Serena makes comeback with victory in Eastbourne

EASTBOURNE, United Kingdom: Serena Williams came back from a slow start Tuesday to reach the second round at the Eastbourne grasscourt event after not playing for nearly year, posting a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Tsvetana Pironkova.
The 13-time grand slam champion American, who last played in a winning Wimbledon final in July, returned to the court at the grass warm-up tournament after battling a foot injury and blood clots in her lungs.
Former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, the Italian fourth seed, took an opening win on a sunny day on the south coast over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 while Serb Ana Ivanovic, another former holder at Roland Garros, beat German Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-3.
Despite her 0-5 start against her Bulgarian opponent, Williams won in just over two hours of battle with seven aces as she tries to whip a rusty game into shape. After one particularly long exchange, the former number one was warned for time-wasting as she tried to catch her breath.
Williams will get another test in the second round when she faces the winner from top seed Vera Zvonareva and British wild card Heather Watson.
The Williams win was the second success for the family this week after sister Venus advanced on Monday after not playing for almost five months due to an abdominal injury. Unseeded Ivanovic took a small step in the rehabilitation of her inconsistent recent game, with her victory over Goerges.
Ivanovic has been through several coaches and consultants in recent seasons as the number 18 fights to settle and finally start improving her ranking.
Currently without a coach, she is sharing the time of adidas' Darren Cahill along with the rest of the marque's top players including coach-less Andy Murray.
Brit Elena Baltacha did the home crowd proud as she beat slumping Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2, 6-1 to next face third seed Victoria Azarenka Number 61 Baltacha's victory was her first on grass this season after a loss last week to start in Birmingham.
Holder Ekaterina Makarova took the first step in her title defence, beating Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
On the men's side of the dual event, South African sixth seed Kevin Anderson started with a victory over a Brit qualifier as he defeated Alexander Slabinsky 7-5, 6-3.
German veteran Rainer Schuettler, a Wimbledon semi-finalist three years ago, upset fifth seed Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 6-2 after qualifying into the field at Devonshire park.
American Donald Young beat Britain's Daniel Cox 6-1, 7-5 while Illya Marchenko of the Ukraine, stopped Portugal's Frederico Gil 6-1, 6-3.

Pakistan ready to host Bangladesh

KARACHI: Pakistani football said Tuesday it was confident next month's home World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh will go ahead, promising tight security for the match.
After the first leg of their Asian zone qualifier for the 2014 World Cup in Dhaka on June 29, the two sides were scheduled to meet in Lahore on July 3.
But arrangements ran into trouble after Bangladesh asked FIFA, the game's ruling body, to relocate the match due to security fears.
FIFA has apparently rejected the request in a move welcomed by Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi.
"We hosted Palestine and Malaysia earlier this year and both the teams returned happy, so we have proper security arrangements in place and we are confident that the match will go ahead," Lodhi told AFP.
Pakistan has not hosted any major sporting event since militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight people and wounding seven visiting players and their assistant coach.
"FIFA knows of our security arrangements made for the Palestine and Malaysian teams so they have no problems and we assure Bangladesh that they will be well looked after," said Lodhi.
Bangladesh Football Federation chief Kazi Salahuddin told AFP Tuesday that FIFA turned down its request to host both games against Pakistan.
"FIFA rejected our request. So our national team will go to Pakistan play the match on July 3," he said, adding that he had not been told where the game will be played.
Team coach Robert Rubcic did not want to travel to the troubled country, Salahuddin said, but the team's appeal to FIFA fell on deaf ears.
The 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's cricketers forced Pakistan to play their home cricket ties on neutral grounds in England, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Only the Afghanistan cricket team has since toured Pakistan.
Efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board to host Sri Lanka later this year were also dashed after militants attacked a naval base last month and carried out other high-profile strikes following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Sri Lanka Cricket refused to send its team, instead offering their grounds to play the three Tests, five one-day and a Twenty20 match series.
Pakistan have never qualified for the football World Cup and are placed 168th in the FIFA world rankings.
Five-time champions Brazil will host the next World Cup in 2014.

Pakistan Hockey team to play two tournaments in Australia

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team would play two three-nation tournaments in Australia in October. Third team of the competition is India, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Asif Bajwa told Geo News.
Bajwa said that the national hockey team would be provided enough opportunities to prepare before Champions Trophy and Olympics and tour of Australia and Europe are part of that effort.

Afridi, Butt resolve differences

ISLAMABAD: Former cricket captain Shahid Afridi met Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt in Islamabad and reached an out of court settlement, Geo News reported.
According to the sources, important government officials were also present in the meeting. Former skipper agreed to withdraw the case against the PCB and also to appear before the disciplinary committee of the board.
The PCB will issue the NOC for Afridi after he appears before the committee. After getting the required permission Afridi will be able to play for Hampshire County in a T20 tournament in England and Sri Lanka Premier League.

Pollard and Simmons set India toughest target of series

NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: Half-centuries from Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons helped West Indies reach 249 for eight in the fourth One-day International on Monday and set world champions India their highest target of the five match series.
Praveen Kumar was the most successful Indian bowler with three for 37 from 10 overs, and leg-spinner Amit Mishra captured two for 56 from 10 overs, as the visitors again kept the West Indies batting in check on another hard, true Vivian Richards Cricket Ground pitch.
Pollard smashed six fours and two sixes in the top score of 70 from 72 balls to spark a West Indies revival, after they stumbled to 103 for five in the 27th over.
Simmons supported with 67 from 78 balls, Carlton Baugh Jr made 39, and Andre Russell, the West Indies batting hero from the previous match, added 25.
The new ball pair of Kumar and Ishant Sharma, one of the three changes to India's line-up for the match, struck early on, leaving the hosts on 12 for two.
Sharma had opener Danza Hyatt caught at backward point for one in the second over, and Kumar had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught in the same position for the same score in the fifth over.
The Indians met resistance in the form of a 53-run stand between left-hander Darren Bravo and Simmons before Mishra triggered another mini-crisis, West Indies losing the pair, as well as Marlon Samuels for 38 in the space of 65 deliveries.
The visitors were again put on the back-foot, when Pollard and Baugh added 96 - largely untroubled - for the sixth wicket to move West Indies in the right direction.
But off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had Pollard caught at long-on in the 45th over - the second over of the Batting Power Play - before Baugh and Russell continued West Indies attacking intent, briskly putting on 41 for the seventh wicket.
Kumar returned for his final spell, and removed Baugh and Russell off successive balls in his final over - the penultimate of the innings - but West Indies would have felt reasonably content with their final total.
India made three changes, bringing Sharma, Ashwin, and left-handed batsman Manoj Tiwary, in to replace Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, and Shikhar Dhawan.
West Indies made two changes, swapping Bravo and leg-spinner Anthony Martin for Kirk Edwards and Devendra Bishoo respectively.
The Indians hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The world champions are looking to close in on a clean sweep in an ODI series for the first time on Caribbean soil, and can take comfort in the knowledge that West Indies have never won any of the five ODIs they have played at the VRCG.

New Zealand drop sanctions for Zimbabwe tour

WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government has approved a tour by the Zimbabwe cricket team, saying Sunday it would waive travel sanctions on teams from the African nation.
Zimbabwe are scheduled to play in New Zealand next year for the first time in 11 years and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the government would not block the tour.
Sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe several years ago to express opposition to alleged human rights abuses by the government of Robert Mugabe.
McCully said visas would be granted to the cricketers and management conditional on the situation in Zimbabwe "not deteriorating in a significant way."
A proposed tour of New Zealand by Zimbabwe in 2005 was cancelled when the government refused to grant the players visas.

Safarova in stunning Copenhagen fightback

COPENHAGEN: Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova recovered from 6-1, 4-0 down to defeat Croatia's Petra Martic 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 and reach the Copenhagen WTA final on Saturday.
Martic won 10 of the first 11 games but fourth-seeded Safarova, who had bounced back from one-set deficits in all her other matches this week, did it again.
"I'm excited to be in another final, and it brings me even more happiness when I've come through such a tough semi-final," Safarova said.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki followed Safarova into the final in much simpler fashion, dispatching German qualifier Mona Barthel in 62 minutes, 6-1 6-2.
"I felt really good out there today," Wozniacki said. "I'm really pleased to be in the final, my seventh final of the year."
Safarova won her only previous meeting against Wozniacki, a 6-4, 6-4 decision in the early rounds of the clay court event in Stuttgart last year.

Murray cruises into Queen's final

LONDON: Britain's Andy Murray swept into the final at Queen's with an imperious 6-3, 6-1 victory over four-time champion Andy Roddick in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Murray, seeded second, was in sublime form as he demolished one of the top grass-court players of the last decade to set up a final clash against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or James Ward.
This was arguably the most complete performance of Murray's career and the victory was especially sweet for the world number four as it went some way to avenging his 2009 Wimbledon semi-final defeat against Roddick.
Murray had won six of his nine meetings with Roddick but the loss at Wimbledon still rankles with the Scot.
The 24-year-old will have taken extra delight from the way he totally overwhelmed third seed Roddick here and he will now be heavy favourite to win this Wimbledon warm-up event for the second time.
Murray, who last won the title here in 2009, had an unexpected chance to rest his troublesome ankle injury on Friday when Marin Cilic was forced to pull out just before the start of their quarter-final with an ankle problem of his own.

3rd ODI: India win toss, put Windies into bat

NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: India captain Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field against the West Indies in the third one-day international at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here on Saturday.
The Indians are unchanged for the third straight match, but West Indies have brought Danza Hyatt, Andre Russell and Kemar Roach in to replace Dwayne Bravo, Anthony Martin and Ravi Rampaul.
The visitors lead the five-match series 2-0, following a four-wicket victory in the first ODI last Monday at Queen's Park Oval, where they won the second ODI by seven wickets two days later.
India are looking to take an unbeatable lead in the series, and they can take comfort in the knowledge that West Indies have never won any of the four ODIs they have played at the VRCG.
Teams
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo
India: Suresh Raina (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Norman Malcolm (WI), TV umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WI), Reserve umpire: Peter Nero (WI)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

ICC may extend Mohammad Aamir's ban

KARACHI: The 5-year ban on bowler Mohammad Amir may be extended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he was caught playing league cricket over the weekend, according to a newspaper report.
Aamir, who was found guilty of spot-fixing in a Test match vs England last August, claimed he had been told that the game was a friendly and would not affect his ban which prevents him from playing cricket at any level for 5 years.
"It is understood Amir - who, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, faces a criminal hearing at Southwark Crown Court in October over charges relating to cheating and conspiracy to obtain corrupt payments - was on friendly terms with three of Addington's players," the paper reported.
The ICC took notice of the violation and Aamir's lawyers have reportedly contacted the cricket governing body over the issue.

Murray gets walkover, Ward stuns champ Querrey

LONDON: Andy Murray reached the Queen's semi-finals on Friday after his last-eight opponent Marin Cilic was forced out by injury, while British wildcard James Ward stunned reigning champion Sam Querrey.
Murray has been struggling with ankle ligament damage since the French Open, but it was Cilic who was unable to recover from his own ankle injury just hours before the start of their match at the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London.
World number four Murray will now have some extra time to rest his injury ahead of his last four-clash against either Andy Roddick or Fernando Verdasco on Saturday.
Murray could be joined in the semi-finals by compatriot Ward as the unheralded British number two ended Sam Querrey's reign as the king of Queen's.
World number 216 Ward won the final set of their rain-delayed third-round match to clinch a shock 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
Ward had just levelled the tie at one set all in the gloom on Thursday when play was suspended due to bad light.
But the 24-year-old held his nerve overnight and piled the pressure on Querrey when play finally resumed after a 90-minute delay on Friday.
A tight deciding set swung Ward's way when he broke the American 13th seed in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead.
Ward, who revealed after his surprise win over Swiss fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round that he is trained by a former cage fighter, just had to hold serve twice to complete his latest giant-killing.
Querrey staved off one match point and then had a break point of his own, but Ward kept cool to earn a second match point, which he converted to the delight of the crowd.
There was little time for Ward to celebrate one of the best results of his career, however, as the son of a London taxi driver was due to return to action for his quarter-final clash with France's Adrian Mannarino later on Friday.

Zaheer, Sreesanth out of West Indies Tests

NEW DELHI: Injured fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth were Friday ruled out of India's three-Test series against the West Indies starting later this month.
The pace duo also missed out on the ongoing five-match one-day series in the Caribbean which India are leading 2-0.
"Zaheer has a right ankle problem, and Sreesanth has a right elbow problem. Both players will require some time off for rehabilitation," said N. Srinivasan, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Abhimanyu Mithun and Praveen Kumar have been named as their replacements in the Test squad.
India are already without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh for the Test series beginning in Kingston, Jamaica on June 24.
Tendulkar, the world's leading batsman in both Tests and one-dayers, has opted out of the tour in order to spend time with his family while the other players are injured.
India's revised Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Venkatsai Laxman (vice-capt), Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

India ease to victory over West Indies

PORT OF SPAIN: Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel followed up Amit Mishra's career-best bowling to lead India to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies in the rain-affected second One-day International on Wednesday.
Kohli struck six fours and one six in 81 from 103 balls to earn the Man-of-the-Match award, and Patel made 56 from 64 deliveries, as the Indians, chasing a revised target of 183 from 37 overs due to rain, reached their target with 20 balls remaining.
India captain Suresh Raina clinched victory, when he steered a delivery from Ravi Rampaul wide of point for two runs.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0, following a four-wicket victory in the first ODI two days ago at the same venue.
Mishra had upstaged half-centuries from Lendl Simmons and Ramnaresh Sarwan, triggering a batting collapse with a career-best spell, as West Indies posted 240 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.
Mishra captured four for 31 from his allotment of 10 overs, while
Munaf Patel bagged three for 35.
India suffered an early setback, when Shikhar Dhawan was caught at square cover off Ravi Rampaul for three in the third over.
But a second wicket stand of 120 between Kohli and Patel put India firmly on track, enduring two stoppages for rain.
Earlier, India were on the back-foot, when West Indies benefitted from three straight half-century stands.
Sarwan's 56 off 90 balls was the top score, and Simmons' supported with 53 from 84 deliveries.But five wickets - three to Mishra - fell for 22 in the space of 47 deliveries before Sammy struck one four and two sixes in 22 from 19 balls to push West Indies to a respectable total.
The third ODI will be played on June 11 at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

SHC defers Afridi case hearing till June 16

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has deferred the hearing of the case involving the PCB's disciplinary proceedings against former captain Shahid Afridi till June 16, Geo News reported.
The court had earlier stayed the committee's proceedings against Afridi, after he had filed a petition challenging the validity of the sanctions imposed on him by the PCB.
The court upheld the decision to revoke the permission for the former captain to play abroad, adjourning the hearing of the petition against the PCB until June 16.
Afridi went to court after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) punished him for allegedly breaching the code of conduct by announcing his retirement after he was dumped as one-day captain, and for levelling allegations against the board.
The PCB suspended his central contract, revoked all his no-objection certificates (NOCs) which would have allowed him to play in England and Sri Lanka and served him with a show-cause notice last week.
Afridi's lawyers, Syed Ali Zafar had sent a letter to the PCB in a bid to resolve the dispute between the two parties. He had stressed repeatedly that they were asking only for due process to be followed and that the act of suspending Afridi's central contract and withdrawing his NOC were punishments handed down to the former captain before he had been heard.
He said that the PCB lawyers were using delay tactics which were causing a financial loss to Afridi, therefore he was considering the option of suing the board.
PCB's lawyer Taffazul Rizvi said that the petition should have been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) instead of SHC therefore SHC did not have the right to hear Afridi's case. He said that the NOC was issued under central contract and after its suspension the PCB was not bound to retain the NOC. He said that Afridi would have to appear before the disciplinary committee in any case.
Rizvi said that the PCB would submit its detailed response during the next hearing and if needed, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt could also appear in court.

Jayasuriya recalled for Sri Lanka ODI series

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday recalled veteran left-handed batsman Sanath Jayasuriya for the upcoming limited overs series against England, Ireland and Scotland.
Jayasuriya, who turns 42 at the end of this month, is the oldest player in international cricket. Now a ruling party legislator, he last played a one-day game against India in December 2009.
He quit the Test arena in 2007, but continued to play in the shorter versions of the game.
He is likely to open the innings, as regular opener Upul Tharanga was dropped from selection on Wednesday after he failed a random doping test.
Selectors led by former skipper Duleep Mendis named Thilina Kandamby as vice-captain of the squad. They also included all-rounder Jeewan Mendis and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal.
All-rounder Angelo Matthews, who is recovering from a quadriceps muscle injury, was included in the squad subject to him passing a fitness test.
Sri Lanka, currently playing a Test series in England, are scheduled to play a lone T20 match in Bristol on June 25 followed by five one-dayers from June 28 to July 9.
The tour will end with two one-day games against Ireland and Scotland.
Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Thilina Kandamby (vice-capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thissara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suranga Lakmal, Dilhara Fernando, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuriya.

Roddick in hunt for record fifth Queen's crown

LONDON: Andy Roddick remains in the hunt for a record fifth Queen's crown after advancing to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over South Africa's Kevin Anderson on Thursday.
Since his last Queen's triumph back in 2007, Roddick has been trying to break the record for most singles' titles at the Wimbledon warm-up event which he currently shares with six other players including John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Lleyton Hewitt.
The American has endured a dispiriting 2011 campaign marred by a right shoulder injury that bothered him for several months and led him to miss the French Open after several first round exits from recent tournaments.
But, despite his recent troubles, Roddick is a three-time Wimbledon finalist who thrives on the lush lawns of west London.
Returning to his favoured grass courts has been the perfect tonic for Roddick and he followed a tough three-set win over Feliciano Lopez in the second round with another gritty victory against 15th seed Anderson.
Roddick, seeded third, looked determined to make a fast start and a superb forehand brought up two break points in the fifth game. Anderson couldn't respond to Roddick's pressure as he sent a volley wide to concede the break.

Cook ton gives England series win chance

LONDON: Alastair Cook scored his third century in four Test innings to help give England a chance of a series-clinching victory against Sri Lanka at Lord's here on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka were 32 for one in their second innings at tea on the fifth and final day, needing a further 311 runs in the final session's 45 overs to reach their victory target of 343.
The highest score ever made in the fourth innings to win a Test at Lord's was 344 for one, needing 342, by the West Indies against England in 1984.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 after dismissing Sri Lanka for just 82 inside 25 overs in an innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff.
Before tea, Sri Lanka lost acting captain Kumar Sangakkara, opening in place of injured skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan, for 12 when he cut Chris Tremlett to Eoin Morgan at backward point.
Tharanga Paranavitana, who might have been stumped by Matt Prior, was nine not out and Mahela Jayawardene five not out.
Earlier, England declared their second innings on 335 for seven after Cook made 106 and Ian Bell 57 not out.
Left-handed opener Cook's century was his third hundred in four Test innings following scores of 189 against Australia in Sydney, 133 against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Cardiff and 96 in the first innings of this match.
He was eventually out when third umpire Aleem Dar, after long deliberation, decided he had been stumped by Prasanna Jayawardene off impressive left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to end a five-half-hour innings.
Herath was the pick of Sri Lanka's attack with three for 87 in 24 overs.
Cook's exit sparked a flurry of late wickets as England went in search of quick runs.
England resumed Tuesday on 149 for two, a lead of 156, with Cook 61 not out and Kevin Pietersen 15 not out.
It looked as if they would bat through Tuesday's morning session without losing a wicket.
But, shortly before lunch, Pietersen was bowled by Herath for 72 to end a third-wicket partnership of 127 with Cook.
Sri Lanka, as they had on Monday, took the field without Dilshan.
A team spokesman said Tuesday opening batsman Dilshan had suffered a broken thumb caused by twice being hit by fast bowler Chris Tremlett during his innings of 193 -- the highest individual Test score by a Sri Lankan at Lord's.

Pakistan hockey squad announced for European tour

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey selection committee announced an 18-member squad for the European tour on Tuesday here at the Naseer Bunda stadium.
During the European tour, the National Hockey team will participate in UCD 4-Nation Hockey Tournament in Dublin from June 20-25 and 4-Nation Rabo Tournament at Amsterdam from June 28 to July 2, play two matches each against New Zealand at Belgium form July 10-11 and against Netherlands form July 15-16 (two matches).
The National Selection Committee comprising Abdul Hanif Khan Chairman, Arshad Ali Chowdhry and Khalid Bashir, announced the following team:
Players: Muhammad Imran (Captain), Salman Akbar (Goal-Keeper), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Irfan, Waseem Ahmad, Muhammad Tousiq, Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mehmood, Muhammad Waqas Sharif, Abdul Haseem Khan, Muhammad Rizwan Senior, Muhammad Zubair, Waqas Akbar, Syed Kashif Shah, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi (Vice-Captain), Shafqat Rasool and Imran Shah (Goal-keeper).
Team officials: K. M. Junaid (Manager), Michel van dan Heuvel (Head coach), Shahid Ali Khan (Assistant coach), Ajmal Khan Lodhi (Assistant coach) Faiz-ur-Rehman (Physiotherapist) and M. Nadeem Khan Lodhi (Video-analyst).

Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson looking for title number 20

Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that Manchester United will not be relenting in their pursuit of retaining their Premier League crown next season, having overhauled bitter rivals Liverpool with their 19th title to become the country's most successful side ever.
Instead, Ferguson is looking for his side to be victorious once more next season and to add a 20th league title.
Speaking to Inside United, the club's official magazine, Ferguson said: 'There's a responsibility as the manager of Manchester United. It doesn't go away.
'I'm not going to take it easy because we won the title. Hopefully we'll be better next season. The only thing you can do at this club is win - that's all that matters.
'We have to carry on, there's nothing else you can do. We have a responsibility and expectation to live up to and that carries on next season.
'As I've always said, Manchester United should accept a challenge. We're good at that and, next season, we'll accept anything that comes our way.'
United's 19th title, in the end won at a canter some nine points ahead of second placed Chelsea, was particularly special to Ferguson and the United supporters, as it finally gave them more league titles than the Reds from Anfield, and Ferguson believes that the latest title has dismissed the dissenting voices that suggest the current United crop is not a great side.
'It's a great feat winning this league, It was Liverpool's time in the 80s, it's our time now' added Ferguson.
'This was a particularly special one because it means we've won the title more than anyone in the country. It's history and it's great for the tradition of this club.
'The players have been great, I think they deserved it because there were a lot of great performances. I'm dismissing all that nonsense that it's not a great Manchester United team.' 

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Fans in London want Boom Boom back

LONDON: Supporters of all-rounder Shahid Afridi held a protest to show their support for him in Southall, London on Friday, Geo News reported.
Hundreds of supporters gathered in Southall and chanted slogans in the favor of former captain. They demanded that the board should resolve the issues and make his return possible in the international cricket soon.
The protestors said that they had bought tickets for Hampshire County Championship to watch their favourite star in the field but due to the cancellation of his No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), they will not be able to watch Boom Boom Afridi in action.
The fans expressed their disappointment over the PCB’s action and said that Afridi united the team in the times of worst crises, therefore, the board should reinstate his NOC so that he can return to international cricket.