TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Spurs face Leeds in FA Cup fourth round Leeds United's reward for disposing of Manchester United at Old Trafford is a mouthwatering tie at another of the leading sides in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, in the fourth round of the FA Cup. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Seahawks fire coach Jim Mora after one season RENTON, Wash. (AP) -- The Seattle Seahawks fired Jim Mora after just one season, leaving the former NFC West champs without a coach, general manager and president less than four years after they appeared in the Super Bowl.... hosted.ap.org |
Bring on the Ashes, says Ponting • Captain says Australia are ready to reclaim the Ashes• Side has little room for improvement before facing EnglandRicky Ponting, Australia's captain, has turned his focus to reclaiming the Ashes after watching his team complete yet another series whitewash of Pakistan. Australia won their fifth Test out of six by completing a fourth successive 3-0 series win over Pakistan in Hobart.And, although Australia will play four more Tests in the 10 months before they begin their campaign to regain the Ashes in Brisbane in November – two against New Zealand in New Zealand in March and two against Pakistan in England in July – Ponting believes his team has now put the disaster of last year's Ashes defeat behind them."It's been a great series and a great summer for us," said Ponting, after Australia had completed a 231-run victory over Pakistan in the third Test at Bellerive."There was a fair bit of conjecture coming into the summer after the end of the Ashes about where we were going with our Test cricket and I spelled things out pretty clearly to the team about where I thought we were going and I think we have improved a lot through the summer."With Shane Watson being named player of the series against Pakistan and Nathan Hauritz emerging as a genuine frontline spinner – after taking 18 wickets in the series and 29 in the summer – Ponting believes he now has a settled team capable of defeating England.When asked if there were any areas he felt his side still needed to improve before the Ashes, Ponting said: "I don't think there are to tell the truth, no. I am really comfortable with the way a lot of the guys have come on through the summer."Watson in the opening role was something we probably weren't entirely sure about coming into the summer but I think he has put his own stamp on that particularly well, as he has with his bowling as well."And Nathan Hauritz has certainly stepped up to take 18 wickets in this series alone."Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan captain, said he felt Australia had re-established themselves as "the best team in the world" at the conclusion of the series."Yes, they are the best team because they have a good side, good players – all good players," he said. He went on to defend his own side from the criticism that they too readily capitulated under pressure at times during the series.Given the little Test cricket Pakistan have played in recent times, he said he could not be too damning of his side's performances, particularly after they came so close to winning in Sydney. "Obviously we lost the series and that is disappointing for the whole team but we played with a young and inexperienced side so I am happy," he said.The one area where Yousuf was scathing of his team's performance over the three Tests was in the field where they dropped 16 catches during the series. "That is where I think we lost the series, otherwise it may have been a different result," he said.As for his own future as captain – given Pakistan's habit of changing the captain following series defeats – Yousuf said he hoped to be in charge for the two Test series against Australia in England in July but could not guarantee he would still be in the job by then."That is a difficult question," he said. "But I enjoy my job and I am trying to do it sincerely and to keep trying to lift the team and myself up."Ricky PontingAustralia Cricket TeamPakistan cricket teamCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Owen Coyle fury over William Gallas ‘assault’ on Mark Davies as Arsenal go top William Gallas was accused of an “assault” on Mark Davies, the Bolton Wanderers midfield player, as Arsenal went top of the Barclays Premier League last night for the first time since August. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
CBS willing to air more Super Bowl advocacy ads NEW YORK (AP) -- CBS responded to complaints over a conservative group's planned Super Bowl ad featuring football star Tim Tebow by saying that it had eased restrictions on advocacy ads and would consider "responsibly produced" ones for open spots in its Feb. 7 broadcast.... hosted.ap.org |