India pull out of Pakistan tour

India have pulled out of next year's planned cricket tour of Pakistan in the wake of November's attacks in Mumbai after receiving government advice.

They were due to arrive in Pakistan on 4 January for three Tests, five one-day games and a Twenty20 international but the Indian government stepped in.

The tour had been in jeopardy since last month's attacks, which India has blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Pakistan has denied involvement after the attacks left more than 170 dead.

It is the third major cricket tour to Pakistan this year to be cancelled on security grounds.

Australia pulled out of their scheduled visit, while the International Cricket Council also postponed the Champions Trophy one-day tournament.

As a result, Pakistan have played no Test cricket this year and just 21 one-day internationals, mostly against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

The Pakistan Cricket Board fears this latest decision could cost it £13m.

PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf said: "If there is no India series we gain nothing from our new television deal and lose out on other sources of income as well."

The PCB recently signed a new television rights deal worth approximately £90m with the Dubai-based organisation Ten Sports.

How to bowl a googly

The leg-spinner's prize weapon - bowled properly, a googly is almost undetectable.

A googly, or "wrong'un", is a delivery which looks like a normal leg-spinner but actually turns towards the batsmen, like an off-break, rather than away from the bat.

Unlike a normal leg-break, a googly is delivered out of the back of the hand, with the wrist 180 degrees to the ground.

STEP ONE

Hold the ball as if you're about to bowl a normal leg-break.

The top joints of the index and middle fingers should be across the seam, with the ball resting between a bent third finger and the thumb.

STEP TWO

At the point of release, the palm of your hand should be open upwards, towards the sky, with the back of your hand facing the batsman.

Your wrist should be 180 degrees to the ground, while the seam of the ball should point towards fine leg.

Again, it should be your third finger which does most of the work, turning the ball anti-clockwise on release.

You'll probably find it goes horribly wrong the first few times you give the googly a try, but don't give up.

As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Use a tennis ball to help improve the flexibility of your wrist.

Australia recover from poor start

Australia 341-9 v South Africa
Dates: 17-21 December
Australia recovered from a dreadful start to finish the opening day of the first Test against South Africa on 341-9 at the Waca in Perth.

The hosts began the three-Test series in shocking fashion when they were reduced to 15-3 in the first six overs.

Makhaya Ntini struck twice in the third over dismissing Matthew Hayden (12) and Ricky Ponting (0) in consecutive balls.

But a 149-run fourth wicket partnership between Simon Katich (83) and Michael Clarke (62) helped salvage the innings.

The pair would have been disappointed when they fell in quick succession just before tea having taken Australia past the 150 mark.

But the score was given an added injection in the final session when Andrew Symonds (57), Brad Haddin (46) and Brett Lee (29) helped the hosts get over their early stutter.

FIRST TEST, Chennai (day five)

India 241 & 387-4 bt England 316 & 311-9 dec by 6 wickets

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 41st Test century as India scored a magnificent six-wicket win over England in Chennai.

Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh (85) shared an unbroken stand of 163 as the home side made 387-4 - the fourth highest successful run chase in Test history.

England began the final day well when Andrew Flintoff had Rahul Dravid caught behind for four.

But they could not capitalise on a wearing pitch and Tendulkar hit the winning boundary to finish 103 not out.

Any suggestions and comments are welcomed.

Latest Score Updates

Women's Rankings

Women's WTA tour rankings
1 J Jankovic Ser 11 N Petrova Rus
2 S Williams US 12 C Wozniacki Den
3 D Safina Rus 13 F Pennetta Ita
4 E Dementieva Rus 14 P Schnyder Swi
5 A Ivanovic Ser 15 V Azarenka Blr
6 V Williams US 16 A Cornet Fra
7 V Zvonareva Rus 17 M Bartoli Fra
8 S Kuznetsova Rus 18 A Chakv'dze Rus
9 M Sharapova Rus 19 D Cibulkova Svk
10 A Radwanska Pol 20 K Srebotnik Slo

Men's rankings

Men's ATP tour race
1 R Nadal Spa 11 D Nalband'n Arg
2 R Federer Swi 12 D Ferrer Spa
3 N Djokovic Ser 13 S Wawrinka Swi
4 A Murray GB 14 F Gonzalez Chi
5 N Davydenko Rus 15 F Verdasco Spa
6 J-W Tsonga Fra 16 G Monfils Fra
7 G Simon Fra 17 R Soderling Swe
8 A Roddick US 18 N Almagro Spa
9 J Del Potro Arg 19 I Andreev Rus
10 J Blake US 20 T Berdych Cze

Ronaldo unveiled by Corinthians

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has been unveiled by Sao Paulo-based outfit Corinthians as the club's new signing.

The 32-year-old, who left AC Milan last June, has fought back from a serious knee injury, making his comeback in a charity match in Morocco last month.

India cancels T20 Champions League

The inaugural six-million dollar Twenty20 Champions League has been cancelled and will now be held in India in October next year, organisers said on Friday.

The tournament, featuring the top eight Twenty20 domestic teams from Australia, South Africa, India, England and Pakistan, was initially due to be held from December 3-10 in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.

It was put off after last month's terror strikes in Mumbai and was expected to be held in January, but has now been postponed again until next October.

The decision to cancel the tournament this year was taken "after considering all aspects, including the international calendar and the domestic schedules of the participating teams", a statement from the organisers said.

Ronaldo gets hands on Ballon d'Or

Ronaldo scored a remarkable 42 goals for Man Utd last season
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo was handed the prestigious European Player of the Year award in a televised ceremony on Sunday.

Accompanied to Paris by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo collected the Ballon d'Or - golden ball - trophy from France Football magazine.
"I've been playing for Manchester for five years - I feel at home," said the 23-year-old Ronaldo.

"I'm happy at Manchester and want to stay."
During the summer Ronaldo was linked with a move to Real Madrid after a season in which he scored 42 goals for United as Ferguson's side won the Premier League and the Champions League.

"I'm an ambitious person. I don't want it to stop here," said Ronaldo reflecting on his success. "I think we have to keep trying to win trophies, collectively and individually. I'm on the right track.
"It's always special to reach this level, the important thing is to stay there. The idea is to keep progressing, collectively and individually as well.

"Without my team I couldn't have won it, and I have to thank them also."

Ronaldo was the first United player to win the award since George Best in 1968 and Ferguson predicted the best was yet to come from the Portuguese forward.

"It's a long time since we won one, 40 years ago," said Ferguson. "Of course, he's only 23. He's only just beginning. When players get to 26 they start to mature."

Top Five Countries In Olympics-2008

Medal Count
# Country G S B T
1 CHN 51 21 28 100
2 USA 36 38 36 110
3 RUS 23 21 28 72
4 GBR 19 13 15 47
5 GER 16 10 15 41

Michael Phelps Food Intake

Here is a typical Michael Phelps breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. And that’s just to get his stomach warmed up for the main portion of his breakfast, which includes two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

A big league swimmers lunch is: A pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread. The most decorated Olympic athlete in the history of the Games then caps off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

Dinner features two more pounds of pasta and an entire pizza, which he washes down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

Of course this is not really typical as there are no fruits and vegetables but here you can see the massive amount of food required for a great Olympic level athlete. Burning all of those calories and constantly tearing down the energy in his muscles means that the muscle glycogen has to be replaced.

So, that’s what 12,000 calories looks like. Amazingly, Phelps’ trainers say the elite athlete could probably stand to eat even more given his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week swimming regimen.

"Eat, sleep and swim, that's all I can do," said the US swimmer, after winning his 11th Olympic gold.
Judging by the amount he eats and swims, that is not altogether surprising.

Fabregas : Arsenal's new captain

Publicly criticizing their team can cost a soccer player captaincy. And Arsenal’s captain William Gallas was no exception. The team coach Arsene Wenger has stripped Gallas off captain reigns after the later made unflattering comments about the club and his fellow players. Wenger has named Cesc Fabregas, the 21-year-old Spanish sensation, the new captain.

What is Sport ?

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.

History Of Cricket

The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test Cricket began in 1877.No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populated by small farming and metal-working communities. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many centuries before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century.

History Of Tennis

The history of tennis dates back several thousand years. The game was first created by European monks to be played for entertainment purposes during religious ceremonies. To begin with, the ball was hit with the hand. Soon the leather glove came into existence. This was soon replaced with an adaptive handle for effective hitting and serving of the ball.

History Of Baseball

Baseball is America’s national pastime, but how much do Americans really know about the history of baseball? The game has been played in the United States for nearly two centuries, from its humble beginnings in the Northeast to the multi-million dollar professional sports franchise we know today. The history of baseball began when the English game of “rounders” was first played in America, where it was referred to as “townball,” “baseball,” or simply “base.” The first milestone in the history of baseball came about in the mid-nineteenth century.

History Of Basketball

The history of basketball finds it way back to the year 1891. It was a Canadian physical education instructor by the name of James Naismith who introduced the game of basketball to the world. He was born in Ontario and taught physical education at McGill University and Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. James Naismith, during his stint with Springfield College, a YMCA training school during that time, invented the indoor sport with able support and guidance from the American phys-ed specialist Luther Hasley.

History Of Golf

Most sports historians trace golf’s origins to a type of land hockey played in Flanders in the middle ages. It is suggested that three Scotsmen fighting in a regiment allied with the French witnessed the game and took it home to Scotland where golf as we know it took root.