TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Brendan Venter reveals coaches’ frustration as he awaits fate over criticism The RFU will announce on Tuesday whether disciplinary action will be taken against Brendan Venter, the Saracens director of rugby. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Tahir fiasco leaves selectors with Harris • Cricket South Africa claimed permit papers delay• ICC rules demand four-year residenceThe South African selectors who goofed by including the ineligible Imran Tahir in their squad for the fourth Test will now have to explain themselves to Paul Harris, the other spinner in the party who he would have been the man to make way for Tahir, as South Africa were never going to play two specialist spinners. The mess is hardly likely to boost Harris's already faltering confidence after a difficult series so far.South Africa included the uncapped leg-spinner Tahir, 30, in their 15-man squad for the Wanderers but were forced to withdraw him on Sunday. In a statement, Cricket South Africa said Tahir's permit residence papers had not come through.Under International Cricket Council rules, however, Tahir had to be resident in South Africa for four years, which he has not been. He lives in Durban and is married to a local woman but he played in Pakistan and England until November 2006.Tahir was Hampshire's leading wicket-taker last season, with 52 wickets. He has taken 37 wickets in domestic four-day cricket in South Africa, whose coach, Mickey Arthur, is known to be an admirer of the former Pakistan A bowler.South Africa cricket teamEngland in South Africa 2009-2010CricketPaul Weaverguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Murray: It feels like Wimbledon • Straight sets win under roof comfortable for Murray• Will play Frenchman Marc Gicquel in second roundAndy Murray claimed he felt like he was playing at Wimbledon after winning his first-round tie at the Australian Open under the Rod Laver Arena roof yesterday.The No5 seed brushed aside South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 6-1 6-1 6-2 to begin his quest for a first grand slam title in impressive fashion.The match was played indoors because of the persistent showers that left the outdoor courts at Melbourne Park sodden and forced 14 women's and 13 men's matches to be postponed until today. After his win Murray said the atmosphere felt like SW19, where he played under the new retractable roof for the first time last year."You create your own atmosphere on the court, but the conditions are similar to Wimbledon with the roof," he said."It actually slows the court down like at Wimbledon. It gets quite humid in there, whereas it's pretty dry heat normally, and it's just quite heavy. It slows the court down a bit, so that was a bit different."The British No1 admitted he had been happy to get through his match quickly with a number of players on the outside courts having to wait through four rain delays and windy conditions before finishing their matches.Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev and American Mardy Fish were two of the worst hit players with their match spanning almost eight hours. The pair were second on Court 11 and after beginning shortly after 1pm Golubev did not wrap up his 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3 win until after 9pm."It was maybe a little bit easier to play indoors, because you know once you get on the court you're going to finish," Murray said. "You're not getting stopped. Also, I watched some points of some of the matches on the outside courts, and it was pretty windy out there, too. They were pretty tough conditions to play in, so indoors was obviously a lot easier."Murray will play Marc Gicquel, who beat Simone Bolelli 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3, in the second round.Andy MurrayAustralian OpenTennisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Chelsea confirm Michael Essien will be out for six weeks Michael Essien has been ruled out for six weeks with medial knee ligament damage, sustained during the Africa Cup of Nations. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Sir Alex Ferguson agrees £12m Chris Smalling deal: Nemanja Vidic nears exit Nemanja Vidic moved closer to the exit door at Old Trafford yesterday after Manchester United agreed the £12 million signing of Chris Smalling, the England Under-21 defender, from Fulham for the start of next season. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |