NEW DELHI: India`s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the Test series in Sri Lanka due to a shoulder injury and replaced by rookie Abhimanyu Mithun, the cricket board said on Wednesday.Zaheer, 31, has been India`s most prolific new ball bowler in recent years with 242

NOTTINGHAM: Ian Bell marked his return to England`s one-day side with an unbeaten 84 as they defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the first of a three-match series at Trent Bridge here on Thursday. Bell, recalled in the absence of injured No 3 Kevin Pietersen, faced 101 balls with six

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka`s world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday brushed aside criticism of his bowling action saying his unorthodox style was a gift from God.Muralitharan`s 18-year career was marred by controversy due to his bent-arm action -- the result of an elbow

ERASMIA: Brazil`s all-time World Cup record goal scorer Ronaldo`s mark of 15 goals could well remain intact as it was revealed on Thursday German striker Miroslav Klose could miss Saturday`s third place match with Uruguay because of a back injury.The 32-year-old Poland-born marksman

PORT ELIZABETH: Two-time winners Uruguay and three-time champions Germany clash here on Saturday in a match that neither side wanted to be contesting - the playoff to decide third place. Both coaches, Oscar Tabarez of Uruguay and Germany`s Joachim Loew will have a job on their hands to

ERASMIA: In the wake of his side`s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, Germany coach Joachim Loew remains tight-lipped on his future plans despite now being out of contract. The 50-year-old`s four-year deal with the German Football Federation (DFB) officially expired on June 30 and

BERLIN: Paul the "psychic" octopus, who has become a global star after correctly forecasting all six of Germany`s World Cup games, will predict the final, but only if his hefty workload has not exhausted him. The mollusc medium, who stunned Germany by tipping Spain in the semi-final --

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police have seized 35 million US dollars worth of illegal betting slips during the World Cup, with that figure expected to soar ahead of this weekend`s final, a report said Thursday.Since the global tournament kicked off last month, police in the financial hub have

BERLIN: "It`s finished. It`s over. We`re out," cried Germany`s most-read paper, Bild, as the country descended into collective mourning following the 1-0 semi-final defeat to Spain that ended their World Cup dream."The whole of Germany is now upset and tears are flowing up and down the

PLAYA DE PALMA: While Spaniards were ecstatic over their World Cup semi-final win, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.Cries of "Nein!" (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a

DURBAN: Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque insisted his side would take nothing for granted ahead of a World Cup final meeting with the Netherlands they will start as clear favourites."Of course we must celebrate this victory but we will do so with moderation," Del Bosque said after Carles

DURBAN: Germany coach Joachim Loew hailed Spain as masters of the football universe and expressed confidence that they would beat the Netherlands in Sunday`s World Cup final.Despite his frustration at his side`s failure to reproduce the kind of form with which they swept past England and

MADRID: The whole of Spain erupted with joy as the national side reached the World Cup final for the first time ever with a 1-0 win over Germany -- and the fiesta looked set to last well into the night."It`s over! We are in the final of the World Cup! It`s historic, what joy!" shouted a

BERLIN: It won`t come as much of a consolation to heartbroken German fans, but at least Paul, Germany`s now world-famous "Octopus oracle", has maintained his perfect record.The "psychic" creature has correctly predicted all six of Germany`s World Cup games and, amid excruciating drama

MADRID: While Spaniards were ecstatic over their defeat of Germany, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.Cries of "Nein!" (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a traditionally German

DURBAN: Carles Puyol scored the only goal of the game to send Spain into the World Cup final against Holland following a 1-0 victory against Germany on Wednesday.The Barcelona centre-back powered home a header from 10 yards from Xavi`s corner 17 minutes from time to send the reigning

NOTTINGHAM: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza is confident his side will provide more of a challenge to England in their upcoming three one-dayers than they did in last month`s Test series.The Tigers face England in the first one-day international at Trent Bridge here on Thursday having

NOTTINGHAM: England captain Andrew Strauss is adamant there is no danger of his side taking Bangladesh lightly in the first of three one-day internationals at Trent Bridge here on Thursday.The Tigers have never beaten England in any match, across all formats.England come into these

BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine lawmaker on Wednesday suggested erecting a statue to football coach Diego Maradona in the capital Buenos Aires as he sponsored a bill to honour one of the country`s most famous sons.Maradona, who will be 50 later this year, still has great public cachet in his

PALMA DE MAJORCA: A German man suspected of shooting two Italians in a pub in Hanover after a row about the World Cup has surrendered to authorities on the Spanish island of Majorca, police said Wednesday.A police spokeswoman said the man, a 42-year-old identified only as Holger B., had