw as they play what they think is a perfect forward-defensive.
   ‘We must be wary that we dont end up playing Shane Warne the myth rather than Shane Warne the leg spinner,’ the former Essex batsman added.
   Looking to England’s attack, Hussain said pacemen Stephen Harmison and Andrew Flintoff held the key.
   ‘We need Harmison to fire out one of the Australian batsmen and do it consistently.
   ‘The Australians have always said to me that if Harmison gets it right hell be a real handful. So I think they’ll have respect for him. And bounce always gets players out whereas (Matthew) Hoggard might struggle if it doesn’t swing.
   ‘Flintoff is important even though there are now performers throughout the side because he is the talisman who can lift the crowd.’
   Meanwhile Hussain said England had to match Australia’s mental strength.
   ‘The mind games start with the likes of Jeff Thomson saying Hoggard shouldn’t even be a net bowler. Then comes the bullying attitude on the field.
   ‘You might bowl a perfectly good ball first up and have it smacked back over your head by Matthew Hayden.
   I’ve seen England bowlers send down a perfectly good-length ball, that in county cricket the batsman would leave, nod and say well bowled.
   ‘Against Australia that delivery might disappear to the boundary. And the bowler looks at you as if to say ‘What now, skip?’ Well, if you thought it was a good ball, you have to bowl that ball again.’
   Hussain singled out wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist as Australia’s main dangerman. ‘For me, Gilchrist is one of the greatest ever, and that is a huge statement. He has changed the way cricket is played: whatever game it is, he picks his bat up and tries to hit it.
   ‘If Australia are 400 for five who is the last person you want coming out? Adam Gilchrist. If they are 150 for five, who is the last person you want coming out? Adam Gilchrist.
   ‘He’ll hit a hundred off 120 balls when the opposition have them five down and think they are through. It deflates you.
   ‘He seizes that moment when Australia are on the rack, the moment when you switch off, and no other side are like that. He scores at such a quick rate that he puts pressure on you to save the game and gets captains flusterered.
   ‘Hes a classic one where you have to hold your nerve.’

Graham Gooch still remembers the ‘Ball of the Century’ as if it were yesterday. Apart from the umpire, he was probably the best placed to see it.
   Standing at the non-striker’s end, he certainly saw more of it than Mike Gatting.
   ‘Can I remember Gatt’s face?’ he says. ‘It looked like someone had nicked his lunch. I don’t think Gatt could quite believe it, to be honest.
   ‘I was just thinking, ‘I hope I don’t get one of those’.’
   Shane Warne’s first ball in Ashes cricket, on June 4, 1993 — ‘it was just a loosener, really’ recalls Gooch—drifted through the air, pitched outside leg and spun back sharply past Gatting’s forward prod to clip the top of off stump.
   There was a second’s hush as the Old Trafford crowd tried to comprehend what they had just witnessed, before pandemonium broke out.
   Gatting pulled a pained, ‘what-the-heck-happened-there?’ sort of face and trudged off.
   He recalls, ‘I get reminded about that ball by someone almost every day.
   ‘At first, I didn’t know it had bowled me. When they all went up I thought the appeal was for lbw until I turned around and saw the stumps.’
   Warne, the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, went on to take 34 wickets in the series at 25.79 and has been the bane of English batsmen ever since.
   Gooch, however—who made 65 and 133 at Old Trafford—believes England, having lost the last eight Ashes series, could go close in the five-match series starting on July 21.
   ‘England have got their best chance since they last won in 1986-7 but, having said that, they are going to have to play the best cricket they have played across the series,’ he said.
   ‘Australia are comfortably the strongest in world cricket, they have the track record, the experience, the class acts.
   ‘England are playing well but they will have to play at the top of their game to have a chance. To beat Australia in two or three Tests is a big call.
   ‘They must be aggressive, go out with belief and take the game to Australia. They must target some of their star players. If they stay back and play wait-and-see cricket, I’m not sure... We have got to find some way of making the Australians underperform.
   ‘It’s for England to win it. I don’t think Australia are going to lose it.’
   England look stronger than in recent years, particularly since the emergence of strike bowler Steve Harmison, but Gooch said they would have to avoid the injury problems which decimated their squads in 2001 and 2002/3.
   ‘Harmison is England’s cutting edge. It’s vital that he and (Andrew) Flintoff stay fit,’ said Gooch.
   ‘Some of the key issues will be (Michael) Vaughan’s captaincy and run scoring. I think he needs to score like he did in Australia two years ago. I suspect the Australians will target those three because they see them as the danger.’
   As for Warne, Gooch thinks he may be in decline, no longer able to rip the ball quite as viciously as he did in the past. The aura, however, and the trepidation remain.
   ‘He’s a box-office cricketer. He plays cricket with his heart on his sleeve, he gives it everything, whether he’s playing for Australia or Hampshire or whoever,’ said Gooch. ‘I have the utmost respect for him. I enjoyed all my tussles with him.
   ‘He’s got the reputation, the know-how and the nous. He’s a formidable competitor. If you score runs against him you can sit down and have a beer and think: ‘I’ve done a good job’.
   ‘His personality is certainly not harmful to his cause. I think the key thing with Shane Warne is play the ball, not the man.’

Tiger Woods shot a sizzling six-under 66 to take the first round lead in the Open here on Thursday.
   It gave him a one shot cushion over Aussie Mark Hensby and two ahead of an army of players including Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Jose Maria Olazabal, Scott Verplank, Chris Riley, Trevor Immelman and Peter Lonard.
   Five years ago the world number one won here in spectacular style - finishing 19-under par and eight shots clear of his nearest rivals.
   His first round in 2000 was 67. With his new swing, developed over the past 18 months, he went one better on Thursday.
   Five years ago Woods went all four rounds without catching a single bunker.
   On Thursday he went into three but still shot his 66. It was an ominous warning to the chasing pack.
   Woods made the most of the easier conditions in the morning. The week’s blazing sunshine that had made St Andrews Bay look more like the Cote D’Azur, had vanished when the first group teed off at 6.30 am. Instead it was overcast, breezy and with light sprinkles of rain.
   Hensby’s round was impressive considering he managed it in the much tougher afternoon conditions when the temperature plummeted, rain lashed the course, and the winds got up.
   The 34-year-old from Melbourne had a chance to tie Woods when he drove to the edge of the 18th green but his birdie putt just lipped past the hole.
   Hensby has been having a field day in Majors this year, finishing tied for fifth in the Masters and tied third in the US Open at Pinehurst.
   Goosen proved his last round Pinehurst meltdown, when he led going into the final round three ahead and proceeded to shoot a 10-over 81, was behind him with his opening four-under 68.
   But the South African was far from happy with his performance.
   There were no complaints from two-time Masters champion Olazabal, who only got to St Andrews when compatriot Seve Ballesteros pulled out.
   England’s Donald, Europe’s best hope of a winner, was able to handle the crowds watching his playing partner Jack Nicklaus compete in his last tournament.
   Lonard managed to hold his game together despite going on a rollercoaster of a round that included a couple of double bogeys, an eagle and seven birdies.
   Ernie Els, trying to make amends for losing in a playoff at Troon last year, found himself struggling on the way home after reaching the turn at one-under.
   Three straight bogeys saw him slump to two-over and he was far from happy.
   Phil Mickelson got himself to two-under after nine, but as the winds picked up in the afternoon he was struggling to hold on.

Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed vowed Friday to stage an international comeback after being suspended for having a suspect bowling action.
   Ahmed, 29, who was reported for a third time in the West Indies in May this year, will not be allowed to feature in Pakistan’s home series against England starting in October unless he is cleared within the next three months.
   ‘The report is highly unexpected for me. I am badly hurt but I have the confidence that I can improve my bowling action,’ Ahmed told AFP.
   The Pakistan Cricket Board said Thursday that a biomechanics expert appointed by the International Cricket Council had ajudged that Ahmed’s action was still suspect. ‘The tests Ahmed underwent prove that his bowling action is beyond the tolerance limits of 15 degrees allowed at international level,’ Board director Salim Altaf said, adding that Pakistan would seek a second opinion.
   ‘Ahmed is an asset for us and we will fight his case. The two options available to us are that we can have a second opinion on his action or we can go to the bowling action review group to contest his case,’ he said.

Cofidis rider David Moncoutie won the Tour de France 12th stage here Sunday held over 187km between Briancon and here to hand France a well-deserved victory on Bastille Day.
   Moncoutie, who won his first stage of the race last year, thus succeeds former professional Richard Virenque in handing the hosts a victory on this national holiday.
   Race leader Lance Armstrong and the rest of the challengers for the yellow jersey were still to come in with the main peloton.
   Moncoutie escaped from a group of breakaway companions on the fourth of the day’s five climbs on what was the third and last day in the Alps following two killer climbing days which took their toll. In second place was another Frenchman Sandy Casar, who held off Spaniard Angel Vicioso at the finish line around 20sec later.
   A further three minutes later Norwegian Thor Hushovd held off green jersey rival Stuart O’Grady at the finish to reinforce his lead over the Australian in the points classification, following the earlier abandon of Belgian Tom Boonen due to injury before the stage.
   Although a respected climber of medium-sized climbs, Moncoutie is also known for his fear of fast descents - something which his team manager has tried to correct for the past two seasons.
   His lead at the summit of the day’s second category two climb, the Col du Corobin, 35km from the finish was only 40sec and Axel Merckx’s chasing group was giving chase. Merckx’s lack of fear on the tricky downhill sections was beginning to pay dividends. The Belgian, who won a similar, undulating stage on the Dauphine Libere stage race a month ago, soon left his breakaway companions in his wake in a bid to catch Moncoutie.
   His victory aims might have been twofold. As well as hoping to claim his first stage win on the Tour de France, Merckx would have done so 36 years after his legendary father Eddy claimed victory the last time a Tour stage finished here, in 1969.
   Moncoutie, however, was hanging on well. As he raced to reach the foot of the day’s last climb, a 2.7km long category four whose average gradient was a relatively easy 3.9 percent, he held a 25sec lead on Merckx, who had been rejoined by his earlier companions.
   Moncoutie began the short climb to the summit of the Col de l’Orne with a 30sec lead on the chasing group however the painful expression on the Frenchman’s face suggested he might not make it to the finish.
   Behind him, and with 12km to race to the finish including the 2.7km climb, Merckx’s group began to take turns leading the chase although their loyalty to each other in catching the Frenchman did not last too long.
   Vicioso, who had been struggling a half hour earlier, attacked and soon Merckx followed. The rest of the seven-man group followed and they soon came over the summit and began their chase on the descent. Again, the pursuers began to break off on their own. Catching Moncoutie would have been easier had they worked together but with the finish line less than 10km away the selfish option had become more attractive.
   At the five kilometres to go mark Moncoutie’s lead had dropped slightly to 25sec. But with the chasing group failing to organise a decent pursuit behind him, the Frenchman’s win looked secure.

The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), on Thursday, made it clear that it was not in a position to provide guarantees to South African cricketers — Nicky Boje and Herschelle Gibbs — that they would not be interrogated over match-fixing allegations if they tour the country later this year.
   The BCCI also said that it had not received any official communication from the South African Cricket Board on this issue.
   ‘We have not received any communication from the UCB in this connection. They are going through diplomatic channels and the BCCI cannot do much at this stage,’ BCCI Secretary S K Nair told.
   ‘It is a matter that has to be dealt with by the Home Ministry and the police authorities,’ he said.
   Boje, who had skipped his team’s tour of India last year, has said that he would travel to India only if he got an undertaking that he would not be prosecuted.
   The spinner’s reaction came after reports that UCB had asked the South African High Commission in New Delhi to obtain the assurance from the Indian Police that Boje and Herschelle Gibbs would not be arrested or questioned on the match-fixing scandal.

Patrick Vieira says he is proud to have joined Juventus from Arsenal and is ready for the challenge facing him at the Serie A champions. The former Arsenal captain completed a 20 million euro ($24.18 million) move from Highbury on Friday by agreeing personal terms with the Italian club.
   ‘I’m really proud, I’m really happy today, because it’s a really special day,’ the 29-year-old France midfielder told a news conference in Turin.
   ‘For me, in the last few years, Juventus has always been at the top, not only in European football but also national as well.
   ‘So for me to join Juventus is a fantastic achievement in my career. I’m really proud and really happy.
   ‘It’s going to be a really big challenge but I’m going to be ready for that.’
   Asked if it had been hard to leave Arsenal whom he helped to win seven major domestic titles during a nine-year stay, Vieira said, ‘Of course, when you spend nine years somewhere it’s always going to be difficult, but when you make a decision you think about what you want to achieve.
   ‘It was quite difficult, but that’s life...I achieved a lot with Arsenal, in the nine years I spent there we won a lot of trophies. And I move on.
   ‘What I want is just to keep going and keep winning trophies for my new team.
   ‘Juventus has been a really stable club in the past few years and when I look at myself as a human being and as a player, and I look at Juventus, it’s the perfect club for me.’
   Vieira, who has signed a five-year contract with Juventus, will once again be working under Fabio Capello. The Juventus coach was in charge at AC Milan when they signed the Senegalese-born midfielder as a teenager in November 1995, before selling him to Arsenal the following year.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes new signing Park Ji-sung could emerge as a successor to Old Trafford favourite Ryan Giggs.
   Giggs, who has played over 600 games for United, remains a key part of the Premier League club's squad after signing a new two-year deal during the close season.
   But Ferguson sees 24-year-old Park, a four million pounds signing from PSV Eindhoven, as a potential future alternative to the Wales winger.
   United's manager told a news conference on Thursday, 'You've got to look at the age of Ryan Giggs at 31.
   'You think of Ryan going up and down that left wing for the past 15 years and no player in the premier division has lasted that long and done what he has achieved in that period.
   'We have to view that very importantly and I think Ji-sung will give us fantastic energy and speed on either side.'
   Ferguson believes Park could also swap flanks with Cristiano Ronaldo but added, 'The games he impressed me most with PSV were when he played on the left-hand side and came infield so I will start with him there to begin with and see how he develops.
   'But Guus Hiddink said to me that he is improving every day so it's a great option for me. He is quick, has fantastic energy and is good in the air so the options are varied.
   'He's a very mobile player and very quick. He has fantastic energy and to get players with that quality with the speed of the game is a real asset.'
   Park was watched about 20 times by United representatives last season and clinched a move when impressing Ferguson by helping PSV reach the Champions League semi-finals.
   Now at Old Trafford, the South Korean international hopes to go even further in Europe's premier competition.
   Park said on Thursday, 'I hope I can lead the team to win the Champions League and the Premier League. I am confident that I can play in any position where I am needed.
   'A lot of Korean fans believe Manchester United are one of the best teams in the world and they have shown a lot of interest in me signing for the club.
   'Of course, there is pressure being with a team like Manchester United and pressure from the fans (in Korea) but I think I can overcome that and perform to expectations.'
   Ferguson said he will seek co-operation from South Korea coach Jo Bonfrere over leaving Park out of non-competitive internationals.
   United's manager also hopes captain Roy Keane (hamstring) and defender Wes Brown (Achilles tendon) will recover from injury to join the squad for their pre-season tour of the Far East when they fly out on July 21.
   'They have every chance of going on the tour,' he said. 'I'm hoping they will be back training next week and therefore if they are fit they will travel.
   'At this moment in time it's quite positive and I think we will make a decision on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
   United will play in Hong Kong, Beijing and twice in Tokyo.
   'The preparations over the next two weeks are vital in terms of getting match fitness before we play the Champions League (third qualifying round, first leg) game on August 9 or 10.
   'The (friendly) games against Clyde, Peterborough and the Far East tour are crucial to everyone's preparation. That's why I'm keen to have Roy and Wes with us.'

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says the Spanish club has overtaken Manchester United as the biggest earner in world soccer.
   ‘We have now ensured that our income is greater than any other team, it is the highest in the world,’ Perez said in an interview published in Spanish sports daily Marca on Friday.
   ‘Only Manchester United are close to us, but this year we have overtaken them.
   ‘We have solved our economic problems forever.’
   In a report published by consultants Deloitte in February, Manchester United topped the rich list for the eighth year in a row with an income of 171.5 million pounds ($301.7 million) for the 2003-2004 season.
   Real were in second place with 156.3 million after halving the gap with United since the previous year.
   Italy’s AC Milan were third and Chelsea fourth.
   But Perez said that the situation had now changed and that Real’s income had increased by 250 percent since he took charge as president five years ago and that the club no longer had any debts.
   He spent over 200 million euros ($241.8 million) in bringing a string of world class players including Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Michael Owen to the Bernabeu.
   He funded the spending spree and cleared the club’s debts when he sold its city centre training ground to the Madrid local authority for 480 million euros.
   Perez said that in contrast to Manchester United and Chelsea, Real enjoyed the advantage of not being controlled by a single owner but by the club’s members.
   ‘Every night I sleep soundly, safe in the knowledge that Real Madrid will not end up in the hands of any one particular person. Just ask Manchester and Chelsea about that.
   ‘Their model (of ownership) has to be respected but it isn’t suitable for Real Madrid.’
   United are controlled by American sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer and Chelsea by Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich.
   With regard to Real’s sporting fortunes, Perez said that the club’s appeal had not been undermined by the fact that they have failed to win a major trophy in the past two seasons, but he did issue a warning to his players about their level of commitment.
   ‘We have had a problem in that we have believed that we could win our games without even getting off the team bus,’ he said.
   ‘No one should forget that you win by battling it out and working hard. The idea that we can win merely by virtue of being Real Madrid doesn’t hold.
   ‘Last season we finished second and that was a failure for this club.’
   Real have added depth and defensive power to a side overburdened with attack-minded players by signing of Uruguayan duo Pablo Garcia and Carlos Diogo in the close season and Perez admitted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to sign world names.
   ‘We always try to sign the best in the world but when you have signed Figo, Zidane and Beckham there aren’t any more around. These sort of players only emerge once every few decades.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has told his Manchester United players they cannot afford to lose a single game next season if they are going to win back the title from Chelsea.
   Ferguson says Chelsea and Arsenal have raised the bar in the Premier League with their championship successes over the past two seasons.
   Arsene Wenger's Gunners set a modern-day record by going unbeaten through the 2003-04 campaign, while Chelsea lost just once last season on their way to the title.
   United lost five times in the Premiership last season and Ferguson claims they must aim to go through the new campaign unbeaten.
   'What Chelsea tell us, and Arsenal from the previous season, is that they averaged only half a defeat between them a season,' said the United boss. 'Arsenal had no defeats and Chelsea just one.
   'So the game has changed and it looks as if we are starting the Premier League thinking that we can't afford to lose a game.'
   Ferguson claims United's title challenge was over before it had begun last season when they lost to Chelsea on the opening weekend.
   The Reds picked up just six points in their first five matches and Ferguson says they cannot afford to give Chelsea another headstart.
   'The Chelsea game last season tells of the need for us to be up and flying from the first game of the season because we couldn't catch Chelsea after that,' he said.
   'In a lot of other seasons in the past, we would have caught them by Christmas and gone past them by the middle of March.
   'But we couldn't do that last season and we cannot afford another slow start.'
   A lack of goals was United's downfall last season and their tally of 58 in the league was their worst in 14 years.
   Ferguson blames injuries to his £60million strike force and he cannot see Ruud van Nistelrooy, who managed just six Premiership goals, struggling again. 'You can't dismiss Ruud van Nistelrooy's scoring ability. He had a terribly fragmented season last season. The continuity of games just wasn't there because of his injuries.
   'We hope Louis Saha also stays fit, while Wayne Rooney produced a fantastic goals tally for one so young in his first season at Manchester United - 17 goals.
   'So the potential for goals is there, without question, and what we don't want to do is miss the chances in the early part of the season.
   'But we're very positive about the season. I look at my squad and I'm happy. It's a strong squad and there's youth in it and ample experience. Therefore we should do well.'
   He will make his debut in United's pre-season tour of the Far East and he said: 'I know there is pressure on me playing for such a team as Manchester United, but I believe I can overcome that and play well.'

The agent of Robinho is ready to wreck Santos' plans to keep the winger away from Real Madrid.
   A frustrated Real president Florentino Perez has sent two high-ranking representatives to Brazil to speak with Santos president Marcelo Teixeira face-to-face and try and break the deadlock in negotiations over a fee for Robinho.
   Real have offered £17 million for Robinho, while Teixeira is refusing to budge from his £19.5 million valuation.
   However, Robinho's agent Wagner Ribeiro is ready to wreck Teixeira's plans by invoking the 'Pele Law', which allows a player to join another Brazilian club for 40 per cent of his buyout clause in the third year of his contract and 80 per cent in the fourth year.
   This would be disastrous for Teixeira, who would lose millions if Ribeiro can find a Brazilian rival willing to participate and immediately sell Robinho onto Real Madrid.
   Meanwhile, Santos fined Robinho for a 14th consecutive day on Thursday as the striker again refused to train because of dispute with the Brazilian club over its negotiations with Spain's Real Madrid.
   Santos said Robinho is being fined an undisclosed amount for every day he fails to appear.
   'He still is Santos' employee,' club spokesman Aldo Neto said. 'We will keep fining him for missing work until he decides to show up again.'
   Robinho has not trained since his return from the Confederations Cup in late June, saying he wants to be released from the club to finalise his transfer to Real Madrid. He already has missed two Brazilian championship matches.
   Santos president Marcelo Teixeira has said that Robinho will stay until next year's World Cup unless a club pays the US$50 million buyout clause that is stipulated in Robinho's contract, which runs until 2008.
   Robinho said recently that Teixeira last year agreed to release him for US$25 million which is the amount Real Madrid has reportedly offered to Santos.
   Led by Robinho, Santos won national titles in 2002 and 2004 - the team's only significant championships since the late 1960s.
   Santos is in fourth place in the 22-team Brazilian championship with 21 points from 11 matches.

Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, was offered renewed hope last night in his bid to sign Luis Figo from Real Madrid. Benítez had been ready to look at alternative targets after Real demanded a £2 million fee for the 32-year-old, who has already agreed a £60,000-a-week contract to move to Anfield, but Liverpool believe the Spanish club's resolve is softening.
   Florentino Pérez, the Real president, is still looking for a fee for Figo, but Emilio Butragueño, the vice-president, has talked of finding 'agreement to satisfy everyone', which would point to a move to Liverpool now Inter Milan's interest is on the wane.
   Jerzy Dudek's match-winning penalty save from Andriy Shevchenko in the European Cup final against AC Milan is likely to prove his last act as a Liverpool player. Dudek, having been told his chances will be restricted because of the £6 million signing of José Manuel Reina, is likely to leave Anfield sooner rather than later after Sporting Lisbon joined clubs registering an interest.

Olympique Lyon midfielder Michael Essien is still hopeful of joining English champions Chelsea. Lyon are determined to keep the gifted Ghana international despite several lucrative offers from the Premier League club.
   'I do not think Lyon will shut the door,' Essien told France football magazine on Friday.
   'I am confident both clubs will reach an agreement.'
   Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon held talks with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas on Tuesday after which the French champions said Essien was not for sale. One of the greatest clubs in the world want me. How do you want me to refuse this? Had it not been Chelsea, I would probably stay at Lyon,' said Essien.
   'I am now confident the issue will be resolved.'

Italy striker Christian Vieri says there was nothing unusual in his decision to join AC Milan from city rivals Inter.
   The 32-year-old surprised Italian football by signing a two-year deal with the Champions League finalists earlier this month, barely a week after he had dissolved his contract with Inter.
   'There's nothing strange about my move to Milan,' Vieri was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday.
   'I don't harbour a grudge. Inter wanted to change, they asked to dissolve the contract and I agreed.
   'I was free, I found out about their (Milan's) offer. There were other clubs interested, but it seemed right to choose the best. I couldn't say no.'
   Vieri, who joined Inter in 1999 from Lazio for a then world record fee of $50 million, said he had received a warm welcome from his new team mates.
   'I'm very happy. I've arrived in a great squad and I have the good fortune to know many of my team mates already.'
   According to Milan captain Paolo Maldini, the only thing that matters is what Vieri achieves in the red and black colours of his new club.
   'The fact that he played for Inter does not interest us,' he said.
   'We don't let ourselves be conditioned by the past. We only think about winning.'

A report in Thursday's Gazzetta dello Sport claims Real Madrid have offered Internazionale 50 million euros (£35m) plus Ronaldo in exchange for fellow Brazilian striker Adriano.
   Inter president Massimo Moratti has so far resisted all offers to cash in on Adriano, but he could be tempted to accept Real's offer as it would provide the money to fund a bid for Roma forward Antonio Cassano, according to Gazzetta.
   Inter have already let Italian international Christian Vieri move to city rivals Milan this summer, while also parting with Stephane Dalmat and Emre Belozoglu.
   New arrivals include Juan Sebastian Veron on a permanent deal from Chelsea, fellow Argentinian Santiago Solari from Real Madrid and Cameroon defender Pierre Wome.

The German football federation (DFB) said on Thursday that clubs from the former Communist east of the country will be given extra help to make the top echelons of the Bundesliga.
   For the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, there will be no club from the east in the top flight next season.
   To rectify the situation, two clubs from the fourth division will be promoted to the third division from the start of the 2006/07 season, said Theo Zwanziger, the president of the DFB.
   Only one side will be promoted to the regional third divisions elsewhere in the country.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has given England's World Cup hopes a boost by insisting he will be sparing in his use of captain Steven Gerrard.
   Gerrard, 25, expects to be fresh for the 2006 tournament after being told he will be rotated with midfielders Xabi Alonso, Didi Hamann and Momo Sissoko.
   'We're looking to protect the players and, including Stevie,' said Benitez.
   'We have been talking about using the whole squad and telling the players that much.'
   He added, 'It's not about using them as much as we can, then just giving them a month to recuperate next summer. I don't want to use all the same players all the time. It's about selecting the right players for the right games. Sometimes I know we'll make mistakes but it's my responsibility.
   'At the end of the season I'd hope we've made more right decisions than wrong ones.
   'Sometimes Stevie may play five times in a row but with Momo's signing that will give us options to pick when certain players play.' Gerrard played 43 games last season for the Reds and started the current campaign with a hat-trick in the Champions League first qualifying round, first leg against TNS on 13 July.
   He said, 'I have already spoken to the manager and the coaching staff and they have told me they are not going to be using me all the time,' said Gerrard. 'I am sure I will be playing the same amount as all the other international players and I will be really fresh by the time the World Cup comes around.'

Rahmatganj draw with Badda
Rahamatganj MFS made a goalless draw with Badda Jagaraony Sangha in the Premier Bank First Division Football League at the Birsreshtho Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium on Friday. Rahamatganj already confirmed their promotion to the premier league. Dhanmondi Club will face Mahakhali Ekadash in the next match at the same venue Saturday.
— BD News

Matuail hold Zirabo
Matuail Udayan Sangsad made 1-1 draw with Zirabo SC in the third division football league at the Bangladesh Army Stadium on Friday. Ismail of Matuail scored in the 26th minute while Ranvir of Zirabo equalised in the 51st minute.
— BD News

Sonali Otit opens branch in Naryanganj
Former national football star Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu was selected as the president and SM Salahuddin general secretary of the Sonali Otit Club Naryanganj unit on Thursday. The other members of the club are: Aminur Rahman, Haji kashem, Govinda Kundu and Humayun Kabir, vice presidents, Golam Gaus, joint secretary, Shahid Hosaain, assistant secretary, Rabiul Hossain, organising secretary, Jahsimuddin, sports secretary, Riaz, treasurer, Khokon, publicity secretary. Amanulah, Dulal, Asit, Sufian, Ripon, Bitu, Halim Nipu are the members. Sonali Otit is an organisation of former footballers.
— New Age

Navy emerge champs
Bangladesh Navy emerged champions in the Inter-Services Swimming Competition 2005 wining 15 gold, six silver and six bronze medals. Bangladesh Army became runners up with four gold, 13 silver and eight bronze medals in the competition that concluded on Thursday. Leading musician Rubel Rana of Bangladesh Navy grabbed the best swimmer award getting four gold medals in the 100 meter backstroke, 200 meter backstroke, 50 meter backstroke and in the 400 meter individual medley swimming event. In the day’s 4x100 meter medley relay Bangladesh Navy secured the gold medal while Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Air Force got the silver medal and bronze medal respectively. Naval Chief Rear Admiral M Hasan Ali Khan distributed prizes among the winners after the events. Among others, local Area Commander of Bangladesh Army Major General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan and other senior military officials and servicemen were present on the occasion.
— UNB

Qatari int’l gets
City chance
Qatar international midfielder Yasser Hussain has been handed a chance to make the grade in the English Premiership after being awarded a trial by Manchester City. The 23-year-old was recommended to City boss Stuart Pearce by former skipper Ali Benarbia who now plays his club football in Qatar. 'Yasser Hussain is coming on the recommendation of Ali Benarbia,' said Pearce. 'Ali was a player himself so hopefully he will know what he is like. Yasser is a wide sided midfielder who can play on either flank.' Hussain is no stranger to
Manchester.
— AFP