Euro 2012 Germany, Portugal in quarter-finals

Cool-headed Germany extended their Euro 2012 winning streak to reach the last eight with a solid 2-1 victory over Denmark on Sunday as two goals from an inspired Cristiano Ronaldo put Portugal through and sent the Dutch packing.

Lukas Podolski marked his 100th appearance for Germany with a 19th-minute goal in Lviv, before Michael Krohn-Dehli levelled for Denmark five minutes later.

Conceding an equaliser briefly threatened the Germans with a shock elimination depending on the outcome of the other Group B decider but defender Lars Bender scored a clinical late goal to set up a quarter-final clash with Greece.

"There were positive spirits out there tonight. We were focused on getting a goal. It was a bit of luck that the ball came to me but you don't think a lot about it, you just shoot it in," Bender said.

In Kharkiv, Portugal eliminated the Netherlands to the dismay of their thousands of orange-clad fans who had made their team's three group games in the city virtual home matches.

Ronaldo cancelled out Rafael van der Vaart's sweet early goal for the Dutch with a 28th-minute equaliser and the world's most expensive player lashed in the winner 16 minutes from time.

"This tournament we were just not good enough to reach the knockout phase," Van der Vaart told Dutch TV.

The Netherlands, runners-up in the 2010 World Cup, lost all three group games, the first to Denmark and the second to bitter rivals Germany.

"Our confidence was gone since the opening match and now we just have to start all over again," said Van der Vaart.

PERFECT RECORD

Germany completed the European Championship group stage with a perfect record for the first time after Joachim Loew's team had set a German record in qualifying, winning all 10 games.

Germany now face Greece, who pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament when they beat Russia 1-0 and sent Dick Advocaat's side home.

Striker Fernando Torres called Russia's surprise elimination a "wake-up call" for defending champions Spain who play their last group match against Croatia on Monday.

The Germany v Greece fixture pits two countries against each other whose ties have been stretched to breaking point during the last two years of economic turmoil.

A win for Greece over the euro-zone paymaster, which has forced a strict austerity programme on struggling Athens, would delight the economically suffering Greeks.

Thousands of broken-hearted Poles who had watched their team exit the tournament the night before after a 1-0 defeat by the Czechs turned out to applaud their team in Warsaw's giant fan zone.

"We realise we could have done more, but we thank you for the positive energy you gave us, that you came and were with us," said captain Jakub Blaszczykowski.

"Never mind, never mind," chanted the crowd.

The English FA became the latest football authority to have disciplinary proceedings launched against it by UEFA following an attempted pitch invasion by fans at the Group D match against Sweden.

Spain play Croatia in the Group C decider on Tuesday and Italy face eliminated Ireland. Italy lie third on two points and will be knocked out even if they win if Spain and Croatia play out a scoring draw of two goals each or more.

The fear that Spain and Croatia will contrive a 2-2 draw is growing among the Italian media.

With Croatia under investigation by UEFA over charges of racism, coach Slaven Bilic appealed to racist fans to stay way.

"I don't like these people, I don't want these people supporting us," he said. "We don't want them in the stadium. We are angry with these stupid fans as well. We need to stop them forever."

Injuries also began to mount on the 10th day of the tournament.

England winger Theo Walcott suffered a hamstring tweak in a practice session and is struggling to be fit for the final Group D match against Ukraine whose leading striker Andriy Shevchenko missed training with a knee problem and is also doubtful.

Rajasthan bid farewell to play-offs

Deccan Chargers knocked Rajasthan Royals out of the IPL by inflicting on them an upset five-wicket defeat in a must-win match in Hyderabad on Friday, reports ESPNstar.

Deccan overhauled their victory target of 127 with eight balls to spare, finishing on 128 for five.

Produturi Reddy hit 42 from 35 balls, including four fours and one six, while Shikhar Dhawan and JP Duminy contributed 26 and 24 respectively.

Rajasthan made 126 for eight, Rahul Dravid top-scoring with 39 and Dale Steyn the pick of the Deccan bowlers with two wickets for 16 from his four overs.

Defeat ended the Royals' hopes of making it through to the play-offs.

Warner drives Daredevils home

After a disciplined bowling effort, David Warner smashed 79 to help Delhi Daredevils register a six-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in their IPL 5 match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, reports Times of India.

Ryan Harris ended Warner's scintillating knock of 79 off just 44 balls, smashing 10 fours and four sixes. Warner cracked 25-ball fifty to lead Daredevils chase.

Azhar Mahmood gave Kings XI first breakthrough, dismissing Unmukt Chand, who shared 82-run stand with Warner.

Warner hammered five fours and four sixes to reach his half-century. Warner and Chand started off well for Daredevils as they added 50 runs in just 37 balls.

Earlier, Kings XI bounced back strongly with late heroics by Gurkeerat Singh and Azhar Mahmood as they set the competitive 142-run target for Daredevils.

Ryan Harris and Praveen Kumar remained unbeaten on 15 and 3 respectively. Harris smacked four and a six as Umesh Yadav conceded 15 runs in the last over.

Gurkeerat played a fine cameo, smashing 26 runs off just 11 balls with the help of fours boundaries and a six to help Kings XI achieve 141/8 in 20 overs. Azhar Mahmood also played composed knock of 36, adding 45 runs in 24 balls with Gurkeerat.

KKR win the match by 34 runs

Indian Premier League - 70th match

Pune Warriors v Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders won by 34 runs

• Twenty20 match | 2012 season
• Played at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune
• 19 May 2012 - day/night (20-over match)

	Kolkata Knight Riders innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	BB McCullum†	c Ryder b Parnell	41	43	5	0	95.34
	G Gambhir*	c Nehra b Parnell	10	12	1	0	83.33
	JH Kallis	b Clarke	13	18	1	0	72.22
	Shakib Al Hasan	b Kumar	42	30	3	2	140.00
	MK Tiwary	not out	8	9	0	0	88.88
	YK Pathan	not out	15	10	2	0	150.00
	Extras	(b 4, lb 1, nb 2)	7
	Total	(4 wickets; 20 overs)	136	(6.80 runs per over)

Did not bat DB Das, R Bhatia, Iqbal Abdulla, SP Narine, L Balaji

Fall of wickets 1-21 (Gambhir, 4.3 ov), 2-40 (Kallis, 8.4 ov), 3-107 (McCullum, 16.1 ov), 4-117 (Shakib Al Hasan, 17.5 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	A Nehra	4	0	35	0	8.75
	AG Murtaza	2	0	11	0	5.50
	WD Parnell	4	0	18	2	4.50	(1nb)
	B Kumar	4	0	23	1	5.75
	MJ Clarke	4	0	27	1	6.75
	SC Ganguly	2	0	17	0	8.50	(1nb)

	Pune Warriors innings (target: 137 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	RV Uthappa†	c Tiwary b Iqbal Abdulla	8	8	1	0	100.00
	JD Ryder	b Pathan	22	24	0	2	91.66
	MJ Clarke	st †McCullum b Pathan	13	18	0	0	72.22
	SC Ganguly*	lbw b Shakib Al Hasan	5	8	0	0	62.50
	AP Majumdar	st †McCullum b Shakib Al Hasan	17	22	0	0	77.27
	CJ Ferguson	c Kallis b Bhatia	12	18	0	0	66.66
	Harpreet Singh	c & b Narine	6	6	0	0	100.00
	WD Parnell	c sub (LR Shukla) b Balaji	3	5	0	0	60.00
	B Kumar	not out	3	6	0	0	50.00
	AG Murtaza	not out	3	5	0	0	60.00
	Extras	(b 1, lb 2, w 7)	10
	Total	(8 wickets; 20 overs)	102	(5.10 runs per over)

Did not bat A Nehra

Fall of wickets 1-11 (Uthappa, 2.2 ov), 2-51 (Clarke, 7.4 ov), 3-56 (Ryder, 9.2 ov), 4-62 (Ganguly, 10.4 ov), 5-86 (Majumdar, 15.5 ov), 6-92 (Ferguson, 16.6 ov), 7-95 (Harpreet Singh, 17.5 ov), 8-97 (Parnell, 18.3 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	L Balaji	4	0	20	1	5.00	(2w)
	Shakib Al Hasan	4	0	18	2	4.50
	Iqbal Abdulla	3	0	20	1	6.66	(1w)
	SP Narine	4	0	15	1	3.75
	YK Pathan	2	0	12	2	6.00	(1w)
	R Bhatia	3	0	14	1	4.66

Match details

Toss Kolkata Knight Riders, who chose to bat Points Kolkata Knight Riders 2, Pune Warriors 0

Player of the match Shakib Al Hasan (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Rayudu, Pollard guide Mumbai home

A 122-run stand between Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard helped Mumbai Indians move level on points with Delhi after a five-wicket win over Bangalore.

Mumbai were firmly under the cosh in their pursuit of 172 after being reduced to 51 for five in the ninth over, with star man Sachin Tendulkar departing off the first ball he faced.

But Rayudu bludgeoned six fours and four sixes in his 81 not out and received support in the form of the big-hitting Pollard (52no) to lead the Indians over the line, with KP Appanna and Chris Gayle the bowlers coming under heavy fire.

Earlier, Mayank Agarwal was in supreme form, hammering six boundaries and four maximums in his unbeaten 30-ball 64 after the Challengers were put into bat.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan contributed a rather more sedate 47 to help Bangalore to 171 for six - a total that looked formidable until Rayudu and Pollard took centre stage.

Roach, Rampaul in doubt for first Test

The West Indies are sweating on the fitness of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul ahead of the first Test against England, which gets underway at Lord's on Thursday, reports Cricket365.

The victims of a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of the England Lions in Northampton on Sunday, the tourists also endured the absence of the fast-bowling duo.

Roach twisted his ankle and was unable to bowl as Joe Root's unbeaten century and Michael Carberry's 72 not out carried the home side to a resounding triumph at Wantage Road. Rampaul, meanwhile, delivered just four overs before succumbing to a problematic neck.

"Kemar has twisted his left foot, and it was a precaution as much as anything that he didn't bowl," said coach Ottis Gibson.

"Ravi woke up with a stiff neck.

"We have to be a little bit careful with Lord's in mind. It is a bit of a disappointment the seamers have not bowled much. But we are here to play Test matches and we hope it will be all right."

Gibson drew inspiration from his side's recent showing against Australia, who were given a good fight by Roach and company in the limited-overs leg of the tour.

Held to a two-all draw in the ODIs and one-all in the T20Is, the Aussies were later given a good fight before wrapping up a two-nil victory in the Tests.

"We have just had a very tough series in the Caribbean, and they bowled a lot of balls there - especially Kemar Roach," added Gibson.

"In England it is a matter of getting used to the conditions rather than bowling a lot of balls - and you can get used to the cold without bowling."

SC refuses to quash Tendulkar's nomination

Refusing to quash batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the Supreme Court asked petitioner Ram Gopal Singh Sisodia, a former Delhi MLA to rather approach the high court with his plea, reports Times of India.

The petitioner had challenged the nomination on the ground that Sachin was not entitled to nomination as Article 80 prescribes that only persons of eminence in the fields of art, literature and science are to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

A vacation bench of justices Deepak Verma and S J Mukhopadhya asked counsel R K Kapoor as to why he directly approached the apex court instead of invoking the jurisdiction of the Delhi high court.

"Why did you come to us directly under Article 32. You could have approached the high court? " the bench told the counsel who submitted that he had a Constitutional right to approach either courts.

The court then wondered if a writ of quo warranto would lie when a person is nominated to a particular post.

A writ of quo warranto is a plea in which an individual's right to hold an office or governmental privilege is challenged by another person.

Thereafter, the bench gave the option to the counsel to withdraw the petition with liberty to move the high court which he agreed and accordingly withdrew it.

Sisodia in his petition said Sachin does not possess any of the qualifications as prescribed under Article 80 of the Constitution of India for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

"But despite that he has been nominated as a member of Rajya Shaba. His nomination is not in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and liable to be struck down."

In his petition, the former Delhi MLA had raised several questions, including if a person can be nominated as a member of Rajya Shaba under clause 1(a) read with clause (3) of Article 80 of the Constitution of India even if he does not have a special knowledge or practical experience in the prescribed categories as enumerated under clause (3) of the Article 80 of the Constitution.

The petition also asked if a nomination made beyond the categories as specified under Article 80 (3) of the Constitution is not liable to be declared as an invalid and illegal nomination?

"That in view of these facts and circumstances, the petitioner has filed the Civil Writ Petition before this Hon?ble Court since there is a clear violation of the provisions of Article 14, (equality of law) 16(1) (equality in public employment), (51A (fundamental duties) (a), read with Article 300 A (persons not to be deprived of property except by law) and Article 80 of the Constitution of India," read the petition.

"That after nomination, a person would be entitled to certain financial rights and other privileges which cannot be conferred on a person who is not eligible to be nominated to Rajya Sabha," it said.

"Tax payers money cannot go into the pockets of those who are not eligible to be nominated as members of the Rajya Sabha. The petitioner is an income-tax payee and the money contributed by citizens must be spent for constitutional purposes only," it added.

You are late, Tigers PCB

Bangladesh have reacted too late in trying to have the result of the Asia Cup final overturned, the Pakistan Cricket Boards chief operating officer said on Sunday.A senior official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Saturday that it will ask the Asian Cricket Council to review an incident in the last over of Thursdays final against Pakistan which they believe cost them the game.Pakistan won the final by two runs but Bangladesh say Pakistani bowler Aizaz Cheema, who bowled the final over, deliberately tried to block batsman Mahmudullah and therefore, five penalty runs should be incurred.
We are a bit surprised by this late reaction from the Bangladesh board because we believe if something was wrong the match officials would have taken action on the spot, the PCBs Subhan Ahmed told Reuters.What we fail to understand is why there is this late reaction from the Bangladesh board. But even if they appeal I dont think it will affect relations between the two boards.In the final match, Pakistan had batted first and scored 236 losing 9 wickets while chasing 237 to win, Bangladesh scored 234 for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 50 overs.Pakistan, who have not hosted international matches since a gun attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009, have invited Bangladesh to play a three-match one-day series next month.The PCB is still waiting for a response from the Bangladesh board, which says it will follow any decision made by its government.

Ronaldo strike sinks Barca

Real Madrid have one hand on a first La Liga trophy in four years after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brilliant winner in a 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Saturday that stretched their lead over their bitter rivals to seven points with four games left.
On a dramatic, rain-lashed night at the Nou Camp, the Portuguese forwards 73rd-minute strike from Mesut Ozils superb assist secured the win his coach and compatriot Jose Mourinho had sought in vain in eight previous trips to Barcas imposing arena during his otherwise glittering career.

It was Reals first success in eight La Liga Clasicos - four of them before Mourinho arrived from Inter Milan - and gives them a timely boost for Wednesdays Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich, when they will seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit.

We have struck a very significant blow but its not yet decisive, Real midfielder Xabi Alonso said in an interview with Spanish television.

Of course its an important step towards the title but now we have to see it home, added the Spain international.

Cristianos goal, coming straight after they levelled, broke their stride and that was fundamental.

We controlled the match perfectly. It was a great performance, a fantastic result and I am very happy. Now we have another key match on Wednesday.

Barca, by contrast, need to regroup after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time in almost three years following Saturdays reverse and a 1-0 loss at Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola, whose only defeat in 14 previous Clasicos as Barca coach was in last years Kings Cup final, may also have his tactics questioned after he left Alexis Sanchez, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro out of his starting line-up.

Sanchez came off the bench to snatch a 70th-minute equaliser after a rare Sami Khedira goal had given Real an early lead, while a toothless Barca could have done with Fabregas creativity and eye for goal much earlier than the 80th minute.

TITLE CONCEDED

Guardiola opened his news conference by conceding his bid to lead Barca to a fourth straight La Liga crown had failed.

I congratulate Real Madrid on their victory and on the league title, the former Barca and Spain midfielder said.

Right now the players are tired and sad and I cant say if there will be a psychological effect for the Chelsea game, he added.

We will try to find a way to attack Chelsea but now we have to rest and recover and try to forget tonights game as quickly as possible.

As the two teams walked out for a match watched by hundreds of millions around the world, close to 100,000 home fans transformed the stadium into a giant mosaic in the blue and red colours of the club and the yellow and red of Catalonia.

Som i serem (We are and we will be) was picked out in yellow on one side of the arena as the home support bellowed the club anthem El Cant del Barca.

Guardiola deployed an attacking formation with only three defenders and featuring the surprise inclusion of pacy 20-year-old B-team winger Cristian Tello.

Mourinho fielded the same starting 11 as he did on Tuesday, when Real were beaten 2-1 at Bayern Munich, with Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and the excellent Ozil looking to catch Barca on the break.

SHARP REACTION

Real, who also set a new record of 109 goals scored in a league season, were ahead when Khedira was sharpest to react after Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes could not gather the ball after a corner and the Germany midfielder bundled it over the line.

Barca had started nervously and lacked their usual fluidity, and once Real were ahead they defended solidly and rarely looked like conceding as Barca stroked the ball around on the slick surface without real penetration.

The noise volume inside the giant arena rose after substitute Sanchez finally scrambled the ball in for the equaliser but the home fans were silenced three minutes later.

Ozils superb pass released Ronaldo in space on the right and he took the ball wide before smashing it home.

The goal, extending his La Liga record tally for the season to 42, was the best response to critics who accuse the Portuguese of flopping in big games. He is now one goal ahead of Barca forward Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring chart.

Messi tried desperately to breach the Real defence but was thwarted again and again and cut a forlorn figure at the end of the game as the Real players celebrated wildly nearby.

As well as virtually wrapping up the title, Reals win ended Barcas 11-match winning streak in the league and inflicted a first defeat on the Catalans in 35 league matches at the Nou Camp and in 55 home games in all competitions.

Mourinho, who again declined to speak to the media, will now be relishing a potential crack at his old club in next months Champions League final in Munich.

Jennifer Capriati elected to tennis Hall of Fame

Jennifer Capriati went from teen prodigy to off-court troubles to Grand Slam champion, and now she's headed to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Capriati's election was announced Friday, joining a 2012 class that includes Gustavo Kuerten, Manuel Orantes, Randy Snow and Mike Davies.

"Tennis has been my passion and dedication for my entire life, and to be acknowledged for this passion and dedication is truly icing on the cake," said the 36-year-old Capriati. "Finally, to all of my fans: You mean so much to me. I am, and have always been, blessed beyond words by your support both during and after my playing days. You unquestionably made this game so memorable for me and I miss you all so much."

With a power-based game and competitive fire, Capriati won the Australian Open in 2001 and 2002. She won the French Open in 2001 and a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. She also reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

"We are delighted to hear the news that Jennifer has been elected to the Hall of Fame. She indeed is one of our greatest players, known for her remarkable success and powerful style of play," WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a statement. "Jennifer worked hard and fought hard. Congratulations to her on an honor well deserved."

At 14, just out of eighth grade, Capriati reached the semifinals of the first Grand Slam tournament she played — the 1990 French Open. Another 11 years would pass before she would take the next step, reaching a major final.

Drug and other problems sidetracked her, and Capriati temporarily dropped off the tour after the 1993 U.S. Open. She was arrested that year for shoplifting at a Florida mall, and again the next year for marijuana possession. She also spent time in drug rehabilitation in 1994.

After going more than two years without playing a competitive match, Capriati came back in April 1996. Two years later, her ranking dipped to No. 267.

But she really completed her comeback — and reached heights long expected of her — in 2001, when she was selected as The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. Seeded 12th at that year's Australian Open, Capriati beat past champions Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis en route to the title and her first top-10 ranking in seven years.

She retired in 2004 with a career record of 430-176, including 14 singles titles.

Nadal admits to nerves prior to Monte Carlo start

Clay king Rafael Nadal has admitted that he is nervous about his Wednesday start at the Monte Carlo Masters, a fortnight after quitting with knee pain prior to his last match.

"I'm scared because this is the start to an important season for me," said the Spaniard, who is bidding for an unprecedented eighth straight title on the clay of the principality. "Hopefully it will work well."

Nadal, seeded second behind Novak Djokovic, will play Jarkko Nieminen in the second round after the Finn beat Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

In first-round play on Monday, all three seeds on court advanced.

Spain's number 13 seed Fernando Verdasco, a 2010 finalist against Nadal, beat Belgian Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, while 15th-ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer defeated Lukas Kubot 6-2, 7-5.

Alexandr Dolgopolov, the number 16 seed, put out Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-2.

Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, ranked 352 in the world after a long absence with a knee injury, crushed Donald Young 6-0, 6-1 to leave the American winless in his last five events.

Australian Bernard Tomic reached the second round by beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-4, 6-3 to claim his first ATP-level victory on clay.

Tomic won a qualifying match in Moncao a year ago but lost out to Julien Benneteau for a spot in the main draw.

"I'm starting to learn how to play on clay, that's the important thing," said the 36th-ranked Australian.

"If I play my tennis, (clay specialists) struggle with my game even on clay.

"This next six weeks will be very interesting to see how I go. And I think can do pretty good."

After quitting before his Miami semi-final against Andy Murray on March 30 due to pain in his left knee, Nadal returned to Spain for injections and treatment of the tendon problem that was causing him grief.

He was unable to train for a fortnight and only got back onto the clay in the middle of last week.

"Now it's time to see how good it is," the 10-time Grand Slam-winner said.

"I need to be able to play at my top level and run without thinking about the knee. I've put all the effort in and hopefully it is well and I can train in the right conditions. That's the most important thing for me today."

The king of clay, whose last trophy came at the 2011 French Open, played down the fact that his last success came 10 months ago.

"I haven't won a title, but how many finals have I played?" asked Nadal, who has appeared in four finals since his Roland Garros triumph.

"It all depends on your calendar. If I played more on clay, like in South America or after Wimbledon, I would have better chances of winning titles.

"There are players there (at lower-profile events) who can beat you, but the chances are better. But I don't make my calendar to win titles, I want to compete at the most important events against the best players of the world.

"I'm not playing only on my best surface, but to try and win titles. That makes it more difficult. But I don't feel pressure just because I haven't won since Roland Garros."

Pakistan to host international cricket for first time since 2009

Pakistan will host its first international matches since 2009 when Bangladesh tour at the end of April.

Lahore will host a one-day international on 29 April and a Twenty20 match 24 hours later.

"The public of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket and we felt that we needed to support them," said Bangladesh official Mustafa Kamal.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board president added: "The reception we received when we toured Lahore and Karachi on our security visit was overwhelming."

During the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team six policemen and the team coach driver were killed, while seven cricketers and an assistant coach were injured

Manchester United re-established a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League but their victory over Aston Villa was aided

Ashley Young, who won a spot-kick last week against QPR, was involved again, adjudged to be tripped by Ciaran Clark.

Contact between the pair was minimal but Wayne Rooney converted before Danny Welbeck made it 2-0 at the back post.

Villa improved after the break but Rooney and Nani sealed victory.

United were the superior team, especially in the first half, and the win also cut Manchester City's goal difference advantage to four goals.

But questions will be asked of Young, after Clark appeared to pull his foot away from the winger.

Young's former team-mates failed to improve a wretched record against United, which now extends to one win in 31 games.

More importantly, they remain just six points above the relegation zone but they will look at games against Sunderland, Bolton and West Brom as a better chance of accruing points than a trip to Old Trafford.

For United, victory was a perfect response after losing at Wigan on Wednesday and they were not put under any sustained pressure, hard as Villa fought.

Before the spot-kick controversy, Andreas Weimann had tested David de Gea and Clark almost made amends for his transgression later in the half when his header whistled wide.

Stephen Ireland's curling shot also went close, but United were well on top and could have extended their lead through efforts by Welbeck, Rooney and Paul Scholes।

Visiting keeper Shay Given had to be on top form to tip one Welbeck shot over, and he was severely let down by his defence for United's second।

Patrice Evra overlapped on the left and although his low cross was delivered into a dangerous area, it was well within the reach of James Collins and Nathan Baker, who inexplicably chose to leave it allowing Welbeck to slide in at the back post।

Scholes was once again the dictator in midfield, having being left out of the defeat by Wigan.

But the 37-year-old was booked for an ugly tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor early in the second half, as Villa attempted to impose themselves on the game.

They had some success in stemming the flow towards their goal and Emile Heskey, who replaced the injured Clark, had a header tipped over by De Gea, while Nathan Baker also headed inches wide from a corner.

McLeish may take a dim view of the first goal, but Villa can have few complaints about the result - if there were any doubts about the direction of the game, Rooney made sure when he tucked in Antonio Valencia's cutback for his 32nd goal of the season.

And Nani came on to boost United's goal total when he scored from close range.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team now host Everton before they travel to Etihad Stadium to face City, where - following this result - victory could secure them their 20th top-flight title.

Chennai stun Bangalore

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings pulled off a sensational five-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday.

Super Kings reached the improbable 206-run target. It is the second highest run chase in IPL history.

F du Plessis scored 71 and MS Dhoni 41. But Albie Morkel (28 off seven balls) and Dwayne Bravo (25 not out) changed the game's complexion.

Earlier, Bangalore scored an impressive 205-8 in 20 overs.

Chris Gayle (68 off 35 balls) and Virat Kohli (57 off 46 balls) set up Bangalore for an impressive score of 205-8 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

However, Bangalore eventually stuttered in the slog overs as they lost six wickets for 43 runs.

Australia need 192 to win

Australia need 192 to win the first Test after they bowled out West Indies for 148 before lunch on the final day in Barbados on Wednesday .

Ryan Harris finished with three for 31 to follow up on Tuesday's batting heroics when he helped the tourists turn the Test around with an unbeaten 68.

Harris got the first breakthrough of the day trapping Narsingh Deonarine (21) leg before.

West Indies, needing to eat up time and add runs, really needed a strong contribution from skipper Darren Sammy but he made just 14 before he was bowled by Shane Watson.

Harris then proved his worth in the field with a catch at mid-on when Carlton Baugh (23) attempted to drive Ben Hilfenhaus (4-27).

Fidel Edwards (3) played a wild shot to sky a short delivery from Peter Siddle to Shane Watson.

Kemar Roach (25), the only tailender to produce what was needed, was bowled by Harris to end a deeply disappointing second innings from West Indies.

After making 449 for nine declared and then having Australia at 250 for seven, West Indies now face defeat unless their bowlers can produce some final day drama.

Real restore lead over Barca

Leaders Real Madrid restored their four-point advantage over chasing Barcelona when Cristiano Ronaldo netted his seventh hat-trick of the La Liga campaign in a 4-1 drubbing of city neighbours Atletico on Wednesday.

Real had seen their lead over their arch rivals whittled down to one point after Sunday's 0-0 draw at home to Valencia and Barca's 4-0 win at home to Getafe on Tuesday and needed a win to keep their bid for a first title in four years on track.

Ronaldo was the difference between the sides at the Calderon and the Portuguese international smashed in a free kick to open the scoring in the 25th minute before Radamel Falcao nodded an equaliser 10 minutes into the second half.

Atletico, who have not beaten Real in almost 13 years, pressed forward in search of an unlikely winner but Ronaldo made it 2-1 in the 68th minute when he drifted in from the left and arrowed a long-range shot over goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The goal incensed some of the home fans and they pelted the Real players with plastic bottles as they celebrated together in the corner of the pitch.

Atletico defender Diego Godin felled Gonzalo Higuain in the penalty area around 10 minutes from time and Ronaldo stroked the spot kick past Courtois for his 40th league goal of the campaign, equalling the La Liga record he set last season.

He is one ahead of Barca forward and World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who scored the Spanish champions' second goal on Tuesday.

BIT TENSE

Ronaldo, who sent Jose Callejon clear on the right in the 88th minute to score Real's fourth, said he and his team mates had been feeling the pressure after Barca's victory.

"We were a bit tense as we knew that Barca had won yesterday and we had to win," Ronaldo, who is the first player in the history of Europe's top four leagues to net 40 goals in consecutive seasons, said in a television interview.

"I am very pleased that the team won, that I scored and set up a goal and we have to carry on in the same way.

"There is still some way to go in the league but we are closer to the title now."

Real, who play at Barca's Nou Camp stadium on April 21, have 82 points from 32 matches, with Barca on 78. Europa League semi-finalists Atletico are ninth on 42 points and in danger of missing out on a place in Europe next season.

In the earlier kickoffs, Valencia climbed above Malaga into third and an automatic qualification slot for next season's Champions League when a Jonas double helped them to a 4-1 win at home to Rayo Vallecano.

Jordi Alba and Pablo Hernandez also struck for the Europa League semi-finalists, who have 52 points.

Valencia's less illustrious city neighbours Levante missed a chance to go fourth when they surrendered the lead and lost 3-2 at relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon.

They stay fifth on 48 points, two behind Malaga who play at struggling Villarreal on Thursday and can reclaim third with a win at the Madrigal.

Athletic Bilbao, who are also through to the last four of the Europa League but whose La Liga form has been erratic, had to come from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw at 10-man Granada and are seventh on 42 points.

India tour likely this year: BCB

Tigers are likely to have the first fully-fledged tour to India this year, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president A H M Mustafa Kamal has said.

Speaking at the board's meeting on Monday, Kamal said his Indian counterpart N Srinivasan had assured him in his recent visit to the country about the tour by the end of 2012, a BCB media release said.

Kamal's meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Srinivasan during the inauguration of Indian Premier League was fruitful, the release said, quoting Kamal as saying in Monday's meeting.

Bangladesh played the first Test on Nov 12, 2000 against India at home ground but has not had a fully-fledged tour to the neighbouring country.

BCB is being criticised for its failure to keep a tour to India in the current future tours programme of Bangladesh cricket team.

After meeting Srinivasan during his recent visit to India to join IPL inauguration, Kamal said they had discussed the issue.

"The national team will tour India soon," he had said.

Mumbai clinch last-ball victory

Rohit Sharma's last-ball six snatched a five-wicket victory for Mumbai Indians against Deccan Chargers in the ninth match of IPL on Monday.

Mumbai looked like they were out of the contest as they chased only 139 especially after Dale Steyn's magnificent spell of bowling.

Steyn first took an outstanding return catch to dismiss Suman and then bowled out Levi to reduce the visitors to 10-2 in four overs.

Then he returned in his second spell to remove Dinesh Karthik to finish with 3 for 12 in four overs.
For a while Kieron Pollard kept Mumbai in the game hitting a quickfire 24 off 18 balls.

But Sharma, who remained undefeated on 73, guided Mumbai home (142-5) in the final over in which they needed 18 runs.

Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan scored a swashbuckling 41 off 24 balls to lift Deccan Chargers to 138-9 after early blows by Munaf Patel who finished with 4-20.

Lasith Malinga grabbed three wickets for 27 runs and Kieron Pollard took two wickets.

Winning the toss, Deccan Chargers got off to a dismal start as Mumbai pacer Patel sent back Parthiv Patel and Bharat Chipli early.

Munaf got Patel caught by Rahul Sharma in his first over and then dismissed Chipli on the first delivery of the fourth over to reduce the hosts to 9-2.

Daniel Christian 39 and Cameron White's unbeaten 30 then gave the total respectability after Kumar Sangakkara was given out as a result of Mumbai skipper Harbhajan Singh and Patel pressurising the umpires to go for a referral.

The controversial incident happened in the 13th over of Deccan innings with Sangakkara clearly out off the bowling of Munaf though the field umpires thought it otherwise initially.

Sangakkara dragged the ball onto the off-stump with the bails dislodged and the ball hit wickets for the second time after ricocheting from Mumbai wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

A heated argument followed between Harbhajan and the field umpires with Munaf joining in and play stopped for more than five minutes.

The field umpires, who apparently thought the ball hit wickets after coming off from Karthik's pads, eventually referred the decision to the third umpire who gave Sangakkara out.

Benzema and Kaka strike late to sink APOEL

Karim Benzema and Kaka scored late goals to give Real Madrid an emphatic 3-0 win at APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

The nine-times European champions dominated the match but APOEL, the first Cypriot side to reach the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition, defended solidly to frustrate their Spanish opponents until the last 15 minutes.

The arrival of Kaka as a substitute midway through the second half created the breakthrough, the Brazilian producing a superb cross from the left for the diving Benzema to head powerfully home after 74 minutes.

Kaka slotted in the second goal from eight metres following a surging run down the left by his fellow substitute Marcelo and Benzema struck again in the last minute to put the La Liga leaders firmly on course for the semi-finals.

"It took us a long time to open the score but that had a lot to do with our opponents who played very well," Real coach Jose Mourinho told reporters.

"They don't have the outstanding individual talent that other teams in the Champions League have but in terms of organisation and character they are fantastic," the Portuguese added.

"They created many difficulties and I think we won the game because we played well. What they did was fantastic, and we had to play at optimum strength to win, they were fantastic on defence and they deserve our respect."

APOEL's Brazilian defender Marcelo Oliveira was carried off on a stretcher after pulling his hamstring early in the match but the home side initially made light of his absence.

Benzema missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring late in the first half, the French striker inexplicably directing the ball over the bar from close range with the goal gaping.

APOEL failed to register a shot on the Real goal but the Spanish side became increasingly frustrated by their inability to break through.

Cristiano Ronaldo caused problems without going close to scoring and it needed the introduction of Kaka to provide the spark for Real.

The playmaker cleverly set up the first goal for Benzema with a pinpoint cross and clinically converted Marcelo's cutback before Mesut Ozil crossed for Benzema to tap in his second.

APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic said his side had become frustrated after the first goal.

"The truth is we were well organised, at least on defence, but certainly, some disappointment set in after the 75th minute. There was some disappointment and I would say afte the goal we lost some concentration," he told Sigma Sports.

APOEL chairman Phivos Erotocritou said APOEL were proud of their achievements.

"We have our head held high. It has been really special, we are very proud that we got to this point. It is certainly not a result to be ashamed of, we are very very proud we got to this point."

The second leg in Madrid takes place next Wednesday

Tendulkar available for entire IPL: MI

Sachin Tendulkar will be available to play the entire duration of the upcoming Indian Premier League after returning from London where he has gone for a medical consultation for a toe injury, the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise team spokesman said.

"I can categorically say Sachin Tendulkar (captain of Mumbai Indians) is available for the entire duration of the IPL. He has gone to London just for consultation (about his toe injury) and is scheduled to be back on March 31. There is no question of any surgery," the spokesperson said, reports Times of India.

"He will also be there for the opening ceremony (on April 2) at Chennai and for the opening encounter (on April 4 against defending champions Chennai Super Kings)," the spokesman added.

The MI clarification came after it was learnt from a source in the Cricket Board that the return of the champion batsman, after his consultation in London with a specialist, was uncertain as even a surgery might be needed to put a question mark on his participation for the entire duration of the Twenty20 League.

"Yes, Sachin Tendulkar has gone to London for consultation about his toe injury. He has been playing with this injury for long. It is not sure when he will return as even a surgery may be needed to correct it," the BCCI source said earlier.

The Indian Premier League is all set to commence on April 4 in Chennai, where Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians, last year's runner-up will take on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

Tendulkar, who notched up his 100th international ton in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, did not attend the BCCI-organised felicitation function of the retired batsman Rahul Dravid last evening at a hotel near his residence, as he had already left for England.

The toe injury is a decade-old but it came back to haunt him and upset his plans to play the ODI series in England last September after a not-too-successful run in the four-Test series that preceded it.

The senior cricketer was withdrawn from the team sheet before the first ODI, which was washed out. And then the BCCI issued a statement, saying that Tendulkar had been ruled out of the series "due to a toe injury".

Tendulkar had consulted a specialist in London after suffering the injury and was advised four weeks' rest.

He came back to play the Test rubber against the West Indies at home after missing the Champions League Twenty 20, which was won by Mumbai Indians under the stand-in-skipper Harbhajan Singh.

But after playing the Test series against the Windies, Tendulkar again opted to rest for the ODI series.

He went to Australia with an advance party of senior players including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dravid and VVS Laxman to get acclimatised to the conditions Down Under when the limited over series against the West Indies was in progress.

Tendulkar played the Test series in Australia and then stayed on to take part in the triangular ODI series before playing the Asia Cup in Bangladesh where he achieved the long-eluding milestone of 100 tons in international cricket.

He had addressed the media in a lengthy session last Sunday, got feted by MI's owners Mukesh and Nita Ambani at their residence the next evening before flying off to London.

"Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar will be joining the in-progress camp at Wankhede Stadium from 31st March 2012 and is fully available for the entire IPL season 5. Sachin is in UK to consult his doctor and will be back in India to join the camp from 31st March," a statement issued by Mumbai Indians said.

Pakistan may bar players from BPL

Pakistan will not allow their players to feature in Bangladesh Premier League's second season if the country's cricket board decides against sending its national team for a much-awaited series, according to a Pakistan newspaper.

According to The News, Pakistan's cricket chiefs are extremely unhappy over Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) reluctance to send its team to Pakistan for a limited-overs series that is expected to the pave the path for the return of international cricket in the country.

"Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will block its players' participation in the second edition of BPL in case the Bangladeshis decide against sending their team to Pakistan," a source told the newspaper.

Pakistani cricket stars including their former captain Shahid Afridi were the single biggest reason why the inaugural edition of BPL which concluded on February 29 turned out to be a highly successful event.

Over 20 Pakistani cricketers featured in the BPL, a Twenty20 league that was Bangladesh's version of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

While top Pakistani cricketers like Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal just played in the final games of the event because of their series against England in the UAE, many of their other compatriots including fast bowler Mohammad Sami and opener Nasir Jamshed finished among BPL's biggest success stories.

BPL teams have roped in Pakistani cricketers for long-term stints but PCB can bar them from playing in the league.

"PCB believes that it has done everything possible for the smooth hosting of a home series against Bangladesh which is why it won't take any decision against the visit lightly," said the source.

"A negative call on the issue by Bangladesh is bound to strain cricketing relations between the two countries and the biggest loser could be the BPL," he added. Pakistan are desperate to host Bangladesh for a limited-overs series in Lahore and Karachi next month in its bid to revive international cricket in the country.

Pakistan have not hosted international teams since March 2009 when Sri Lankan cricketers were ambushed by terrorists in Lahore killing six policeman and a van driver. Several Sri Lankan players and one of their coaches were injured in the attack.

A Bangladeshi delegation visited Pakistan earlier this month to review security arrangements for the proposed series. Mustafa Kamal, the president of Bangladesh Cricket Board, who led the delegation, told senior PCB officials that he was satisfied with the security arrangements.

However, BCB has said that a final decision on the tour hinges on its government clearance.

UK airlines warn of Olympics airport chaos

Four of Britain’s leading airlines say the government must do more to prevent severe delays and disruptions at London airports during this summer’s Olympics.

Britain expects hundreds of thousands of visitors for the games, including more than 10,000 athletes and 20,000 media personnel.

British Airways, bmi, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic said in a letter to the government published Saturday that an Olympic surge in passengers means any security alert or bad weather could cause chaos unless special arrangements are made.

The airlines say disruption can be minimized if air traffic controllers agree to change their usual practice and give scheduled flights priority over charters and business jets.

The letter warns that “failure to respond leaves the U.K. vulnerable to the type of major disruption that will cause significant reputational damage and would be foolhardy and reckless.”

Airlines, government and aviation authorities are due to meet Thursday to discuss plans for the July 27-Aug. 12 games.

The Transport Department said that “a range of special measures” would reduce disruption.

“We are confident that the majority of these additional issues have now been addressed and we look forward to discussing them with the airlines concerned at a meeting next week,” the department said in a statement.

Azarenka beats Sharapova to win Indian Wells title

Victoria Azarenka routed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-3 to win the BNP Paribas Open title on Sunday in the WTA Tour’s first final between the No. 1 and No. 2 players since 2008.

Azarenka broke Sharapova six times in improving her record to 23-0 this year, the best start to a season since Martina Hingis went 37-0 to open 1997. The top-ranked Belarusian earned $1 million for her fourth title of the year.

It was a rematch of the Australian Open final, which Azarenka won 6-3, 6-0 in January to keep Sharapova from regaining the No. 1 ranking. This time, Sharapova was error-prone during the 1 1/2 -hour match on a cold, windy day in the desert. The second-ranked Russian kept hitting close to the lines and missing.

No. 3 Roger Federer was set to play American John Isner in the men’s final later.

North Carolina rolls past Creighton 87-73 in NCAAs

John Henson proved he was healthy again, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots in his return from a wrist injury that seemed perfectly timed for North Carolina’s latest push for the Final Four.

Now Kendall Marshall has his own wrist injury that could prove devastating for the Tar Heels.

Henson had a double-double in his first game back from a sprained left wrist, and North Carolina beat Creighton 87-73 in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday. But Marshall broke a bone in his right wrist when he was fouled on a drive to the basket and knocked to the floor midway through the second half.

Coach Roy Williams confirmed the injury after the game, and said he would talk to Marshall and his parents about his status Sunday night. The point guard still finished with 18 points and 11 assists.

“When you go to the Sweet 16, it’s supposed to be a lot more fun than this,” an emotional Williams said afterward.

Marshall’s injury overshadowed what should have been an exciting win for the Tar Heels (31-5), the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional. They built a 15-point lead in the first half, then kept control and pushed the margin to 19 after the break on the way to their second straight double-digit victory. Their defense was good enough to slow the eighth-seeded Bluejays’ offense and make high-scoring forward Doug McDermott work for his points.

Then there was Henson’s return after missing the past three games with the wrist injury from last week’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Instead, the Tar Heels are unsure whether they’ll have their most irreplaceable player—the guy who drives Williams’ fast-paced attack with unparalleled court vision and perfect pitch-aheads in transition—for the rest of the tournament.

“I just want to be here for my team,” said Marshall, his eyes red with emotion. “It is what it is. We’re not saying that I’m not going to play. We’re not saying that I’m going to play. Bottom line, it’s a fracture and now I have to deal with it.”

Williams cleared reporters out of the locker room to inform the team of Marshall’s injury, then headed to his postgame news conference. The rest of the players struggled with the news.

“We just don’t know what we’re going to do at this point in time,” sophomore Harrison Barnes said.

Marshall, who is left-handed, was hurt when he was knocked to the floor by Ethan Wragge on a drive with 10:56 left. He made the first free throw, then missed the second before leaving the game. He played about 7 more minutes before leaving for good with 1:54 left. Trainer Chris Hirth then examined Marshall’s right wrist on the bench.

The Tar Heels had already lost top perimeter defender and No. 2 ballhandler Dexter Strickland to a season-ending knee injury in January, leaving only freshman Stilman White to relieve Marshall for spot duty. If Marshall can’t go, the job would likely fall to White and versatile senior Justin Watts.

“It’s a little bit shocking,” White said. “I know for sure I didn’t expect it to be that bad. I know Kendall’s a really tough guy. It’s just a little bit of shock right now. That’s the great thing about coach Williams—he always figures something out.”

The Tar Heels will face surprising Ohio in the round of 16 on Friday in St. Louis. The 13th-seeded Bobcats advanced with a 62-56 victory over South Florida.

As for Henson, his return drew a roar from the home-state fans filling the Greensboro Coliseum, both when he jogged out with his teammates for pregame warmups and when he was introduced during the starting lineups.

Henson had 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in 28 minutes. Much of the time, Henson looked like his old self, knocking down midrange jumpers or using his long frame to snatch rebounds or swat shots.

He drew a technical foul in the first half when he got angry and started jawing with Creighton’s Grant Gibbs—who had chopped at the ball in Henson’s hands in the paint. He also had a moment when he cringed after taking a blow to the hand on another foul, which forced Williams to pull him briefly in the first half.

“Yeah, it was a little weaker than I wanted it to be, and I wasn’t as strong with the grip as I wanted,” Henson said. “But hey, we got the win and that’s all you can ask for.”

Marshall’s injury overshadowed Henson’s return and the reunion of McDermott and Barnes, who teamed together to lead Ames High School in Iowa to consecutive state championships and unbeaten seasons. McDermott came in averaging about 23 points and eight rebounds, while Barnes was leading the Tar Heels in scoring at about 17 per game.

That matchup never materialized, with Henson and freshman James Michael McAdoo getting most of the defensive work against McDermott. McDermott finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Barnes had 17 points on 7-for-19 shooting, including back-to-back 3-pointers to turn away Creighton’s final push after the Bluejays had closed within 12 with about 5 1/2 minutes left.

“Right before the game, we just shared a moment, but once the game started, we were both competitive guys and it didn’t feel weird at all,” McDermott said. “I didn’t realize I was playing against my former teammate the whole time until the end and he’s a really good player.”

Creighton came in leading the country with a 50.7 percent shooting average, but it couldn’t figure out a way to put the on-the-attack Tar Heels on the defensive. Creighton shot 41 percent.

North Carolina hit 14 of its first 19 shots and built a 39-24 lead on Barnes’ 3-pointer with 5 1/2 minutes left. UNC led by eight at half, but Creighton never got closer after the break. The Tar Heels shot 51 percent for the game and improved to 31-1 in NCAA games played in their home state.

“We came here with every intention of winning this game,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “You don’t get to this point if you don’t feel that way, regardless of who you’re playing.”

Little Master enjoys muted celebration

Dream successful.After waiting more than a year, India's Sachin Tendulkar finally became the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries during an Asia Cup one-day match against Bangladesh on Friday.

The 38-year-old further cemented his place as one of the greatest of cricketing greats when he stroked a single off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to reach the landmark. He has scored 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in one-day internationals.

Tendulkar hit 10 boundaries and one six on the way to his hundred, which he reached off 138 deliveries on an easy-paced pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

The celebrations for his much-awaited target were muted and Tendulkar looked more relieved than elated after completing the 100th run.

He stood at the non-striker's end looking at his bat for a moment before thanking the heavens. He then raised his helmet towards the crowd, planted a kiss on the Indian cricket logo and was hugged by team mate Suresh Raina.

Tendulkar said the achievement had yet to sink in.

"It was a tough phase for me. Especially tough when you know that I started off this season batting reasonably well," a tired-looking Tendulkar told the NEO Cricket channel.

"I batted well in Australia. I felt at times I was luckless. Doesn't matter how many hundreds you score, you still have to put your head down, grind it out and do the job for the team.

"It hasn't sunk in but I have definitely lost about 50 kilos."

"DIFFICULT MENTALLY"

It took the greatest accumulator of runs in international cricket more than a year to score his coveted hundred after he reached 99 centuries with his 111 against South Africa in the World Cup in Nagpur on March 12 last year.

"Precisely a year ago when I got my 99th hundred no one spoke about it during the World Cup. And then it was I guess the media who started all these," Tendulkar added.

"Wherever I went, to restaurants, the house keeping, the room service, whoever I met just spoke about the 100th hundred.

"It became a little difficult mentally, because I am not playing only for my 100th hundred.

"The 99 hundreds that I scored, nobody spoke about them. Everyone had their opinion but eventually I have got to do what is important for the team."

India prime minister Manmohan Singh said Tendulkar was an inspiration for the country.

"I join the nation in congratulating Sachin Tendulkar on his making history - a hundred centuries," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

"He has made India proud. Tendulkar's long career has been a triumph of class, character and courage. Wish him many more innings and feats to continue inspiring the youth."

Tendulkar was finally out for 114 off 147 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and a six.

Little Master enjoys muted celebration

D successful.After waiting more than a year, India's Sachin Tendulkar finally became the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries during an Asia Cup one-day match against Bangladesh on Friday.

The 38-year-old further cemented his place as one of the greatest of cricketing greats when he stroked a single off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to reach the landmark. He has scored 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in one-day internationals.

Tendulkar hit 10 boundaries and one six on the way to his hundred, which he reached off 138 deliveries on an easy-paced pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

The celebrations for his much-awaited target were muted and Tendulkar looked more relieved than elated after completing the 100th run.

He stood at the non-striker's end looking at his bat for a moment before thanking the heavens. He then raised his helmet towards the crowd, planted a kiss on the Indian cricket logo and was hugged by team mate Suresh Raina.

Tendulkar said the achievement had yet to sink in.

"It was a tough phase for me. Especially tough when you know that I started off this season batting reasonably well," a tired-looking Tendulkar told the NEO Cricket channel.

"I batted well in Australia. I felt at times I was luckless. Doesn't matter how many hundreds you score, you still have to put your head down, grind it out and do the job for the team.

"It hasn't sunk in but I have definitely lost about 50 kilos."

"DIFFICULT MENTALLY"

It took the greatest accumulator of runs in international cricket more than a year to score his coveted hundred after he reached 99 centuries with his 111 against South Africa in the World Cup in Nagpur on March 12 last year.

"Precisely a year ago when I got my 99th hundred no one spoke about it during the World Cup. And then it was I guess the media who started all these," Tendulkar added.

"Wherever I went, to restaurants, the house keeping, the room service, whoever I met just spoke about the 100th hundred.

"It became a little difficult mentally, because I am not playing only for my 100th hundred.

"The 99 hundreds that I scored, nobody spoke about them. Everyone had their opinion but eventually I have got to do what is important for the team."

India prime minister Manmohan Singh said Tendulkar was an inspiration for the country.

"I join the nation in congratulating Sachin Tendulkar on his making history - a hundred centuries," the prime minister's office said in a statement.

"He has made India proud. Tendulkar's long career has been a triumph of class, character and courage. Wish him many more innings and feats to continue inspiring the youth."

Tendulkar was finally out for 114 off 147 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and a six.

Losers Dhaka enter semis

Dhaka Gladiators have become the 3rd team to enter BPL semis, despite losing against Duronto Rajshahi by three wickets on Monday.

Gladiators scored 116 runs losing all wickets after 18.2 overs. Rajshahi overtook Dhaka's score with three balls and as many wickets remaining.

Rajshahi and Barisal Burners are the two other teams that have confirmed their berths in the semis.

More drama sees Barisal in BPL semis

In a stunning reversal of its previous decision, the governing body of the Bangladesh Premier League early on Tuesday said Barisal Burners – not Chittagong Kings – will play the second semi-final against table toppers Duronto Rajshahi as the fourth team.

The governing body took the decision at a 2am meeting with the technical committee .The authorities in a press statement made it clear that Barisal were through and the previous declaration that Chittagong Kings had qualified for the semis would stand void.

The confusions and drama running into the match day are surely going to have some effect on the second semi-final. It will leave the inaugural edition of the domestic Twenty20 mired in more controversy after allegations over attempts of spot-fixing emerged.

It had been announced initially on Sunday that Barisal Burners were through to the semi-finals riding on the net run-rate after their dramatic victory against the Kings. And Chittagong, Khulna Royal Bengals and Dhaka Gladiators were left to fight it out among themselves for the remaining two spots.

On Monday, Dhaka Gladiators lost to Duronto Rajshahi by a narrow margin and Khulna Royal Bengals thrashed Sylhet Royals and the results put Khulna in the second place with 12 points, leaving Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong tied on 10 points.

But in the head-to-head results, Dhaka had a superior net run rate and qualified for the semi-finals taking third place, having beaten Barisal Burners twice and Chittagong Kings once. It meant Chittagong Kings and Barisal Burners were to fight for the fourth spot.

Chittagong Kings had two wins, against Barisal Burners and Dhaka Gladiators, while Barisal had only one, against Chittagong. But, Barisal's net run-rate was superior to Chittagong's.
Chittagong Kings at a press conference at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel late in the morning said they would challenge the latest BPL governing body's decision in court.

The late night meeting ruled that Duronto Rajshahi (14 points) and Khulna Royal Bengals (12 points) finished top two on points and qualified for the semis as the first and second placed teams.

The drama began to unfold on Monday afternoon when BPL governing body president Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu announced that Barisal Burners were left out following the head-to-head results and Chittagong were in the semi-finals, apparently on the basis of a better head-to-head record in the three-way tie on 10 points, which included Dhaka.

But the BPL statement in the wee hours of Monday said that Barisal would be the fourth semi-finalists – understandably because their head-to-head record with Chittagong was tied and they had a better net run rate.

The press statement said the governing body and the technical committee "sincerely regret any misunderstanding that may have risen regarding this issue".

Chittagong Kings to move court

Just two hours to the first semi-final on Tuesday, Chittagong Kings said they will move the court against the BPL's decision to allow Barisal Burnerst to play Duronto Rajshahi in the second semi-final.

"We're taking legal steps. Our representative has already been sent to the court," Samir Quader Chowdhury, CEO of SQ Sports, which owns the Kings, told a media conference at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel around 11:30am.

"We've been dropped in defiance of the bylaws. The rule was fixed by mixing the sub-clauses 1 and 2 of clause 21 (8). But a rule can't be made by taking some parts of different sub-clauses," he added.

Coach Khaled Mahmud and manager Nasir Ahmed were present there.

Shafiqul Haque Heera and Faruque Ahmed, the managers of semi-finalists Dhaka Gladiators and Duronto Rajshahi, respectively, and Khulna Royal Bengals media manager Jahid Razzaq Masum were also present in the conference.

Dhaka's Heera said his team will support the Kings if they were thrown out illegally.

Faruque of Rajshahi said they will also back the Kings if they were dropped unlawfully. He, however, added they are not abandoning the first semi-final against the Burners at 2pm.