Pakistan eye face-saving win

Pakistan remained on course to win the final Test against Sri Lanka after denting the home team's chase of a record target.

Sri Lanka, set an improbable 492 to sweep the series 3-0 after they had won the first two Tests, were 183-3 in their second knock at stumps on the fourth day at the Sinhalese sports club.

When play begins on the fifth day for the first time in the series -- the first Test ended in four days and the second in three -- Pakistan will need seven wickets and Sri Lanka a further 309 runs in 90 overs.

No team has scored 492 runs in the fourth innings to win a Test match. The highest successful chase so far is 418-7 by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003.

Sri Lanka were given a minimum of 150 overs to get the runs after Pakistan declared their second innings at 425-9 soon after lunch with former captain Shoaib Malik making 134.

Sri Lankan openers Malinda Warnapura and Tharanga Paranavitana put on 83 for the first wicket in 25 overs, their best partnership of the series, to raise visions of a history-defying feat.

But the fall of three wickets in the final session set Sri Lanka back even as skipper Kumar Sangakkara returned unbeaten on 50, having surpassed the 7,000-run mark in his 83rd Test on the way.

Thilan Samaraweera was the other batsman at the crease on 20.

Warnapura, who made 31, was unfortunate to be given out caught by English umpire Ian Gould as television replays showed the ball from Danish Kaneria go off the pad to the short-leg fielder.

Paranavitana went on to make a fluent 73 before tapping an easy catch to Fawad Alam at forward short-leg off Malik to make Sri Lanka 139-2.

Kaneria picked up his second wicket soon after when Mahela Jayawardene, who plodded for 29 minutes to make two, poked at a wide ball and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.

Earlier, Pakistan added 19 runs to their overnight score of 300-5 when Akmal fell in the day's fourth over after making 74 during a sixth-wicket stand of 133 with Malik.

Tailender Umar Gul showed there were no hidden demons in the pitch as he helped Malik add 52 for the seventh wicket, himself contributing 22 in the partnership.

Malik was dismissed after a six-hour vigil at the crease when he holed out in the deep off spinner Rangana Hearth.

The right-hander hit 13 fours and two sixes to shore up Pakistan's innings after they had collapsed to 67-4 before lunch on the third day.

Gul helped himself to his highest Test score of 46 from 50 balls before he was caught at deep square-leg attempting a fourth six off Herath.

Left-arm spinner Herath returned with 5-157 from 46 overs, his second five-wicket haul in as many matches.

Pakistan's declaration marked the last stint at the bowling crease for veteran Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas, who retires from Test cricket after the match with 355 wickets from 111 Tests.

The 35-year-old, who was overlooked for the first two Tests, claimed just one wicket in 39 overs in his final match.

Click here for the SCORECARD

Liverpool deny a deal has been struck with Real Madrid for Xabi Alonso

Liverpool have moved to quash rumours that an agreement has been reached with Real Madrid for Xabi Alonso after the Spanish midfielder was left out of the side that drew 1-1 with Thailand at the start of the club's pre-season tour of the Far East.

The 28-year-old took part in training today at Singapore's national stadium with the club insisting his none appearance against the Thais was due to an ankle problem and not to protect him from possible injury with a move to the Spanish capital imminent.

A Liverpool spokesman said: "Xabi is with us in Singapore, and will train with the rest of the squad. He was injured ahead of the Thailand game, people can say what they like about that.

"There has been no deal agreed with anyone for his transfer to anyone."

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has remained resolutely defiant in the face of ongoing speculation linking Alonso with a return to Spain this summer.

However, Liverpool's uncertain financial circumstances and Benitez's desire to rebuild to challenge Manchester United for the Premier League title have left Real confident that a bid of around £30 million would prove successful.

Alonso has made clear his desire to leave, and had hoped not to have to fly to Vienna on Sunday to meet up with the Liverpool squad ahead of the flight to the Far East.

Alonso did make the trip, and sources at Liverpool expect him to face Singapore on Sunday before the squad fly back to the UK the following day.

Alonso's departure, should it happen, would leave Benitez needing to replace him with names including Moussa Sissoko, Esteban Cambiasso, Alberto Aquilani, Javi Martine and even Real's own Wesley Sneijder having been mentioned.

Meanwhile, the refinancing package being negotiated by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett could yet be delayed.

The deadline for the pair's loans to be refinanced with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia is tomorrow.

The club's American owners remain confident that they will be able to refinance their original £350 million loans, but negotiations could well continue beyond this week.

RBS have made all the right noises about agreeing a new loan package, but there Wachovia appear to be less sympathetic to Liverpool's requests.

Seb and Web key to Red Bull success

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner firmly believes he has the best driver line-up in Formula One.

The team's results over the last two races would certainly appear to underline Horner's remarks as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have scored one-two results in Britain and Germany.

Vettel appeared to have the edge early on, but after securing his maiden triumph at the Nurburgring 11 days ago, Webber is certainly in the title picture now he is fully fit following a cycling accident in November that left him with a broken leg and shoulder.

Young German Vettel has narrowed the gap on championship leader Jenson Button to 21 points, with Australian Webber a further 1.5 points adrift.

With little to choose between them, it is the reason why Horner is refusing to back one over the other with eight races remaining.

Assessing the merits of both men, Horner could not be happier as he said: "When I saw Mark in early January, he'd forgotten to mention he'd also broken his shoulder.

"He couldn't put any weight on his right leg and I remember thinking 'This is going to be interesting!'

"He was resolute in his determination to drive the new car at its launch.

"After he drove it for the first time there was a look of relief in his eyes as I think he was unsure if he would still have the same feeling in his right foot and how he would cope with the bumps on track.

"From then on, there was never any doubt he was going to be fit for Melbourne (the season-opening Australian Grand Prix).

"In typical Aussie fashion, he carried the injury without letting on about how much pain and discomfort he was feeling.

"He's had great support and his physios and trainers have done a great job.

"I think it's only now we are seeing Mark at the level of fitness he was at prior to his injury, and his recent results show he is absolutely in the form of his life.

"As for Sebastian, he is undoubtedly a star in the making. He shows remarkable maturity, given his lack of experience.

"He is a prodigious talent who will continue to get better. The best is yet to come from him.

"So our drivers are both at the top of their game at different stages in their career, and they are pushing one another very hard.

"I think we've the best driver line-up in F1 at the moment, with both being treated with total fairness within the team and supplied with identical equipment."

Despite his team fighting for both titles for the first time in its history, Horner insists the pressure now is no different than at any other time since he has been in charge.

The only difference is everyone is working tooth and nail to keep up the title charge and take the fight to Brawn GP, rather than scrabbling around for mid-table scraps, as has previously been the case.

"You can always do better," insisted Horner.

"Putting aside our performance and two dominant one-two finishes in the last two races, the team's determination to continue to improve and not to take anything for granted is very important.

"There are no obvious weaknesses in our armoury, but as a group we must continue to push ourselves in all areas all the time.

"There are a lot of unsung heroes at the factory, putting in superhuman efforts and hours to get the components on the car."

Koertzen lashes out at "cheats"

A criticism-stung Rudi Koertzen has hit back at the cricketers who refuse to walk after nicking the ball.

It is because of these "cheating" batsmen that umpiring has become such a difficult job.

Koertzen and West Indian Billy Doctrove incurred the media wrath because of their inconsistency in referring controversial decisions to the third umpire during the Lord's Test which England won.

"It is a shame that you have to do it that way. The players will stand there, nick the ball and wait for the umpire to make a decision. For me, that's cheating," Koertzon told 'Cricinfo'.

The umpiring duo had referred Australian Nathan Hauritz's claimed catch of Ravi Bopara to the third umpire but later refused to send England captain Andrew Strauss' controversial catch of Phillip Hughes upstairs.

"Why don't you get off the field and make it easy for the game? There would be more pleasure in the game. I know that Ponting would say, 'Boys, let's try (accepting the umpires word)'," he said.

"I've been in those meetings when he said, 'Let's try it,' and then you get to the second day in a Test match and a guy claims a catch and ten minutes later you hear, 'The ball didn't carry,' and then the argument starts again. Let's use the technology when it's there," he revealed.

Koertzon defended his decision of not referring the catch claimed by Strauss to the third umpire.

"So long as one of the on-field umpires are sure that the ball has carried, the decision will stay on the field. That's a protocol from the ICC. It's been in our conditions all the time. I would say at the end of the day, the best way of doing it now is to go upstairs for all of them," he said.

Koertzen also said although cricket is considered a gentleman's game, it doesn't end up to be so on many occasions.

"It's supposed to be a gentleman's game but I can't always say it is. Guys know they can cheat and get away with things. I don't mean that with both those catches (Hauritz and Strauss) were trying to cheat. They probably believed that they caught it." he said.

Despite several heated exchanges between players and officials in the match, Koertzen said the second Test was played in the right spirit.

"I'm one of the umpires who do allow them a little bit of banter. You should talk to the batsman as a bowler. But in this Test match they were all friendly chirps. Not once did they say anything bad to each other.

"The spirit in this Test match was absolutely amazing.

The Aussies play it very, very hard and they are the guys who put pressure on their opposition all the time. In this Test match there was nothing serious, nothing at all," he said.

CAS confirms increased suspension for 7 Russian athletes

Monte-Carlo - The IAAF acknowledges the information received today from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that the seven Russian athletes charged with urine substitution prior to the Beijing Olympic Games have been suspended for a period of 2 years and 9 months, and have had all their results from the date of the infraction annulled (see below for full details).

This IAAF appeal to CAS of the original decision(s) was made because it was unacceptable to the IAAF that these athletes who had committed serious and deliberate breaches of our Anti-Doping Rules would receive an effective ban of approximately 9-10 months and see them eligible to compete again in the summer of 2009. Considering the circumstances surrounding these cases, the IAAF had also requested to CAS an extended sanction of up to four years. The IAAF is pleased to note that the starting date of the sanctions has been amended and also the length of sanction increased over and above the minimum 2 years.

This decision also supports the actions of the IAAF in pro-actively targeting, investigating, and prosecuting doping cases with non traditional methods – in this case the storage of samples and the comparison of DNA. It should provide a strong warning to any athletes who are considering doping that their samples will be stored and may be later re-analysed meaning they are never safe from the detection of their cheating against their fellow athletes.

The details of the sanctions are as follows:

Olga Yegorova: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 07.04.07
Svetlana Cherkasova: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 26.04.07
Yuliya Fomenko: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 27.04.07
Gulfiya Khanafeyeva: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 09.05.07
Tatyana Tomashova: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 23.05.07
Yelena Soboleva: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 26.04.07
Darya Pishchalnikova: 31.07.08 – 30.04.11, annulment of results achieved since 10.04.07

European champion Bartels building-up to Berlin, puts 21.11m in Cuxhaven

Cuxhaven, Germany – A good sprint hurdles and a surprise in the men’s Javelin Throw produced the highlights of the Cuxhaven Meeting on Wednesday evening (22 July). But the best result had come a day earlier, when the Shot Put competitions took place separately in the town and Germany’s European champion Ralf Bartels won with 21.11m.

Cuxhaven is situated on Germany's North Sea coast.

Bartels had a great series on Tuesday. After starting with 20.77 he continued with 21.11, 20.92, 20.84, 20.46 and 20.67. No other competitor achieved a better result than Bartels’ weakest throw. Peter Sack took second with 20.46m while Andy Dittmar was third (19.41).

Nadine Kleinert took the women’s event on Tuesday witth 19.62 m, beating Denise Hinrichs (18.69).

There was a fine winning time in the 110m Hurdles on Wednesday, when Erik Mitchum (USA) won in 13.30 secs. In a slight tail wind of 0.5 Ryan Brathwaite (Barbados) was second in 13.37, while Gregory Sedoc (Netherlands/13.53) and Kai Kelley (USA/13.56) placed third and fourth.

There were two races at 100m Hurdles – and both produced times below 13 seconds: Angela Whyte (Canada) took the first one when there was no wind in 12.93 while Yvette Lewis (USA) was the winner in the second one with 12.85 (+0.1 wind).

Abdelaati Iguider (Marocco) won the 1500m in 3:36.2, Fabian Schulze took the Pole Vault with 5.70m from Richard Spiegelburg (5.60), Thomas Hunter (USA) became a double winner, taking both the 100 m (10.24/+0.1 wind) and the 200 m (20.36/+ 0.2).

Three 800m runners finished inside 2:02 minutes in the women’s race, 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) won with 2:01.38 from Marian Burnett (Guyana/2:01.87) and Rosibel Garcia (Columbia/2:01.90).

But the surprise of the day came in the men’s Javelin Throw, which was won by Tino Häber. He had not achieved a result beyond 80 metres this season before he started in Cuxhaven. In round five he threw 80.18 m and then improved to a personal best of 83.46 m. This could still open a door for him regarding the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 – 23 Aug). But he will probably have to throw beyond the 80m mark again before the final nomination on 2 August. Petr Frydrych (Czech Republic/81.37) and Mark Frank (79.74) took second and third places in Cuxhaven.

Small town, big results - Wirkkala beats Ruuskanen, 87.23m to 85.03m in Joensuu

Joensuu, Finland – The fourth meeting of Vattenfall Elite Games Series which took place in the small town of Joensuu, proved if proof was necessary why Finland is termed ‘the Javelin Country’, as Finnish throwers cemented their country’s place in the world top-10.

In other top results last night, there were two men over 8m in the men’s Long Jump, USA’s Gloria Asumnu ran 22.88sec for the women’s 200m (-0.5m/s), and her compatriot Brittney Reese, the world season leader in the Long Jump produced 6.62m (+0.5).

Wirkkala now third on world list

A cheering crowd of 5000 spectators gathered in Joensuu to support their favourites as the men’s Javelin Throw opened in good weather conditions. After couple of rounds of warming up Antti Ruuskanen (87.33m PB in 2008) pulled out his season’s best of 85.03m, currently making him the world’s 6th longest thrower of the season.

The crowd was still applauding Ruuskanen’s throw, when his countryman, 2008 Olympic Games fifth placer finalist Teemu Wirkkala responded with his personal best of 87.23m. Wirkkala’s throw makes him the third furthest thrower in the world this year and top Finn ahead of Pitkämäki.

“Ruuskanen made me perform at my best,” said Wirkkala. It is great to have so many world class throwers in Finland, since we can always build up a good competition even in a small Finnish town like Joensuu.”

Berlin selection headache

Finnish javelin throwers are now ranked in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth places in the current world season’s list, and thanks to the automatic entry for the reigning World champion Tero Pitkämäki, the quartet of throwers that this tiny country of 5 million will send to the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 – 23 Aug) will the strongest ever javelin squad to leave their shores.

Pitkämäki, Wirkkala and Olympic fourth placer Tero Järvenpää have already secured their tickets to Berlin through a tight national qualification system. The last available Finnish spot will be decided after the National Championships at the end of the month. Ruuskanen’s big throw makes the decision very complicated, as the recently crowned European U23 champion Ari Mannio has been consistently throwing between 83-86m this season.

“It’s great to be back on the world top level,” said Ruuskanen, whose last season was ruined because of foot injury after magnificent season opener of 87.33m.

A three-time reserve at the last European and World Champs and Olympic Games, Ruuskanen stated that this year he won’t be the one staying home and watching the championships on TV.

“This where the battle really starts. I have aimed my best shape for Berlin and this shows I’m on the right track. I am ready to throw even further now when my technique is improving week by week.”

Two men over 8m in Long Jump

In men’s Long Jump South Korean Kim Dock-Hyun, Finland’s Tommi Evilä, 2005 World bronze medallist, and 1996 Olympic silver medallist James Beckford of Jamaica had a tight battle of victory in superb conditions with +23 C and moderate tailwind.

Kim took the lead in the early rounds, but Evilä and Beckford got closer round by round. Evilä finally caught Kim with his 8.00m mark on the last round. However, Kim came once again from behind to perform a great final round jump of 8.17.

The Korean thanked the crowd with big smile on his face, seemingly very satisfied with his result, which misses his season’s and personal best just by 3 cm. Evilä was also in a good spirit after jumping 8m or more for the third time this season.

“The conditions, crowd and competition were just great today,” said Evilä. “For some reason it took a long time for me to warm up, but since I’ve been jumping consistently over 8m in my last competitions, I am looking very confidently towards Berlin.”

Karjalainen in consistent form

In men’s Hammer Throw, European silver medallist Olli-Pekka Karjalainen continued his series of good throws and took the victory with 77.26m. His third round attempt flew over 79m but he was unfortunate to be red flagged thanks to a couple of millimetres foot foul.

“I have a feeling that the big throw is coming,” said Karjalainen. “It will take couple of more competitions, but I’m hopeful to have it before Berlin. This season the World level in hammer looks interesting. Anything can happen in the World Championships and I’m looking forward to be there fighting for the places on the podium.”

Keskisalo speeds up

Reigning European 3000m Steeplechase champion Jukka Keskisalo ran a 3000m flat race in front of his home crowd. The celebrated local hero improved his PB by 4 seconds taking victory with 7:49.05. After couple of unfortunate seasons of injury and loss of shape Keskisalo, who was third in Paris last Friday, is enjoying being back to his best.

“I have to be realistic since I’ve missed two of the previous major championships because of injuries, but now I’m feeling better than ever and look forward to have the best season of my career,” said Keskisalo after the race.

The fast pace in the first couple of laps promised a 7:45 finish, but the well known kick by Keskisalo on the final back straight was not as sharp as usual. Still, Keskisalo was able to run last 200m in under 30 seconds. He beat Kenyan Remmy Limo who was second in 7:50.78.

“I’m happy that good progress in training pays off in competitions like today. It was a pleasure to run well in my hometown,” said Keskisalo who will go on to compete in Monaco on next Tuesday (28).

Asumnu in the fast lane

Gloria Asumnu of the USA was in a fast mood once again, timing 22.88sec in women’s 200m into a –0,5 m/s headwind. The American has been competing in all the four Vattenfall Elite Games competitions this season and is one of the athletes likely to win the jackpot of 30,000 euros, paid for the best athlete of overall series.

“I came to compete in Finland almost by accident, but these have been tough races and I have really enjoyed my time here. It seems that my shape is getting better and I look forward to the Grand Prix competitions in Europe at the later part of the season,” Asumnu commented.

Brittney Reese, who leads the world list with 7.06m, so far the only 7m plus jump of 2009, leapt 6.62m (+0.5) to hold off Jovanee Jarrett of Jamaica, who had a best of 6.53 (+0.9).

In the men’s sprints, all run into head winds, Lerone Clarke of Jamaica took the dash in 10.25sec, USA’s Kelly Willie was the best at the 200m (20.70 sec), and compatriot Joel Brown was first in the 110m Hurdles, 13.60sec.

The Vattenfall Elite Series move to the final leg in Lapinlahti on Saturday 25th July. In addition to Asumnu, pole vaulter Minna Nikkanen and hammer thrower Krizstian Pars are the ones who’ll have the best chance to get the big money after the total of 5 competitions.

Click here for RESULTS

Tour de France 2009: Alberto Contador 'broke Astana team orders'

Johan Bruyneel admitted sparks could fly between yellow jersey holder Alberto Contador and Astana team-mate Lance Armstrong after the Spaniard defied team orders on Wednesday's 17th stage.

"The harmony is back in the team, at least it was, we will see how everyone feels about what happened on the Colombiere," admitted Astana team manager Bruyneel.

Spain's 2007 Tour de France champion Contador tightened his grip on the yellow jersey after racing to the finish from the final summit with Luxembourg brothers Frank and Andy Schleck.

Frank won the stage and both he and Andy moved up the race's general classification. Andy is now second overall at 2:26 with Frank third in 3:25, while Armstrong dropped back to fourth at 3:55.

Contador, along with Astana team-mate Andreas Kloden, had counter-attacked the Schlecks on the Col de Romme, the penultimate climb, leaving Armstrong to monitor Garmin's time trial specialist Bradley Wiggins.

On the next climb to the summit of the Colombiere Contador then left Kloden in his wake to race alone with the Schleck brothers. Armstrong trailed in 2:18 behind while Kloden was at 2:27.

But after the race it emerged that had been against Astana team manager Bruyneel's orders.

The Belgian insists he told Contador to let the Schleck brothers go to allow Kloden and Armstrong a chance to finish in the general classification's top three.

And Bruyneel says Contador's defiance could send sparks flying in the next team meeting. Seven-time Tour winner Armstrong admitted he had to "bite his tongue" on the issue.

"The attack from Contador three kilometres from the top was against my advice," added the Belgian.

"I told him not to go, he didn't need to attack, because the two Schlecks would go full gas to the finish.

"I said to him, 'You don't have to attack to win the Tour de France today'.

"So it was a pity Andreas couldn't hold on because we could have been first, second and third today in general classification, but now we are first, fourth and fifth."

Bruyneel admitted however the team had achieved their objective to put Wiggins out of the running for the yellow jersey.

Having started third overall at 1:46 behind Contador, the Briton is now sixth at 4:53.

"That was a perfect situation for us, because we knew the Schlecks would go on the Col du Romme because they wanted to get rid of Wiggins and so did we," said Bruyneel ahead of Thursday's time trial around Lake Annecy.

"As a time-trial specialist, he was the real danger."

David Haye move to fight Nikolai Valuev gets under the skin of Klitschko brothers

In the continuing saga of David Haye’s pursuit of a world heavyweight title, after talks with the Klitschko brothers broke down for numerous reasons, former undisputed world cruiserweight champion Haye and his trainer, co-promoter Adam Booth have signed a contract with Sauerland Promotions to meet current World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev on November 7.

Haye has claimed he has escaped from a contract with the Klitschko brothers which had him zipped up "like a slave fighter".

The location is yet to be decided, but it is likely to be in Germany. In a press release issued in the early hours of Thursday morning, it was revealed that ‘David Vs. Goliath’ – the billing given to Haye’s proposed contest with Wladimir Klitschko - will be screened live in the UK on Sky Box Office.

In a double-bluff John Le Carre might have been happy to invent in one of his Cold War spy thrillers, the former cruiserweight champion has surprised the boxing world by signing to challenge Valuev after pulling out of deals to fight both Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in the course of less than two months.

On a day of smokescreens, Klitschko's manager, Bernd Boente, and contractual adviser Shelly Finkel could not reach Booth by phone or fax to finalise the deal in place for Vitali Klitschko and Haye to go into fistic battle on Sept 12 at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.

Haye said: "I am thrilled to announce that my dream of becoming world heavyweight champion will be realized on Nov 7 when I challenge the tallest and heaviest champion of all time, Nikolai Valuev.

"Valuev's known as 'The Beast From The East' and there's a reason he's got that nickname. He's a big, ugly, sweaty and hairy man from the Eastern Bloc. David only needed a slingshot and a stone to flatten Goliath and I'm convinced my right hand generates more power than a stone."

By some accounts, Boente was incensed by the move, but it is likely that Haye will still get to fight one, or even both of the Klitschko brothers, depending on the outcome of his contest with Valuev. There would simply be too much money on the table.

"Haye is saying it's a slavery contract and won't sign it after we agreed to everything," Boente told Dan Rafael at ESPN.com.

"The contract we agreed on is on their desk and they don't sign it. From [Wednesday] morning on, they don't answer us. This is the worst I have seen in negotiating. We have not heard from them. This is so amateurish. How little class do they have? I really prefer to negotiate with people like Don King or Peter Kohl, who are tough, but at least you can talk to them and negotiate. This guy has no idea what he is doing. Haye has the right trainer maybe, but not the right manager."

Haye insisted, nonetheless, that reports he had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko were premature. "There were reports in the German press that I had signed to fight Vitali Klitschko in September, but those reports were never true. There have been long and exhausting discussions about the clash, but unfortunately I could never put my name to the fight contract the Klitschkos offered.

“The level of disrespect they have shown me throughout has left me feeling insulted. As for signing the contract, now that I realise just how much support and interest I have from the people in Germany, it would have been like selling my soul to the devil. I will not be a slave fighter.”

Rain washes out tennis play at Indianapolis

Steady rain has washed out play at the ATP Indianapolis Championships.

American Taylor Dent is still waiting to play his opening contest due to the late arrival of Brazilian opponent Marcos Daniel. Daniel played last week in Colombia.

The rest of the field is into the second round, but there was no action on day four of the first event of the US Open summer run-up season.

American third seed Sam Querrey was the highest-ranked player stranded as his next match is with local hero Rajeev Ram.

The pair met less than a fortnight ago in the grass-court final at Newport, Rhode Island, where lucky loser Ram came from a set down to sweep to the surprise title.

In other postponed matches, Russian fourth seed Igor Kunitsyn was facing Wayne Odesnik of the US, American qualifier Jesse Levine was taking on French seventh seed Marc Gicquel and eighth seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan was playing American John Isner, recently recovered from a bout with glandular fever.

Ashley Cole: I hope Manchester City do better than Arsenal in the league

Ashley Cole has said that he hopes Manchester City break into the top four of the Premier League this season – and cheekily added that he would like them to do so at the expense of Arsenal, his former club who he left amid acrimony four years ago.

The left-back said that his aspirations for his own team, Chelsea, were clear: he wants to regain the Premier League title from Manchester United, something he values above the Champions League.

Cole said that City were a credible threat to Chelsea, United, Liverpool and Arsenal having spent heavily this summer – with the aspiration to still add John Terry to their squad.

“I think the players they are buying are good,” Cole said. “Obviously they have got Gareth Barry, who I know from England and he’s a good player. They’ve got Stephen Ireland, Wrighty (Shaun Wright-Phillips), Robinho, Adebayor, Tevez. They are all good players.

" I don’t know about breaking into the top four, that’s hard to say and you won’t know until you have seen them play a few times. This year might be tough but next year, you never know with the guys they are buying.

“I think it’s going to be hard for them but they could do. They may gel, click, straight away and it’s magic. But we can’t really say until we see them play. I hope they do it. I have friends there and I hope they do really well – and that they finish above Arsenal.”

The last comment was made with a smile. In reality Cole will not care which of the big four City leapfrog, if they do, as long as it’s not Chelsea.

“It’s a tough old season in the Premier League and it’s only getting harder,” he said. “So to win that, you are true champions. Sometimes in the Champions League I don’t think it’s always the best team that wins it. It depends on how you play on a certain day.

"In the league you have to play well week-in, week-out. Man Utd won it last year and they were worthy champions and we just have to take it.”

For many at Chelsea – including club owner Roman Abramovich and captain John Terry – winning the Champions League has become the primary goal especially after five semi-finals and that penalty shoot-out defeat to United last year. But Cole, who has won league titles with Arsenal and Chelsea, feels differently.

“For some players they might want to win the Champions League but for me winning the Premier League again is my main aim for the season,” he said. “Of course it would be nice to go to another Champions League final and hopefully win it again one day but for me the Premier League is the best trophy to have.”

Cole said there are positive signs, so far, in the reign of the new manager Carlo Ancelotti who hopes to emulate the most successful coach in the club’s history – Jose Mourinho.

“We’ve just changed managers so it’s going to take time to assess the different qualities of both of them but hopefully we can win something with the new manager,” Cole said.

“He (Ancelotti) is a good guy. He’s trying to learn English a lot and he’s getting on very well with the players and staff. He’s brought in a few new ideas and hopefully we can put them into our play. We are starting to understanding the way he wants us to play now. It takes time.

"Now we are playing with two up –Didier played and Nico (Nicolas Anelka), Sturridge, Di Santo. We have a lot of guys up there so hopefully we can get used to the formation in pre-season and it will work when we start the season.”

Chelsea travelled to Baltimore on Wednesday for the third leg of their pre-season tour of the United States, facing AC Milan, Ancelotti’s former club, on Friday.

They defeated Inter Milan, Mourinho’s club in Pasadena, California, 2-0 on Tuesday with goals from Drogba and Frank Lampard, with a penalty, having started their tour with another 2-0 victory, against Seattle Sounders last Saturday.

They also face the Mexicans of Club America in Arlington, Texas on Sunday.

John Terry ready to reject Manchester City and stay at Chelsea

John Terry has agreed in principle to stay at Chelsea and reject the chance to join Manchester City.

Negotiations over an improved deal will take place once Chelsea return from their pre-season tour of the United States.

Chelsea are expecting Terry to make a public statement about his intentions in the next few days. That would come as a severe blow to City, who had been confident that they would be able to sign the central defender despite the London club's determination to keep him.

The news will no doubt delight Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, who has revealed that his main task is to develop the "identity" of the team that club owner Roman Abramovich craves.

"It's too early to put my stamp on the team," the Italian said. "I have the time to do this, I want to do this and I think that it's possible. We are here for this, to play well and to put an identity to the team."

A lack of identity was something Abramovich complained about to Ancelotti in their meetings last year when he sounded the Italian out about becoming the Chelsea manager.

It was a claim that Ancelotti agreed with. Chelsea were powerful and effective, but lacked style, flair and creativity – all things the Russian billionaire craved, along with trophies.

It is clear that Ancelotti is developing a distinctive template for the way he wants Chelsea to play, and deciding who will be important to his plans.

Ancelotti spoke of the need to obtain a "fantasy" player, but attempts to sign Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich are becalmed and while the club are turning to Real Madrid's Wesley Sneijder, there have been fresh suggestions that a bid may be submitted for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso.

When asked about Alonso in the wake of Chelsea's 2-0 pre-season tour victory over Inter Milan, a win all the more enjoyable because it was against a team coached by Jose Mourinho, with whom he has crossed swords, Ancelotti was non-committal.

"We don't want to talk about other players who are not Chelsea players," he said. The Spanish international midfielder is keen to leave Anfield and join Real Madrid, although they have offered only half of Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's valuation of €40 million (£34.5 million).

"I have to think just about Chelsea players because there are very good players here."

Ancelotti has already been persuaded by the Chelsea board not to make a move for Milan's Andrea Pirlo because the playmaker is 30 and the price set by the Italians is considered too high. However, there is a need, given the system he appears to want to adopt, for an experienced holding midfielder.

John Obi Mikel performed the role against Inter but, as Ancelotti stressed, he is young and needs to improve, and may have a future further forward. Deco has been tried there but may struggle to convince, and Michael Ballack, too, could be a solution, but Chelsea may seek to buy.

Nevertheless Ancelotti declared himself happy with the make-up of his squad, although he will try to reduce numbers, probably by sending out Michael Mancienne on loan and offloading Andrei Shevchenko and Claudio Pizarro.

"I think so," he said when asked if his squad was good enough to compete for trophies. "I'm happy to train this team. I like every day to work with these players."

When asked about his previously stated desire for more "creativity", he said: "To put creativity in the team is not only about buying quality players. It's necessary to have a good quality of the play, a clear idea – and we are playing with a good idea."

It should not be forgotten that in his eight years at Milan – who Chelsea next in Baltimore – Ancelotti was, largely, presented with players by club owner Silvio Berlusconi and asked to fit them into a system. He is adept at adapting.

At Chelsea his plan is to play with a flat back four, with the two full-backs asked to attack and provide width, a diamond in midfield, whose personnel is interchangeable, and two strikers.

After the Inter game the Chelsea players spoke warmly of Mourinho. Michael Essien spent several minutes in the Inter dressing room after the match, which was won through goals by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

Ashley Cole professed himself pleased with the effect Ancelotti has had on the club. "He's brought in a few new ideas and hopefully we can put them into our play," Cole said.

"We are starting to understand the way he wants us to play now. It takes time."

Kobe: We need Odom back

Kobe Bryant believes that the Los Angeles Lakers will re-sign Lamar Odom as they attempt to defend their NBA title.

Bryant was in the second stop of his Kobe Asian Tour 2009, arriving in Singapore to unveil the new sneaker in his signature line, the Nike Dream Season.

"Lamar and I talk often, and I've always told him - we need him back," said Kobe.

Click here for Kobe Video

"It is no secret that he completes our bench. He adds a feature to our game that makes us formidable."

"So, I'm optimistic that he'll be back."

"As to how many championships we will win, I'm just happy with this last one, and we're working towards competing for another next season, but he makes us much, much stronger."

Talks between Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, and the Lakers fell apart last week, with Lakers owner Jerry Buss taking the reported three-year US$27 million deal off the table.

The versatile 6-10 forward was a vital contributor for the Lakers off the bench in their title win, scoring 12.3 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds in postseason play.

Meanwhile, Bryant rubbished talks that Lakers coach Phil Jackson might be coaching less due to his health problems.

"Who says he's coaching less? Phil likes messing with you guys," added the Black Mamba.

"He'll be there. He's extremely, extremely competitive. Extremely competitive. So he'll be back. He won't coach two games, and then sit out four or five in a row; he's not doing that in a million years."

"Phil will be there all the time, unless he has a doctor's appointment to get to, but he'll be there."

Bryant also endorsed the return of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach of Team USA, saying that he was more likely to play in the next Olympics with Coach K at the helm.

"I'm very excited to see that he signed on," Kobe continued. "It influences all the guys just because we've been through that experience before and it becomes like a family."

"It definitely influences me."

Bryant then played along with the media, imagining the hypothetical situation of the NBA finals featuring his Lakers and LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, who traded for Shaquille O'Neal recently.

"It'll be crazy," said the reigning NBA Finals MVP. "Just the hoopla that surrounds it and all the stories that would come out of it, there would be like stories for days and days and days and days."

"For us as players, if that matchup is to happen, we have to take it one day at a time. We can't get caught up in it being a given that we're going to be in the finals. We've got to take care of our business."

"With that being said, it would be a heck of a show."

Yankees make summit in East

The New York Yankees claimed top spot from the Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 success over the Baltimore Orioles.

Robinson Cano hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Yankees while Sergio Mitre tossed 5 2/3 innings of four-run ball, striking out four, in his first Major League start in almost two years.

The Red Sox are a game behind following their 4-2 loss at the Texas Rangers.

It was the fourth straight defeat for Boston despite the best efforts of Josh Beckett, who allowed four runs and seven hits in eight innings.

Tommy Hunter replied for the Rangers by giving up just one run in six innings.

The Los Angeles Angels claimed a clean sweep in their doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals, winning the opener 8-5 before adding a 10-2 triumph in Game Two.

With yesterday's game held over following rain, Erik Aybar had three runs in the opener to help the Angels on their way to victory in Game one.

Aybar then had four hits in the second game to round off a good night for the AL-West leaders.

Michael Cuddyer hit a go-ahead triple in the 10th inning to score Joe Mauer as the Minnesota Twins snatched a 3-2 result over the Oakland Athletics.

The Detroit Tigers held off a fightback from Seattle to edge the Mariners 9-7.

AL-Central leading Detroit were 8-1 ahead at the end of the second inning but two home runs for Jack Hannahan helped spark a Mariners' rally, although it was not enough to stave off the loss.

Clayton Richard gave up just one run in eight innings but it was not enough to save the Chicago White Sox, who fell to a 3-2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cliff Lee pitched nine innings of one-run ball, striking out four, as the Cleveland Indians edged out the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1.

Safina cruises into quarters

World number one Dinara Safina eased into the Slovenia Open quarter finals as she beat fellow Russian Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-2.

Continuing to show few ill effects from her Wimbledon semi-final rout by Venus Williams last month, the tournament's top seed proved too strong for the 18-year-old qualifier, taking just 77 minutes to progress.

In the last eight Safina will face Maria Elena Camerin, who rallied superbly to knock out seventh-seeded Russian Vera Dushevina 4-6 7-5 6-0.

Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele kept her nerve despite a poor second set to oust sixth seed Lucie Safarova 7-5 2-6 6-3. Meanwhile Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios was a straight sets 6-3 6-4 winner over Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Davydenko breezes into third round

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko took just 71 minutes to polish off German opponent Philipp Petzschner 6-3 6-2.

The quick-fire win secured Davydenko his place in the third round of the International German Open in Hamburg.

The Russian former finalist will next meet last week's surprise Stuttgart winner Jeremy Chardy of France after the 15th seed survived two tight sets to defeat Andreas Beck 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (8/6)

Third seed Robin Soderling also advanced with a 6-3 6-7 (3/7) 6-3 win over Italy's Fabio Fognini. The Swede will next play Nicolas Almagro in a repeat of last week's Bastad quarter-final.

Other second-round winners today included sixth seed David Ferrer, who defeated German wild card Florian Mayer 6-3 6-2, and 11th seed Victor Hanescu, a 6-2 6-3 winner over Jan Hernych.

Russian Igor Andreev was the leading seed to fall, a 6-4 6-3 casualty against Julien Benneteau, while Spanish 12th seed Jose Acasuso retired when he trailed 6-1 1-1 to Juan Monaco.

Liverpool held to 1-1 draw by Thailand

A battling second half performance from Thailand earned them a draw against English giants Liverpool in Bangkok.

Substitute Sutee Suksomkit scored a stunning second-half equaliser to earn Thailand a surprise 1-1 draw with Premier League Liverpool Wednesday.

Lifted by a partisan Bangkok crowd dressed mainly in red, the 18-times English champions went ahead after only six minutes through Ryan Babel but were unable to hold on for a pre-season victory in wet and humid conditions.

Babel latched on to an incisive pass from captain Jamie Carragher, turned a defender and calmly slotted the ball underneath onrushing keeper Kosin Hathairattanakul.

Babel almost made it two 15 minutes later when a Lucas Leivas cross-field pass found him in space at the far post but the Dutch international's tame shot went wide.

The Thai team, coached by former England international Peter Reid, put some good passing movements together but failed to trouble the Liverpool defence before the break.

Liverpool made a number of changes at halftime, but Martin Skrtel could only last 10 minutes before limping off injured.

Thailand drew level when substitute Sutee combined with striker Teerasul Dangda in the 71st minute to split the Liverpool defence, before executing a clinical finish into the bottom left-hand corner.

Thailand's monsoon rains poured down on the players soon after and an ecstatic cheer erupted throughout the packed crowd when Fernando Torres entered the field.

He could have scored within 30 seconds of coming on but shot poorly into the arms of Kosin, raising a loud cheer from a Rajamangala stadium awash with fans kitted out in replica Liverpool shirts.

"I think the fans are more pleased with Torres than us," Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez joked.

"We had some chances, we were playing against a team that was well organised, and they play quick.

"You come to a new continent and conditions are different, always more difficult, but I was pleased with the performance of some players and also pleased to see the national team play well."

Liverpool will play the Singapore national team Sunday on the second and final leg of their Asian tour.

(Editing by Martin Petty and Justin Palmer;

British 100-metre runner Simeon Williamson ready for Usain Bolt challenge

Simeon Williamson, the British No 1 at 100 metres, insists he has not been intimidated by his first clash with Usain Bolt and is relishing another crack at the triple Olympic champion at this weekend's Aviva London Grand Prix.

Williamson finished only sixth in Paris last week in a race won by Bolt in 9.79 seconds, just 0.10sec outside his own world record.

Bolt shrugged off a poor start, the damp conditions and running into a slight head wind to storm to victory ahead of Antigua's Daniel Bailey and fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake, who also broke 10 seconds.

Williamson has yet to dip under the 10-second barrier – although his victory in 10.05sec in the World Trials in Birmingham was run into a strong headwind – but the 23-year-old Londoner is not disheartened by witnessing the daunting size of his task close up.

"I'm going to get there, he trains and I train and everyone trains to be the best," the former European under-23 champion said.

"Last year, before Bolt ran in New York [clocking 9.72sec on May 31] his personal best was 10.03sec, the same as mine, and look where he is now.

"Paris was my first time facing Mr Bolt and it went well. It was my third-fastest time of the year. The consistency is there, more than it was last year, which is a good thing.

"There are little things, minute things, that me and my coach are working on and I hope to put into place this weekend at Crystal Palace. It will be a very, very fast race hopefully."

Williamson would be only the fourth British athlete after Linford Christie, Jason Gardener and Dwain Chambers to run under 10 seconds, but knows that is now commonplace for the world's best .

Reigning world champion Tyson Gay clocked the fastest time in the world this year with victory in Rome recently, running 9.77sec in a race where the top four were all under 10 seconds.

"Bolt is the man everyone is talking about because he won Olympic titles with world records in Beijing, but Tyson's not forgotten and Asafa [Powell] is not forgotten and there are quite a few other Caribbean sprinters coming up through the ranks at the moment," Williamson added.

"Everyone is beatable. No-one thought when Asafa was running world records anyone was going to beat him, but obviously Bolt has come and beat him. Everyone is beatable, it just depends what person turns up on the day."

Olympic silver medallist Phillips Idowu will also compete at Crystal Palace and is hoping to find the form which saw him jump 17.60 metres twice in the space of four days earlier this season.

"I know I'm jumping well, I'm up there in the world rankings and I've only lost once this year," the 30-year-old said.

"I had decent distances in my first couple of meets, had a pretty good battle against Nelson [Evora, the Olympic champion] at the European Team Championships and beat him a couple of days later in Spain.

"I've just struggled with finding the right conditions, I've been competing in heavy wind and rain so my distances right now haven't really shown the form that I'm in, but I'm just happy to be winning."

The forecast for Crystal Palace predicts yet more rain but Idowu added: "I'm not bothered. If it rains maybe God has got a plan for me and it might rain on my final in Berlin so I'll just take whatever comes."

Meanwhile seven Russian women have had their drug bans extended by the the Court of Arbitration for Sport, effectively ruling them out of August's World Championships.

The women - including former 1500m world champion Tatyana Tomashova - were found to have switched urine samples during drug tests in the spring of 2007.

They were banned by the Russian athletics federation for the minimum two years, retroactively from the date the samples were submitted. But the CAS ruled after an appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federations that they should be suspended for two years and nine months instead.

The other athletes banned are Yelena Soboleva, Svetlana Cherkasova, Yulia Fomenko, Olga Yegorova, Gulfiya Khanafeyeva and Darya Pischalnikova.

Tom Watson and Greg Norman paired together for Senior Open

Could the Senior Open at Sunningdale be any more calculated to produce an outpouring of public affection? Not if the pairing of Greg Norman and Tom Watson is any indication.

Norman used to live just yards from the Sunningdale clubhouse, dividing his time between there, Wentworth and Swinley Forest, and estimates that he has played the Old Course nearly 200 times.

None of those rounds, though, will be as emotive as the one he undertakes on Thursday morning with Watson, comparing notes on how both of them almost captured the Claret Jug deep into their golfing dotage.

The Open narrative of the past 12 months has been monopolised by first Norman, then Watson. Norman's final-day retreat came earlier, as he lost his lead by six shots at Birkdale to Watson's one, but their campaigns both sympolised the remarkable resistance of the old guard.

The Australian was as enraptured as any by Watson's accomplishment at Turnberry, and even predicted a repeat performance – if not by Watson, then by a player of similar seniority.

He said: "I think it's a testament to the game. I truly believe that someone post-50 is going to win a major championship very, very shortly."

Jean Todt reaches for the moral high ground in race for FIA presidency

Jean Todt has taken the opportunity to lay claim to the moral high ground in the race to succeed Max Mosley as president of world motor racing's governing body.

Todt seized on the chance to do so after the FIA Foundation issued a stern rebuke to his rival, the Finnish candidate Ari Vatanen, who claimed earlier in the week that Todt had used a Foundation trip to Africa with his partner, the actress Michelle Yeoh, to wage his campaign.

Vatanen was also quoted by an Italian motorsport website claiming that Todt and Yeoh, a global ambassador for the Make Roads Safe campaign, had travelled by private jet at the expense of the FIA.

It has since emerged that the couple travelled by charter jet, and that the FIA Foundation is in fact a separate charity independent of the FIA.

"These assertions are totally false," said Carlos Macaya, the chairman of the FIA Foundation. "These activities have nothing whatsoever to do with the FIA or the recently announced election.

"It is very disappointing that you [Vatanen] have chosen to misrepresent the work of a fellow trustee in this way and belittle the magnificent contribution being made by Michelle Yeoh."

Todt said he hoped that the election campaign did not turn personal and would focus on the real issues.

"I would hope that all candidates will conduct their campaigns with dignity and avoid personalising the issues or engaging in the spreading of disparaging or false allegations," said Todt. "In future I hope everyone can stick to the issues and respect the integrity of this democratic process."

To stand for FIA president, each candidate must submit their official application, along with a list of deputies and vice presidents, to the FIA between Sept 11 and Oct 2.

Sven-Goran Eriksson ready for biggest football challenge of life at Notts County

Sven-Goran Eriksson was unveiled as the director of football at Notts County, the League Two side, at a press conference at the club's Meadow Lane ground today.

He has signed a five-year contract and said that he is there to help the club, the oldest league side in the world, reach the Premier League.

Eriksson insisted that he has not taken the job for money, but for the challenge of taking a club up from "the bottom". It will be the biggest challenge, he added, of his career.

Sitting beside Eriksson was Ian McParland, the first team manager, who joked that he had had to pinch himself when he first learnt of the prospect of the former England and Manchester City manager joining the club. He was not the only one.

News of Eriksson's imminent arrival broke yesterday, but it was revealed that he has been in talks with Munto Finance Ltd, the Middle Eastern owners of the club, for the past two weeks.

He admitted he had reservations when first contacted by his agent, Athole Still, about the offer, but said that he was attracted by the challenge of taking a club "from the bottom" to the Premier League.

His financial gain is not yet clear. Some reports suggest that he will earn in the region of £2 million-a-year. He has also been given a shareholding in Notts County, who stress that his remuneration will depend on performances on the pitch.

Either way, Eriksson insisted that he had not accepted the job for any other reason but the challenge.

"I am not here for the weather. I could have gone to Italy. It was not for the money - I could have gone elsewhere easily. I am not here for the money. I'm here for the big challenge, that is the truth. It will be the most difficult football job of my life."

The Swede will be based in Nottingham full time, and will be present at the team's match against Nottingham Forest at the weekend. "You cannot live in London or Sweden if your job is in Nottingham. It is going to be different," he accepted. "I started my career at this level as a player, so here I am back again."

Asked if this spells the end of his managerial career, he replied: "I hope not. I am still hungry."

Dumais leads men's 3m springboard qualifiers

American Troy Dumais finished top of the standings in the men's 3m springboard diving preliminary competition at the World Championships here on Wednesday.

Dumais pipped Canadian Alexandre Despatie by just 0.10 points ahead of Chinese pair He Chong and Zhang Xinhua.

The first two reversed the positions they finished in at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal when Despatie collected the gold medal, while He finished third in that final.

Australian Olympic 10m platform champion Matthew Mitcham finished in 11th to also make the semi-finals.

Tour de France 2009: Alberto Contador cements yellow with second-place finish

Alberto Contador rode like a champion, Lance Armstrong scrapped like the champion he once was and Bradley Wiggins as one who believes he might become a champion on the road.

A savage afternoon in the Alps — easily the 2009 Tour’s toughest — took no prisoners and left no excuses. Nobody escaped the pain, but we now know the true batting order on this Tour. The top riders deliberately made it as tough as possible to shed those they considered interlopers.

Somehow Contador kept with the talented Schleck brothers on the Colombière – the final climb of an epic day – to consolidate his position as race leader. Only an injury, a crash or a catastrophic solo time-trial in Annecy today can now deny him. All three have happened on Tours before but somehow you fancy Contador is home and dry.

The Spaniard now has an total lead of 2 min 26 sec over Andy Schleck, while elder brother Frank was allowed to take the stage by Contador.

Frank Schleck is now third overall and Armstrong, down from second to fourth, staged an eye-popping attack 1km from the Colombière summit which finally shook off Wiggins after a long day riding in tandem. It also created the impetus for the Texan to chase down Astana colleague Andrea Kloden.

Armstrong was joined on that exciting downhill raid by Vincenzo Nibali, a multi-talented Italian.

Wiggins was seventh across the line, 3 min 7 sec behind Frank Schleck. Not built for this extreme terrain – four category-one climbs – he knew a day of reckoning would eventually arrive but he only cracked on the last uphill kilometre of a day including 62km of cursed climbing.

Wiggins has never accepted that he would defeat Contador this year but has upgraded his original target of a top-20 finish to top 10, and now top five. He still has can equal Robert Miller’s fourth place from 1984, but the podium now looks a tough call.

If he recovers well, Wiggins can hit back in Annecy on Wednesday in the 40.5km individual time-trial around the town’s famous lake, with one testing 3.5km climb. He starts among the favourites but the course will also suit Contador, Armstrong and Kloden.

Tour de France details

Stage 17: 169km (105m) from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand-Bornand:

1. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg - Team Saxo Bank) 4 hours, 53 minutes, 54 seconds. 2. Alberto Contador (Spain, Astana) same time., 3. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) s.t., 4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 2 minutes, 18 seconds behind, 5. Lance Armstrong (United States, Astana) s.t., 6. Andreas Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 2:27, 7. Bradley Wiggins (Britain, Garmin-Slipstream) 3:07, 8. Christophe Moreau (France, Agritubel) 4:09, 9. Christian Vande Velde (United States, Garmin-Slipstream) s.t., 10. Remi Pauriol (France, Cofidis) 6:10.

Other: 41 Nicolas Roche (Rep of Ireland, AG2R) 11-50; 89 Charles Wegelius (GB, Silence-Lotto) 29-43; 105 David Millar (GB, Garmin) s.t.; 116 Mark Cavendish (GB, Columbia) 35-47.

Overall: 1. Alberto Contador (Spain, Astana) 72:27:09, 2. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 2:26, 3. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 3:25, 4. Lance Armstrong (United States, Astana) 3:35, 5. Andreas Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 4:44, 6. Bradley Wiggins (Britain, Garmin-Slipstream) 4:53, 7. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 5:09, 8. Christian Vande Velde (United States, Garmin-Slipstream) 8:08., 9. Christophe Le Mevel (France, Francaise des Jeux) 9:19., 10. Mikel Astarloza (Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi) 10:50.

Other: 24 Roche 28-38; 60 Wegelius 1h 14m 25s; 75 Millar 1h 29m 57s; 141 Cavendish 2-51-25.

Points: 1. Thor Hushovd 230 pts 2. Mark Cavendish 200 3. Josi Joaquin Rojas 126

Mountains: 1. Franco Pellizotti 196 pts 2. Egoi Martinez 118 3. Pierrick Fedrigo 97

Young rider: 1. Andy Schleck 72hr 29min 35sec 2. Vincenzo Nibali at 2:43. 3. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ) 8:26.

Team stage: 1. Astana 14hr 46:27. 2. Garmin at 10min 18sec 3. Saxo Bank 12:48.

Danilo Di Luca suspended after failing drug tests during Giro d'Italia

Italian rider Danilo Di Luca has been provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Wednesday after failing two drug tests for EPO CERA during the Giro d'Italia.

The 33-year-old LPR team leader, who is not competing in the Tour de France, won two stages of the Giro and wore the leader's pink jersey for eight days. He finished second overall just 41 seconds behind Russian Denis Menchov.

The UCI said that Di Luca, winner of the 2007 Tour of Italy, tested positive for the banned-blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) CERA on May 20 and May 28 following blood tests carried out by a French laboratory.

"These adverse findings were a direct result of a targeted test programme conducted on Mr Di Luca using information from his biological passport's blood profile, previous test results and his race schedule," the UCI said in a statement.

"The provisional suspension of Mr Di Luca remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has indeed committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules."

Di Luca is the first team leader to be suspended owing to test results based on the recently introduced biological passport.

Di Luca insisted that he was clean.

"Would I be so stupid as to take Cera at the Tour of Italy one year after (Ricardo) Ricco, (Emanuele) Sella and (Davide) Rebellin were caught?" said Di Luca.

"I've fallen from the clouds, it's really very strange, so much so that I couldn't say how I feel.

"Two years would be a terrible penalty for me which would force me to retire.

"There's talk about Cera but I didn't take it, also because many athletes have been caught taking it and falling into this trap would have been really stupid.

"For me it's important now to have the B samples tested in a different laboratory to the one in Paris.

"How do I feel? How should I feel? I know what's awaiting me. But most of all I know that if it's confirmed this will be the end for me."

Di Luca was due to take part in the Brixia Tour in Italy on Thursday and had been targeting the world championships at the end of September in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

It is not Di Luca's first brush with anti-doping authorities.

He was banned for three months in 2007 following a hearing of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) for his ties to doctor Carlo Santuccione in the "Oil for Drugs" case.

In April 2008, Di Luca, was acquitted by CONI following insufficient evidence after an abnormal control during his 2007 Tour of Italy win.

Since April, a dozen riders have fallen foul of drugs testers including Holland's Thomas Dekker (Silence) and Spaniard Inigo Landaluze (Euskaltel), who also tested positive for EPO Cera.

This new generation form of EPO was first detected last summer with Italy's Riccardo Ricco, second in the 2008 Giro, forced to quit the Tour de France during the race.

John Obi Mikel commits future to Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has committed his future to the club by signing a new five-year contract.

The 22 year-old, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo is 2006, impressed in the holding role in the Blues midfield last term.

The Nigerian told the club's official website: "It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club."

Mikel already feels he will have an important role to play under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

He added: "My future with the new manager will be bright, and I think we have a good working relationship already.

"All the managers I have played for here have their own type of systems they want us to play, and whoever comes in will want to change little bits and pieces.

"There is not much to change but they all bring in different views, and the new manager wants us to play in a certain formation which we need to get used to before the season starts."

Mikel, who started the 2-0 friendly win over Inter Milan in America as he looks to build-up to full fitness, is confident he will thrive in the 4-4-2 diamond formation Ancelotti has favoured so far.

He added: "It has been hard work getting back to fitness but we all want to be sharp for the start of the season. Training is hard work but we have to do it.

"The new formation doesn't make too much difference to me in defensive midfield, but perhaps it is a little harder as I have to cover more ground for the team, but I feel I am up to the task and I am sure I can do it."

Kaizer Chiefs 0-1 Manchester City

Stephen Ireland clinched the winner as Manchester City posted a hard-fought win in the second match of their South African tour.

With Gareth Barry making his debut and watched by new signing Emmanuel Adebayor, City recovered from their weekend loss to Orlando Pirates with a 1-0 triumph against Kaizer Chiefs, academy product Stephen Ireland hitting the winner on the stroke of half-time at the ABSA Stadium in Durban.

Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz were again left to watch from the sidelines as City manager Mark Hughes continued to exercise patience with his high-profile summer signings.

The first half was an even affair but City made the decisive breakthrough in the closing seconds when Shaun Wright-Phillips' low cross was converted from close range by midfielder Ireland.

City had started strongly and put the hosts on the back foot early on before the hosts hit back towards the end of the half.

Barry, wearing the number eight jersey made a good impression in his first game with an energetic display.

The former Aston Villa player was all over the park, solidifying the defence when possible and troubling the Chiefs' backline with several runs.

Zambian referee Wellington Kaoma allowed the game to flow and only needed to reach for his card when City's Felipe Caicedo kicked the ball away in frustration when an advantage was not given after a foul on Wright-Phillips.

In the second half, City started where they had left off but Barry marred his debut with a 54th-minute yellow card following a late challenge.

The England player's interest in the game ended soon after when he was replaced by Javal Vidal with 26 minutes remaining.

There were few chances in the closing stages but City had a let-off with nine minutes to go when Chiefs striker Kaizer Motaung Jr failed to find the target when well placed 15 yards out.

The home side continued to apply the pressure in the final 10 minutes with several shots going astray, as City's defence tired.

Despite being hopeful of involving Tevez in this game, Hughes opted to leave the Argentinian striker out, as well as fellow new boys Adebayor and Santa Cruz.

The Ashes: Kevin Pietersen ruled out of series

Kevin Pietersen will play no further part in the 2009 Ashes after undergoing surgery for his troublesome Achilles tendon injury today.

After consulting a specialist it was ruled that the batsman would require surgery that has a minimum recovery time of six weeks, effectively ruling Pietersen out of contention for the remaining three Ashes Tests.

Pietersen admitted that although there was a possibility of playing through the pain, if he was ever to fully recover from this injury he needed the full rehabilitation time.

He said: "As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I'm absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series.

"To leave a winning dressing room at this time is heart breaking but it wouldn't be fair to the team or myself to continue given the severity of the injury."

Pietersen has never missed a Test since making his debut in the 2005 Ashes series at Lord's, ahead of established international Graham Thorpe.

ECB Chief Medical Officer, Nick Peirce, said: "Following a consultation, involving scans and testing, with the world's leading Achilles specialist Kevin Pietersen today underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon.

"The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon and appears, at this early stage, to have been routine."

Pietersen had looked uncomfortable at the crease in both the Cardiff and Lord's Tests raising major concerns about the South African born star.

And while England had no intention of fielding a half-fit player, the loss of such a proven run scorer comes as a massive blow to the home team, who lead the series 1-0.

Peirce added: "Despite conventional conservative treatments to the tendon with trial periods of rest and rehabilitation, Kevin continued to be in significant discomfort and is currently unable to run or even walk comfortably."

Malik ton puts Pakistan in control

Shoaib Malik hit an unbeaten 106 to put Pakistan on course for a face-saving victory in the final Test against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan, who lost the first two Tests to hand Sri Lanka a decisive lead in the series, finally flexed their batting muscle to pile up 300/5 in their second innings by stumps on the third day.

Kamran Akmal returned unbeaten on 60 after adding 114 for the unbroken sixth wicket with Malik as Pakistan established an overall lead of 366 runs with five wickets in hand.

Sri Lanka will need to put on their best batting display in the series to record a 3-0 sweep over the remaining two days after failing to cross 300 in any of the five previous innings.

Pakistan appeared to have thrown away the advantage of a 66-run first innings lead when, starting the day at 16-1, they lost three quick wickets to slip to 67-4 before lunch.

Malik and Misbah-ul Haq led the fightback with a 119-run stand for the fifth wicket, staying together for the entire post-lunch session to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers on a hot and humid day.

Misbah made 65 before he gifted his wicket after tea, attempting a wild heave off seamer Angelo Mathews that took the edge to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara.

Malik reached his second Test century just before close by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six, having survived a missed stumping by Sangakkara in the bowler's previous over.

The hosts missed a second spinner alongside Herath after dropping Ajantha Mendis to accommodate veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas for his final Test in a four-man pace attack.

Vaas, who claimed one wicket in the first innings, was kept out of the firing line till the 33rd over today before sending down 14 unsuccessful overs for 29 runs.

Pakistan had added just six runs to their overnight score when Fawad Alam fended at a short ball from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara and spooned an easy catch to the bowler.

Left-handed Alam, who hit 168 on debut in the second Test, scored 16 in each innings here.

Younus Khan looked solid while making 19 when he was unfortunate to be given leg-before to Nuwan Kulaksekera by umpire Ian Gould. Television replays showed an inside edge off the bat.

Malik reached his second Test century just before close by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six, having survived a missed stumping by Sangakkara in the bowler's previous over.

The hosts missed a second spinner alongside Herath after dropping Ajantha Mendis to accommodate veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas for his final Test in a four-man pace attack.

Pakistan appeared to have thrown away the advantage of a 66-run first innings lead when, starting the day at 16-1, they lost three quick wickets to slip to 67-4 before lunch.

Malik and Misbah-ul Haq led the fightback with a 119-run stand for the fifth wicket, staying together for the entire post-lunch session to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers on a hot and humid day.

Misbah made 65 before he gifted his wicket after tea, attempting a wild heave off seamer Angelo Mathews that took the edge to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara.

Malik reached his second Test century just before close by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six, having survived a missed stumping by Sangakkara in the bowler's previous over.

The hosts missed a second spinner alongside Herath after dropping Ajantha Mendis to accommodate veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas for his final Test in a four-man pace attack.

Vaas, who claimed one wicket in the first innings, was kept out of the firing line till the 33rd over today before sending down 14 unsuccessful overs for 29 runs.

Pakistan had added just six runs to their overnight score when Fawad Alam fended at a short ball from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara and spooned an easy catch to the bowler.

Left-handed Alam, who hit 168 on debut in the second Test, scored 16 in each innings here.

Younus Khan looked solid while making 19 when he was unfortunate to be given leg-before to Nuwan Kulaksekera by umpire Ian Gould. Television replays showed an inside edge off the bat.

Malik reached his second Test century just before close by lofting left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for a six, having survived a missed stumping by Sangakkara in the bowler's previous over.

The hosts missed a second spinner alongside Herath after dropping Ajantha Mendis to accommodate veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas for his final Test in a four-man pace attack.

Vaas, who claimed one wicket in the first innings, was kept out of the firing line till the 33rd over today before sending down 14 unsuccessful overs for 29 runs.

Pakistan had added just six runs to their overnight score when Fawad Alam fended at a short ball from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara and spooned an easy catch to the bowler.

Left-handed Alam, who hit 168 on debut in the second Test, scored 16 in each innings here.

Younus Khan looked solid while making 19 when he was unfortunate to be given leg-before to Nuwan Kulaksekera by umpire Ian Gould. Television replays showed an inside edge off the bat.

Click here for SCORECARD

Windies players end strike

West Indies' leading players ended their strike over pay dispute after reaching to an agreement.

The players' representatives and the cricket board (WICB) agreed to resolve the issue through an arbitrator, after a meeting.

The players agreed to make themselves available for international duty following the appointment of former Commonwealth secretary general Shridath Ramphal as arbitrator.

The WICB and the West Indies Players' Association, which is negotiating on the cricketers' behalf, agreed to resolve the impasse by mediation at a meeting convened by Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo at the request of WIPA.

Jagdeo is the current chairman of the 15-nation trading bloc Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).

The move towards mediation came hours after the board named a 14-man squad, which excluded the striking players, for the first two of three one-day internationals against Bangladesh, on July 26 and 28.

"It was agreed that, in light of the mediation agreement the parties expect to lead to the resolution of outstanding issues, all the players will make themselves available for selection," WIPA and WICB said in a joint statement.

Action right away

"The mediation team, with assistance from the Caricom secretariat, would begin work immediately. Both parties have taken this step, mindful of the interest of their respective organisations but conscious also of their wider responsibility to the people of the West Indies and the international sport of cricket," they said.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by WIPA President Dinanath Ramnarine and WICB President Dr Julian Hunte in the presence of Jagdeo.

The dispute erupted two weeks ago, when 13 of the leading West Indies cricketers made themselves unavailable for the first Test against Bangladesh in St Vincent, citing pay and contract issues.