Umars snatch win for Pakistan

AFP

Umar Akmal and Umar Gul dragged Pakistan out of the jaws of defeat as they defied the South Africans to script a two-wicket win.

Umar Gul played the innings of his life, carving out his top T20 international score of 32 off 17 balls while Umar Akmal re-emphasised his abilities with an unbeaten 43 off 41 balls as Pakistan final scrambled home by two wickets with two balls to spare.

Neither team wanted to win this one, it seems. South Africa played right into Pakistan’s hands with some unimaginative batting to start with, and then Pakistan made a right royal hash of the very moderate total.

The two Umars were involved in an improbable 49-run eighth-wicket stand which dragged Pakistan from a losing 76 for seven to a near-winning 125 for eight. Chasing South Africa’s 133/6, Pakistan ended at 136 for eight in 19.4 overs.

Akmal was left with having to score nine runs off the last over. After two dots, he hammered Morne Morkel for a six, which essentially sealed the game.

The contest was an agony in turn for supporters of both teams as neither seemed to have a winning formula in place. The only people who would be addressing the game with unbridled delight would be statisticians – rarely would you ever see so many bowlers, as many as eight, striking gold in their first overs.

Robin Peterson had a double delight and that opened the match up. Bowling the fourth over of the innings, he was carted for a six by Mohammad Hafeez but then a classic left-armer’s delivery had the Pakistan skipper swatting air as his counterpart AB de Villiers whipped off the bails.

Nasir Jamshed gave Peterson his second with a mindless yahoo, a lack of intelligence that was seen in all quarters.

Dale Steyn steamed in to get rid of Imran Nazir with a snorter earlier. Then Johan Botha had a first-ball wicket as Kamran Akmal tried a cut a saw his stumps shattered.

Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy then made merry as Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi continued the mindlessness, hoisting easy offerings into the sky.

The run-rate, a very gettable 6.65 at the beginning of the inning, had crossed 11 by the time Yasir Arafat was rocked by Steyn. It seemed all over bar the shouting.

The South African innings had a remarkable statistic. Four bowlers –Arafat, Saeed Ajmal, Hafeez and Gul – claimed wickets in their first overs. That in itself was something that rattled the batting to a large extent.

But the real dummy was sold by Pakistan in opening their bowling with left-arm spinner Raza Hasan. The 20-year-old from Sialkot, who replaced Sohail Tanveer in the XI, got the ball to skid and also bounce, making life difficult for Richard Levi and Hashim Amla. He should have had Amla, but Kamran Akmal made a hash of a stumping opportunity.

The ball tended to stop a little, and Arafat benefitted as Amla played a shade early to lop an easy catch into the cover region.

The same hesitancy in the pace of the wicket, combined with the profligacy of the SA batsmen saw them slide to 28 for three at the beginning of the seventh over.

Levi tried to outwit Ajmal with a reverse sweep with predictable results, while Kallis, again a victim of the ball stopping, patted Hafeez straight to Afridi.

With the overs passing and runs not coming any clip whatsoever, Duminy and Farhaan Behardien tried to stitch together  a partnership till Behardien ran down to Hafeez and was left stranded.

Eventually, it was Duminy’s 48 and a 35 from De Villiers that kept South Africa in the match. The stand of 44 and some long handle towards the end gave South Africa what then looked like a pretty meager total.
Teams
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (c), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal
South Africa: RE Levi, HM Amla, JH Kallis, AB de Villiers (c & wk), JP Duminy, F Behardien, JA Morkel, J Botha, RJ Peterson, DW Steyn, M Morkel

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Hamilton to leave for Mercedes

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Lewis Hamilton will end his 14-year association with McLaren at the end of the season and join Mercedes.

Press Association Sport understands Hamilton is to sign a three-year deal with the German manufacturing giant, worth a reported £15million a year.
Although McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh admitted just three weeks ago there was "no plan B" should Hamilton quit, but it is understood Sauber's Sergio Perez is to replace the 27-year-old at the Woking-based marque.
The big question now, which has still to be answered, surrounds the future of seven-times champion Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton will partner close friend Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, leaving Schumacher out in the cold, but with the prospect of staying on as a brand ambassador for the team.
With Hamilton's move sparking a domino effect there is a possibility 43-year-old Schumacher could yet join another team, but it is likely he will retire for a second time.
As for Hamilton, it is now clear he is to cut his ties with McLaren.
Hamilton has spent the last few weeks agonising over the decision, having signed for the team at the age of 13.
Mercedes entered into talks with McLaren's management company XIX Entertainment several weeks ago.
Their offer was significant, not only in terms of money, but vitally allowing Hamilton greater freedom with regard to his image rights and less impact on his personal time from sponsorship appearances.
By contrast, McLaren's opening gambit was to cut Hamilton's salary by a third given the current economic climate, which was hardly an ideal starting point.
As a storm gathered around Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix, a race he won from pole, it appeared then he was on his way.
However, McLaren countered Mercedes with an improved contract offer of £2million per year, which is understood to have swayed Hamilton, especially given the team's form at the time.
In Singapore at the weekend Whitmarsh and Hamilton both appeared more relaxed, and the signs were then Hamilton would stay, with one source confirming a deal was "85-90 per cent" done.
Even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone conceded at the weekend Hamilton was in two minds because according to the 81-year-old "he was definitely on his way, no matter what".
Despite the financial inducements being offered by Mercedes, Hamilton must also believe in the vision being offered to him by team boss Ross Brawn.
Since winning world titles with the Brawn GP team in 2009, and with Hamilton's current McLaren team-mate Jenson Button at the wheel, Brawn has slowly built up Mercedes over the past few years.
Mercedes have only won one of 52 races since Mercedes took over Brawn GP at the end of the 2009, but the core of people behind the scenes is second to none.
Importantly, with new engine regulations due to come into force in 2014 as F1 switches to a new turbo era, Mercedes should have an advantage as a manufacturer and with McLaren as a customer.
Without doubt Hamilton's move is a gamble, especially given his long-stated ambition to win multiple world titles.
But with only one in five years at McLaren - likely to be six - and that back in 2008, he must now feel a change is required.
For McLaren, losing their big-name star will hurt, but in Perez they are recruiting a potential future world champion.
The 22-year-old, still a member of Ferrari's young driver academy, also brings with him considerable financial backing from Mexico, notably telecommunications giant Telmex which is run by one of the world's richest men in Carlos Slim.

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Ferguson: Terry got off lightly

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Sir Alex Ferguson thinks John Terry might consider himself to have got off lightly after being hit with a four-match ban by the FA.

And Ferguson declared it was "time to move on" from a saga that has dragged on for almost a year since the Blues skipper was first accused of abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Ferguson, who saw United full-back Patrice Evra and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez end their own racism feud in Sunday's game between the sides, said of Terry: "There is a danger of it resurrecting itself because it has been going on so long.
"But the fact he got a four-game ban, he may consider that is quite lenient considering Luis Suarez got eight.
"It is time to move on and so should the game."
On Friday, Terry was still awaiting the full written judgment of the independent Football Association panel over his guilty verdict, which also saw him fined £222,000.
The 31-year-old, who admitted saying "f***** black c***" during an altercation with Ferdinand but only to deny using the insult in the first place, had already been cleared in court of a similar offence and may lodge an appeal.
West Brom boss Steve Clarke, who was at coach at Chelsea for several years and helped nurture Terry, said: "I know John Terry. He is not a racist but he has been found guilty of making racist comments, which is probably slightly different.
"He was also found not guilty in a court of law. It's a really complex issue and, without seeing the full report, it is really difficult to comment on.
"Has he been a plonker? I wouldn't like to say that because that is you putting words in my mouth. John Terry is not a plonker.
"When I worked with John, I found him to be a really good guy. I couldn't see any sign of racism in him and I can only call it as I see it from my relationship with John Terry."
He added: "I think it's good there has been a decision. It has dragged on far too long.
"The one thing I would say about the whole episode is there were two high-profile episodes which happened last season and they are still dragging on and on.
"Hopefully now they are both resolved. I don't know whether John will appeal or not.
"I would like to think we can all move on quickly from it and, in a year's time, we are not talking about racism in the game, which will mean everyone has learnt a lesson."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew called for the FA to make the penalties for racism even more "severe".
He said: "I am not party to all the information, but the games, the fine - you do want to see consistency in that area.
"That's something that I think needs to be looked at, and I hope the FA do that going forward because if it does happen again, it should be a severe fine if somebody is guilty."
Pardew said of Terry's punishment: "I think perhaps there needs to be some sort of explanation from the FA as to why - that would make sense."
He added: "You can't just wash it away or bury your head in the sand about it. You have got to deal with it.
"Show Racism the Red Card and those groups need to stay on their toes and make sure we eradicate it."
Fulham manager Martin Jol was pleased to see the FA taking action over racism.
"It happened a couple of times and I think in England you should make a decision on that sort of thing like Suarez and John Terry," he said.
"It was the end of it with the FA. They coped with it and this is what they should do."
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini did not think racism was a problem limited to English football.
The Italian said: "I think this problem could also be all over the world not only here or in Italy or Spain.
"But I don't know this situation - I've just read about it in the newspaper."
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert refused to be drawn, saying: "To be honest, I don't like to get involved with things like that.
"I don't know enough about it."

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Watson, Warner wreck India

AFP

Shane Watson and David Warner made a mockery of India’s bowling, guiding Australia to a huge nine-wicket win over India.

Australia, chasing 140, finished off with 141 for one off 14.5 overs. Watson scored 72 off 42 balls while Warner remained not out on 63 off 41 balls.

Suffice it to say that the bowling plans went down the drain faster than the Indians could think. So much so that the five-bowler plan was in tatters and Dhoni had to fall back on Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma.

The W gang was in with a mission and plan. They would not let any of the bowlers settle. The three spinners Dhoni came in with were not really allowed any quarter as Watson and Warner took turns to go after them.

Watson blasted Piyush Chawla for two sixes in an over and Warner followed, clobbering Harbhajan Singh for a brace. Even the medium-pacers were in for it as Irfan Pathan to found himself at the wrong end of Watson’s flashing bat.

Six sixes were hit in three overs, one each from the three bowlers, and Australia were well and truly running away with the match. Watson, when he is in the mood, is as pugnacious as any batsman in the world. He even made Warner look sedate!

It wasn’t as if they were playing impossible shots. The Indians supplied them with enough long hops and length deliveries, wide enough to allow the full swing of the bat. What else can a batsman ask for?

Watson’s dismissal was almost an apology on this plot, since they were already 133 runs to the good by the time he departed. Just a blip on a smooth as silk effort. Watson’s 72 came with seven sixes and two fours.

There was never even a half-chance in the two batsmen’s knocks. Not one close call. Zaheer Khan had a slew of leg-before appeals against Watson but those were more in hope than with any conviction.

India were off the boil, there was no doubt about that. The batting began well enough, with stand-in opener Pathan, along with Gautam Gambhir, giving India a pretty decent start. The argument about dropping Virender Sehwag was pretty much decided in skipper Dhoni’s favour.

But that effort was cut short by Gambhir’s run-out and after that not much really came out from the batting cupboard. The tendency to hit in the air, combined with the slightly dodgy bounce on the track, put India on the rack.

Horizontal-bat shots, merited probably by the length of the deliveries, didn’t however cater for the hesitant momentum off the pitch. Kohli fell to one such shot and his dismissal was crucial, since he has been the man in form. Thereafter, the batting struggled.

Yuvraj and Pathan fell in the same over to Watson and the momentum was well and truly arrested. There was a hint of strangeness in the batting, since it wasn’t like the wickets fell in a heap. Most of the batsmen were there long enough to be able to carry on, but couldn’t.

Sharma’s ponderous progress continued, as he was blasted out by Mitchell Starc and thereafter 30 runs accrued for the sixth wicket, but never with any conviction.

Dhoni didn’t look his usual self, since the Australian bowlers stuck to their jobs well. Suresh Raina added 26 off 19 but Pathan ended up being the top-scorer with 31 off 30 balls – the one Dhoni decision that worked.

Teams:
India: G Gambhir, V Kohli, SK Raina, Yuvraj Singh, RG Sharma, MS Dhoni (Captain & WK), IK Pathan, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, PP Chawla, Z Khan.
Australia: DA Warner, SR Watson, MEK Hussey, CL White, GJ Bailey (Captain), GJ Maxwell, MS Wade (WK), DT Christian, GB Hogg, PJ Cummins, MA Starc.

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Cycling: Lopez joins Team Sky

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Team Sky have added Spanish rider David Lopez to their roster of riders for the next two seasons.

The 31-year-old specialist climber joins from Movistar, after six years with the team formerly known as Caisse d'Epargne during which he claimed a stage victory at the 2010 Vuelta a Espana.
A dedicated team player, or 'domestique', Lopez is relishing his role within the British-based squad.
He said: "I am very happy to have signed for Team Sky.
"As soon as Team Sky approached me, there was nobody else I wanted to sign for and I want to work as hard as I can to gain success for the team.
"Most of the time that will be for someone else, but if the chance arises for me as well, then I will definitely try to take it. The most important thing though, is that everyone is happy with my work."
Team Sky on Thursday announced the arrival of Italian rider Dario Cataldo, also on a two-year contract, and last week brought in experienced Norwegian Gabriel Rasch.

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Radwanska, Petrova cruise into Tokyo final

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Agnieszka Radwanska will take on Nadia Petrova in Saturday's final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Both won in straight sets on Friday, with Radwanska seeing off Angelique Kerber for the loss of only two games and Petrova producing an upset in knocking out Samantha Stosur.
Russian Petrova, who was named as a 17th seed when her 13th-seeded compatriot Maria Kirilenko withdrew before the tournament with an injury, was an impressive 6-4 6-2 winner over former US Open champion Stosur.
She had a low first-serve percentage but still managed to fire nine aces and did not allow her Australian opponent to make any inroads, defying the eighth seed on the three break points that Stosur had.
Polish third seed Radwanska has earned titles this year in Dubai, Miami and Brussels, and on the basis of her form against Kerber will take some stopping in the final.
Radwanska posted a crushing 6-1 6-1 win over the German fifth seed, a player she also knocked out in the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.
The 23-year-old will not be taking Petrova lightly in the final, which will be the 23rd of the 30-year-old Russian's career and Radwanska's 14th.
Radwanska said on wtatennis.com: "Nadia has been playing great tennis the whole week. First of all I'm very, very happy I could reach the final and fight for the title again. I'll try my best - it's the final, the most important match of the week."

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McIlroy, McDowell help maintain parity

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The opening session of the Ryder Cup was shared 2-2 for the first time since 1997 after an action-packed - and for a moment contentious - morning's golf at Medinah in Chicago.

World number one Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell hit back from an early, but lengthy rules debate to win on the last green against Jim Furyk and last weekend's £7million man Brandt Snedeker.
But after Europe had led in all four games two hours into the eagerly-awaited clash, their victory followed the first-ever foursomes defeat for both Luke Donald - playing in the city that has been his home for the last 15 years - and Sergio Garcia.
After six successive wins in the format for Donald and eight wins and a half for Garcia since he made his debut in 1999, they went down 4&3 to Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley.
Mickelson became his country's most capped player by appearing for the ninth time, but it was the cup newcomer who finished things off with a 30-foot putt on the 15th.
Holders Europe then trailed 2-1 when Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari were beaten 3&2 by Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner - another of American captain Davis Love's rookies.
It was all eyes then on the bottom game featuring Tiger Woods, but - from the moment he badly hooked his opening drive - he was involved in a battle with his own game as much as Justin Rose and Ian Poulter.
The English pair downed Woods and Steve Stricker 2&1, Poulter producing a key putt on the 16th that was greeted by his now trademark "Come On" roar - and a long, cold stare from Woods.
By then Love had resisted what must have been a temptation to drop Woods for the first time in his cup career, but that surely had to follow if he could not deliver in the afternoon.
All four 24 players were used on the first day - Paul Lawrie, Peter Hanson, Martin Kaymer and first-timer Nicolas Colsaerts coming in for the fourballs in place of Donald, Garcia, Poulter and Molinari and the Americans introducing Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Masters champion Bubba Watson and US Open champion Webb Simpson.
The dispute in the top game was over whether McDowell could take relief from a sprinkler head by the second green.
It would have meant McIlroy putting rather than chipping, but with Furyk stepping in and believing it should not be given a second opinion for called for.
"We've been friends a long time," Furyk said at one point to McDowell, but the American also then called for calm when a few boos rang out.
McIlroy was eventually told to chip, the Northern Irish pair lost the hole, but they then had four birdies in a row, the first of them the result of a genius chip by the 23-year-old from over the fourth green.
From three down with six to go - Furyk had incurred a penalty on the long 10th when his ball move as he prepared to chip - the Americans fought back to level, only for Snedeker to hit a simply dreadful drive down the last.
There was still work to be done when McDowell hit into the bunker short of the green, but his partner splashed out to five feet and the 2010 match-winner made no mistake.
McDowell told his American girlfriend Kristin, attending her first match: "Welcome to the Ryder Cup - hope you enjoyed yourself.
"That match to me just personifies it. You're playing against two very gutsy players who clawed their way back.
"But we had stacked our team with this finish in mind. I wanted Rory hitting the tee shots on 16 and 18 and our strategy paid off."
McIlroy added: "Fortunately for us, Brandt didn't hit the best tee shot on the last."
McDowell may have shown nerves of steel to win the cup back at Celtic Manor, but they had affected him when he was called on to hit the first tee.
It clipped a tree barely 100 yards off the tee, but Furyk also went badly left to emphasise what stage-fright can do to even the most experienced players.
Poulter took his cup record to nine wins in 12 games, but two of the three defeats had come against Woods and he said: "I never wanted wanted to have another one."
Woods hit a spectator on the head for the second day running and he and Stricker were three over par when they lost - easily the worst scoring of the session.
They have now lost their last three games together 6&5 (to Westwood and Donald in Wales), 7&6 (to Adam Scott and KJ Choi at last year's Presidents Cup) and now 2&1, but they had a chance to make amends against Westwood and big-hitting Belgian Colsaerts.
Westwood had not played well alongside Molinari, though, and his tee shot into the water on the driveable 15th - McDowell had done the same - contributed to their downfall.
Johnson and Dufner won when their opponents three-putted the next.
Donald said of the defeat for him and Garcia, who were looking to make it five out of five together: "We played solid. They just played a little better."

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