NBA: Lockout Coming at Midnight

For weeks and months, the NBA lockout has loomed as a dark cloud over the league, even putting a dampener on one of the best Finals in recent memory. Now, it is about to become a reality.

At midnight tonight, team owners will lock out the players after a series of disappointing meetings failed to bridge the gap between the two sides' proposals regarding a new collective bargaining agreement. But there are plans for further discussions to be held over the months ahead, with the hope of reaching an outcome in time for training camps in September.

At this stage, however, there is a very real risk that the 2011/12 season will be shortened or even wiped out altogether, just at a time when the league's popularity is going through the roof. The intrigue of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade spearheading the vilified Miami Heat, and Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire teaming up in New York has fans on the edge of their seats. A lengthy lockout would hit the league hard.

The last lockout came in 1999, when the 82-game season was shortened to 50. Fans all around the world are hoping there will not be a repeat in 2011/12.

Football: Flashback to Veron's Chelsea Debut

The name Juan Sebastian Veron is rarely heard these day but there was a time when the Argentine was considered one of the world's best midfielders.

We rewind to 2003 and Veron's impressive Chelsea debut as the Blues beat Liverpool at Anfield.

Check out http://bit.ly/jZbaZG

Tennis: Federer Out of Wimbledon

12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from 2 sets down to defeat Roger Federer 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a Quarter Final lasting over 3hours.

This marked the first time Federer has lost a 2 set lead and the second consecutive year he has exited Wimbledon at the Quarter Final stage. However, to say Federer threw away the lead would be a disservice to Tsonga, who fought back incredibly with some exceptional play. For Tsonga this is now his best ever Wimbledon performance and he will be looking to reach the second Grand Slam final of his career. To do so, he will need to defeat Novak Djokovic, the man he lost to in his first Grand Slam final.

Djokovic came through a tougher than expected match against Australian youngster Bernard Tomic in 4 sets, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. This is the 5th straight Grand Slam semi final Djokovic has reached, and his confidence will have increased after Federer's defeat (as Djokovic's only loss of the season was against the Swiss).

For Tomic this tournament marked a coming of age and will give him a huge boost up the rankings. Despite being only 18, his talent has been talked about for quite some time already but there were question marks after winning only 4 matches in his first 6 Grand Slam events. However, his performances at Wimbledon - winning 7 consecutive games including the Qualifying rounds - has shown that he has a place amongst the top players.

Football: Copa America Preview

With no World Cup or European Championships this summer, the Copa America takes on greater importance for football fans around the world. The tournament kicks off on Friday, with the final in Buenos Aires on July 24.

Brazil have won the past two tournaments - and four of the past five - but arrive in Argentina with an inexperienced squad and plenty of question marks. The hosts, meanwhile, are bidding to bounce back from final defeats in 2004 and 2007. After a stunning season for Barcelona, all eyes will be on Lionel Messi.

It promises to be an exciting tournament, with Group B potentially providing the most drama as Brazil line up alongside Paraguay, Ecuador and Venezuela. For a preview, visit http://bit.ly/mtSrjm

Cricket: England Rout Sri Lanka In Opening One Day International

Alastair Cook's stewardship of England's one day side got off to the best start possible as England beat Sri Lanka with plenty to spare in a rain affected opening match to the series. With Sri Lanka winning the toss and inserting the hosts, the heavens opened with the score at 35-1 after seven overs, the new captain having fallen for just 5 in what was the only blot on his copybook for the day. A prolonged period of rain rendered the game a revised 32 over contest when played eventually restarted at 5pm.

Upon the resumption, Craig Kieswetter, in tandem firstly with Kevin Pietersen (26), and then Eoin Morgan (45), took the remaining powerplay overs and proceeded at a lively run rate with Kieswetter eventually making 61 at better than a run a ball. His ball striking in the V down the ground was impressive and it was a positive return to the top of the order. Whether or not the truncated nature of the innings helped to clear his mind remains to be seen when we hopefully return to the traditional 50 over format for the second match, but his purposeful knock was pleasing. Morgan unveiled his usual array of flamboyant reverse sweeps and lusty blows to leg, and his 45 from just 35 balls was vital in propelling England to a very impressive 229 from their 32 overs with contributions all the way down the order. Sanath Jayasuriya captured the wicket of Ian Bell in his 445th and final ODI and Lasith Malinga was the standout bowler both in terms of wickets and economy and he will play a crucial part as the series unfolds with his lethal variety of yorkers.

With Duckworth Lewis dictating that Sri Lanka required 232 to win from their 32 overs, the contest was effectively over as early as the fifth ball of the fifth over, with Sri Lanka tottering on 15-4. A combination of good swing and seam bowling in helpful conditions, and lose shots by the Sri Lankan top order handed the game decisively to England. Jayasuriya was a little unlucky to depart for 2 in his final innings as he drilled a ball to point, an area which had been so fruitful for him throughout his lengthy career. He was rightly given a standing ovation as he left the field. James Anderson took 4-18 to knock over the top order and from 15-4 the game went through the motions, with Jade Dernbach enjoying a successful, but ultimately unchallenging, debut taking 2-25. Whether he has enough weapons beside his useful slower ball remains to be seen though. At 69-8, Sri Lanka were facing the ignominy of failing to reach three figures for the first time in an ODI at The Oval, but some lusty hitting from Lasith Malinga, aided by some slightly brainless bowling by the off colour Stuart Broad propelled Sri Lanka to some sort of respectability and a final score of 121. Alastair Cook will undoubtedly face greater tests to his captaincy in the future, but this was an ideal start for him.

England's 110-run win was in marked contrast to their last match with Sri Lanka, a hmbling 10 wicket defeat in Colombo at the World Cup. The conditions could hardly have been any different with the stifling, humidity of Colombo and its sharply spinning wicket replaced with a cool, cloudy day conducive to seam and swing bowling on a lively pitch in London. Sri Lanka will hope that the weather, and their own performance, improves as we move onto Headingley for the second match of the series on Friday.

Football: Flashback to Barnes' Brief Stint in Celtic Hotseat

John Barnes' reputation as a player cannot be questioned but his managerial career has not been quite so effortless. After all, it is hard to forget his rocky introduction to management at Celtic in 1999.

Barnes and Kenny Dalglish, who took on the Director of Football role, were expected to launch a new era at Parkhead but events went in another direction entirely. For a recap, check out http://bit.ly/ilIQ5I

Tennis: Line-up for Tuesday at Wimbledon

All the talk at SW19 on Monday centred around Andy Murray's victory and Rafael Nadal's foot injury. More information on the latter will emerge shortly.

But another exciting day at Wimbledon awaits tomorrow, with the focus shifting to the women's side of the draw. The order of play features:

Centre Court:
Sabine Lisicki v (9) Marion Bartoli
Dominika Cibulkova (24) v (5) Maria Sharapova

Court 1:
Petra Kvitova (8) v (32) Tsvetana Pironkova
Tamira Paszek v (4) Victoria Azarenka

NBA: Lockout Fears for Veteran Teams

With an NBA lockout looming for the 2011/12 season, there are inevitable questions hanging in the air for players, owners, coaches and fans. So far, few answers have been forthcoming.

But, in particular, spare a thought for the veteran teams that are built to win now rather than three to five years further down the line. For both the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs, a full season lockout would snatch away a precious opportunity for another championship ring. The Celtics have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce heading into the final years of their Hall of Fame careers while the Spurs - the number one seed in the West last year - are trying to nurse Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli through a few more seasons.

Both teams have seen younger threats emerge and, on 2010/11's evidence, overtake them. San Antonio, more than Boston, appear to have the odds stacked against them. In the East, Boston are playing catch up behind the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls - not to mention the New York Knicks who are building around the Carmelo Anthony-Amar'e Stoudemire core. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies made statements in the Playoffs. The LA Lakers and NBA champs the Dallas Mavericks loom large too but a lockout would also hinder their respective chances, given the number of veterans on both rosters. The clock would certainly be ticking for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd had they not reached the Promised Land this year.

Unquestionably, a lockout would be a huge disappointment for the NBA, which is entering one of the most exciting phases in its history. And for teams built with immediate glory in mind, a wasted year would be an especially painful blow.

Tom Oldfield

Football: Top Ten Moments of the Past Decade

The past ten years in the football world have featured no shortage of highlights. The balance of power at club level has shifted on several occasions, from the Real Madrid galacticos to the all-Serie A Champions League final of 2003 to the English supremacy between 2005 and 2008. At international level, France and Italy have endured highs and lows, England and Argentina have struggled to fulfil their obvious potential, and Spain have emerged as a real force.

Picking the top ten moments of the past decade meant overlooking countless strong performances but the final selection represents a string of incredible achievements or milestones that will live long in the memory.

1) Liverpool’s second-half comeback in Istanbul, Champions League final 2005

Even diehard Reds fans had given up hope with their team trailing AC Milan by three goals at half-time – but Rafa Benitez and his players responded in style. Steven Gerrard and Vladimir Smicer cut into the lead before Xabi Alonso’s equaliser completed arguably the most incredible comeback in Champions League history. The three goals came in the space of six dramatic minutes and Liverpool went on to win the trophy on penalties, rescuing a disappointing domestic campaign.

2) Greece turn established order upside down, Euro 2004

It is an accepted fact that playing on home soil gives a team a slight edge at major tournaments but nobody expected the Greeks to last long at Euro 2004. However, from their first group game with Portugal through to the final against the same opposition, Greece showed the power of team spirit and organisation. Time and again they were written off but as the Portuguese and Czechs licked their wounds, the Greeks celebrated.

3) Arsenal’s “Invincibles”, Premier League 2003/04

Given Arsenal’s current trophy drought, it is easy to forget how recently the “Invincibles” dominated English football. Led by Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, Arsene Wenger’s men produced a 49-game unbeaten record in the Premier League that secured the 2004 title. With the league going from strength to strength, it will be many years before such an incredible streak is repeated.

4) Rejuvenated Ronaldo fires Brazil to glory, World Cup 2002

After lengthy periods on the treatment table, many feared that the Ronaldo of old would not reappear. But at the 2002 World Cup, he stole the show with some vintage displays of pace, movement and clinical finishing. He won the Golden Boot with eight goals, including the winner in the semi-final and both goals in the final. The Golden Ball went to Germany’s Oliver Kahn but, in truth, the tournament was all about Ronaldo. He had proved that on his day he was still the best in the world - and moments like this will form his legacy.

  

5) Italy make the headlines for the right reasons, World Cup 2006

Italian football was rocked by match-fixing allegations in 2006, taking a particular toll on Juventus and AC Milan. This was the backdrop as Italy travelled to Germany for the 2006 World Cup – but a month later, Fabio Cannavaro and company were celebrating a heroic triumph. The Italians won their group, squeezed past Australia and thumped the Ukraine to reach the last four. It was run built on a rock solid defence and that proved key again in a 2-0 extra-time victory over Germany in the semi-finals. Just to complete the jaw-dropping effort, Italy defied their poor record in penalty shootouts to win the final on spotkicks. The off-field issues had brought the squad closer together, with Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Cannavaro producing some of the best form of their careers.

6) Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid, November 2010

Yes, it was just one game but it was billed as the battle of the two best teams on the planet. It arguably featured the two strongest starting line-ups to ever square off. But Barcelona’s stars – led by Lionel Messi and Xavi – eclipsed their bitter rivals in what many have called the greatest club performance of all-time. The quality of the Barcelona passing and finishing was so high that the scoreline in no way flattered Pep Guardiola’s men.

7) Porto stun the rest of Europe, 2004

This was a feat that may not be repeated for many years, as total outsiders muscled their way to Champions League glory and Jose Mourinho made his name. Porto dumped out Manchester United, Lyon and Deportivo La Coruna before a comfortable win over Monaco in the final. As favourites like Arsenal, Real Madrid and AC Milan slipped up, Mourinho guided his players to the unlikeliest of triumphs. Combined with Greece’s Euro 2004 success, it was certainly the year for upsets.

8) Roman Abramovich arrives at the Bridge, 2003

The Premier League was turned on its head when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich became the owner of Chelsea. Not only did it transform the Blues into a title contender but it also opened the way for other foreign businessmen to invest in football clubs. Chelsea won the Premier League title in 2005, 2006 and 2010, and reached the Champions League final in 2008.

9) Real Madrid break transfer fee record to land Cristiano Ronaldo, 2009

It had seemed inevitable for several years that Cristiano Ronaldo would some day join Real Madrid but the transfer fee certainly caused a shock or two when the announcement was made. Real have paid the four biggest fees in history – Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Ronaldo – but the £80M price tag indicated that money in the game had boomed. Entering 2001, the record was £37M – ten years later, that mark had more than doubled.

10) Arsenal 2-4 Manchester United, February 2005

With Chelsea running away with the Premier League title, this was a fight for second place and a chance to restore some pride. The game had a bit of everything, starting with confrontations in the tunnel between Vieira and Roy Keane. Momentum swung one way then the other before Manchester United landed the knockout blow. Keane was dominant in midfield, Dennis Bergkamp had some sublime touches for the Gunners and two-goal Cristiano Ronaldo emerged as a man who loves the spotlight.

Tom Oldfield

Football: River Plate Relegated

After only managing to draw 1-1 in yesterday’s home play-off leg against Belgrano, River Plate were relegated from the Argentine top flight. Needing to win by 2 goals to retain their place in the Primera A, River threw away a 1-0 lead and missed a penalty at 1-1.

Before the final minute, tempers had passed boiling point in the stands and the referee ended the match before any stoppage time was played. The players were escorted from the pitch, with some of the River players in tears, whilst fans tried to climb the perimeter fence, threw objects on to the pitch and ripped up seats to use as weapons. Police fired water-cannons into the stand and the Belgrano fans were kept in the stadium for over 3hours after the final whistle for their safety. Estimated attendance figures were as high as 60,000 in the 40,000 capacity stadium.

With the violence anticipated, 2,200 policemen had been deployed and there were many clashes outside the stadium between them and fans. As the rioting fans were driven away from the stadium, there were reports of looting and fires in nearby streets.

The club will now need to bounce back, despite estimated debts of $19million and numerous calls for chairman Daniel Passarella to quit the club. Once considered a legendary figure at the club, Passarella is now a widely reviled and is receiving much of the blame for the club’s relegation.

An investigation has also been launched into the Monumental stadium. Due to host the Copa America final in four weeks time, there are now serious concerns regarding policing and illegal ticket sales.

Akbar Shah

Tennis: Wimbledon 2011 Update

The third round, completed on schedule and in some excellent weather, was littered with high quality matches and top players exiting the tournament.

On the men’s side, much has been made of who could challenge the top four. Expected challengers Robin Soderling and Andy Roddick both showed that they were not up to the task on this occasion as they were knocked out in straight sets by Bernard Tomic and Feliciano Lopez respectively. Tomic’s emphatic victory over Soderling marked a real breakthrough for the teenage Australian. A former Junior number 1 and Grand Slam winner, much has been made of whether he can become a top player. His win over World number 5 Soderling showed that he can match the best players on tour and he will fancy his chances against the unseeded Xavier Malisse in the next round.  

The big four themselves went though as expected but in testing circumstances. Whilst Federer crushed David Nalbandian, the others were all made to work hard for their victories. Murray prevailed in 4 tough sets against Ivan Ljubicic and Nadal needed to come through two tie-breaks to defeat Gilles Muller. The tightest match, and one of the matches of the tournament so far, was Djokovic’s encounter with Marcos Baghdatis.

The Cypriot is usually followed by a huge number of fans, but even he could not have expected the electric atmosphere that would accompany the game on Centre Court. With virtually every point cheered, and some even given standing ovations, both players delivered huge performances. Whilst Djokovic will argue that he was not at his best, he showed huge mental strength to come through, especially given his loss of control at the end of the second set when he smashed his racket repeatedly against the court.

Up next for Djokovic is Frenchman Michael Llodra and, in another seemingly straight forward match, Federer plays Mikhail Youzhny. Nadal and Murray however are involved in what should be, on paper at least, the matches of the tournament. Nadal plays Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro and Murray plays Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Del Potro is the 24^th seed, but this is only due to a lengthy period out with a wrist injury. Before the injury, he had broken into the top 4 and won the US Open. Beating Nadal may be asking too much from him so soon into his recovery, but it still promises to be a superb match. Meanwhile, Gasquet will be looking for some revenge against Murray after their encounter in 2008. In that match, Gasquet was 2 sets and a break up, but choked and allowed Murray to come back and win the match. Gasquet is however an accomplished grass court player, having previously reached the semi finals of Wimbledon, and his natural talent means he can cause problems to any player on his day.

On the women’s side, there were mixed fortunes for the top players. Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, and Venus and Serena Williams all cruised through to the last 16, but Andrea Petkovic, Svetlana Kuznetosva, Francesca Schiavone and 2^nd seed Vera Zvonareva all departed. Schiavone lost to unseeded Tamira Paszek in a marathon 3hour 41minute match, one of the longest ever women’s matches at Wimbledon.

Marion Bartoli was also involved in a lengthy game, as she took the third set 9-7 against Italian Flavia Pennetta. Bartoli’s reward is a match against a resurgent Serena Williams. As the tournament progresses, thoughts that Serena may have been vulnerable after severe injuries and illnesses are being dispelled. However, her match against Bartoli, the 2007 runner up, will be her biggest test since returning to Wimbledon.

Monday’s play promises to showcase some top class tennis with all 4^th round matches scheduled to take place and weather reports showing good weather. For the full schedule of the day’s play, please visit http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/schedule/index.html 

 Akbar Shah

Football: River Plate on Brink of Relegation

River Plate, one of the largest and best supported teams in Argentina, are on the verge of relegation from the Argentine top flight.

Finishing the season in the “play-out” places, River faced second tier side Belgrano and promptly lost the away leg 2-0 on Wednesday. The match was delayed by 20minutes as River fans broke on the pitch following the second goal to remonstrate with their players and, following the match, hundreds of furious fans protested at River’s Monumental stadium.

The home leg takes place on Sunday and River must overcome the 2 goal deficit to avoid relegation for the first time in their 110 year existence. Nicknamed the “Millionaires” due to their high status in Argentine football, River have won a record 33 league titles. Relegation was previously unthinkable and would be beyond humiliation.

To make matters worse, the Argentine league system is specifically designed to stop the bigger clubs from being relegated. Relegation is calculated on the average of points gained over the previous 6 seasons (with 2 seasons being played a year). As such, a big team that has a bad year or a run of poor form are safe, provided their slump does not last 3 years.

Unfortunately, this has been the case with River. Managers have come and gone and legendary ex-River player and two time World Cup winner, Daniel Passarella, has been made Chairman to try and get the club back on track. This has been to no avail and if River are to be relegated, the backlash in Buenos Aires will be ferocious.

Akbar Shah

Football: Spain win European U21 Championships

Just as they did in last summer's World Cup, Spain managed to live up to their billing as pre-tounament favourites and emerge victorious - only this time at the European U21 Championships in Denmark. The Spaniards comfortably beat Switzerland 2-0 in the final at the Aarhus Stadium in front of nearly 20,000 fans.

Although Switzerland did have chances, notably from set pieces, Spain looked good value for their win. Ander Herrera capped a fine team move just before half time to give Spain the lead before, with 10minutes remaining, Thiago Alcantara sealed the win with a superb 40 yard free kick that sailed over the back peddling Swiss keeper.

The Spain team included a number of already capped players, including World Cup winners Javi Martinez and Juan Mata, but showed that there is already a new crop of players ready to continues Spain's footballing dominance.

Football: Flashback to Ravanelli's Clinical Debut

Fabrizio Ravanelli's name rarely comes up in football circles these days - but there was a time when he was among the most lethal finishers in the game. His heroics for Juventus earned him a Champions League winners medal as well as successes in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.

But his hero status went up another notch when he arrived at Middlesbrough in 1996 for a first taste of English football. The excitement around the city was palpable and the "White Feather" cranked up the frenzied atmosphere with his debut against Liverpool.

We flash back to the first day of the 1996/97 season for another look at Ravanelli's stunning debut...http://bit.ly/h9v1l7

Football: Villas-Boas Facing Testing Times at the Bridge

Swapping Porto for Chelsea will only add fuel to comparisons between new Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas and the Special One Jose Mourinho - but Villas-Boas finds himself in a different situation to the one his mentor experienced in his early days at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's current squad presents both challenges and reasons for optimism. It is now up to Villas-Boas to get the best from this group.

For more, check out...http://bit.ly/keHiy5

Tom Oldfield

NBA: Cavs take Irving with No.1 pick but international stars prove biggest story

As many expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers used their number one pick in the 2011 NBA Draft to land point guard Kyrie Irving from Duke. Arizona's Derrick Williams then headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the number two selection.

But it was the prominence of the international hopefuls that particularly caught the eye - four of the top seven picks were from outside North America. The Utah Jazz took Turk Enes Kanter at number three and Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas headed to the Toronto Raptors at number five, followed by the Washington Wizards swooping for Czech Jan Versely at six and the Sacramento Kings picking Congolese big man Bismack Biyombo at seven (before dealing that pick to the Charlotte Bobcats).

Irving's arrival in Cleveland to attempt to fill the void left by LeBron James will dominate the headlines but, after a season in which German Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA title, it was certainly noteworthy that international players' stock continues to rise.

Tom Oldfield

Tennis: Wimbledon 2011 Update

After two more rain affected days, the second round has not been completed on schedule with a number of second round matches spilling over on to Friday. Of the outstanding matches the highlight is likely to be British youngster Laura Robson taking on title contender Maria Sharapova. 17-year-old Robson is seen as one of the future stars of British tennis but will just be looking to give a good account of herself against a player who won the tournament at Robson’s age. Other players in second round action on Friday are British number 1, Elena Baltacha, against 20^th seed Shuai Peng, and world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki against Virginie Razzano.

Of the completed matches on the men’s side, the ‘big 4’ all sailed through their respective matches in straight sets. Provided the scheduling runs smoothly, Nadal will play Gilles Muller and Murray will play Ivan Ljubicic on Friday, whilst Federer and Djokovic will be in action on Saturday against David Nalbandian and Marcos Baghdatis respectively. It would be a surprise if any of those matches turned out to be anything other than one-sided, but Federer - Nalbandian could be an interesting game as the duo renew their rivalry which began on the Juniors circuit. 

There were second round problems for some of the players in the unofficial second tier of men’s tennis, not least 5th seed Robin Soderling. Soderling, who is seen as one of the genuine threats to the dominance of the top 4, came back from 2 sets down to knock out former Wimbledon champion, Lleyton Hewitt. Although it was a strong recovery against a player of proven grass court quality, Soderling will need to come out of the blocks faster in his future rounds. 

Another player who made a dramatic come-back was giant Argentine, Juan Martin Del-Potro. Del-Potro’s match against Olivier Rochus began on Wednesday evening but had to be completed on Thursday. The final game on Wednesday saw Del-Potro lose the first set and, in his anger at the loss and the slipperiness of the court, he took off his trainers and hurled them into the crowd (or at least that was the intention; one trainer was thrown with such venom that it went out of the court and, in fact, out of the Wimbledon grounds). Del Potro returned on Thursday as an altogether much calmer figure and dropped just 5 games as he won the match in 4 sets. 

Tomas Berdych, Andy Roddick, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, all players with realistic hopes of progressing to the later stages of the tournament, all reached the third round with only Tsonga conceding a set. The biggest upset on the men’s side was the defeat of 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka against Italian Simone Bolelli. 

Due to patches of rain, the Centre Court roof was in action on both Wednesday and Thursday and, at the start of play on Wednesday, Venus Williams’ Centre Court victory over Kimiko Date-Krumm was the only match being played. But this turned out to be for the best as the two veterans provided a spectacular match; an early contender for match of the tournament. Date-Krumm won the first set (which the BBC commentator proclaimed as the “best set of women’s tennis” he had ever witnessed), but Venus came back, in no small part due to her vastly superior serve, to take the next two sets and win the match.

 Venus, at 31, is one of the more senior players on tour but she was a relative junior against her 40 year old opponent. Date-Krumm’s first played in Wimbledon in 1989. She reached a career high ranking of 4 in 1995 and made the Wimbledon semis in 1996 before retiring from the game. 12 years later she returned to the tour, apparently at the request of her husband who had not seen her play during her first stint.  Considering how much is made of players returning after just a 2 year absence from the tour, Date-Krumm’s return after 12 years is remarkable. Her fitness is exceptional (as she proved by revealing an intensive fitness regime and rather impressive marathon times following the match) but the general quality of her play was superb. The match, which was followed by a standing ovation for both players, showed that age is not as much of a handicap as people might have previously thought. 

The rest of the women’s second round was rather overshadowed by that match as the top seeds made steady progress to third round until, late on Thursday, reigning French Open champion and 3^rd seed, Na Li, was knocked out by German Sabine Lisicki. Lisicki came from a set down to win the decider 8-6. Australian Open runner up and French Open champion Li will be disappointed with the defeat; following her victory at Roland Garros, Li opted to avoid returning home to China in a bid to focus on Wimbledon. Her defeat will be of particular interest to former world number 1 Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic has performed very strongly in her opening two matches and will now face unseeded opposition until the quarter final stage.

Of the third round matches on Friday, the biggest draws will be Murray’s match on Centre Court and Nadal’s on Court 1. Also on Centre Court is Andy Roddick against Feliciano Lopez and Daniela Hantuchova against Victoria Azarenka. Court 1 opens with Robson Sharapova, followed by Venus Williams against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Courts 12, 14 and 18 are the only outside courts with singles matches scheduled on Friday.

Akbar Shah

NBA: 2011 Draft Predictions

The 2011 NBA draft class has been repeatedly described as one of the weakest in league history - but there is still no shortage of excitement for Thursday night's drama. With a lockout looming, this could be the last rollercoaster basketball night for the foreseeable future.

While there is no way of guessing how some of the picks may be swapped or traded, here's how the top 14 could turn out:

1 Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving (Duke)
2 Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams (Arizona)
3 Utah Jazz: Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
4 Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter (Turkey)
5 Toronto Raptors: Kawli Leonard (San Diego State)
6 Washington Wizards: Jan Versely (Czech Republic)
7 Sacramento Kings: Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
8 Detroit Pistons: Bismack Biyombo (Spain)
9 Charlotte Bobcats: Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
10 Milwaukee Bucks: Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)
11 Golden State Warriors: Tristan Thompson (Texas)
12 Utah Jazz: Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
13 Phoenix Suns: Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
14 Houston Rockets: Marcus Morris (Kansas)

 Tom Oldfield

Football: Summer moves that Wenger must make

The equations facing Arsene Wenger and Arsenal this summer are pretty simple:

Fabregas and/or Nasri + big-money signings = SUCCESS

Low-key signings = No Fabregas and/or Nasri = FAILURE

The solution is equally simple – Wenger must spend money – but as we all know it’s never quite that simple with the Ebenezer Scrooge of Premier League football. If the price ain’t right, the Frenchman won’t pay. ‘Panic buy’ is not a phrase that will ever enter the Doctor’s vocabulary; you’ve got more chance of him ‘seeing’ one of his players’ on-field misdemeanours, or praising Stoke’s aggressive style of play.

However, don’t give up hope, Arsenal fans. No manager can rival Wenger’s record when it comes to shrewd buying. And when you think about it, the requirements are blindingly obvious; marquee signings with experience and winning mentalities.

Goalkeeper – Manuel Almunia cannot be relied upon and Wojciech Szczesny is too young for a full season as Arsenal’s Number One. The Polish keeper does, however, have a lot of potential, and so I would recommend a dependable, experienced stopper coming to the end of his career. Brad Friedel has gone to Tottenham, but Mark Schwarzer and Shay Given are available and would be ideal stop-gaps/mentors.

Centre-back – The return of Thomas Vermaelen will make a massive difference, but the Gunners are still one quality centre-back short, in my opinion. There is talent for the future - Johan Djourou is improving and Laurent Koscielny will be all the better for last season’s education – but the signing of Sebastien Squillaci to provide much-needed composure backfired badly. I’m not convinced that younger options such as Gary Cahill or Scott Dann are the immediate answer; what Arsenal need is a leader. Ricardo Carvalho would have been absolutely perfect, but what about Walter Samuel, Philippe Mexes or Cristian Chivu?

Defensive midfielder – This is not to undermine the massive progress that Alex Song made last season, but Arsenal do require more steel and determination in the middle of the park, especially for those bottom-half battles. Scott Parker is the obvious and best choice for the job but other candidates could include Gennaro Gattuso, long-term target Felipe Melo and even former Gunner Lassana Diarra. Definitely a position worth spending money on.

Striker – If Nicklas Bendtner does go through with his plan to leave – which would, to be perfectly honest, be no great shame – then Arsenal will need to invest in a striker. Robin Van Persie and the perma-tired Marouane Chamakh are both tall, skilful forwards, so a natural poacher would be an ideal Plan B, as Wenger must have thought watching Javier Hernandez excel at Manchester United last season. Lille’s Gervinho would seem to be Arsenal’s first-choice, but in my opinion a player more in the mould of Peter Odemwingie – a small, nippy finisher – would represent a better signing. Samuel Eto’o, or even Diego Milito, would be great additions, but if Fabregas is truly intent on leaving, why not try to orchestrate a deal involving David Villa?

Left-back – This will only be an issue if Gael Clichy does decide to leave, which would, I believe, be a real shame. Last season wasn’t his best in an Arsenal shirt, but Clichy is quick and a real threat going forward. Jose Enrique is the leading choice to replace him, but I don’t really see him as an improvement on the Frenchman. How to keep Clichy? Wenger will be tired of hearing it – buy, and buy big. But does the boss know the meaning of those all-important words?

Matt Oldfield

Football: McClaren ready for redemption

Forget the "Wolly with a Brolley" headlines and the failure to reach Euro 2008, Steve McClaren is back in English football and has his sights set on reminding fans why he was one considered the country's most impressive young manager.

The new Nottingham Forest boss is gunning for promotion in his first season at the City Ground and, after rebuilding his confidence in Holland and Germany, he is ready to face the media scrutiny once again.

For more, visit: http://bit.ly/mfdU3J

 Tom Oldfield

Tennis: Wimbledon Update

After a rain affected Monday, the majority of first round matches were completed today with most of the top seeds in the men’s and women’s draw making it through to the second round. 15^th seed Jelena Jankovic and  10^th seed Sam Stosur were the two highest profile casualties, but neither were genuine contenders for the women’s title.

Serena Williams came through a tough three-set encounter with Aravane Rezai and, following some serious injuries and illnesses over the past year, was very emotional following the win. Serena required emergency surgery to remove blood clots in her lungs and there were fears for her life, let alone her tennis career. To come back from that and win a match at Centre Court so soon after brought more tears from Serena than have been seen following any of her Grand Slam victories.

Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki, both in the tougher top half of the women’s draw along with Serena, both laid down early markers as they cruised through their respective matches dropping only 3 games each.  3^rd seen Li Na and 4^th seed Victoria Azarenka also went through in straight sets, but there were tougher matches for 2^nd seed Vera Zvonereva, who required 3 sets to beat the unseeded Alison Riske, and French Open runner-up, Francesca Schiavone, who completed her 3 set victory over Jelena Dokic under the Centre Court roof on Monday.

Andy Murray was the other beneficiary of the roof as, whilst play was suspended on all other courts, he was able to defeat Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Despite dropping the first set, Murray won in convincing style, winning the final 15 games of the match. There were no difficulties for the other members of the ‘big four’ as Federer, Djokovic and Nadal all progressed to the second round at a canter.

There were in fact no casualties amongst the top 20 male seeds, although both Halle finalists, Phillips Kohlschreiber and Petzschner, went out, whilst John Isner was again victorious over Nicholas Mahut in a rematch of last year’s three-day marathon match. This time the match was wrapped up in one day and only required the three sets.

Wednesday’s schedule of play sees Venus Williams, Nadal and Roddick playing their second round matches on Centre Court, whilst Berdych and Murray play on Court One. Brit fans will also be able to see home favourite Anne Keothavong take on 8^th seed Petra Kvitova on Court One.  Elsewhere, British youngsters Heather Watson and Laura Robson will be playing their first round matches (on Courts 3 and 18 respectively).

Of the outside courts, Court 12 looks the most appealing with Richard Gasquet, Fernando Verdasco, Victoria Azarenka and former US Open semi-finalist, Yanina Wickmayer, all slated to play

Akbar Shah

NBA: Raptors hire Casey as head coach

The Toronto Raptors have appointed former Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey as their new head coach.

Casey was a key figure in Dallas' surge to an NBA championship this year and has a reputation as a defensive mastermind, which will give the Raptors a much-needed boost. Toronto was the worst defensive team in the league last season but Casey's appointment would surely change the culture in the locker room. With young, athletic players on the roster, there is plenty of potential for developing a smothering defense.

Casey has limited head coaching experience - just a season and a half with the Minnesota Timberwolves - but he has worked with some of the game's very best (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry to name just three). At 54, he has seen it all and knows what it takes to be a playoff contender.

The Raptors, who finished with a dismal 22-60 record last season, are still in the early stages of their rebuilding process but, in Casey, they have a general ready to lead their charge.

Tom Oldfield

Cricket: England's Twenty20 & ODI Squads Announced For Matches Against Sri Lanka

Twenty20 Squad:
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire, captain), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)

One Day International Squad:
Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Matches: T20I: England v Sri Lanka (Bristol, 25 June). 1st ODI: England v Sri Lanka (The Oval, 28 June), 2nd ODI: England v Sri Lanka (Headingley, 1 July), 3rd ODI: England v Sri Lanka (Lord's, 3 July), 4th ODI: England v Sri Lanka (Trent Bridge, 6 July), 5th ODI: England v Sri Lanka (Old Trafford, 9 July).

England's squads for the T20 and ODI games with Sri Lanka were announced today and there were plenty of interesting selections and non-selections made. Starting with the T20 squad, although it will be hard to gauge from one match the new direction the team is going in (isn't it the time to consider T20 international double headers with two fixtures on the same day, as one match per series is surely too few and the international calendar is already full to bursting point?) it will be fascinating to see how Stuart Broad fares in the field and also with the ball in hand on the back of a disappointing test series against Sri Lanka.

Opener Michael Lumb returns having shown little form for Hampshire in any form of the game since 2010's victorious T20 World Cup campaign and Samit Patel returns to both the T20 and ODI squad, though more on him later. England's streak of eight victories in a row was recently ended by Australia so the team will be keen to get back on track with next year's T20 World Cup in mind.

The ODI squad is of more interest, as England plays its first matches since another very disappointing World Cup campaign. A return to home conditions will doubtless aid the team in their rebuilding efforts, but nobody can be sure how Alastair Cook will fare both as captain and with the bat, being unproven in the former capacity and unconvincing in the latter in this form of the game.There is a lingering feeling that Cook is being groomed to take over from Andrew Strauss as Test captain and that the ODI format is being used as a breeding ground or school for Cook. This seems to underscore England's prioritising of the Test format and could well backfire. It would be nice for England to view all formats as being on an equal footing and it seems no coincidence to me that England's dilettante approach to the ODI game in the last two decades has dovetailed with some appalling World Cup results. The fact that the domestic game sees no 50 over cricket played is evidence of this and is incredibly short sighted.

Samit Patel's return to the squad is pleasing as the player has finally heeded the England management's directives on fitness and has now reached the minimum requirement on that front. This speaks volumes for the regard he is held in as a player and it is to be hoped now that Patel will maintain these most basic levels required for a modern cricketer and use this as a springboard for full honours at all three levels. He is a talented middle order right hand bat, and extremely canny left arm spin bowler in limited overs cricket. It was a shame that such lesser players as Michael Yardy were, up until this point, taking what should have been his place in the squad, but now Patel has the chance to make headlines for the right reasons.

The wicketkeeping issue is again something of a headache, with the selectors showing continued uncertainty in this regard. For the most recent T20 and ODI series in Australia, Steven Davies played as wicketkeeper-opening batsman before Matt Prior was drafted in halfway through that ODI series and for the subsequent World Cup in the Indian sub-continent. Davies did not disgrace himself but the feeling was that Prior, after a splendid Ashes series with the bat, was in terrific form and could force the pace in the slow Indian conditions of the World Cup. Ultimately, he couldn't, and after this final failing in the shorter forms of the game, he seems to have been dispensed with altogether. However, Craig Kieswetter, and not Steven Davies, has now replaced Prior in the ODI squad, which seems rather harsh on Davies and lacks the continuity which this modern England management seems to pride themselves on. It is, however, this critic's opinion that Kieswetter is the better prospect than Davies. So in one sense this hard headed pragmatism is to be admired, but a line really needs to be drawn in the sand and Kieswetter now needs to be given a good, long run in the side.

Chris Tremlett's omission is a little surprising, even taking into account his lack of past success in the ODI game, most recently in Australia and at the World Cup. He has been in wonderful form against Sri Lanka in the test series, and seems to have the ability to intimidate many of their batsmen who will feature in this ODI series. He appeared to pull up a little in the final day of yesterday's test match so it is possible he is being rested, but at the moment there is no clarification on that point. Certainly in these current overcast, English conditions he would seem to be a good option to have in the squad. However, with the 2015 World Cup in mind, for which the planning and preparation begins now, the selectors have gone for some young seam bowlers, in the shape of Dernbach, Woakes and Finn to compliment the established Stuart Broad and James Anderson (who may well be in the last chance saloon as far as this form of the game goes after a disappointing World Cup).

Elsewhere, the squad holds few surprises, although it is surely a make or break series for Ravi Bopara, who has now played 59 ODIs batting in the top or middle order, and has only a high score of 60 to show for this. At 26, he is now no longer a young prospect and it is now time for him to finally prove his worth or be discarded. With the dropping of Paul Collingwood from the side, one of England's stalwarts of recent years, it may be thought that Bopara can fill his spot as a fifth or sixth bowler as he has shown for Essex this season that his bowling is coming on nicely. There is a certain logic to this selection, but Bopara's first suit is really his batting and he must improve his returns here.

The series pits 3rd in the world rankings (Sri Lanka) against 5th (England), and Sri Lanka will be happy to revert to the limited overs game after a somewhat difficult test series. They will be bolstered by the presence of Lasith Malinga, probably the world’s finest ODI seam bowler with his laser beamed yorkers the finest weapon in this form of the game. Having reached the final of the World Cup, albeit in vastly different conditions, they surely start this series as favourites, and with a batting line up featuring Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene, they have the edge in star names. It will also be nice to see the return of promising all rounder, Angelo Mathews, who can clear the rope with ease with the bat and is an ever improving bowling option. It should be a close series, with Sri Lanka taking it by the odd game in five. After a weather-hit Test series, it is to be hoped that the gods will smile on the ODI series and that the talents on show are allowed to shine to their fullest.

Nick Rogerson

Tennis: Li Na's success turning game on its head

When Li Na completed her French Open final victory over Francesca Schiavone, she did more than clinch her first Grand Slam title.

The 29-year-old's achievement goes beyond that. Suddenly, Li is China's biggest sports star, giving tennis an unbelievable boost and threatening to change the future of the game at the same time.

Reports suggest that 100 million Chinese viewers tuned in for her final at Roland Garros and that is sure to trigger a huge increase in the number of girls taking up tennis in China. The law of averages suggests there will far more Asian Grand Slam contenders in ten years' time.

Li might not have things her own way on the grass at Wimbledon over the next two weeks but her emergence has certainly given the fading women's game a timely shot in the arm.

Tom Oldfield

Football: Chelsea close in on Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas has become the hottest managerial property in the game with his outstanding start to life as Porto manager. But he looks set to follow mentor Jose Mourinho in leaving Porto for Chelsea in the wake of European glory.

Porto won the 2011 Europa League under Villas-Boas but may soon need to start a search for a new boss.

Yet the Portuguese mastermind is by no means a household name. For more on Villas-Boas, check out: http://bit.ly/j1j4xA

Tom Oldfield

Boxing: Preview of David Haye v Wladimir Klitschko - July 2, 2011

Tale of the Tape:

David Haye             : 25-1-0-0 (23KO), 1.91m, 210.5 pounds, orthodox style

Wladimir Klitschko : 55-3-0-0 (49KO), 2.01m, 247 pounds, orthodox style


The year's most eagerly awaited bout takes place on July 2 in Hamburg and pits WBO, IBF & IBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko against WBA Heavyweight Champion David Haye. It is a fight that has been some three years in the making, with Haye originally calling out the Klitschko brothers (Wladimir's older brother Vitali is the WBC Heavyweight Champion) upon his arrival in the Heavyweight division after he had unified the Cruiserweight division and then pulling out of a 2009 fight with Wladimir after injuring himself in training. The prolonged build up and jockeying for negotiating rights and purses has at times been rancorous, with Haye infamously donning a t shirt depicting himself holding the severed heads of the Klitschko brothers. It seemed after the cancellation of the 2009 fight between Haye and Wladimir that this stunt was proving to be a major stumbling block towards rearranging that fight, but since both parties finally reached an agreement and a July 2 date in Hamburg was agreed, the dynamic between the pair has been interesting and somewhat unexpected. It seems actually that Wladimir seems the cooler of the two contenders, happily and politely fulfilling his press committments, often switching between English, German and Russian, while Haye refuses to shake hands with Klitschko and on the Sky Sports show, Ringside, refusing to be in the same room as the Ukranian. Haye's attempts to rattle Klitschko on Ringside by explaining his refusal to share the set from the confines of the green room on the grounds that Klitschko sounded like Borat and that he had grown tired of hearing his voice were expertly batted back by Klitschko sending himself up in an exaggerated voice before teasing Haye for his refusal to appear and suggesting that Haye was trying not be controlled by him. Ultimately though these pre fight joustings usually count for very little and it is my considered opinion that neither Haye nor Klitschko are doing anything more than trying to gain a little advantage psychologically before the fight and, particularly in Haye's case, attempting to sell the fight in the time honoured fashion by assuming the well worn roles of past fighters with Haye cast as the villain of the piece and Klitschko as the charming gentleman warrior in a rather neat reversal of the customary stereotype of the great Western (usually American) boxer taking on the robotic, uncommunicative Eastern bloc boxer. If it was Haye's intention to squeeze the fight into these stereotypes then he has sorely underestimated his wordly opponent.

The fight will be won and lost in the ring and not between the ears or before the fight, in my opinion. We are not dealing with a Mike Tyson figure, who could be manipulated by his opponent's words into an over excited state or intimidate his opponent into a terrified standstill before the first bell had even rung in equal measure. For all Haye's regrettable public proclamations before his previous fights, he is in actual fact an articulate and considered man and he will be in the right frame of mind as he enters the ring. So to will Wladimir "Dr Steel Hammer" Klitschko. The fight hinges upon the respective styles of the two men in the ring and whether it is the bigger physique of Klitschko with his metronomic and debilitating jab or the speed of feet and hands of Haye which will prevail. Unusually for any fight of this magnitude at any weight division in boxing, we have very little common ground to inspect for signs of the ultimate outcome. The two men have no opponents in common, indeed this will be only Haye's 6th Heavyweight fight and his previous fight was against Audley Harrison, a fight which was such a non event that it might as well be struck from his record with Harrison throw just one measly jab in the entire, pitiful 3 rounds the fight lasted. This leaves Haye's last meaningful Heavyweight contest as his April 2010 meeting with John Ruiz, a durable fighter whose career peaked with a Heavyweight title, but a man who was well on the way down by the time of his meeting with Haye. Although Haye became the first man to stop Ruiz, he retired him in the process and probably the only stand out name on Haye's resume is Nikolai Valuev, the previously unbeaten and tallest Heavyweight champion in history, who Haye skillfully outboxed in a departure from his usual blood and thunder style. Whether Haye has the capacity to outbox Klitschko is another matter and his tactics in the Valuev fight were enforced upon him by an early broken hand in that bout. It is in fact the manner of Haye's victories, more than the victories and names themselves which suggests that the bookmakers have not been totally foolhardy in having Haye around the 2.50-1 mark and not at longer odds for this fight. For Haye's heavy hands and speed of movement as well as the clusters of punches he is capable of throwing stands in stark contrast to most recent opponents of Wladimir Klitschko and marks him out across the whole division. The Heavyweight division is surely the sick man of boxing, and has been since the retirement of Lennox Lewis, leaving the Klitschko brothers to reign unopposed against increasingly sluggish, often out of shape contenders. The Klitschkos themselves have always entered the ring in excellent condition, but Wladimir's most recent opponent, Samuel Peter exactly fitted the description of the current, poorly prepared Heavyweight boxer and in this sense is diametrically opposed to Wladimir's new opponent, David Haye. Furthermore, Wladimir has been knocked out three times in the past, and although the last of these occurred 7 years ago, a chinny boxer will always be so - it is only their all round boxing skills which can be improved. In this sense we can see that in the 7 year gap, Klitschko's defensive skills have vastly improved, but the lists of opponents to knock out Klitschko reads Lamon Brewster, Corrie Sanders and Ross Puritty. None of these are future boxing hall of famers by any stretch of the imagination and Haye will feel that if he can land meaningful blows to Klitschko's chin then he will win the fight. However this is easier said than done given Klitschko's strong defensive and attempting to get within range will not only put Haye in the way of Klitschko's relentless jab but also his more offensive weapons which are good enough to have earnt him 46 KOs over the course of career. Wladimir's ability offensively is significant and separates him from Nikolai Valuev, who Haye has pointed to as a similar opponent to Klitschko. For all Valuev's incredible size (he in fact makes Klitschko at 2.01m look like a midget by comparison) he was a non entity as an offensive boxer and his KO percentage was dismal given his natural size. Added to Wladimir's offensive ability is Haye's own weak chin, which has seen him knocked out by a Cruiserweight, Carl Thompson, weighing something close to 5 stones lighter than Wladimir Klitschko will be, and has also seen him floored by other Cruiserweights, and by Monte Barrett in Haye's first significant Heavyweight fight.

Haye has a chance to win this fight if he can strike early, because he has the power in his punches to take advantage of Wladimir's weak punch resistance. However Haye's own punch resistance is even weaker, and if the fight were to go beyond the 4th round I believe Wladimir's jab would wear down Haye and open up opportunities to knock out a tiring Haye sometime in the later rounds. It should not be underestimated how much more work Haye will have to do inside to make up for Klitschko's significant weight and reach advantage. However the potential power of Haye and his real threat after years of embarassing opponents put before Klitschko like lambs to the slaughter makes this fight a thoroughly exciting prospect for a division starved of real interest for so long. Roll on July 2.

Nick Rogerson

 

 

Cricket: England v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Day 3 @ The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Gloomy skies foreshadowed a third truncated day's play in a row at the Rose Bowl, disappointing fans and administrators alike in what is the venue's debut test match. What play was able to take place (about 50 overs worth) raised interesting questions both on and off the field however. Resuming on 177-9, Sri Lanka's final wicket pair took the total on to 184 when Stuart Broad struck in the fourth over of the day. It was Broad's first wicket of the innings and only his seventh of the series. Further to this, it was Broad's sixth scalp of the seven taken from numbers 7-11 in the batting order, during which time he has twice gone for over hundred runs in an innings. Not only does this suggest that he is grossly out of form, but it also suggests that he is being overbowled and brought on to take cheap tail end wickets when his bowling performances earlier in each innings have hardly merited such preferential treatment. In this test match he took the first new ball of the game in favour of Chris Tremlett, despite this being the latter's home ground for much of his career and the folly of this decision was born out by Tremlett's 6 wickets to Broad's 1. Against better batting line ups these decisions may prove costly and again this morning Broad was offered first go at the cheap tail end wickets opening up this time alongside Tremlett. It is my opinion that the England management have backed themselves into a corner by promoting Broad to a captaincy role in the T20 form of the game, making him practically undroppable across the board when his test form sees him replaced by the objective observer when Tim Bresnan returns to full fitness.

England's reply started shakily as it often has done in this 3 match series, with Andrew Strauss once more falling cheaply to the left arm seam of Welegedera. There is a technical issue to be addressed here by Strauss in tandem with the batting coach, Graham Gooch, and doubtless they will take the opportunity of Strauss' recent retirement from ODI cricket to put in some long hours in the indoor school during the next few weeks before the arrival on these shores of the Indians, among whose number is Zaheer Khan, the foremost exponent of left arm seam bowling in world cricket. The recently prolific Jonathan Trott departed soon afterwards for 4, after which Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen took England to lunch on 54-2 with few alarms, Pietersen looking very positive in particular with his decisive footwork and straight driving.

Unfortunately the afternoon session was almost entirely a washout, with only 5 or so overs able to be bowled in two minute sessions. This frustrated a healthy sized crowd, whose thirst was well refreshed by this point in the day's proceedings. The sense of irritation was compounded somewhat by a combination of the vagaries of the test match game and its traditions and a prevailing lack of common sense on the part of the umpires and groundstaff. With test match cricket's future somewhat in the balance it is surely imperative that the players and officials alike are seen to be ensuring that the players take the field wherever possible. As much as the scattered showers forced the hand of the officials, it understandably annoyed spectators to see the players leave the field at the outbreak of a shower whereupon the covers were brought on. Invariably this was followed by the cessation of the shower and ten or fifteen minutes of seemingly nothing happening before the umpires inspected the outfield and suggested a resumption of play in another ten or twenty minutes. The players then trooped out before play was again halted by rain and the process began again. The idea that players go off for rain is particularly quaint to cricket but the whole system looks even more antiquated and archaic when this rather unnecessary rigmarole of the inspection is bookended by utterly pointless pockets of time (ten or fifteen minutes in this case). Spectators seeing the covers on when sunshine has broken out and then taken off finally when another black cloud has rolled into view are entitled to feel puzzled. These arcane traditions are likely to put off many spectators from potentially returning to future days of test cricket as is the seemingly fixed nature of the intervals in a day's test match play. An inspection at 3.30 pm prompted a 4pm resumption and a 4.40pm tea break, only for rain to return the players to the pavilion as soon as they had reached the middle and before a ball was bowled. The PA system then announced that tea would now be taken at 4.10pm instead, leaving spectators with the further frustration of seeing the tea interval bathe the ground in sunshine before the 4.30 resumption was marked by the heaviest deluge of the day. We are only talking about twenty or thirty minute windows here in a day which would have been interrupted by rain delays anyway, but some modernisation needs to take place in the matter for test cricket to remain relevant and attractive to as wide an audience as possible. Certainly the meal intervals would be the first thing to address, because it is patently absurd to this observer at least that players who have been in the field for less than 5 overs since the end of the lunch interval need to have a tea interval. It hardly seems as if they might expire on the field of play should they forego the tea interval, and in any case the lengthy rain delays offered them the chance to have their tea several times over during the afternoon.

Thankfully, play was able to resume at 5.20pm and 30 or so overs were bowled up until the close of play at 7.30pm. During this passage of play both Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen reached their half centuries on a pitch which was still very much offering something to the bowlers in addition to the helpful overhead conditions. Pietersen in particular looked comfortably at his best form on English soil for quite some time and was wonderfully fluent in hitting 85 from only 114 balls on this sporting wicket. He peppered his innings with 14 wonderful boundaries, many of which were encouragingly hit straight back past the bowler. There was one slightly rash foray down the pitch to the bowling of Herath, the left arm spinner whose number seem to have become Pietersen's achilles heel, but otherwise this was a flawless innings and it was both a shock and a shame to see him drive loosely in the penultimate over of the day to be caught behind the wicket. Pietersen's quick scoring, with support from Cook (55) and Ian Bell (39 not out from 48 balls) saw England close on 195-4, raising the prospect of a sizeable England lead on first innings and a potential innings victory on Monday. However it seems likely that the weather will have the final say and the match drawn to leave England as series victors by one test to nil.

NBA: Playoff Highlights

Looking back on the NBA Playoffs, there was no shortage of thrills and spills. In no particular order, here's the top 10:

1) Number eight seed Memphis Grizzlies eliminate number one seed San Antonio in six games: Combining speed and stifling defense with the inside double act of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, Memphis pulled off one of the biggest upsets in league history.

2) LeBron and Wade gun down Celtics: It was the series everyone was waiting for - the true test of how far the Miami Heat had come. And Miami passed with flying colours as James and Wade turned it on at both ends of the court.

3) Memphis Grizzlies-Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 4: A turning point in the series, this triple overtime thriller saw the Thunder prevail but the fans were the biggest winners. A glimpse of the future as two young, athletic teams went toe-to-toe.

4) Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic finish off Lakers with the 3: The Dallas Mavericks completed a staggering 4-0 sweep of the two-time defending champs thanks to red hot 3-point shooting. Stojakovic hit all six of his 3s while Terry connected on 9 of 10.

5) Dallas stun Heat in Finals Game 2: With a 15-point lead, Miami were cruising to a 2-0 series lead before a furious Mavericks fightback. Terry led the charge and Dirk Nowitzki was an assassin down the stretch with a massive 3-pointer and then the game-winning lay-up.

6) Rose puts Hawks to the sword: Derrick Rose didn't much help in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. He took over, scoring 44 points as the Chicago Bulls regained control of the Conference Semi-Final. Atlanta had no answer as Rose attacked the rim and shot 16-of-27.

7) Dirk, Terry and Jason Kidd finally get their ring: Three class acts finally removed the asterisk from their careers by going all the way. After a rough first half, Nowitzki recovered to hit the clutch shots while Terry had a game-high 27 points and Kidd quarterbacked his team expertly. Feel good moment of the season.

8) Mavs comeback against Thunder: Dallas' ability to shake off double-digit deficits was a feature of their run to the championship. The Thunder seemed ready to square the series at 2-2, leading by 15 with 5:04 to play. Then came a 17-2 Mavs run, sparked by Nowitzki, to force overtime. Dirk finished with 40 points as Dallas pushed Durant and company to the brink of elimination.

9) Chris Paul puts on a show: Injuries had dropped Paul out of the top 5 players in the league discussion but his masterclass against the Lakers in the first round of the Playoffs put him right back in the mix. Without second best player David West, the Hornets relied heavily on Paul, who shot well and made plays to stretch the series to six games.

10) Wade in the Finals: With LeBron struggling, Wade took over as the Heat's "go to guy" and, after the first three games, seemed destined for another ring and the Finals MVP trophy. It didn't work out that way but Wade reminded everyone that he is an assassin in crunch time and that Miami is very much his team.

Tennis: Wimbledon Draw 2011

The draw for Wimbledon 2011 took place today with the pick of the matches being Nicolas Mahut v John Isner, a rematch of last year’s record-breaking epic. Whilst it is doubtful this match will get even close to the the 11hr 5minute mark, it is as good a match as any to mark the start of the most prestigious tournament in the tennis calendar.


Home favourite Andy Murray was drawn against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Murray will be looking to go one better than his last two visits to SW19 and become the first Brit to make it to the Wimbledon final since Fred Perry in 1936. With the British number 1 having a very realistic chance of even winning the event, we take a look at the main challengers for the Wimbledon crown:

Rafael Nadal No.1 seed - previous best: Champion ‘08 and ‘10

World number 1 for over a year now, winner of his last two Wimbledon’s (he missed 2009 due to injury) and also reigning US and French Open champion, it is perhaps surprising that Nadal only enters this tournament as marginal favourite. His victory at the French Open earlier this month was his 10^th Slam victory and once again showed he has the edge in his great rivalry with Roger Federer.

Opponents can take hope from his recent surprise grass court defeat at Queens to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and he has also been beaten in 4 finals already this year by Novak Djokovic.  

Problems en route to Murray in the semis? Nadal’s draw is not easy by any means, with possible clashes against rising star Milos Raonic in the 3^rd round, 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the 4^th round and, in a repeat of last year’s final, sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. It would still be a huge shock not to see Nadal in the semis.

Roger Federer No.3 seed - previous best: Champion ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07 and ’09

Two years ago, Federer won his sixth Wimbledon title to set a new record of 15 Grand Slam victories and was proclaimed by many as the greatest player of all time.

However, he has since been in decline. His last Slam victory was at the 2010 Australian Open (meaning he is currently in his longest Slam drought since he first won Wimbledon in 2003) and his performance in last year’s Wimbledon was lacklustre at best as he needed 5 sets to defeat the unseeded Alessandro Falla in the 1st round, before falling in the quarter-finals to eventual runner-up, Berdych.

Yet one should count against Federer at their peril; he is still capable of destroying most players on the tour and his record at Wimbledon will stand as one of the greatest of all time. His recent performances at the French Open, particularly his victory over Djokovic in the semi-final, were also imperious. And a few more victories over Nadal would do no harm to the claims that he is the game’s greatest ever exponent.

Problems en route to Djokovic in the semis? On paper, Federer’s route seems fairly straight-forward. David Nalbandian in the 3^rd round and Tsonga in the quarter-finals could be tricky opponents, but do not expect to see Federer drop more than one or two sets en route to the semi-finals.

Novak Djokovic No.2 seed - previous best: Semi-Final ’10

Having set a 41 match winning streak in 2011, it is perhaps a testament to the strength of Nadal and Federer, that Djokovic only starts as third favourite going into the tournament. His performances this year have been unplayable at times and his only defeat came at the hands of an inspired Federer at the French Open. Due to his 2011 performances, which have included winning the second Slam of his career at the Australian Open, he just needs to match Nadal’s performance at Wimbledon to be crowned the world number 1 for the first time. But, it should be noted that grass is not his preferred surface and he has a weaker record on grass than all of his main rivals.

Problems en route to Federer in the semis? Not until the quarter-finals where he is likely to meet Robin Soderling, the power-house world number 5. Soderling is one of the biggest hitters in the game and Djokovic will need to be wary of the threat he poses.

Andy Murray No.4 seed - previous best: Semi-Final ’09 and ’10

Reaching the final at the Australia Open and the semis at the French has sandwiched an indifferent 2011 for Murray. However, victory at Queens will ensure he arrives at Wimbledon on a tidal wave of Murray-mania. Despite persistent perceptions as being surly and dour, he will enjoy a huge amount of home support in every one of his matches.

Despite having the talent to win a Grand Slam, experts have placed his current failure to do so on his defensive mind-set. Murray’s tendency to wait for opponents to make mistakes will not gain him the seven straight wins necessary to claim a Slam, so it will be interesting to see if he alters his approach in this year’s tournament.   

Murray is certainly good enough to win at least one major in his career and there is no reason why this could not occur at Wimbledon. However, with his best performances coming on hard courts, this will require some huge performances from the Scot.

Problems en route to Nadal in the semis? The draw has not been favourable to Murray with Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka all possible opponents before a likely quarter-final against Andy Roddick. Although Murray has strong records against all of these players, they have all inflicted Grand Slam defeats upon him (except for Gasquet who has twice imploded on the cusp of victory).