Hewitt in the know about Paris

Lleyton Hewitt has never won the French Open, but he still knows what it takes to conquer the toughest Grand Slam of all. On his last two appearances on the Paris red clay, the 26-year-old Australian has been defeated by the man who eventually went on to win the title.

In 2004, he was beaten by Argentina's Gaston Gaudio in straight sets in the quarter-finals while, last year, he took a set off Rafael Nadal before the Spaniard prevailed in the fourth round.

Hewitt, a former world number one and a Wimbledon and US Open champion, is seeded 14 at Roland Garros this year and is confident of making at least the fourth round where, once again, Nadal should be waiting.

Hewitt pushed Nadal all the way in the Hamburg Masters semi-finals, a performance which earned the praise of the 20-year-old French Open champion.

No Moody blues as Sri Lanka give him perfect farewell gift

World Cup finalists Sri Lanka gave their Australian coach Tom Moody an ideal goodbye on Tuesday as they beat Pakistan by 115 runs in their third and final one day international in Abu Dhabi.

Sri Lanka - whom Moody has been coach of since 2005 - made 296-9 off 50 overs while Pakistan could only muster 181 all out off 42.5 overs.

Pakistan - who crashed out of the World Cup in the first stage and whose coach Bob Woolmer died mysteriously shortly after they were sensationally beaten by minnows Ireland - still won the series 2-1.

Sri Lanka's innings was based round a 124 run partnership between skipper Mahela Jayawardene - who made 83 - and Chamara Silva (64) until Jayawardene was bowled by Mohammed Hafeez with the score on 225.

Pakistan - who arrived for the series without a new coach and with a new captain in Shoaib Malik - had the upper hand before that thanks to Ifthikar Anjum skittling out the top three Sri Lankan batsmen - including veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya for 19 - to leave them in trouble at 101-3.

The Pakistanis, however, never got any momentum going in their innings with just Shoaib producing any resistance of note as he stroked a superb unbeaten captain's innings of 79.

However, he was always facing an uphill battle once the Pakistanis were reduced to 70-6, not helping their cause with two of those being run outs.

Pakistan claim series win

Second One Day International

Abu Dhabi
Pakistan 313-9 Innings Complete (Salman Butt 74, Yasir Hameed 50) v Sri Lanka 215 (D P M D Jayawardene 61)
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 98 runs

Pakistan have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match one-day international series with Sri Lanka, beating their tourists by 98 runs in Abu Dhabi.

In only their second appearance since their disappointing World Cup first round exit, Pakistan posted an impressive 313 for nine in the first innings.

The bowlers then did their job, skittling Sri Lanka out for a measly 215 off 39.5 overs to claim a 98-run victory.

Shahid Afridi showed his capabilities as an all-rounder, backing up his match-winning knock in the first match with bowling figures of 3-37.

Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami and Umar Gul all chipped in with two wickets apiece as the World Cup finalists were given a tough time in Abu Dhabi.

Salman Butt (74) top-scored this time with the bat for Pakistan, while Yasir Hameed (50) was one of several players to contribute in the middle order.

Butt and Hameed put on 98 to set up the victory before the latter finally departed caught-and-bowled by Malinga Bandara.

When Butt eventually left the crease he also fell to a return catch, but Mohammad Yousuf ensured the innings kept its momentum with a quick 37.

After his batting heroics in the first encounter Afridi could only contribute a solitary run with the bat this time, but Sami weighted in with a rapid 22 to take the score past 300.

Bandara and Farveez Maharoof claimed the credit in the Sri Lankan bowling attack, taking 3-56 and 3-65 respectively.

Their reply started in blistering fashion, with 37 runs coming off the first five overs.

However, Chamara Kapugedera lost his middle stump and wickets continued to fall regularly from there.

Mahela Jayawardene's 61 provided the only real resistance but when he was bowled with the score on 188-7, the writing was on the wall.

Source

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in 1st ODI

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the 1st ODI here on Friday after a superb 73 off just 34 balls from Shahid Afridi.

He even managed to hit 32 off just one over for the second highest number of runs scored in an over, to convert what could have been a tough match into an easy victory with eight overs to spare.

Earlier, a half-century from Farvez Maharoof had helped put Sri Lanka on a final total of 235 for nine in the opening innings at the packed, Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Pakistan responded with half-centuries from both Kamran Akmal (51 no) and Shahid Afridi (73 no) on their way to 239 for five after just 42 overs.

Umar Gul had been the best bowler for Pakistan with three wickets though he managed to concede 14 runs on the final over as Maharoof went on his way to his unbeaten, 54-ball 69.

Shoaib Malik, captaining Pakistan for the first time, saw his side take the ascendancy early on as Sri Lanka were reduced to 103 for five after 26 overs.

The captain had had a good game, although he lost the toss and Sri Lanka chose to bat first.

Sri Lanka cricket team leaves for Abu Dhabi for Coach Moody’s last tour

May 15, Colombo: Sri Lanka cricket team left for Abu Dhabi today to play three one-day internationals with Pakistan. This is the last tour of the Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody who announced his resignation from the post yesterday.

Australian national Moody announced the resignation officially to the Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday after a half an hour discussion with the officials. His assistant Trevor Penny also handed over his resignation yesterday. Trevor’s contract lasts until the August this year while Moody’s two year contract ends this month.

Meanwhile former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu was not named to the Abu Dhabi tour. Vice captain Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vass also miss the tour due to commitments with English county cricket. Middle order batsman Malinda Warnapura and paceman Ishara Amarasinghe were taken in anew to the team while spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi and fast bowler Ruchira Perera have been recalled to the team.

Schedule:
Abu Dhabi ODI Series

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

(1stODI at Abu Dhabi, 05:30 PM, Fri, 18 May 2007)

(2ndODI at Abu Dhabi, 05:30 PM, Sun, 20 May 2007)

(3rdODI at Abu Dhabi, 05:30 PM, Tue, 22 May 2007)

Woolmer died of heart failure, not murder - report

Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer died of a heart attack and was not murdered, the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper reported Sunday, citing Scotland Yard sources.

Woolmer, 58, was found dead in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, the day after cricketing powers Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup in an upset loss to minnows Ireland.

But the Jamaican police said Sunday they are standing behind their belief that Woolmer was murdered.

"That will remain our position until such time as the results of the investigation are known; including the forensic and pathology analysis," said Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) director of communications Karl Angell in a news release.

Woolmer's death led to a fevered round of speculation. One theory was that his death was linked to match-fixing and illegal betting in cricket, and investigators from Britain and Pakistan were drafted in to help with the probe.

But the Jamaican Gleaner said that a pathology report submitted by Scotland Yard detectives stated that Woolmer "died of natural causes and not manual strangulation as was initially reported by Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields."

"The Scotland Yard report specifically said Woolmer died of heart failure, contradicting earlier reports by the investigative arm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and local pathologist, Dr Ere Sheshiah, who had conducted a post-mortem on Woolmers's body," the paper said.

The Scotland Yard findings "were disclosed last week during a meeting with Jamaica's Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields and Superintendent Colin Pinnace, who stopped over in London en route to South Africa" where they were heading to meet with Woolmer's family, it added.

Said Angell, "The speculation made in Sunday's newspapers is part of a series of unhelpful reports that have appeared in the media throughout the duration of this investigation," Angell continued in the release.

"The JCF is conducting an extensive and thoroughly professional investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Bob Woolmer.

"This has included a request to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in London to conduct a review of the investigation," the release further quoted Angell saying.

It was also reported on Saturday, that the Jamaican police were close to naming Woolmer's killer.

"The JCF would again urge the media to refrain from speculation because of the additional distress it places upon the Woolmer family and the fact that it can hinder the progress of the investigation," the release added.

Angell also disclosed that Shields and Deputy Superintendent Colin Pinnock have met with the Metropolitan Police review team and the pathology and forensic experts in London.

Angell also said police have departed for South Africa to brief Gill Woolmer and her family on the progress of the investigation.

In addition to their working relationship with Scotland Yard, Angell, said, "due to the open and transparent approach to the Woolmer investigation, the JCF has also welcomed assistance of the Pakistani authorities and INTERPOL."

THREE IN A ROW FOR NADAL

Rafael Nadal has secured his third straight Rome Masters title after defeating Fernando Gonzalez 6-2 6-2 in the final at the Foro Italico.

Not only did the win enable Nadal to equal Thomas Muster's record of three Rome titles, it also both marked his 13th consecutive title on clay and extended his winning streak on the surface to 77 matches.

On the strength of his display in defeating crowd favourite Filippo Volandri on Saturday, the sixth-seeded Chilean had been expected to offer more of a challenge to Nadal.

India clinch Bangladesh series

Gautam Gambhir hit a gutsy 101 as India defeated Bangladesh by 46 runs in the second one-day international here on Saturday to take a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The left-handed opener's second one-day hundred and an unbeaten 42 from captain Rahul Dravid fired India to 284-8 from 49 overs after they elected to take first strike.

Full scoreboard:

India:

V. Sehwag c Omar b Rasel 21

G. Gambhir b Rasel 101

M. Dhoni c Rahim b Rafique 36

Y. Singh c and b Rafique 24

R. Dravid not out 42

D. Mongia c Rafique b Razzak 17

D. Karthick lbw b Rafique 6

P. Chawla st Rahim b Razzak 1

R. Powar lbw b Mortaza 5

Zaheer Khan not out 9

Extras: (b1, lb7, w9, nb5) 22

Total (for eight wickets) 284

Fall of wickets: 1-43 (Sehwag), 2-130 (Dhoni), 3-174 (Yuvraj), 4-210 (Gambhir), 5-239 (Mongia), 6-251 (Karthick), 7-258 (Chawla), 8-273 (Powar).

Bowling: Mortaza 10-0-57-1 (nb3, w4), Rasel 10-1-49-2 (nb1), Razzak 10-0-59-2 (nb1, w5), Saqibul 7-0-40-0, Rafique 10-0-59-3, Aftab 2-0-12-0

Overs: 49

Bangladesh:

Javed Omar c Karthick b Zaheer 11

Tamim Iqbal run out 7

Aftab Ahmed b Powar 40

Saqibul Hasan c Dhoni b Zaheer 5

Mohammad Ashraful b Chawla 12

Habibur Bashar st Dhoni b Chawla 43

Mushfiqur Rahim c Karthick b Yuvraj 35

Mashrafe Mortaza c Sehwag b Yuvraj 42

Mohammad Rafique c sub (Uthappa) b Chawla 13

Abdur Razzak not out 9

Syed Rasel not out 4

Extras: (b4, lb2, w8, nb3) 17

Total (for nine wickets) 238

Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Tamim), 2-51 (Omar), 3-60 (Saqibul), 4-86 (Ashraful), 5-92 (Aftab), 6-151 (Mushfiqur), 7-176 (Bashar), 8-192 (Rafique), 9-230 (Mortaza).

Bowling: Zaheer 7-0-32-2 (nb3, w1), Patel 7-0-34-0 (w2), Chawla 10-0-37-3 (w2), Powar 10-1-32-1, Mongia 8-0-57-0, Yuvraj 7-0-40-2 (w3)

Overs: 49

India won by 46 runs

Toss: India

Umpires: Asoka De Silva (SRI) and Enamul Haque (BAN)

TV umpire: Akhtaruddin Shaheen (BAN)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

'Champagne bottles passed on to Woolmer by Ahmed'

In a new twist to the Bob Woolmer murder case, a Pakistani television channel on Thursday claimed that two champagne bottles which were reportedly mixed with poisonous substance were passed on to him by the Pakistan bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed.

Ahmed, who received the bottles from some other person, passed them to Woolmer, ARY TV quoted Pakistan's media manager for the World Cup, Pervez Mir as saying.

Mir said team manager, Talat Ali, was a witness to it.

According to reports in British media, some weed killer was mixed with the champagne bottles.

ARY TV reported that Ali and the Pakistan Cricket Board, (PCB) Chairman, Dr. Nasim Ashraf declined to comment on it.

According to the channel, Mir stated that Ahmed passed on the two bottles to Woolmer and only Ali and Ahmed knew the identity of the person who handed the bottles.

The bottles were recovered from the Pegasus hotel room of Woolmer who died under mysterious circumstances a day after Pakistan's shocking World Cup defeat at the hands of Ireland. The TV report also said that one bottle was empty and the other was not used.

Mir said Woolmer used to drink beer and he rarely consumed champagne.

Hobbling Dhoni flattens Bangladesh

Mahendra Dhoni battled leg cramps to hit an unbeaten 91 as India defeated their World Cup nemesis Bangladesh by five wickets in the first game of the three-match series here on Thursday.

honi and Dinesh Karthick (58 not out) put on a match-winning stand of 107 for the sixth wicket as the tourists, reduced to 144-5 chasing Bangladesh's 250-7, recovered to win with just six balls to spare.

The second match will be played on Saturday, followed by the third in the port city of Chittagong on May 15.

India will also play two Tests at Chittagong (May 18-22) and Dhaka (May 25-29).

Full scoreboard of the first one-day international between Bangladesh and India at the Sher-e-Bangla national stadium on Thursday:

Bangladesh:

Javed Omar run out 80

Tamim Iqbal c Sehwag b Mongia 45

Habibur Bashar c Gambhir b Powar 0

Saqibul Hasan st Dhoni b Mongia 50

Mohammad Ashraful b Mongia 29

Aftab Ahmed lbw b Sehwag 16

Mohammad Rafique c Karthick b Powar 11

Mushfiqur Rahim not out 1

Extras: (lb1, w13, nb4) 18

Total (for seven wickets) 250

Fall of wickets: 1-78 (Tamim), 2-78 (Bashar), 3-185 (Omar), 4-200 (Saqibul), 5-236 (Ashraful), 6-240 (Aftab), 7-250 (Rafique).

Bowling: Zaheer 7-1-54-0 (nb4, w6), Sreesanth 5-1-14-0 (w1), Patel 7-1-31-0 (w2), Powar 10-0-55-2, Mongia 10-0-49-3, Sehwag 8-0-46-1 (w4)

Overs: 47

India:

G. Gambhir lbw b Rasel 21

V. Sehwag c Saqibul b Rasel 30

M. Dhoni not out 91

Y. Singh c Razzak b Shahadat 1

R. Dravid c Razzak b Saqibul 22

D. Mongia c Aftab b Saqibul 17

D. Karthick not out 58

Extras: (lb4, w6, nb1) 11

Total (for five wickets) 251

Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Gambhir), 2-56 (Sehwag), 3-63 (Yuvraj), 4-112 (Dravid), 5-144 (Mongia).

Bowling: Rasel 9-0-66-2, Shahadat 7-0-43-1 (nb1, w2), Razzak 9-1-35-0 (w3), Rafique 10-0-47-0 (w1), Saqibul 9-0-43-2, Aftab 2-0-13-0

Overs: 46

India won by five wickets

Toss: Bangladesh

Umpires: Asoka De Silva (SRI) and Nadir Shah (BAN)

TV umpire: Akhtaruddin Shaheen (BAN)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

Mortaza worry for Bangladesh

Mortaza is suffering with back pain and is a doubt for the first the match in Dhaka - the first of three one-dayers between Bangladesh and India.

The hosts will give Mortaza every chance to prove his fitness for the clash but skipper Habibul Bashar knows it will be touch and go.

"We've decided not to announce our side today because we want to see if Masrafe improves finally," said Bashar.

Bangladesh enjoyed a fine World Cup, beating India by five wickets to dump them out of the tournament as The Tigers made the Super Eights.

After their performances in the Caribbean, Bashar now says that his side have the belief that they can match the big sides in the world.

"We have the belief that we can beat any team if we play to our potential," added Bashar.

"India is a good side and we can't afford to take them lightly just because we beat them in the World Cup. But playing at home is always an advantage."

Rahul Dravid's India side will also play two Tests as well as three one-dayers in Bangladesh, and after the turmoil following their World Cup exit they are desperate to bounce back.

"The heat will be a factor for both teams. We are quite used to it," said Dravid. "We look forward to getting on the park to play some good cricket.

"Bangladesh are obviously a very improved team and they showed that at the World Cup. They are very competitive, but we will be equal to the challenge.

"We want to put the disappointment of the World Cup behind us and move on."

HENIN CLAIMS WARSAW SUCCESS

Justine Henin won her third title of the season with a 6-1 6-3 victory against Alona Bondarenko in the final of the J&S Cup in Warsaw.

The final was delayed for 24 hours until Monday due to inclement weather but Henin wasted little time when play did get under way.

The Belgian needed just 61 minutes to crush her unseeded Ukrainian opponent in two one-sided sets and claim the 32nd title of her career.

Henin set the tone by securing a service break in the opening game and going on to race through the first set 6-1.

The second set was more competitive as Bondarenko recovered from dropping the first two games to level at 2-2.

But Henin saved three break points in the fifth game, reasserted control with a break of her own for a 5-3 lead, and then served out for victory.

Match Schedule: India tour to Bangladesh

SL.	Date	Team	Venue
1.	10/5/2007	Bangladesh vs India	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
2.	12/5/2007	Bangladesh vs India	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
3.	15/5/2007	Bangladesh vs India	Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong

Test Match Schedule:-

1.	18/5/2007	Bangladesh vs India	Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong
2.	25/5/2007	Bangladesh vs India	Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Murdered Pakistani coach Woolmer privately cremated

Slain Pakistani cricket team coach Bob Woolmer was on Friday cremated during a private family function in Cape Town, the family said.

"Yes, my father was cremated this morning (Friday). The service was held at Doves in Salt River at

"It was private and only family members attended,"

The body of Woolmer, who is believed to have been poisoned while at a World Cup in Jamaica, arrived in South Africa last Sunday, six weeks after his corpse was discovered in a Jamaican hotel room.

A public memorial service for the 58-year-old former South African coach, whose widow Gill lives in Cape Town's Pinelands neighbourhood, was held in the city last month.

Woolmer, who was born in Kanpur, India, was found dead in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, the day after Pakistan crashed out of the cricket World Cup in an upset loss to Ireland.

His body was held in legal limbo for weeks after an autopsy indicated the former England Test player had been strangled, but investigators have yet to make any arrests.

The Kingston coroner in charge of the case ruled that Woolmer's body could not be released until after an inquest that had been scheduled to begin on April 23 was completed.

Woolmer's death led to a fevered round of speculations. The most common theory is that his death was linked to match-fixing and illegal betting in cricket.

Some 30 police investigators are working full-time on the Woolmer case and more than 100 witness statements have already been taken.

Pakistan cut Shoaib's powers

New Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik will no longer have the final say on team selection, as his predecessor Inzamam-ul-Haq did.

The 25-year-old all-rounder was appointed skipper for the Test and one-day teams after Pakistan's World Cup humiliation at the hands of Ireland, and Inzamam's subsequent resignation.

And as the country seeks to institute measures to prevent another such disappointment in future, it has emerged that the captain's powers have been significantly reduced.

Whereas the selectors used to choose the squads, with the skipper and coach finalising the team, the selectors have now taken it upon themselves to pick the first XI as well.

Members of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will still consult with their captain about decisions, but the board will have the final say.

Former Test player Salahuddin Ahmed heads the new selection committee, which is aimed at reducing pressure on the captain.

The team manager, coach, captain and vice-captain will select teams whilst on tour though, but the manager will take principal responsibility for selection.

Source

Sachin Tedulkar Injured

Sachin Tendulkar has been injured in the nets preparing for India's tour of Bangladesh in May.

The 34-year-old batting great was a member of the Indian team that failed so dismally at the World Cup in the Caribbean, as the fancied pre-tournament side suffered a shock first round elimination.

Defeats to eventual runners-up Sri Lanka and the still emerging Bangladeshi team ended any hopes of glory and prompted mass demonstrations back home.

But as India prepare for their revenge mission away against the Tigers, their most experienced star has suffered an injury to his right ankle in practice.

Tendulkar was hit by a ball from paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and was treated by physio John Gloster before limping to the dressing room on Wednesday.

It is hoped that the world's fourth-highest Test run scorer will recover in time for the first Test on May 18, but medical tests and X-rays will reveal more.

The rest of the team will meanwhile, continue their training at the conditioning camp before the one-day series starts on May 7.

Batsman Sourav Ganguly has also been left out of the one-day set-up, as India look to avenge their limited-overs defeat in Bangladesh in December 2004.

Source

Was this the worst Cricket World Cup ever?

According to Ashish Chadha Senior News Editor -India "Memorable moments in this World Cup? You might be kidding. This is the worst ever World Cup tournament. Bob Woolmer's murder, pathetic displays by India and Pakistan, mediocre show by almost every top rated team, lopsided matches, organization, production and above all - the FINAL farce. Everything made this World Cup the most forgettable event ever. But if any thing appealed me, and it will be in memory forever, was obviously Australia lifting the cup for the third consecutive time. Their dominance, aggression, hunger to do well and commitment is always pleasing to watch. Another memory which I will take from this World Cup was the unprecedented fielding standards of the teams - obviously India and Pakistan excluded from this list. Overall again, disappointing event, so better we forget it."