KARACHI: Pakistan`s former cricket captain Imran Khan called for exemplary punishment to be given to any player found guilty of spot fixing during the tour of England."I think there is a need to send out a message to youngsters...that crime does not pay," Imran told Geo News channel on

LONDON: He may be a proven ball-muncher and pitch scuffer but Shahid Afridi is now charged with leading Pakistan out of the mire of a corruption probe and to victory in one-day series against England.Last month, Afridi resigned the Test captaincy -- having returned for only one match

LONDON: The man at the centre of an alleged betting scam involving the Pakistan cricket team was out on bail Monday as police, governments and authorities probed the scandal rocking the sport.Mazhar Majeed, 35, was released from custody having been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to

MADRID: Jose Mourinho`s La Liga adventure got off to a limp start on Sunday when Real Madrid were held to a 0-0 draw at Real Mallorca while champions Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win at Racing Santander.Snapped up after last season`s treble-winning exploits with Inter Milan, Mourinho`s

LONDON: David Beckham has received a personal phone call from England manager Fabio Capello to explain why he controversially ended the midfielder`s international career without telling him first.Beckham was said to be aghast when Capello announced in a televised interview ahead of a

ABIDJAN: Didier Drogba will sit out a second successive international for the Ivory Coast, who have left him out of the squad for next Saturday’s African Nations Cup qualifier against Rwanda.The same privilege has not be accorded to any other of the team’s big-name players such as

NEW HAVEN: Caroline Wozniacki will take the top seed and the confidence of a third straight WTA New Haven title into the US Open next week.The Dane defeated Russian eighth seed Nadia Petrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Saturday to claim a third consecutive crown in the Pilot Pen hard court tournament,

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney is back to his clinical best after the Manchester United striker ended the worst goal drought of his professional career in the 3-0 victory over West Ham.Rooney netted a first half penalty on Saturday to secure his first goal in 1,113

LONDON: England completed a crushing innings and 225 run victory over Pakistan in the fourth and final test at Lord`s on Sunday on a morning overshadowed by corruption allegations.Police arrested a 35-year-old man on Saturday after a British newspaper said Pakistan players had been

LONDON: Pakistan`s embattled cricket team were embroiled in allegations of match-fixing on Sunday after British police arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.The controversy erupted after the News of the World alleged some members of the Pakistan team were

LONDON: Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the defence of their Premier League title as Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba struck in a 2-0 home win against Stoke City on Saturday.Chelsea won their opening two league games 6-0 but found life more difficult against a spirited Stoke

LONDON: Theo Walcott scored a sparkling first goal and Andrei Arshavin threaded in the second to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League on Saturday.Walcott, who netted a hat-trick in a 6-0 home thrashing of Blackpool last week, looked sharp again in a much

London: England batsmen Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad set a world record eighth wicket partnership on Saturday when they extended their stand to 332 on the third day of the fourth test against Pakistan at Lord`s.The pair, who came to the crease with England in deep trouble at 102 for

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson has re-opened his long-running feud with old rival Arsene Wenger after hitting back at the Arsenal manager for criticising Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.Wenger has angered United manager Ferguson after claiming last week that Scholes had a "dark

BRUSSELS: US sprinter Tyson Gay overcame a false start to steam to victory in the 100m at the season`s final Diamond League meet here on Friday, but Caster Semenya failed in her bid to win the women`s 800m.In a season which has seen Jamaican duo Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell sidelined

PARAMUS: Australia`s Jason Day rolled in a 26-foot putt to complete a run of three straight birdies that vaulted him into the second-round lead after Tiger Woods suffered a back-nine meltdown at the Barclays Friday.The 22-year-old Queenslander fired his second successive four-under-par 67

BERLIN: Defending champions Bayern Munich suffered a shock defeat in only their second German league game of the season on Friday as they were stunned 2-0 by 10-man Kaiserslautern, the Bundesliga`s new boys.Having won the second division last season, Kaiserslautern beat Cologne last

MONACO: Atletico Madrid defeated Champions League winners Inter Milan 2-0 on Friday to lift the European SuperCup, delivering an early-season bodyblow to coach Rafael Benitez.After a disappointing first half, Europa League winners Atletico opened the scoring in the 62nd minute through

BERLIN: Former captain Michael Ballack has been left out of Germany`s squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers next month, coach Joachim Loew said on Friday. Ballack suffered an ankle injury in last season`s FA Cup final while playing for his former club Chelsea. He was forced to miss the

SINGAPORE: Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam on Friday ruled out running for the FIFA presidency next year, opening the door for Sepp Blatter to run the world game for another four years. The 61-year-old Qatari is seen as a successor to the 74-year-old Swiss and one