TOP 100 SPORT SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Kallis digs in to frustrate England South Africa shaded it here today. Put into bat, they lost a wicket in the first over and by mid-afternoon were in trouble at 127 for five. That they were able to close the day on 279 for six was down to the brilliance of Jacques Kallis in scoring the 33rd hundred of his Test career. His was a chanceless innings, a masterclass on a surface that, while generally true, offered the occasional capricious pout in the form of some splice-jarring, filling-loosening bounce from a length.This does not promise to be a high-scoring match and should the South African bowlers fire, as they are due to do, it will require similar diligence from the England batsmen if they are to stay in touch.Kallis will resume tomorrow morning on 108 and will need to nurse the tail through the second new ball, which was eight deliveries old when bad light ended play seven overs early, if South Africa are to push towards 350, a total that will put England under the cosh. The home side will then have Dale Steyn more match fit than he was at Durban and the condition affecting Morne Morkel's left foot, which reduced him to minimal spells in the latter part of the England innings in the second Test, has cleared up.The omission of Makhaya Ntini, an emotional decision but one which he could not say he did not see coming, gave a second Test to Friedel de Wet, whose inspirational new-ball spell almost bowled South Africa to a remarkable win at Centurion. In general it is a quicker attack than England's, which will make the unpredictable nature of the bounce all the more dangerous.Three partnerships, all involving Kallis and none massive, were the key to South Africa's recovery. The first, worth 76 for the fourth wicket, saw Kallis and AB de Villiers take the score from a precarious 51 for three to 127 for four. The next, following two wickets in two balls from Graeme Swann that saw JP Duminy collect his second successive first-baller, produced 89 for the sixth wicket as the tigerishly competitive wicketkeeper Mark Boucher counter-attacked for 51. Finally came a stand, as yet unbroken, of 63 for the seventh wicket between Kallis and Steyn, who has been promoted above Morkel and thus far has played with considerable responsibility and no little skill for his 26.With Table Mountain hidden from view in the morning by a thick shroud of cloud and a clamminess in the air, the ball had swung significantly for the England bowlers in practice – which is often taken as a barometer for how the new ball might behave in the game. Statistically, in any case, there is strong evidence for asking the opposition to bat first at  Newlands: only one of the last 13 matches has been won by the side batting first and six of the last seven have been taken by that batting second.It was fortunate for England, then, that Andrew Strauss was able to maintain his good fortune with the coin with his 10th success in 15 goes since he was made full-time captain a year ago. Graeme Smith rushed from the field to pad up, having made it clear that he too would have liked to field first.In general, England's four-man attack bowled tidily and perhaps deserved better than they got. The ball did indeed move around, not viciously but enough to keep the batsmen honest. James Anderson continues to make life more difficult for left- than right-handers and he removed Ashwell Prince with his fourth ball – there was no disgrace in that for the batsman, who did well to touch a brute of a delivery.Later, with his first ball after lunch, Anderson removed Smith, who had threatened to make England pay for Swann dropping him at second slip before he had scored, from the first ball of Graham Onions' opening over. That, if of no obvious benefit to England, will at least have shut Swann up for five minutes. Matt Prior's catch off Anderson was an excellent one, confirming the progress he has made with his wicketkeeping in the past six months or so. Onions was to get some reward for his endeavour when he had Hashim Amla lbw, although he did nothing to dispel the fear that well as he bowls, he is destined to be unlucky.It took Stuart Broad to remove Boucher for 51, his bowling having been intelligent and closer to the metronomic skills he says he craves. Amongst Broad's wickets it is good to see some maiden overs stacking up, which create pressure on batsmen.And what of Swann? Would the new year bring a continuation of his effervescent form or would the bubble burst? There was no reason to suppose it would but the dropped catch in the position normally occupied by Paul Collingwood – who was playing but kept out of the firing line – indicated it might. So too the decision which gave De Villiers not out when Prior claimed a catch, but which might have been more beneficial had the square leg umpire (and England) sought confirmation of the stumping which Prior had routinely expedited.De Villiers, though, was suckered into chipping a gentle catch to Strauss at short midwicket and when Duminy feathered his first ball to Prior, it was evident that Swann's stardust was in place.England in South Africa 2009-2010South Africa cricket teamEngland Cricket TeamCricketMike Selveyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ecclestone linked to Saab rescue bid Formula One boss teams up with Luxembourg investment firm to save Swedish carmakerThe billionaire Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has teamed up with a Luxembourg investment firm to launch an eleventh-hour rescue attempt for Saab, the troubled 62-year-old Swedish carmaker which is being wound down by its American owner, General Motors, after eight successive years of losses.Just minutes before a GM deadline of 10pm yesterday for offers, Luxembourg-based Genii Capital announced it was interested in making an offer with Ecclestone for a majority stake in Saab. Other possible bidders include a Dutch high-end sports carmaker, Spyker Cars.Genii said it believes Saab has "tremendous brand value in a number of key automotive markets, as well as an innovative image". The privately held firm said that with an "adequate and short time frame" for a bid, it would "aggressively work towards a successful closing of the transaction with all the relevant stakeholders of the company".The unexpected new proposal is likely to give a sliver of hope to Saab's 3,400 employees, most of whom are based in south-western Sweden. In Britain, some 3,000 people work at 87 Saab-franchised car dealerships.Genii already has links to the motor industry and to Ecclestone's Formula One sporting empire. The investment firm last month bought a majority stake in Renault's Formula One team.The extent of Ecclestone's involvement in Genii's offer for Saab was not disclosed, but the motor racing supremo is very wealthy – Forbes magazine estimated his family's net worth at $3.7bn (£2.3bn).Saab's future has been hanging by a thread since early 2008, when GM announced that it wanted to sell the brand. Initial talks with potential buyers proved unsuccessful and the American company last month said it had decided to shut down the firm, causing public and political dismay in Sweden.In a statement yesterday, the Detroit-based company said: "GM continues to receive and evaluate proposals for Saab. We consider any discussions to be confidential and we won't discuss any details until a decision has been reached."On Wednesday, GM's chairman, Ed Whitacre, dampened expectations of a rescue, saying that a sale of Saab was "unlikely" because nobody had come up with adequate financing for a deal: "It's real easy – show up with the money and you can have it."A small group of Saab enthusiasts held a rally outside GM's headquarters on Tuesday, parking their cars outside the company's downtown office block and waving "Save Saab" signs.SaabGeneral MotorsBernie EcclestoneSwedenUnemployment and employment statisticsFormula OneAndrew Clarkguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Nottingham Forest bring reality check to Reading EUPHORIC as their Anfield exploits four days ago may have been, yesterday was a significant reality check for Reading as to where their real priorities lie this season. Caretaker manager Brian McDermott can only pray that this result, from his sixth match in full control, does not influence the decision to grant him full-time responsibility to maintain the club’s Championship status. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Domnina-Shabalin lead after original dance TALLINN, Estonia (AP) -- Ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin held their lead at the European Figure Skating Championships with an original dance to Australian aboriginal music that pushed the boundaries of the discipline.... hosted.ap.org |
GB pick biggest Olympic team since 1992 • BOA refuses to set medal target for 52-strong Olympic team• Bobsleighers Minichiello and Cooke tipped for goldThe British Olympic Association has announced its biggest team for a winter Olympics since Albertville in 1992. A total of 52 athletes from 11 disciplines will travel to Vancouver next month – 43 names have already been announced, with a further nine to be revealed on Friday.The Games are expected to be Britain's most successful winter Olympics in decades with at least five events earmarked for British podium success, although the BOA today refused to set a medal target for the team.The bobsleigh world champions, Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke, are hotly tipped to take the gold medal on the Whistler course, although an eye problem for Minichiello – the driver – could threaten their hopes.The 31-year-old will undergo laser surgery tomorrow on her left eye for the third and final time since losing 80% of her sight just before Christmas. Originally diagnosed as retinopathy – which could have been permanent – Minichiello is upbeat about the situation. "You can only have so many surgeries in one go, so this is the last one to release the last bit of fluid," she said.Despite the problem the pair managed to get through their qualifying races – "I had about 60-70% vision for the last few races," said Minichiello. "At one point I was bumping into walls, I'd lost 80% focus in that eye."Qualifying was not only hampered by Minichiello's condition, however, but also by a wardrobe malfunction for Cooke that made her an internet sensation. In St Moritz 10 days ago Cooke's suit split just as she leapt into the bobsleigh at the top of their run – the TV cameras perfectly poised to capture her bare backside as they set off on the course. "It's just one of those things," said Minichiello, "and perhaps it will even have introduced a few more people to the sport" she said with a grin. The pair are expected to be back in full training from next week.Winter Olympics 2010Winter OlympicsAnna Kesselguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |