Federer off to a flier in New York

Roger Federer took an opening step towards a possible sixth title at the US Open as the second seed crushed Argentinian Brian Dabul 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Monday in the first round.

Federer, winner of five of the last six editions at Flushing Meadows, saw his trophy streak broken a year ago when he lost the final to Argentinian Juan Del Potro, out of this edition as he recovers from wrist surgery.

Federer played at his lethal best to reach the second round, easily defeating the inexperienced number 96 who was making his debut at the event. Federer duplicated his backwards between-the-legs winner which he produced a year ago against Novak Djokovic.

The Swiss ended it after just over 90 minutes with his 18th ace.

“I had to give it one last push to get there. But I thought I could do it again. I’ve only hit a few in my life and two came on court at night here,” said Federer, 16-0 for his career at night matches on the Ashe showcase court.

The Swiss carried title momentum from his victory in Cincinnati a week ago into the final Grand Slam of the season, with new coach Paul Annacone watching the winning performance.

“I’ve been in six straight finals here and I’d like to do it again. I’m in form and playing well.” Robin Soderling needed nearly four hours and six match points to escape an upset attempt by Austrian qualifier Andreas Haider—Maurer, with the Swedish seed finally prevailing 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 5-7, 6-4.

Two—time Roland Garros finalist Soderling was cruising to a straight-sets win before the number 214 player mounted a fightback that severely tested the number five.

Soderling missed on four match points and double-faulted on a fifth before finally closing out the hard—fought win for his 10th New York victory.

Number six Nikolay Davydenko, who missed several months with a broken wrist, reached the second round over American Michael Russell 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 on a sunny opening day. American Andy Roddick, the number nine, celebrated his 28th birthday with a defeat of Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, with Roddick playing down the significance of his “veteran’s” age.

“Obviously I know I’m probably closer to the finish than I am to the start. But it’s a number. I’m barely older than I was yesterday.” Croatia’s number 11 Marin Cilic, loser in his last two matches, defeated Illya Marchenko of Ukraine 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. French Open semi-finalist and 13th seed Jurgen Melzer held off Russian Dmitry Tursunov over five sets 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.

Women’s defending champion Kim Clijsters rallied from 4-0 down in the second set to begin her title defence with a 6-0, 7-5 defeat of Hungarian Greta Arn.

Clijsters, the second seed who claimed the New York title in 2005 before defeating Caroline Wozniacki a year ago, spent just 18 minutes in winning the first set against her 104th-ranked opponent.

The Belgian seed won a dozen straight points in her comeback effort in the second set.

“I’m happy with the way I served. That’s obviously been a stroke that I’ve been paying a bit more attention to during my practising the past few weeks. Today I felt like I was hitting the ball well.” Third seed Venus Williams stated with a win over Italian Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1 while number five Samantha Stosur got over a slow start to defeat Russian Elena Vesnina 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.

Francesca Schiavone won only her fourth match since lifting a surprise French Open trophy nearly three months ago, as the sixth seed advanced over Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-0.

Schiavone, 30, experienced the heights of tennis joy as she claimed the Grand Slam title in Paris. But her record since that day of glory in early June has featured little to celebrate, with first-round defeats at Wimbledon, Cincinnati and New Haven.

Tenth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Monica Niculescu 6-0, 5-7, 6-1.

Sutil eyeing more points in Monza

Force India might have failed to replicate its last year’s feat at Spa but driver Adrian Sutil was a satisfied man after bringing his team back among points and the German said he would continue the impressive run in the next race in Monza.

Force India had a dream race at the Belgian Grand Prix last year with Giancarlo Fisichella, now a Ferrari test driver, giving the Silverstone-based team its first-ever pole, podium and championship points.

But this year even though the team failed to make it to the podium, Sutil, starting at eighth on the grid, brought home the VJM01 in the fifth spot and grabbed 10 valuable points for his team.

“It was a very good race. Starting in P8 you want to finish a little bit ahead, and that’s what happened. Fifth position was because of very good strategy and very good team work, so I’m happy,” Sutil said.

“Yes, it was a very good position. I’m hoping to keep it in the next race as well, because Monza could be quite good for us. I’m concentrating on scoring some points,” he said.

“I think we’ll have a good car in Monza, because the straight line speed is still very good,” he added.

Incidentally, the result is also the best for Force India in the current season after the German had finished fifth at Malaysian Grand Prix in the early part of the season.

Sutil is known for his driving skills on wet conditions and the German said had there been a little more rain, he could have made it to the podium in Spa.

“I think there was a chance to gain all the positions in front of me if there was a lot of rain. Suddenly the slick runners would have been involved in big chaos,” he said.

“Just a little bit more rain and I probably could have led the race after that. That was our thinking,” Sutil added.

One-day series against Pak should go on: Broad

England dressing room is still in a “state of shock” after the spot-fixing allegations surfaced against Pakistani cricketers but young fast bowler Stuart Board says the upcoming one-day series should go ahead as scheduled.

He also said that it was for the authorities to decide whether the suspected Pakistani cricketers should be suspended from the remaining tour.

“The one-day series should go on, as far as I’m concerned. We shouldn’t call it off on the back of an investigation that is ongoing. We want to play and what about the supporters who have paid for tickets?,” Broad wrote in Daily Mail.

“It is up to others to decide whether any of the Pakistan players involved in those allegations should miss those games, but we will be giving our utmost against whoever we face. And we trust the opposition will be, too.”

Broad, who hit his maiden Test century in the Lord’s Test, believes that Pakistani side fought hard throughout and that he did not notice anything untoward in the series, which his side won 3-1.

“We are all still stunned in the England cricket team.

The dressing room is in a state of shock at the allegations that now surround our Test series victory over Pakistan. I can honestly say that I never dreamt there was anything untoward about our victories,” he wrote.

“I can’t accept that this series victory has been tarnished in any way. Whatever the true story is, I have absolutely no doubts that Pakistan were giving everything to try to win that match (Lord’s). It was proper competition, as it has been throughout the series.”

“Believe me, the (Pakistani) bowling was of a very high standard against us at Lord’s. Ask our batsmen, who were out cheaply as we slipped to 47 for five, whether or not that was full-blooded Test cricket out there and they will tell you that it was extremely tough going,” Broad wrote.

Stuart Broad though favoured strict punishment for those who are found guilty of any wrongdoing.

“You must always trust what you are watching and the moment you feel you are not sure that someone is giving their best is the moment when sport loses its reason for being.

“That’s why I fully agree with our captain, Andrew Strauss, who believes that anyone found guilty of match-fixing, spot-fixing or anything that stops a game of cricket taking its natural course should face the heaviest punishments,” he wrote.

The Anti-corruption and security unit of the ICC is investigating all the 82 international games that Pakistan has played in the last two-and-half years.

The claims of an alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed that several Pakistani cricketers are involved in spot and match fixing led to the investigations by both the ICC and Scotland Yard.

Broad hit a magnificent 169 in England’s second innings at Lord’s Test and that no scandal can take away his achievement from him.

“This was the biggest achievement in my Test career so far, even bigger than my bowling spell at The Oval when we won the Ashes last year, and nothing can take that away from me.”

Broad, who is son of ICC match referee Chris, also insisted that he was never approached by anyone for any wrongful conduct.

“This is the right time to emphasise that I have never been approached by anyone asking me to manipulate any aspect of any cricket match and I am absolutely certain that none of my team-mates have either. Still, as the son of an ICC match referee, I can’t imagine any match-fixer would be daft enough to approach me anyway! ,” he wrote

Accused Pak cricketers uncertain to play remaining matches

Four Pakistani cricketers facing police investigation for their role in alleged match-fixing are likely to be kept out of the rest of the Pakistan-England tour following pressure from the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which was reported to be “adamant” that they should be dropped from the remaining matches.

Captain Salman Butt, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif were questioned by Scotland Yard detectives for several hours on Saturday over allegations of “spot fixing” during last week’s final Test match against England at Lord’s.

There were calls for them to be suspended but Haroon Logat, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which is conducting its own investigations, said the allegations, though “serious”, had not been proven. Any action should wait until the ICC gave its report, he said, adding that it was expected to be ready in the next 48 hours, well before the start of the Twenty20 series in Cardiff on Sunday.

“We’re busy with the Metropolitan Police and hope, before the weekend arrives, we can get to some sort of a conclusion. We are working hard, but it’s important to remember that an individual is innocent until proven guilty,” he told the BBC as officials from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency were expected to arrive here to help with Scotland Yard’s investigations.

More than 80 international matches involving Pakistan would be investigated. These include the second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney in January that latter won after a dramatic Pakistani collapse.

The investigations follow claims of match-fixing by a London-based Pakistani property developer Mazhar Majeed. He was secretly filmed accepting £150,000 from an undercover journalist and predicting that Aamir and Asif would bowl three no- balls during the Lord’s Test, which they did the next day.

Waqar Younis, Pakistan coach, said he was trying to get the team “up again” as it arrived in Taunton, southwest England, for a warm-up match on Thursday ahead of the T20 and One-Day matches.

“It is no doubt a big challenge and I'll try to make the most of it and I'll try and make sure everybody is nicely focused for the games,” he said.

Cool Hamilton wins chaotic Belgian GP

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won a chaotic and thrilling Belgian Grand Prix to seize back the Formula One championship lead from Red Bull's Mark Webber on Sunday.

Hamilton's victory, despite a near-miss with the barriers in the challenging conditions ranging from dry to wet, lifted him three points clear of second-placed Webber at the top of the standings with six races remaining.

“It was a great weekend, and very tough racing,” said the Briton.

The success, his third of the season, contrasted to team mate and reigning World champion Jenson Button's misfortune on a sweet and sour day for the British team and their two World champions.

Button, running behind Hamilton in a McLaren one-two at the fast and flowing circuit, was shunted out of the race by Webber's young German teammate and title rival Sebastian Vettel on the 17th of the 44 laps.

Vettel was handed a drive-through penalty for causing a collision and then plunged further back through the field after tangling with Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi and puncturing the left rear tyre.

The German ended up 15th and out of the points for the third time this year.

Webber, winner of four of the 13 races so far this season, had been on pole position but suffered a terrible start on an afternoon where the fickle Spa weather played its hand to full effect and the safety car was twice deployed.

“Lewis deserved the win, he did a good job,” the Australian said.

Poland's Robert Kubica finished third for Renault, losing second with a pit stop error but still taking a morale-boosting result for a team who this time last year became embroiled in a major race-fixing scandal that led to a suspended permanent ban.

Hamilton has 182 points to Webber's 179 and Vettel's 151. Button is on 147.

“I thought I was doing a good job of keeping my position and fairly. I don't know what Sebastian was doing,” said Button of his incident.

Massive blow

“It's a massive blow, I'm really disappointed. I felt that under the difficult conditions I found grip better than others.”

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, fifth in the standings, retired after an incident-filled afternoon.

He collided with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello on the opening lap and dropped to 20th place.

The debris from that incident, apart from ending Barrichello's 300th race without the Williams veteran completing a lap, brought out the safety car.

The Spaniard pitted for a new front wing and fought his way back to eighth but finally crashed out six laps from the end when he spun and hit the barriers between Les Combes and Rivage.

The Ferrari was stranded on the track, again bringing out the safety car.

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Germany's Adrian Sutil in a Force India.

Schumacher seventh

Seven-time World champion Michael Schumacher, who had started in 21st place after a 10-place penalty for an incident with Barrichello at the previous race in Hungary, finished seventh at his favourite circuit.

The 41-year-old former Ferrari ace tangled twice with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg, their cars touching once, before the younger German grabbed sixth place.

Force India's Vitantonio Luizzi moved up into tenth place as Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari had 20 seconds added to his race time by the Spa stewards for cutting the final chicane on lap 42, whilst defending from Liuzzi during their late-race battle.

The results: 1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1hr 29m 4.268s; 2. Mark Webber (Red Bull) +1.571; 3. Robert Kubica (Renault)

+.493; 4. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +8.264; 5. Adrian Sutil (Force India) +9.094; 6. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) +12.359; 7. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) +15.548; 8. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) +16.678; 9. Vitaly Petrov (Renault) +23.851; 10. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) +34.831; 11. Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) +36.019; 12. Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) +39.895; 13. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) +29.457(finished 10th, penalised 20 seconds); 14. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams); 5. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 16. Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus); 17. Lucas di Grassi (Virgin); 18. Timo Glock (Virgin); 19. Jarno Trulli (Lotus) all + 1 lap; Sakon Yamamoto (HRT) + 2 laps.

Did not finish: Rubens Barrichello (Williams) first lap; Bruno Senna (HRT) sixth lap; Jenson Button (McLaren) 16th lap; Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 38th lap.

Drivers' standings: 1. Lewis Hamilton, 182 points; 2. Mark Webber 179; 3. Sebastian Vettel 151; 4. Jenson Button 147; 5. Fernando Alonso 141; 6. Felipe Massa 109; 7. Robert Kubica 104; 8. Nico Rosberg 102; 9. Adrian Sutil 45; 10. Michael Schumacher 44; 11. Rubens Barrichello 30; 12. Kamui Kobayashi 21; 13. Vitaly Petrov 19; 14. Vitantonio Liuzzi 12; 15. Nico Huelkenberg 10; 16. Sebastien Buemi 7; 17. Pedro de la Rosa 6; 18. Jaime Alguersuari 4.

Constructors' standings: 1. Red Bull 330 points; 2. McLaren 329; 3. Ferrari 250; 4. Mercedes GP 146; 5. Renault 123; 6. Force India 57; 7. Williams 40; 8. Sauber 27; 9. Toro Rosso 11.

Villa scores on debut as Barcelona crushes Racing

Barcelona kicked off their campaign to retain the Spanish league title with an emphatic 3-0 win away to Racing Santander on Sunday, with handsome goals from Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and David Villa.

The enjoyable win puts massive pressure on Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, who start out away to Mallorca later on Sunday.

Barca new boy Villa said that “this was exactly the start that I had been hoping for. I have joined a great team, and I am proud that they came looking for me.” Villa added that it is “a real pleasure” to play alongside Messi.

“Whoever cannot play with Messi is not fit to play football at all.” He refused to comment on the controversial sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to AC Milan, saying simply that “we have a really good squad here and we are determined to do well this season.” Veteran Barca captain Carles Puyol pulled a muscle in the pre-match warmup and playmaker Xavi limped off at half-time with a similar injury. Nonetheless, the champions were always in the driving seat, against opponents whose every mistake was harshly punished.

Messi opened the scoring after just three minutes with a classy right-foot chip after being played through by Iniesta. Thirty minutes later Spain’s World Cup final hero made it 2-0 with an impudent long-range volley after Santander keeper Tono had failed to clear a centre properly.

The hosts were given a dubious penalty for an alleged trip by Maxwell on Francis, but Barca keeper Victor Valdes acrobatically saved the spot-kick of Mohamed Tchite.

It would be Santander’s only clear chance of the match. Villa made it 3-0 on the hour with his first goal for Barca, heading in a perfect centre from Dabi Alves.

Earlier on Sunday, there were defeats for Villarreal and Getafe, both of whom were expected to do well this season.

Villarreal crashed 1-0 away to newly-promoted Real Sociedad while Getafe lost 3-1 against Espanyol.

Real Sociedad — who have just returned to La Liga after three years in the second division — dominated from start to finish and won thanks to a 58th minute goal from Xabi Prieto, who finished calmly after playing a clever one-two with Joseba Llorente.

Llorente said that “we knew that it was important for us to make a good start today and that is exactly what we have done, thanks to our hard work.” Getafe, who finished sixth last season, never looked comfortable against lively Espanyol, who had a two-goal hero in Argentine striker Pablo Osvaldo.

Osvaldo gave the hosts the lead in the 34th minute after being set up by Jose Callejon and then took advantage of a blunder by Miguel Torres to make it 2-0 ten minutes into the second half.

Espanyol defender Ernesto Galan scored a clumsy own goal, but Jesu Datolo made it 3-1 in stoppage time after another swift break from Callejon.

Sunday’s other early games were 0-0 draws between Deportivo Coruna and Zaragoza, and between Osasuna and Almeria, for whom defender Carlos Garcia was sent off.

Ponting fears Aussies’ Sydney milestones would be ‘tainted’

Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Monday said if the match-fixing slur on his team’s Sydney Test win over Pakistan is proved right, all individual milestones by his players in that game would be “tainted“.

Reacting to the claims by a bookie Mazhar Majeed, who was arrested and later released on bail in London following a sting operation that implicated seven Pakistani players including skipper Salman Butt, Ponting said he has been left stunned.

But the Aussie skipper insisted that he never suspected anything fishy during the 36-run win over Pakistan in January in a match, which saw nine wickets of the visiting side fall for 89 runs.

“Not at the time, no, I had no idea about anything like that at all,” Ponting told ‘ABC Radio’

“The way we won was one of the more satisfying moments that I’ve had on the cricket field. And now when some of these things come to light is when you start to slightly doubt some of the things that have happened. It’s not up to us to worry about that anyway,” he added.

But after the sting, Ponting said he fears the individual efforts by his players to notch that unlikely win would stand tainted.

“The thing that I’m most worried about if any of this is proven to be true is some of the individual performances that took place in that game,” he said.

“You look at Mike Hussey’s second innings hundred and Peter Siddle’s batting and the way he was with Mike Hussey that day and Nathan Hauritz taking five wickets on the final day to win us the game.

“All of those individual milestones will be tainted as well,” he added.

The sting operation, which allegedly exposes the nexus between bookies and Pakistani players such as pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has taken the cricket world by storm.

The players in question have had their phones and passports confiscated in London after the Scotland Yard launched an investigation.

Rejuvenated Joaquin guides Valencia to victory in Malaga

The Spanish league programme kicked off on Saturday with away wins for Sevilla, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, against teams who already look certain to be in the relegation dogfight.

Sevilla cruised to a 4—1 romp away to Levante, Valencia won 3—1 in Malaga, Bilbao beat Hercules 1—0 in Alicante.

The emphatic win away to newly—promoted Levante, with two goals from full—back Abdoulay Konko, provides a happy ending for what has been a bad week for Sevilla.

Last Saturday they were thrashed 4—0 by Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup, and on Tuesday they crashed 4—3 at home to Sporting Braga in the qualifying round for the Champions League.

“We really needed a win tonight,” said coach Antonio Alvarez, “after all the things that have happened this week.” Alavarez added that “I am really proud of my players, for the way they reacted after going a goal down.” Ruben Suarez made it 1—0 for Levante from the penalty spot, after a clear handball by Sevilla’s Luca Cigarini. Konko made it 1—1 just two minutes later by turning in the rebounds after a shot from Jesus Navas had hit the levante post.

Sevilla were given a penalty of their own after 28 minutes when defender Cerra brought down Diego Perotti. Alvaro Negredo calmly converted to make it 2—1.

In the 63rd minute Konko made it 3—1 after being played through by Renato. Two minutes from time Renato completed the rout by heading in a centre from Jose Carlos, with the overworked Levante defence in tatters.

Earlier on Saturday, Valencia had won 3—1 in Malaga with two second—half goals from former Spain winger Joaquin.

Joaquin, 29, has stagnated since joining Valencia from Betis in 2006, but he finally returned to life in Malaga and gave Los Ches the perfect start to their season.

Valencia coach Unai Emery said that “right from the start we went out there with a winning mentality. In general, we were superior, though Malaga did have their chances.” Valencia, who are heavily in debt, sold off star strikers David Villa and David Silva in summer, and would have sold off Joaquin too had they received any offers for him.

They went ahead in Malaga after just 10 minutes, when newcomer Aritz Aduriz headed in a clever corner from Ever Banega. Sebas Fernandez made it 1—1 just before half—time, by flicking in a free—kick from Eliseu.

Valencia retook control in the second half, with Banega and old warhorse David Albelda bossing the midfield.

With 20 minutes remaining, Joaquin took centre stage. He made it 2—1 for the visitors with a shot which took a wicked deflection off Malaga defender Ivan Gonzalez. Four minutes later the excellent Aduriz set up Joaquin to score his second goal with a fierce drive.

Saturday’s first game saw Athletic Bilbao triumph 1—0 away to promoted Hercules in Alicante.

The only goal of a tight match was headed in by Spain’s World Cup reserve Fernando Llorente.

The tall striker struck two minutes into the second half, turning in a long free—kick from Carlos Gurpegui with a glancing header.

“It was important for us to begin with a win,” said Llorente. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game here, but we were well—ordered and solid all over the field.” Hercules came close to an equalizer on four occasions, but lacked a cool finish. They were crippled by the sending—off of in stoppage time of Argentine midfielder Matias Fritzler, for a second deliberate handball.

Hercules are in the top flight for the first time since 1997 and will clearly struggle to avoid a quick return to the second division.

England wraps up innings win in tainted Test

England wrapped up the fourth and final test against Pakistan before lunch at Lord’s on Sunday, winning a match tainted by allegations of fixing by an innings and 225 runs.

The tourists’ final six wickets fell for the addition of 106 runs on the fourth day to give England a resounding 3—1 series win and Pakistan its heaviest ever test defeat.

Pakistan capitulated to a second—innings 147 after following on, narrowly avoiding becoming the first team dismissed for less than 100 twice in the same test at Lord’s since New Zealand in 1958.

There is no suggestion that Pakistan’s players conspired to lose the match but police have questioned them after British newspaper News of the World alleged in its Sunday edition that they were paid to bowl no—balls during Thursday’s opening day.

“We’ve seen things that put cricket on the front pages for the wrong reason before and we don’t like it,” England captain Andrew Strauss said. “It’s a shame the series finished in this way. We’re happy to have won but we don’t feel happy. We don’t know whether it’s true or not but it’s not good when the game of cricket is overshadowed in this way.

“With these sorts of allegations you start questioning things you shouldn’t be questioning. When you achieve something, you want it to be in the best possible circumstances.”

Umar Akmal finished unbeaten on a spirited 79 - 53 more than any of his teammates managed in either innings.

In a sign of the unrest caused by the allegations, the balcony door to Pakistan’s dressing room remained closed throughout the 96 minutes of Sunday’s play, with only a handful of players and officials sitting outside the pavilion.

All trophy presentations took place in the Long Room at Lord’s, rather than on the field in full view of fans. Accordingly, the stadium emptied swiftly after the players left the field.

Azhar Ali and Kumar Akmal fell for the addition of 23 runs before Mohammad Amir, one of the two bowlers at the center of the newspaper allegations, was third man out. The 18—year—old Amir, who took a career—best 6—84 in England’s 446 all out, was bowled by Graeme Swann for 0.

Swann then lured Wahab Riaz into gifting Kevin Pietersen an easy catch, Stuart Broad ran out Saeed Ajmal with a direct hit and Mohammad Asif - the other bowler facing allegations by the News of the World - became Swann’s final victim. Asif hit the ball onto his right foot, then his left and into Paul Collingwood’s hands.

Swann claimed 5—62 for a place on the Lord’s honors board, with a total of 9—74 for the match.

“It’s obviously a bit of a shock for us in the dressing room but we were very focused on what we had to do out there today,” man—of—the—match Stuart Broad said. “The way we did it was very professional and very ruthless. We value every test match.”

Pakistan team management had responded to the fixing allegations by cancelling the squad’s customary practice ahead of Sunday’s fourth day and instead giving the players a pep talk by coach Waqar Younis.

It didn’t work.

On a flat batting rack on which man—of—the—series Jonathan Trott and Broad each hit big centuries in a world—record eighth—wicket partnership of 332, Pakistan was dismissed for less than 100 for the fourth time in the series.

Swann excelled in the bowling attack, continuing to turn the ball into the batsmen, but England’s gritty comeback in its final test before starting the Ashes in Australia on Nov. 25 was unfortunately overshadowed by the allegations against Pakistan.

And although England rallied from perilous positions of 47—5 and 102—7 to set a formidable total, serious concerns remain over the form of England’s batsmen after four of the top eight fell without scoring and the openers made a total 23 between them.

Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing scam

The visiting Pakistan cricket team was on Sunday at the centre of a police investigation into allegations of match-fixing as a London-based Pakistani property developer was arrested after being secretly filmed accepting £150,000 from an undercover reporter posing as a middleman for a betting syndicate ahead of the Pakistan-England Test match at the Lord’s on Thursday.

Pakistan lost the match by an innings and 225 runs on Sunday - and with that the four-match series 3-1.

Footage from the film shows Mazhar Majeed (35) counting the money while telling a News of the World journalist that Pakistani bowlers would bowl three no-balls on the first day of the match on Thursday. Next day, three no-balls were bowled by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif exactly at the times he had predicted.

Scotland Yard confirmed Majeed’s arrest on suspicion of “conspiracy to defraud bookmakers’’.

“Following information received from the News of the World, we have arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers,” it said in a statement.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said four players, including captain Salman Butt, were interviewed by Scotland Yard officers.

“Scotland Yard detectives visited the team hotel where they took statements from [captain] Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal,” he said.

In a joint statement, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) denied speculation that any player or team official had been arrested.

According to NoW, Pakistani players were bribed to bowl no-balls.

“In the most sensational sporting scandal ever, bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif delivered three blatant no-balls to order,’’ it said in a front-page splash under the heading “Caught: Match-fixer trousers £150K as he rigs the England Test at Lord’s’’.

Majeed reportedly alleged that Butt and seven other Pakistani players were involved in match-fixing. In a conversation, secretly filmed in a West London hotel, Majeed is seen and heard telling the undercover reporter, “I'm going to give you three no-balls to prove to you firstly that this is what's happening. They've all been organised, okay? This is exactly what's going to happen, you're going to see these three things happen.

I'm telling you, if you play this right you're going to make a lot of money, believe me!”

The newspaper said: “Having already trousered a £10,000 upfront deposit, which he insisted had gone to the stars, Majeed eagerly counted out the £140,000 balance in bundles of crisp £50 notes. In return for their suitcase of money Majeed then calmly detailed what would happen - and when - on the field of play next day, as a taster of all the lucrative information he could supply in future.’’

At one stage Majeed reportedly boasted that “absolutely millions, millions” could be made by paying him up to £450,000 a time for information on matches, then placing bets on the fixed outcome. About the players, he said: “These poor boys need to. They're paid peanuts.”

Federer ready for any eventual clash with Nadal

Roger Federer has no fear of a potential dream final with Rafael Nadal at the US Open.

With the final Grand Slam of the season starting on Monday, the road to the title match is still more than a fortnight away. But the Swiss number two is boosted by last week’s Cincinnati Masters title, his fourth at the Midwest venue.

In addition, the 29-year-old with five Open titles has a loss in last year’s New York final to put behind him after dropping a 6-2 fifth set to Argentine Juan Del Potro. The Argentine is missing from the title defence as he heals slowly after wrist surgery, which has kept him away from the ATP since late January.

With fans at Flushing Meadows dreaming of a Federer-Nadal showdown — the elite pair have played one Grand Slam hard-court final (Australia 2009, won by Nadal) and last met in the 2010 Madrid title match on clay where the Spaniard also prevailed — the possibility remains well into the future.

Federer is not fussed either way. “I think it’s an advantage or disadvantage, depending on when you play against him,” he said of the rivalry, which has fascinated tennis for the last half decade.

“I was able to beat him two times (Madrid 2009 and Hamburg 2007).

“But I’ve also lost to him over ten times. It depends where you play him.” New York has all the attributes which suit Federer’s game on hard-courts, while Nadal has always struggled at the venue, his best finishes semifinals at the last two editions. Federer is keen for any eventual showdown.

“Unfortunately we hardly ever get a chance to play here in the States where conditions maybe suit me more. That’s the way it is,” he said.

“I think we get excited when we play each other, but I don’t think we miss each other when we don’t play. We’ve had that many matches against each other, and the matches are tough and gruelling on both of us.

“There’s a huge hype around it, which is also a bit exhausting at times.” But the Swiss, always a realist, is not getting ahead of himself: “Look, I hope I can play him at the Open. I don’t think it’s possible before the finals again, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Nadal has had a day or two of training with his uncle and long-time coach Toni, who prefers his summer down time during August, only arriving in time for the Open.

On a women’s side, world number one Serena Williams is missing due to a foot injury and ensuing surgery, which have yet to be fully explained. So Dane Caroline Wozniacki takes the top seeding.

Last year’s losing finalist to Belgian Kim Clijsters has dropped an off-court bombshell, saying in New Haven at this week’s WTA event that she hopes to enrol at Yale University for online course work to help take her mind off of tennis 24x7.

Belgium and Italian GP wins critical for title bid: Button

Reigning Formula One champion Jenson Button believes that he and McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton must perform well in Belgium this weekend, and again in Italy in a fortnight’s time, if they want to win the title this year.

"We know these next two races are important for us. They will suit us for one reason or another,” The Telegraph quoted Button, as saying.

"Our pace will be a lot closer and we need to make that count before we get back to high downforce tracks, but I’m very happy that these next two races have come at this point in the season,” he added.

The 30-year-old also insisted that it was imperative that the team finishes every race from here on to tackle the Red Bull challenge.

"They have made a few mistakes this season for whatever reason, but you can’t expect that to continue over the next seven races. We can’t sit back and wait,” Button said. "I have to finish every race, as consistency is important, but there is no point being consistently sixth. We have to be fighting with the Red Bulls, otherwise there is no chance,” he added.

Dilshan ton powers Sri Lanka to comfortable victory

Sri Lanka rode on Tillakaratne Dilshan’s century to clinch the tri-series title with an emphatic 74-run win over India here on Saturday, ending Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sequence of four consecutive series triumphs on Sri Lankan soil.

The hosts first amassed an imposing total of 299 for eight largely built around Dilshan’s (110) eighth ODI century and then shot out the visitors for 225 in 46.5 overs in a rather lop-sided contest.

The Indians paid the price for a sloppy bowling display which allowed the hosts to put up a big total on the board on what appeared to be a good batting track at the Rangiri Dambulla International stadium.

It turned out to be Dhoni’s first ODI series defeat on Sri Lankan soil, as the hosts had lost to India in four finals in the past two years at home, with the most recent being the Asia Cup in June.

The hosts lost a five-match bilateral series 3-2 in 2008 and another 4-1 in early 2009. Later that year India beat Sri Lanka in a tri-series also involving New Zealand.

While Dilshan, who notched up his maiden century on Sri Lankan soil, played a pivotal role in his team’s victory, captain Kumar Sangakkara (71) and Mahela Jayawardene (39) chipped in with useful contributions.

Chasing a stiff target of 300 for win, only Dhoni could provide some resistance with a gritty 87 while a few other batsmen like Virender Sehwag (28), Virat Kohli (37) and Suresh Raina (29) got the starts but could not make it count.

The Indian innings began on a disastrous note with Dinesh Karthik, who has been having a wretched time with the bat, being dismissed for a duck off Lasith Malinga.

Unfazed by the early loss of his opening partner, Virender Sehwag launched into the offensive with a flurry of boundaries picking up Nuwan Kulasekera and Angelo Mathews for special treatment.

But Sehwag’s belligerence was shortlived as he was run out trying to steal a non-existent leg bye, much to the disappointment of his teammates.

Sehwag survived a confident shout for leg before after he was hit on the pads by a Kulasekara inswinger but the appeal was turned down by the umpire. He then tried to steal a leg bye and turned back but it was too late by then to beat a direct hit.

The Indians then suffered another jolt when Yuvraj Singh also returned to the pavilion, falling prey to Thisara Perera with a ball which kicked up from short of length.

Virat Kohli, who was shaping up well, was accounted by Perera a few minutes later to reduce the visitors 109 for four in the 22nd over.

Raina, Dhoni steady innings

Captain Dhoni and Suresh Raina then tried to steady the ship by not taking too many risks as the asking rate climbed up to more than seven runs per over.

The duo added 49 runs for the fifth wicket before Raina (29), in a bid to accelerate the pace of scoring, went for a mighty heave but mistimed the shot and Dilshan took a well-judged catch at the cover region.

Earlier, electing to bat, it was not a fiery start for the hosts as both the Lankan openers took some time to settle down and opened up gradually to pile up the misery on the visitors.

There was a minor altercation between Dilshan and Munaf Patel, who collided with the batsman in the seventh over, but normalcy was restored after umpire Asad Rauf and Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni intervened and pacified the two players.

Dilshan was more agressive of the two openers, who raised the best opening partnership of the series so far by putting on 121 for the first wicket.

Ishant Sharma provided the breakthrough for the visitors by evicting the experienced Mahela Jayawardene (39) with Dinesh Karthik latching on to a well-judged catch.

Jayawardene reached forward and tried to wrist a length delivery across the line but only succeeded in spooning a catch to Karthik at the sweeper cover.

But his dimssal came only after he had achieved a personal milestone of completing 9000 runs in ODIs, becoming only the third Sri Lankan to achieve the feat after Sanath Jayasuriya (13,428 runs) and Aravinda de Silva (9824 runs).

Part-timer Yuvraj Singh then struck for his team by dismissing Upul Tharanga (6) who edged the ball to captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stump.

After the two quick wickets, Dilshan and captain Kumar Sangakkara re-built the innings by playing cautiously. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking by gentle nudges and pushes before unleashing some exquisite shots on both sides of the wicket.

The two batsmen piled up the runs with ease and with the Indian pacers struggling to check the run flow, the Indians badly missed the services of a specialist fifth bowler.

Dilshan, who slowed down in the 90’s, took two runs off Ishant to notch up his eighth ODI century and his first on Sri Lankan soil. It was his third ton against India.

Dilshan, however, could not survive for long after completing his century with Ishant Sharma taking a good catch on the boundary line off Praveen Kumar.

Munaf Patel then removed Sangakkara with Rohit Sharma taking the catch while Nehra accounted for Chamara Kapugedera (12) to slow down the scoring rate just a bit.

But a series of no-ball, wides and some lusty hitting by the late order batsmen in the slog overs ensured that Sri Lanka had a healthy total.

Aamer becomes most successful 18-year-old bowler

Eight months short of his next birthday, Pakistan’s Mohammad Aamer is already Test cricket’s most successful 18-year-old bowler.

Aamer produced a devastating display of late swing in the opening session of day two of the final Test at Lord’s on Friday to force another batting collapse by England and put his team in a strong position for the win it needs to draw the four-Test series.

Unlucky on day one when opener Alastair Cook successfully appealed an lbw decision to the third umpire, Aamer removed Cook with the third ball of the day and got rid of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan in a spell of four wickets for no runs in eight balls.

Aamer’s haul took him to 49 career wickets as England slumped from an overnight 39-1 to 47-5, leaving the left-arm paceman with figures of 4-29 at lunch.

It was only the fifth time in Test cricket that a team’s No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 batsmen had all been dismissed in the same innings without scoring - and the first time it has ever happened to England.

It could have been even worse for the home side, and better for Aamer, when Matthew Prior drove to gully for an apparent catch by Umar Amin.

But the substitute fielder acknowledged that he was unsure whether the ball had touched the ground before reaching his hands. With the umpires and third official Steve Davis unable to resolve the issue conclusively, Prior, in at seven and yet to score, survived.

England settled as the clouds thinned after midday and the sun dried the moisture from the air, but Aamer’s 28 wickets in six Tests in England - on a tour that included two matches against Australia - continues his record of dangerous performances in all conditions so far in his 13-month Test career.

He took 6-112 on his debut in Sri Lanka, managed seven wickets in three matches in New Zealand and took a second innings 5-79 to gut Australia’s middle-order in Melbourne in December.

Aamer has one wicket more than compatriot Waqar Younis managed before his 19th birthday 20 years ago.

England may not come across the sort of swinging deliveries sent down by Aamer when the team gets to Australia later this year, but the collapse backed up Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s assertion - and England captain Andrew Strauss’ admission - that something is amiss with the side.

Barcelona signs Mascherano

Spanish football champions Barcelona announced on Friday that they had reached an agreement with Liverpool “for the transfer of Javier Mascherano.”

Mascherano, 26, will fly into the Catalan capital this weekend to undergo medical checks and sign a four-year contract with Barca.

According to Spanish and English media reports, Barca will pay Liverpool around 22 million euros (27.96 million dollars) plus add-ons for the Argentina captain.

Barca has been looking for a defensive midfielder since selling Yaya Toure to Manchester City in July.

Mascherano is Barca’s third summer signing, following forward David Villa from Valencia and full-back Adriano from Sevilla.

In other Barca news, the Catalans are poised to sell striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to AC Milan, for around 40 million euros. The details of the deal are expected to be finalised on Friday.

Ibrahimovic, 28, appeared to realise last week that coach Pep Guardiola does not want him in his squad, despite his 21 goals last season.

Nadal to begin US Open quest against Gabashvili

Rafael Nadal will begin the quest for the US Open title he’s never won as the Spanish top-seed faces a first round clash with Russia’s Teymuraz Gabashvili.

Nadal, a semifinalist at the last two editions at Flushing Meadows, has yet to lift the trophy in New York, special preserve of rival Roger Federer, who bids for his sixth title in seven appearances with a start against Argentine Brian Dabul.

Federer will be aiming for his seventh straight final after losing the 2009 title match in a 6-2 final set against Juan Del Potro, recovering from wrist surgery months ago and unable to defend his title when play begins on Monday.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt squeezed onto the 32nd and final men’s seeding, which could pit him against Federer during the opening week.

Should Federer’s progress continue, he could face a quarterfinal with two-time Roland Garros finalist Robin Soderling, the fifth seed, in the quarterfinals and the possibility of third-seed Novak Djokovic in the semis.

Andy Murray, seeded fourth begins with Slovak Lukas Lacko. Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych faces an opening match with Frenchman Michael Llodra.

The women’s draw is wide open, with 2009 finalist Caroline Wozniacki and holder Kim Clijsters heading the seedings in the injury absence of Serena Williams.

Wozniacki starts with American wildcard Chelsey Gullickson, while Clijsters will test a recent hip complaint against Greta Arn of Hungary.

Psychological edge rests with Sri Lanka

The seamers have largely called the shots in a sub-continental ODI competition. It promises to be no different in the final of the Micromax tri-series here on Saturday.

Sri Lanka will enter the match with a psychological edge, having outplayed India in its last league game. However, India, riding on Virender Sehwag's firepower and some crafty bowling from the pacemen, beat New Zealand with plenty to spare. It will go into the summit clash with more belief.

The side batting first and putting runs on the board has an advantage in a title clash. The pressures of the chase under the lights can be hard on the batting side. The duel will be a test of nerve.

India has been overly dependent on Sehwag's brilliance. The blazing right-hander has scored 240 — precisely 41 per cent of all runs scored by India in the tournament. With a century and an unbeaten 99, he has been the batsman of the competition.

THE YAWNING GULF

The next highest individual score for India come from innings of 38 each from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. This reflects the gulf between Sehwag and the rest of the Indian batsmen.

Sehwag's methods in the competition have worked. His movement forward is essentially a half stride but he can still pull off strokes with great fluency because of his bat-speed and reflexes. And he makes it appear so simple, picking the length in a jiffy.

Sri Lanka is bound to target this marauder at the top of the order. As in its last league game where Nuwan Kulesekara won a marginal leg-before decision against Sehwag with an in-ducker, the Sri Lankan pacemen will attempt to bowl close to Sehwag's body, try to cramp him for room.

Bowling near the off-stump, moving the ball both ways and denying him width, is the only answer against Sehwag. Earlier in the tournament, the Sri Lankans overused the short-pitched delivery against the aggressive opener. These balls will have to be employed judiciously.

India has the option of asking Virat Kohli to open the innings ahead of Dinesh Karthik. In that scenario, Karthik might bat in the middle order.

CRUCIAL KNOCK

But then, both Karthik and Kohli, like the other young Indian batsmen, have been short of runs. If India chooses to look at recent history, it would find that Karthik made a crucial 66 as opener in the Asia Cup final against the host at the same venue.

That duel will bring back fond memories to the Indians. India notched up 268 and then Sri Lanka was dismissed for 187. However, this is another tournament with different dynamics.

Picking the off-colour Rohit Sharma again after leaving him out makes little sense. And it would not really be prudent to hand the left-handed Sourabh Tiwary a debut game in a cup final.

What the side requires is greater application from its frontline batsmen. Left-hander Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were dismissed attempting to pull the wrong deliveries against New Zealand on Wednesday. The stroke-selection has to be judicious.

As the collapse, both, before and after the vital fifth-wicket partnership between Sehwag and Dhoni showed, this Indian line-up can come apart in hurry.

Dhoni offers some depth to the side but India sorely misses a capable all-rounder at the crucial No. 7 slot. Ravindra Jadeja does not appear to be the answer.

HORSES FOR COURSES

The think-tank picked horses for courses against New Zealand and playing four pacemen is the right option in these conditions. If swing bowler Praveen Kumar strikes early, India can make deeper inroads.

Picking an off-spinner in R. Ashwin — the lanky bowler could extract bounce from the surface — could help India's cause. But then, the team-management has backed Jadeja in this tournament.

Sri Lanka has the stronger batting line-up. If its last league game is any indication, Sri Lanka will once again open with the influential Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene, pushing Upul Tharanga to either the No. 3 or the 4 slots.

Kumar Sangakkara is a big match player. The side has depth and hitting ability down the order with men such as Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera surfacing as the innings progresses.

The home side's pace attack can make serious dents. Lasith's Malinga's speed and swing is well supported by the two-way seam movement of Nuwan Kulasekara, Mathews and Perera.

This said, the Indian pace pack too was buzzing in the last match. Sparks could fly.

The teams (from): India: M.S Dhoni (capt), V. Sehwag, V. Kohli, S. Raina, Y. Singh, D. Karthik, R. Jadeja, P. Kumar, I. Sharma, A. Nehra, M. Patel, R. Sharma, P. Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, R, Ashwin,, S. Tiwary.

Sri Lanka: K. Sangakkara (captain), T. Dilshan, U. Tharanga, M. Jayawardene, C. Silva, C. Kapugedera, A. Mathews, N. Kulasekara, L.Malinga, S. Randiv, D. Fernando, T. Samaraweera, R. Herath, A. Mendis, T. Perera.