CAPE TOWN: Elated Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk fulfilled a 32-year dream on Tuesday by steering his team into the World Cup final for the first time since 1978.It was a long time coming but Van Marwijk said the wait was worth it."Of course I am very, very happy and proud that such a small

CAPE TOWN, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez praised his players on Tuesday, saying their narrow World Cup semi-final defeat to the Netherlands proved they could can mix it with football`s powerhouses.The tiny South American nation, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina,

BIRMINGHAM: Australia`s Michael Clarke paid tribute to Muttiah Muralitharan after the prolific bowler announced on Tuesday his intention to retire from Test cricket, saying the Sri Lanka off-spinner was an "amazing player".A Sri Lanka Cricket statement issued earlier Tuesday said the

BIRMINGHAM, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Teenage quick Mohammad Aamer took three wickets as Pakistan beat Australia by 11 runs in the second Twenty20 international at Edgbaston here on Tuesday to complete a 2-0 series win.Australia, chasing 163 to win, were dismissed for 151 with 18-year-old

JOHANNESBURG: Despite still searching for top form, the Netherlands booked a place in their first World Cup final since 1978 by edging Uruguay 3-2 in their semi-final in Cape Town on Tuesday.They can now make history by lifting football`s ultimate prize for the first time if they beat

AMSTERDAM: Around 50,000 Dutch fans erupted in a single joyful roar Tuesday as they watched their team qualify for the World Cup final on what was claimed to be Europe`s largest loose-standing TV screen.As the final whistle blew in Cape Town, supporters jumped for joy, punched the air and

CAPE TOWN: Uruguay`s 60-year wait for another World Cup final appearance will continue for at least another four years after they lost 3-2 to the Dutch in Tuesday`s semi-final.Having won both the 1930 and 1950 World Cup finals, Uruguay were carrying the flag for South America alone after

CAPE TOWN: The Netherlands stormed into their first World Cup final since 1978 on Tuesday, beating Uruguay 3-2 to set up a title clash against either Germany or Spain.Two goals inside three second-half minutes, from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, steered the Dutch into the decider and

DURBAN: Germany and Spain both claim they have not been practising penalties ahead of their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday."You can`t plan for penalties, every coach would want to win over 90 minutes or 120 minutes and wouldn`t want the stress of penalties," said Germany coach Joachim

DURBAN: Lukas Podolski has billed the World Cup semi-final against Spain as a perfect opportunity for Germany to avenge their Euro 2008 final defeat by the Spaniards.Fernando Torres`s strike gave Spain a 1-0 win in the final in Vienna two years ago and Podolski, one of the German veterans

LONDON: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that despite their defeat in the dramatic World Cup quarter-final against Uruguay, Ghana were the true winners.In a letter to the Ghana team, Annan, a Ghanaian himself, said his reaction at the end of the match on Friday when the

CAPE TOWN: Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez made six changes to his side for their World Cup semi-final against the Netherlands on Tuesday as the South Americans look to make their first final in 60 years.Several switches were inevitable with influential striker Luis Suarez suspended after

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka`s world record holding bowler Muttiah Muralitharan will retire from Test cricket after the first match against India this month, the governing body of the sport said Tuesday."Muttiah Muralitharan has decided to retire from Test cricket after the first Test in Galle

CAPE TOWN: President Jacob Zuma said Tuesday the World Cup has brought "priceless" benefits to South Africa, as fans of the Netherlands and Uruguay descended on Cape Town for their semi-final match.With Sunday`s final now just days away, Zuma said the 33 billion rand (4.2 billion dollars,

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan`s cricket chief ruled out Tuesday the imminent return of former captain Younus Khan to the national team, after the player`s lawyer complained that he had been left out of an England tour.The player failed to make selection for the tour after the Pakistan Cricket Board

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricket would be developed with the assistances of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and International Cricket Council (ICC) within next two years, said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president on Tuesday. BCB boss A H M Mustafa Kamal MP, in a press conference, also hoped,

NAIROBI: Visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio `Lula` da Silva said here on Tuesday he is backing Uruguay to win the World Cup in South Africa.Lula, who arrived in Kenya on the third leg of his African tour enroute to South Africa for the finals said he is yet to come to terms with the

MADRID: Spain`s Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones said on Tuesday that he believed the Spanish would beat Germany in their World Cup semi-final - a far cry from the critical comments he has been making throughout the finals.The 71-year-old Aragones said that he had witnessed a Spanish

LONDON: England`s World Cup captain Steven Gerrard said there was "no way" he would be calling time on his international career after their miserable run in South Africa.The 30-year-old midfielder said he would not be following in the footsteps of his Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher

BIRMINGHAM: Beaten Australia Twenty20 captain Michael Clarke said there was nothing `neutral` about the support Pakistan had received from a capacity Edgbaston crowd here on Monday.Australia lost the first of two Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan -- the second is at Edgbaston on