Pakistan vs New Zealand 2009/10

Oct, 18 2009: The Pakistan selectors will meet on October 22 to finalise Pakistan’s squad for next month’s limited-overs series against New Zealand in the UAE. However, there are two key issues to be sorted out before the final list is announced for the three ODIs and two Twenty20 games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to be played between November 3-13.

Younis Khan’s availability to lead Pakistan in the three ODIs in Abu Dhabi is under a cloud as is fast bowlerMohammad Asif’s comeback, and whether he will be cleared by the UAE authorities to play in the series.

“We will have a meeting of the selection committee on October 22 after which we will name the team for the series against New Zealand,” Iqbal Qasim, told the News.

Qasim was unsure whether Younis will be taking part in the series, and would wait for an announcement by Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, regarding the issue. Younis resigned as captain earlier this week following match-fixing accusations during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand. Butt though, refused to accept the decision and is expected to make a ruling on the captaincy issue tomorrow after holding talks with Younis.

Asif, returned to the national team during the Champions Trophy, after serving a one-year ban for doping. He was also deported from Dubai last June after being detained their over possession of a banned drug.

Qasim said he was yet to receive any instructions from the PCB regarding Asif. “We are expecting a word from the PCB regarding Asif before our meeting next week and will take a decision about him accordingly. Asif a match-winning bowler. He is bowling well in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and is an automatic choice for the Pakistan team.”

According to PCB officials, a decision on whether Asif can play in UAE will be made next week. Wasim Bari, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said the board was still awaiting a reply from the authorities on its request for clearance for Asif. The PCB in fact, had sought ICC’s assistance to get Asif cleared for the series against New Zealand.

Asif was barred from entering the UAE after he was detained in Dubai for 19 days last June for allegedly possessing opium when he was returning home after featuring in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was later released without being charged but he was deported from Dubai, which means he cannot travel to the desert state.

Asif was handed a Rs 1-million fine by the PCB for his Dubai misadventure after the IPL drugs inquiry tribunal banned him for a year for failing a dope test. However, the one-year ban was back-dated to September last year, thereby making him eligible for the Champions Trophy.

Richmond Olympic Oval track record Broken

18-10-2009:- METRO VANCOUVER — As swaggering boastfulness goes, it was about 18 levels below Tyson-esque.

Then again, Canadian athletes have never been noted for unrestrained chest-thumping bravado.

So it was with understated simplicity and an almost sheepish grin — so Canadian, eh — that long track speed skater Christine Nesbitt speculated on what the international buzz might be after she and two teammates broke the Richmond Olympic Oval track record on Sunday for the women's 1,500.

"I think they'll be scared, so that's cool," said the London, Ont., product after posting a time of one minute, 56.89 seconds in winning the distance at Speed Skating Canada's fall World Cup selection trials. "It's nice to keep everyone on their toes."

Cool? Nice? Is she throwing down the gauntlet or one of those soft red Olympic mittens?

Given the sea-level oval's reputation as a relatively slow track and the fact the season has barely started, Nesbitt's time was a bit of a surprise.

"I hope I'm not peaking right now," cracked the 24-year world champion at 1,000 metres. "I've been getting better technically . . . and I was able to be more efficient at the start of the race so I could hold it together better at the end. I've never had a track record before. It's exciting."

The official record at the 2010 Olympics venue was the 1:58.66 that German star Anni Friesinger clocked last March at the world single distance championships. Unofficially, it was the 1:57.75 Kristina Groves of Ottawa clocked in that same race. Groves, however, was disqualifed for barely clipping one of the lane pucks in a turn.

With an appreciative crowd of about 1,500 on hand Sunday, Groves went 1:57.03 in a blisteringly fast pairing with Brittany Schussler of Winnipeg (1:58.13).

Nesbitt was next up.

"I was like, 'Sick!' I was maybe a little bit worried there for a second, then when I was on the line it was 'Calm down. You're already pre-qualified, it doesn't matter. Just go and do what you planned on doing.' So I refocussed on myself and it worked."

Shannon Rempel of Winnpeg, paired with Nesbitt, was fourth in 2:00.54 and veteran Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg, who is on the comeback trail after knee surgeries, fifth in 2:00.69 to claim the final two spots for the fall World Cups.

"Our team is so strong, especially the women in the middle distance right now, the best that we've ever been," said Nesbitt. "At the Olympics, obviously I'd like to win, but it would be sweet if there was a Canadian sweep in a few distances at least."

Klassen, a winner of five medals at the 2006 Olympics, was relieved to get the placing she needed to ensure she'll be skating at least one distance on the World Cup circuit. It starts with all-distance stops in Berlin and Heerenveen, Netherlands, early next month.

"The girls were just flying," said Klassen. "I'm so impressed with how fast they skated and it's looking good for our team. Breaking a track record this early in the season is very impressive. I've got my work cut out for me if I want to catch up to them."

Nesbitt said that with things settling down inside the oval and the ice-makers getting more experience, the ice is getting faster. "And it'll be faster at the Olympics."

The women weren't the only ones to find the ice to their liking.

Denny Morrison of Fort St. John won the men's 1,000 metres in 1:09.91, only. 0.95 slower than the winning time of American Trevor Mariscano at the worlds.

Morrison, who already pre-qualified for the World Cup circuit based on last season's results, said he felt a "little flat" after racing a pair of 500 metre races on Saturday.

"My hip flexors weren't as quick and I was a little sluggish, so I was pretty happy with the time given that I never really had that snap. To be skating this fast at this time of year, I'm way ahead of where I was last year."

Veteran sprint star Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, who shockingly failed to qualify for the World Cup team in the 500 on Saturday, did bounce back Sunday to claim a 1,000 metre spot by placing fourth in 1:10.70.

"I wasn't too happy with how it went yesterday, but today was a big step," said Wotherspoon, who won nine of 10 World Cup 500s in 2007-08.

Wotherspoon, admittedly not in top form after missing nearly all last season after fracturing his left arm in the opening race, says he won't go to the first World Cup in Berlin and is uncertain about skating in Heerenveen.

"All that racing and travelling before [Olympic team] trials [in late December] could be a bit too much," he said.

The trials continue today at 1 p.m. with the women's 1,000 and 3,000 and the men's 1,500.

Women's soccer team drops tough game to Vandy

19-10-2009:- The pink and white shakers given to fans at Sunday’s Alabama-Vanderbilt women’s soccer game to promote the UA athletics department’s breast cancer awareness initiative could not have served as a greater contrast to the game’s somber result for Alabama, as the Crimson Tide lost 1-0 in an overtime battle.

In the two teams’ previous 16 meetings, the Commodores had won 11 times. Alabama’s loss comes after a thrilling victory over Kentucky Friday.

“As good as we were Friday night, we were as bad today,” said head coach Todd Bramble. “The energy, the emotion just wasn’t there. It was empty. We were flat.
Vanderbilt deserved to win.”

The Commodores had 14 shots on goal in regulation, while the Tide only had six. Vanderbilt goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel didn’t even have to make a save throughout regulation or overtime.

“Their effort and energy was inexcusable,” Bramble said. “To have an opportunity at home like this and to come out and put the type of effort that they did in the game was just really disappointing, and I let them know that [at the end of regulation], hoping it would get them angry and evoke some kind of emotion that would end up being a positive for us.”

A stat that the Tide did outnumber Vanderbilt in was fouls. Counting overtime, Alabama had 14 fouls to Vanderbilt’s seven.

“We could have been more patient with the fouls we received,” said senior defender Alex Butera. “I mean, it’s not my call to say I agree or not. It’s the ref’s decision whether I like it or not. Did I agree with every call? Probably not, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
There’s things you can’t control. You have to play the game the way it hands you.”

But the Tide doesn’t seem to be dwelling on the loss as they prepare for another SEC match at home versus Tennessee Sunday.

“We just have to come out strong as we did on Friday night with a lot of enthusiasm and intensity,” Butera said. “I think that’s what gets this team motivated, and I think putting one goal away in the beginning and getting more energy and excited and have a good week of training will help.”

PCB WILL DECIDE ABOUT YOUNIS KHAN ON MONDAY

18-10-2009:- The Pakistan Cricket Board will announce on Monday whether Younis Khan continue as captain of the Test and ODI sides or a new skipper will take over.
PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt is due to address a press conference immediately after concluding a meeting of the governing council in Lahore in which he is expected to inform the members what he plans to do.

Pakistan cricket has plunged into a crisis since last week when Younis submitted his resignation to Butt, in protest against the match-fixing allegations made against him and his team for losing to Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

The crisis has also created a clear divide in Pakistan cricket with one side pressurising the board to accept Younis' resignation and opt for a new captain while the other side believes the board should convince Younis to take back his resignation by accepting some of his demands.

The anti-Younis camp is propagating that if the board does not accept his resignation, it might lead to an open revolt by around eight to nine players in the team against his captaincy.

The anti-Younus side also took great pains to point out that Younus exit would have no political repercussions with Sports Minister Aftab Shah Jillani making it clear that the government would not interfere in the matter.

Sports Betting Preview: CONMEBOL Qualifying: Uruguay vs. Argentina

All of the marbles for World Cup qualifying are on the line on Wednesday in South America, where two teams with hopes of advancing to soccer's grandest stage hook up in a huge soccer betting clash. Argentina (7-4-6, 25 points) will travel to Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to duke it out with Uruguay (6-6-5, 24 points). Should either side take three points from this World Cup wagering qualifier, it will advance to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. A draw will most likely be good enough for Argentina to qualify, but that isn't a certainty. Should Ecuador net three points and a slew of goals against Chile on Wednesday, it will qualify in place of either Argentina or Uruguay in the event of a draw between the two sides. The loser of this match will hang on to slim hopes of reaching the Finals via a playoff with the 5th place team from the CONCACAF region, but Ecuador can sneak into that #5 position in the CONMEBOL table still as well.

Last Saturday, Uruguay knocked off Ecuador 2-1 on the road to put itself in the driver's seat for a spot in the World Cup. The victory surely didn't come without a challenge though. The Uruguayans fell behind 1-0 in the 67th minute when Antonio Valencia netted a goal, but that was promptly answered just a minute later by Luis Suarez for the visitors. Uruguay's soccer betting fans were sent into a frenzy in the 90th minute when leading scorer Diego Martin Forlan blasted a penalty past the Ecuadorian keeper for his seventh goal of these qualifiers to secure the 2-1 upset.

Argentina wagering aficionados had their moment in the sun last Saturday as well. Famed Argentine striker and current manager Diego Maradona called Martin Palermo's stoppage time minute strike a "miracle" for his team. Soccer wagering in that match took a turn for the worse earlier in the 90th minute when Hernan Renigifo scored for Peru to knot the match at a goal apiece, but Palermo's blast pushed Argentina into fourth place in CONMEBOL and assured that it controlled its own destiny heading into its final futbol betting battle before the World Cup.

The oddsmakers are having a difficult time lining this World Cup betting contest. Uruguay has been lined at pk -125 on the Asian handicap line, making it a slender favorite. It is +150 on the three-way line to capture three points. Argentina is +180, while the draw is +225. The soccer gambling 'total' has been set at 2.5 over +100.

National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports puts Pakistan cricket in crisis

lahore: Pakistan cricket has plunged into fresh crisis as Younis Khan has resigned from captaincy. The drama took place in Islamabad on Tuesday during a National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports hearing that was held to discuss the performance of the national team in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa. Pakistan’s close one-wicket loss to Australia in a group match and their defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the semi-final by five wickets sparked allegations from a parliamentarian that the team threw the matches and under-performed deliberately.

This obtuse show started with a report in the Indian newspaper after Pakistan’s semi-final loss to the Black Caps and Younis’ crucial dropped catch off Grant Elliot. The bizarre Indian report hinted at match-fixing. The International Cricket Council (ICC) immediately cracked down on the report and though it was retracted the next day, but in Pakistan it was blown out of proportion in the following days without any sanity and logic.

Younis submitted his resignation during the hearing to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt, protesting the statement made by standing committee chairman Jamshed Dasti, who had made the allegations before retracting them and saying that he had been misunderstood. Dasti, however, summoned the team management including the captain and coach Intikhab Alam for the hearing to ‘clear the air’. To call the PCB officials and team skipper was perhaps the most illogical decision. Dasti’s allegations, retraction and the so-called hearing clearly showed that how much he loves to be in the limelight.

Younis refused to take back his resignation despite persuasion by Ijaz. Younis, who had taken strong exception to the allegations, had insisted that their last-ball win against Australia that closed the doors on India’s chances in the Champions Trophy was not fixed. He had also refuted claims that Pakistan had thrown away their semi-final game against New Zealand. Younis said he led the team with an injured finger and felt disappointed at being summoned for investigation. “I set an example and led the team from the front despite having my finger injured.” Intikhab, who was also present at the meeting, blamed the Indian media for raking up the controversy. “It was an emotional decision on the part of Younis to tender his resignation. It was a propaganda by Indians. We have rejected match-fixing allegations,” said Intikhab. The PCB chief said the 31-year-old captain’s resignation was rejected and the matter would be discussed later. “At this stage I can only say if he sticks to his decision then his resignation will be discussed by the Governing Council of the board at its next meeting on October 19,” Ijaz said.

The development has been criticised by former players, who blame it on political interference and called it a blow to the sport in the country. “Politicians have no need to interfere in cricket and they have not only snatched our captain but have damaged the game badly,” former captain Ramiz Raja said. “Our honourable captain was insulted by the investigation and we acted on baseless allegations.”

Another former captain Rashid Latif blamed the media and the PCB. “I think the media was irresponsible by relaying an inauthentic statement by someone and Younis, being an honourable man, resigned over that. I don’t see him taking his decision back,” he said. Former captain Aamir Sohail termed Younis’ decision ‘emotional’. “Younis has acted in haste and with emotion. The Pakistan team needs him and he shouldn’t have felt so strongly about the investigation. This is very common in Pakistan, so he should withdraw his resignation,” said Sohail.

Younis has a history with captaincy. He once stepped down from his role as stand-in skipper, days before the 2006 Champions Trophy, because he was unhappy with the board administration over a number of seemingly trivial issues. Once the administration changed, however, he took up the role again. A few months later, after the 2007 World Cup and Inzamamul Haq’s resignation, he turned down the captaincy claiming later that the environment and circumstances at the time were not right for him to take it up. He only took over as full-time captain in February this year, after Shoaib Malik was pushed aside.

Australia to assist in India's hockey revival

NEW DELHI: Australia will train promising Indian field hockey players to enable the beleaguered former champions regain their old glory, the Australian foreign minister said on Wednesday.

India, eight-time Olympic gold medallists, failed to qualify for the Beijing Games last year for the first time since field hockey was introduced as a medal sport in 1928.

Minister Stephen Smith, currently visiting India, said a male and female player, along with a coach, will receive two-week training at the renowned Institute of Sports and Hockey Facility in Perth.

‘India is one of the premier hockey playing nations and we are sad that India failed to qualify for Beijing Olympics,’ Smith told reporters after visiting the national hockey stadium in the Indian capital.

‘All hockey playing nations, including Australia, want India to return to its historic place as a great hockey playing nation,’ the Press Trust of India quoted Smith as saying.

Australia, who won their maiden Olympic title in Athens in 2004, took home a bronze in Beijing and are currently second in the world rankings behind Germany.

Mushataq Recommend Afridi as Pakistan Captain

Former Pakistani leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has said the PCB should replace Pakistan captain Younis Khan with all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

"I think, it would be better if the PCB change the captain (Younis Khan) and give the responsibility to Afridi. As Younis himself has said it does not bother him if he is not the captain and he is willing to play as a senior member of the side," The News quoted Mushtaq, as saying.

Mushtaq's comments came a day after Afridi met with PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt to review the team's performance in the Champions Trophy.

In November, Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match one-day series against New Zealand [ Images ] in Abu Dhabi and two Twenty20 [ Images ] matches in Dubai.

Mushtaq feels that it is high time that Afridi should be given the responsibility of captaincy.

"Afridi is one of those players, who, if given extra responsibility of captaincy will also raise his individual game. We saw that happen in the Champions Trophy tie against the West Indies when he put his head down and batted with responsibility," Mushtaq said.

"The team needs to play more positively without fear and Afridi can bring that element to the team.

He also Added that "Besides, as a senior player and vice-captain he is not bothered about seeking advice from other players. That is sign of a good captain,".

Younis Khan Resignation To PCB

Dubai: Pakistan skipper Younis Khan has quit as captain of the Pakistan team following allegations that he had fixed the match against New Zealand and Australia in the just concluded Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Khan was summoned before the National Assembly with accusation that he deliberately lost the matches. According to information, Khan has submitted the resignation to Ejaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during the hearing of the assembly.

The PCB is yet to officially announce that Khan has resigned.

Turkey's World Cup dreams run dry

Turkey's World Cup hopes came crashing down to the dust on Saturday, first as Bosnia and Herzegovina trumped Estonia to boost its hold on second place in the group standings and then in a humiliating 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Belgians at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Coach Fatih Terim announced after the loss that he would step down after Wednesday night's match against Armenia in Bursa.

By the time they started suiting up in Brussels, the Turkish side had learned that Bosnia, ranked number two in the group and four points ahead of Turkey, was leading Estonia 1-0, but the Turks already had to win no matter what, so the score in a match still under way didn't make a critical difference.

Everyone knew their fate rested only partially in their own hands and that making the numbers add up to a chance at qualifying depended on a chain of wins for them and losses for others. But it's quite another thing to learn that your chances are nil. Coach Terim said word of Bosnia's win over Estonia thus fell like a bombshell in the locker room at halftime during the national squad's match against Belgium. Still, champions don't make excuses like that.

All this disappointment comes just two years after the announcement of team groupings for Europe made Turks ecstatic. Talk about a hat-trick, the names that came out of the hat to disclose the composition of Group 5 looked like proof of divine love. How could we fail to qualify against second-rate powers like Bosnia, Estonia, Belgium and Armenia? Spain, OK, we could accept them as respectable second-place finishers, even grant them the group lead if absolutely necessary.

Now Spain has gone undefeated in the qualifying round, winning all nine of its games, while Turkey has shown remarkably lackluster performance for a would-be king. So how did it all come to this, that Turks must participate in next year's tournament in South Africa only as spectators? Soccer fans across the country are trying to understand what went wrong with Turkey's bid to qualify for the World Cup. Can we blame the coach? Was it fate? Bad luck?

Malik never blamed team management

KARACHI: Fearing disciplinary action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shoaib Malik has backtracked on his criticism of the team management, saying his comments on constant shuffling of the side’s batting order were misunderstood

In an interview, Malik said he never meant to hurt anyone or be critical about the team management.

‘That was never my intention. I just spoke on a pure cricketing matter with a point of view of giving some positive input but my statement came out the wrong way,’ he said. Malik’s statement comes after the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said the senior batsman’s comments were being reviewed. ‘I am reviewing what Malik has had to say and will take a decision on it by Monday,’ Ijaz told reporters in Lahore. Malik had made it clear that he would no longer like to open the innings or bat at number three in future and felt the team management created uncertainty among the players by shuffling the batting order a lot. The former Pakistan captain has now clarified that he never meant to violate the PCB’s code of conduct. Malik said he did express his displeasure over the continuous shuffling of batting order in the ICC Champions Trophy but it didn’t meant that he had any axe to grind with the captain or the coach. ‘I am totally satisfied with Younis Khan’s captaincy and will continue to support any decision of the team management,’ he said. ‘I am always available to bat at any position if my team needs me to do this. But what I meant to say was there should be no unnecessary shuffling of the batting order as it disturbs the players,’ he added. Malik insisted he was a team man and as a senior player would continue to support the captain and coach. ‘I am a team man and if my team needs me to bat at a certain position I will do it in future also,’ he said.—Agencies

Younis claims about his fitness to play against New Zealand

Karachi: Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan is uncertain about playing in the series against New Zealand starting next month in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Wasim Bari told mediapersons that Khan would soon meet board chairman Ijaz Butt and brief him about his finger injury that he sustained just before the ICC Champions Trophy.

"Younis knows best about his injury. He would be meeting us next week after which it will be decided whether he would be playing in the series against new Zealand," The News quoted Bari, as saying.
Pakistan will be playing three One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches in the series.

Khan played three matches in the Champions Trophy matches despite suffering the injury.

Unconfirmed reports said that the PCB has decided to sack Khan from captaincy of the national squad and appoint vice-captain Shahid Afridi to the post.

Bari,however, has rejected the speculations.

Younis Khan’s captaincy came under attack from various quarters following the loss against New Zealand in the Champions trophy semi-final.

The loss against the Kiwis also sparked off a match-fixing controversy where both captain and coach Intikhab Alam were accused of losing the matches against Australia and New Zealand in the elite eight-nation tournament ‘deliberately’.

Cricket World Cup 2011 PCB is Against Playing Matches in India

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is against playing its matches in India during the 2011 World Cup, and has reportedly asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its matches to Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

Sources said PCB chief Ijaz Butt, during the recent ICC executive board meeting, had apprised the game's governing body regarding its stance.

Champions League 2009

"Even the ICC is aware of the tense relation between the two countries and not keen to take any risks. Pakistan has also indicated it would be more comfortable playing maximum number of matches in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh," The Nation quoted PCB insiders, as saying.

Butt, however, has expressed the hope that the soured relationship between India and Pakistan would improve by 2011 World Cup, but made it clear that it will follow the government's directives on allowing players to visit India.

"We will do whatever the government tells us to do in this regard. But hopefully by 2011 relations between the two countries would have improved quite a bit," Butt said.

The ICC had recently announced the groupings of the 2011 World Cup, saying the schedule and venues of the matches will be finalized by next year.

'India had a hand in Pakistan's defeat against Kiwis'

While India is placed in Group B along with South Africa, England and the West Indies. Pakistan will be in 'Group A' along world champions Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada.

Netherlands, Ireland and Bangladesh are also in Group B.

Olympic athletes to be monitored for corrupt betting

COPENHAGEN — The International Olympic Committee is setting up a new system to watch for corrupt betting practices linked to Olympic competitions.

It's scheduled to be in place for the 2010 Vancouver Games. The monitoring program is part of broadening efforts in sports to tackle irregular betting and match-fixing.

A new Swiss company, International Sports Monitoring, will watch betting at the Vancouver Olympics in February and the 2012 London Olympics. It will get information on betting patterns from 400-450 oddsmakers, betting firms and lotteries and flag any irregularities for investigation.

Athletes at Vancouver will be educated about the new program. All those accredited for the games, including athletes, are barred from betting on Olympic competitions.

At last year's Beijing Games, the IOC used a system set up by FIFA for soccer to watch for irregular betting on Olympic competitions. The monitoring found that a wide array of bets were offered for all Olympic sports, but that bets laid were generally small — between $7 to $70, the IOC says. It says there were no cases of irregular betting.

"The results of the monitoring were very encouraging, there was not much betting," IOC member Thomas Bach told The Associated Press on Sunday. "There was not a single bet where the alarms started ringing.

"If it happens, it is too late, so we want to be pro-active and to avoid any kind of match-fixing."

UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, is investigating 40 cases of suspected match-fixing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, mostly involving eastern European clubs. The matches being scrutinized for suspicious betting patterns involved early qualifying games that took place over the last four seasons. Fifteen matches were played in the last two years.

UEFA has beefed up its warning system to protect against illegal betting and match-fixing, and started a special investigation to clamp down on the problem. Tennis also has a unit to investigate suspected corruption.

The senior vice president of the World Lottery Association, Risto Nieminen, told the AP that the problem of match-fixing and irregular betting in sports "is far more serious than people understand."

"It's a much larger threat to sport than doping," said Nieminen, whose association groups state lottery and gaming organizations from 76 countries. "It is really worrying. I think the most worrying part is if there is a connection to organized crime."

The IOC first noticed internet bets being offered on Olympic competitions, mainly track and field, at the 2004 Athens Games. It formed a group to study the issue and in 2006 formalized rules banning all those with accreditation from betting on Olympic competitions. Athletes suspected of involvement in gambling can be called before a disciplinary commission.

New Zealand need one more team performance

If ever in cricket a side has decisively shifted the emphasis from the individual battles that form each contest to the more collaborative jousts that shape the broader battle, it is New Zealand. They've had great individuals to be sure, but more times than not, their triumphs have been built on a number of smaller, lesser celebrated individual wins, especially the modern-day New Zealand. If not always an attractive or thrilling trait, it is an endlessly admirable one.

How on earth have they managed to get to the final of this, the most competitive Champions Trophy? Every game they have played after their opening loss to South Africa they have had to win. Every game since, they have won. Almost every game has wrought some serious toll on their squad, now almost unrecognisable from the one that landed here. And Daniel Vettori inside, they have no player in either the top five run-getters or wicket-takers of the tournament.

But right through their path lie scattered vital contributions here, there and everywhere; Jesse Ryder and the top and lower order against Sri Lanka, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Shane Bond and Grant Elliott against England, Vettori, Ian Butler, Elliott again against Pakistan. When - and if at all - they hand out medals to the side after this is over, there will be no shortage of men standing tall.

Only the captain has been a man apart, a giant among giants. He has an embedded slacker cool about him, so if you saw him jamming with the early 90s Beck somewhere he wouldn't seem out of place. In a way more stable than it seems, he's been many things over two weeks; brooding, spiky, witty, intelligent and understated. The beard and deep voice adds gravitas, but his performances haven't needed it. He has scored runs when they have needed scoring and his bowling has been so good it's hardly been noticed.

"Basically the reason we have come so far is because we've had team performances," said Vettori, a day before he leads his side out against Australia at Centurion. "The whole time a number of guys have stepped up and allowed us to win. While we may not have had too many stars in the tournament, if you look at every game, we've had six to seven guys step up and really perform."

They will need that and then some in the final. Aura or not, no team is looking as monstrously impressive as Australia currently. Historically and famously, New Zealand have upped their game against Australia but that theory has been ground to dust recently, in fact, turned on its head: in the last five years, Australia have won 18 of 27 games against New Zealand. Vettori knows it.

"We've been poor as of late against them," he said. "We got a 2-2 result in the Chappell-Hadlee series but before that we haven't played as well as we can. Probably we've had a reputation for getting up against them but the results haven't been there. We're hoping we can call on that form from our first two games from that series but we know Australia is a pretty impressive side and they've hovered around that top ranking for a long time."

Other factors will be up against them as well, just in case nobody thought Australia was enough of an obstacle to triumph. They played the second semi-final and so have one day's rest less. Vettori admitted that the win over Pakistan was exhausting. Not having played at Centurion since their opening game could also possibly be a disadvantage. And a bit of the battle will be against the self.

New Zealand have been, for the longest time, honest semi-finalists. This is their first big tournament final since the 2000 Champions Trophy and that was the only other time they made a final in a global event. "I think you have achieved what you set out to achieve but once you reach that level you realise there is immense desire to go all the way," said Vettori. "There's no relief in the camp and after the win last night, it was all about how we are going win tomorrow as opposed to it's great we made it. It's pleasing for me as captain to hear those sentiments and make sure we put it in practice tomorrow."

They will be up against it tomorrow, but they have survived and thrived on that through this tournament. They have done it so long as a cricket nation, it is probably a default setting. But in this tournament, the real surprise would be if there was no surprise at all tomorrow at Centurion.

Sports stars in Taliban attack

Sports legends Andrew Flintoff and Gary Lineker were caught up in a Taliban attack as they made a troop visit in Afghanistan, it has emerged.

The cricket hero and TV presenter were in a forces dining room when an alarm warned of rocket fire - sending them and the other soldiers diving for cover.

The pair were at Kandahar air base to hand out an award for the Mirror Pride of Britain awards, the ceremony for which takes place later.

Ashes winner Flintoff, 31, who was using crutches after knee surgery, said: "I thought it was a wind-up but then I saw everyone dive to the floor. It was scary."

Recently-married Lineker, 48, added: "Hearing that alarm really brought home what's going on. You take your hat off to these guys here."

They handed the Pride of Britain award to Army medic Cpl Holly Percival, 24, on behalf of staff at Camp Bastion - the main UK forces base in the country. Four medics from her regiment have been flown home with serious injuries after tending to troops in the field.

Recalling some of the people she has treated, Cpl Percival, from Watford, said: "One guy lost a leg and others had blast injuries, gunshot wounds, heat injuries and broken legs and I was having to treat them while being shot at.

"I remember lying on the desert floor and a bullet went past my ear. I thought I was going to die."

Flintoff and Lineker chatted to troops and tried out some of their equipment during their visit. After the rocket attack alarm was sounded, the all clear was given 30 seconds later.

Flintoff added: "It's been humbling and has put my life into perspective. I play cricket for my country - but then you come here and meet people of 18 fighting for their country."

Sports in Brief: Stewart gains ground in Chase

Tony Stewart posted his fourth win of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, capturing the Price Chopper 400 yesterday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
The two-time series champion moved up one spot in the standings to fourth in the Chase for the Championship.

Mark Martin, the pole-sitter, finished seventh and maintained his lead in the standings. He is up by 18 points over three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish to win Formula One's Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

Vettel finished ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Tamika Catchings had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists as the Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury, 86-85, in the WNBA Finals in Indianapolis. Indiana leads the best-of-five series, two games to one, with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday.

OLYMPICS: The cost of Chicago's defeat in its bid to host the 2016 Olympics will be felt in the value of the next U.S. broadcast deal. The International Olympic Committee's top negotiator, Richard Carrion, said the U.S. rights are worth less after the 2016 Games were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.

NBC paid $2.2 billion for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2012 London Games.

Olympic silver medalist Bridget Sloan has been selected for the team that will compete at this month's World Gymnastics Championships in London.

TENNIS: Nikolay Davydenko of Russia defeated Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-4, 7-5, to win the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur.

COLLEGES: Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left foot.

Texas Tech starting quarterback Taylor Potts was hospitalized at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock after suffering a concussion during the Red Raiders' 48-28 victory over New Mexico. Potts was listed in good condition. Tech cornerback Nathan Stone was listed in stable but fair condition after suffering a neck injury.

Poland's sports minister resigns amid allegations

Poland's sports minister resigned today over a lobbying scandal that has begun to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's ruling centre-right Civic Platform (PO).

Sports Minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki is one of several officials accused by an anti-graft body of acting on behalf of businessmen trying to water down a bill on higher taxes on the gambling business.

"I have made my own independent decision to resign with immediate effect," Mr Drzewiecki told a news conference.

Mr Tusk must still approve his resignation but that is seen as a formality. The prime minister Tusk cannot afford any whiff of corruption to infect his party before a presidential election next year in which he is expected to challenge conservative incumbent Lech Kaczynski. Poles are also due to elect a new parliament in 2011.

Mr Drzewiecki said in a statement he had done nothing wrong but that he had stood down to prevent the scandal harming important projects, especially the Euro 2012 soccer championship that Poland is due to co-host with Ukraine.

"I believe that when the media frenzy dies down and all the circumstances relating to the gambling bill have been clarified, it will turn out that I have been falsely accused," he wrote.

"(But) I cannot allow this situation to affect the Euro 2012 preparations or my beloved Orliki project," he said, referring to plans to build soccer stadiums for children.

Last week, Mr Tusk also suspended close associate Zbigniew Chlebowski, head of PO's parliamentary group, pending an investigation into the casino bill allegations.

Mr Tusk says the casino bill will shortly come before parliament and that it still envisages hikes in gambling taxes to help net more cash for Poland's strained state coffers.

An opinion poll published today's Dziennik newspaper had shown more than two thirds of Poles thought Drzewiecki should quit over what Polish media has dubbed "Black Jack-gate".

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 (FINAL)

HEAD TO HEAD

Category Australia New Zealand

ICC Ranking 1 5

Played 116 116

Won 80 32

Lost 32 80

Tied 0 0

No Results 4 4

Home Wins 38 13

Away Wins 27 18

Australia won by 5 wickets New Zealand won by 1 wicket

Highest Total chased on Feb 03 2007 on Feb 19 2007

Target Chased: 290 Target Chased: 346

Most Prolific Batsman Ricky Ponting (1794 Runs) Stephen Fleming (1241 Runs)

Highest Individual Score Matthew Hayden (181 Runs) Chris Harris (130 Runs)

Best Bowling Analysis 5/13 by Simon O'Donnell 6/23 by Shane Bond

on Mar 03 1990 on Mar 10 2003

Most Prolific Bowler Glenn McGrath (59 Wickets) Ewen Chatfield (51 Wickets)

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 2nd Semi Final Score Card

Pakistan vs New Zealand

ODI at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, SA, 3 Oct 2009

Pakistan won the toss & elected to bat

New Zealand won by 5 wickets

Man of the match:

Daniel Vettori

2^nd Innings

NZ: 234/5 (47.5) RR: 4.89

1^st Innings

PAK: 233/9 (50) RR: 4.66

• PAKISTAN: 233/9 (50) RR: 4.66

  1^st Innings

  • Batting

    R

    B

    4s

    6s

    S/R

  • Imran Nazir

    c Ross Taylor b Shane Bond

    28

    40

    6

    0

    70.00

  • Kamran Akmal

    c Aaron Redmond b Ian Butler

    24

    35

    2

    0

    68.57

  • Shoaib Malik

    c Ross Taylor b Ian Butler

    2

    7

    0

    0

    28.57

  • Younus Khan

    c Ross Taylor b Daniel Vettori

    15

    23

    1

    0

    65.22

  • Mohammad Yousuf

    b Kyle Mills

    45

    78

    3

    0

    57.69

  • Umar Akmal

    lbw b Daniel Vettori

    55

    62

    7

    0

    88.71

  • Shahid Afridi

    c Brendon McCullum b Ian Butler

    4

    4

    0

    0

    100.00

  • Naved-ul-Hasan

    c Martin Guptill b Daniel Vettori

    8

    8

    0

    1

    100.00

  • Umar Gul

    c Neil Broom b Ian Butler

    6

    8

    1

    0

    75.00

  • Mohammad Aamer

    not out

    19

    20

    4

    0

    95.00

  • Saeed Ajmal

    not out

    14

    17

    2

    0

    82.35

  • Extras (b 0, lb 6, w 5, nb 2)

    13
  • Total Score:

    233/9

    (50 Over)

    RR:

    4.66

  • Fall of Wickets:

    1-46 (Imran Nazir, 9.4 Over) 2-61 (Shoaib Malik, 12.5 Over) 3-69 (Kamran Akmal, 14.2 Over) 4-86 (Younus Khan, 20.5 Over) 5-166 (Mohammad Yousuf, 39 Over) 6-181 (Umar Akmal, 40.5 Over) 7-183 (Shahid Afridi, 41.2 Over) 8-192 (Umar Gul, 43.3 Over) 9-198 (Naved-ul-Hasan, 44.2 Over)

    Bowling	O	M	R	W	NB	WD	Eco
    Kyle Mills	10	0	46	1	0	2	4.6
    Shane Bond	10	1	54	1	1	1	5.4
    Ian Butler	10	0	44	4	0	2	4.4
    James Franklin	8	0	33	0	1	0	4.12
    Daniel Vettori	10	2	43	3	0	0	4.3
    Grant Elliott	2	0	7	0	0	0	3.5

• NEW ZEALAND: 234/5 (47.5) RR: 4.89

  2^nd Innings

  • Batting

    R

    B

    4s

    6s

    S/R

  • Brendon McCullum

    c Shahid Afridi b Mohammad Aamer

    17

    16

    1

    1

    106.25

  • Aaron Redmond

    c & b Saeed Ajmal

    31

    55

    5

    0

    56.36

  • Martin Guptill

    c Naved-ul-Hasan b Umar Gul

    11

    10

    1

    1

    110.00

  • Ross Taylor

    b Shahid Afridi

    38

    61

    1

    2

    62.30

  • Grant Elliott

    not out

    75

    103

    5

    1

    72.82

  • Daniel Vettori

    st Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal

    41

    42

    3

    0

    97.62

  • Neil Broom

    not out

    3

    4

    0

    0

    75.00

  • James Franklin

    -

    -

    -

    -

    -

  • Kyle Mills

    -

    -

    -

    -

    -

  • Ian Butler

    -

    -

    -

    -

    -

  • Shane Bond

    -

    -

    -

    -

    -

  • Extras (b 2, lb 6, w 6, nb 4)

    18
  • Total Score:

    234/5

    (47.5 Over)

    RR:

    4.89

  • Fall of Wickets:

    1-22 (Brendon McCullum, 4.3 Over) 2-43 (Martin Guptill, 9.1 Over) 3-71 (Aaron Redmond, 16.4 Over) 4-126 (Ross Taylor, 29.5 Over) 5-230 (Daniel Vettori, 47 Over)

    Bowling	O	M	R	W	NB	WD	Eco
    Mohammad Aamer	10	2	32	1	0	2	3.2
    Naved-ul-Hasan	8	0	57	0	3	0	7.12
    Umar Gul	8.5	0	48	1	1	1	5.43
    Saeed Ajmal	8	0	39	2	0	1	4.87
    Shahid Afridi	10	0	41	1	0	1	4.1
    Shoaib Malik	3	0	9	0	0	1	3