Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse

Harbhajan Singh arrives for his ICC Code of Conduct appeal in Adelaide

Harbhajan Singh has been cleared at an appeal hearing of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds.

The India spinner had been found guilty of calling Symonds, Australia's only mixed-race player, a "monkey" during the second Test in Sydney last month.

But at an appeal hearing on Tuesday Harbhajan had his three-match ban lifted and was instead fined half his match fee for offensive behaviour.

The charge was downgraded to general abuse, governing body the ICC said.

"The racial abuse charges have been dropped," added Niranjan Shah, board secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"It is finished. The punishment is only for using obscene language."

The appeal commissioner of governing body the International Cricket Council, New Zealand high court judge John Hansen, is due to hand down his ruling in Adelaide later on Tuesday.

India have now lifted a threat to pull out of the rest of their tour of Australia.

The original punishment of Harbhajan by match referee Mike Procter came after Australia captain Ricky Ponting made an official complaint about his alleged comments.

On-field umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor levelled a charge under section 3.3 of the International Cricket Council code of conduct following Ponting's complaint.

At the time of the incident, Harbhajan was batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who backed his team-mate's claim that he had not called Symonds a "monkey".

Sachin Tendulkar was at the appeal

In the aftermath of Procter's decision, India suspended the tour and later warned they might abandon it if Harbhajan's appeal failed.

They also accused Australia spinner Brad Hogg of making an offensive remark to India skipper Anil Kumble and his deputy Mahendra Dhoni.

They have since withdrawn their threat to quit the tour and the charge against Hogg.

Following Australia's 2-1 victory in the Test series, the sides next face each other in a Twenty20 match in Melbourne before playing in a triangular one-day tournament which also involves Sri Lanka.

India's chief selector Dilp Vengsarkar told the BBC: "The tour is obviously on."

Liverpool reveal Klinsmann talks

Benitez (left) will be disappointed by Hicks' revelations

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks says he held talks with Jurgen Klinsmann in November about taking over as manager in case Rafael Benitez left the club.

Mixed performances and a row with Hicks and co-owner George Gillett on transfer policy put Benitez's position in doubt.

"We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy... if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs rumoured, " Hicks told the Liverpool Echo.

He added: "Or in case our communication spiralled out of control."

Hicks was alluding to the criticism of Hicks and Gillett by Benitez over their transfer policy which angered the American duo and put the Spaniard's position in jeopardy.

Klinsmann's services have now been secured by Bayern Munich and he will take over the German club at the end of this season.

The confirmation of talks between Klinsmann and his bosses will come as a blow to Benitez, although Hicks said the negotiations took place in November when the club were in danger of going out of the Champions League at the group stages and suffering indifferent league form.

Liverpool needed a 4-1 win over Marseille in their final group game on 11 December to book their place in the knockout stages.

The American owners and Benitez had clear-the-air talks after the Premier League loss to Manchester United on 16 December and Hicks now insists the Reds manager has their full support.

"After George and I had our long and productive meeting with Rafa following the Manchester United match, we put all of our issues behind us and received Rafa's commitment that he wanted to stay with Liverpool," said Hicks.

"We never reached agreement on an option with Jurgen, and we are both pleased for him that he has a great opportunity to return to Germany and coach a great club team.

"Rafa has both of our support, and our communication has greatly improved."

But Liverpool's form has not improved and they are currently 12 points off the top of the Premier League table,.

They were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Chelsea and have been taken to a replay by struggling Luton in the FA Cup third round.

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Eduardo and Cesc Fabregas celebrate Arsenal's opening goal

Arsenal comfortably saw off West Ham to maintain their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Eduardo put the Gunners ahead in the second minute, finding space in the box to smash home into the bottom corner.

Anton Ferdinand had a shot cleared off the line as West Ham responded well but Emmanuel Adebayor made it 2-0, slotting home from the narrowest of angles.

The Hammers' attacking threat faded as the game wore on and they ran out of ideas well before the final whistle.

Alan Curbishley's side, whose victory over Manchester United on Saturday had allowed Arsenal to reclaim top spot, came to the Emirates Stadium on the back of a productive festive period that has seen them move back into the top half of the table.

But they were chasing this game from the start thanks to Eduardo's latest strike, his fifth in his last three starts.

With two minutes gone, the Brazil-born Croatia international ghosted between Ferdinand and Matthew Upson, chested down Cesc Fabregas's cross with his first touch and buried the ball past Robert Green with his second.

Green's frustration at the amount of room Eduardo had been given was clear, but he could have no complaints about West Ham's response.

First Mark Noble's toe-poke flew just wide, then Carlton Cole shrugged off Justin Hoyte and saw his shot spin off Kolo Toure and arch past the post.

The Hammers went even closer from the resulting corner which saw Ferdinand's deflected near-post shot cleared off the line by Gael Clichy.

But Arsenal are known for their resilience almost as much as for their flair these days and the Gunners not only held out, but increased their lead in the 18th minute.

Adebayor beat Green to Clichy's long ball and, after nodding past the stranded goalkeeper, he threaded his shot between the post and defender Upson from an almost impossible angle.

It was a blow for West Ham but an even bigger one was the injury that forced Freddie Ljungberg off on 37 minutes, as the visitors did not come forward with the same conviction once the Swede departed his old stamping ground.

Adebayor nodded the ball past Rob Green before firing home

However, Arsenal were hardly creating much by then. Apart from a half-hearted Eduardo header and a deflected Mathieu Flamini effort, there was little to trouble Green.

The spark had gone out of this match long before Dean Ashton was belatedly brought off the bench for the injury-hit visitors.

Ashton could do little to change the outcome and George McCartney's fizzing shot wide of Manuel Almunia's post was the Hammers' only effort of merit after the break.

At the other end, Adebayor lobbed wide and Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky both brought good saves from Green but Arsenal seemed keener to out-pass West Ham than add to their goal tally.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be happy enough with the outcome though, and, after seeing his side collect 10 points from four games over Christmas, he will be content that their title challenge is on track at the start of 2008.

---

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:
"We did the job early on and after that we controlled the game.

"West Ham created some dangerous situations from set-pieces in the first-half but we stayed in control.

"They had given a lot when they beat Manchester United on Saturday but they still defended well. They never gave anything away but we commanded things."

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley:
"We conceded a goal we are not used to conceding in the first two minutes. Eduardo had time to bring it down and pick his spot.

"Their second goal was a disastrous one for us as well.

"We created a couple of chances but poor defending meant we were on the back foot. You can't concede goals like that here and get away with it."

Berbatov could leave, says agent

Berbatov joined Tottenham in summer 2006

Dimitar Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev has told BBC Sport the striker is happy at Tottenham but would be interested in a move to "a big club".

The 26-year-old has been a huge hit since joining Spurs in 2006, but Dantchev said he had spoken to chairman Daniel Levy about his future.

"Dimitar wants to fulfil his potential and win trophies now," said Dantchev.

But Levy has repeatedly insisted he is building for the long term, rather than being interested in selling players.

Fans must understand Dimitar is 27 next month and time is running out for him to play for a club that can match his ambition Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev

The Bulgarian has regularly been linked with Manchester United and his agent's comments came just before the mid-season transfer window opens.

He scored 22 goals in his first season at White Hart Lane, and so far this campaign he has netted another 11, including four in the 6-4 win over Reading.

"His performances for the club are a testament to his commitment to the fans and his team-mates," Dantchev told The Sun newspaper.

"Fans must understand Dimitar is 27 next month and time is running out for him to play for a club that can match his ambition.

"I would like to stress this is not about money. This is about sporting ambition.

"But after Tottenham's bad start to the season, it is unlikely they will have the chance to do something big this season."

US baseball 'rife' with drug use

George Mitchell is a director of the Boston Red Sox baseball team

Dozens of players have been linked to taking performance-enhancing substances in a report on Major League Baseball that alleges a serious drug culture.

Former Senator George Mitchell, who led the investigation, said several All-Stars were suspected of using steroids and human growth hormones.

He also called for MLB to outsource drug-testing and form an investigative arm to pursue allegations of drug use.

In response, MLB head Bud Selig said he embraced all the recommendations made.

Speaking at a news conference, he said that baseball fans "deserve a game that is played on a level playing field, where all who compete do so fairly".

Among those named in the report is Barry Bonds, who was charged last week with lying to a jury about steroid use.

Prosecutors allege that the San Francisco Giants outfielder, who became the sport's record home-run hitter in September, lied under oath when he said in 2003 that he had never knowingly used performance-enhancing substances.

Mr Bonds denied accusations on Friday that he had used a previously untraceable steroid from a San Francisco-based company called Balco.

Batboy allegations

The inquiry was instigated by Mr Selig, the MLB Commissioner, in March 2006, following the publication of a book that alleged the use of performance-enhancing substances by Mr Bonds.

Mr Mitchell's report concluded that there was evidence that all 30 Major League clubs were affected by use of banned substances.

"For more than a decade there has been widespread illegal use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball in violation of federal law and baseball policy," Mr Mitchell said at a news conference.

"The response by baseball was slow to develop and was initially ineffective, but it gained momentum after the adoption of a mandatory random drug-testing culture in 2002."

The inquiry began after allegations about Barry Bonds surfaced

Those linked to suspected drugs use in the report include some of the sport's biggest stars: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Eric Gagne, Miguel Tejada, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettitte.

All the players were invited to respond to the allegations in the report. Whether they will face disciplinary action is unclear, especially as many no longer play in Major League teams.

Any penalties for active players are unlikely to be as severe as the 50-game suspensions given to those who have recently tested positive for steroids.

Mr Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader, urged baseball's authorities to look to the future rather than penalising players for past offences, many of which occurred when different policies were in place.

He also called on the public and media not to focus solely on who was named in the report - and for baseball to be allowed "a fresh start".

Internet pharmacies

Several media reports have said that had it not been for a former New York Mets bat boy, Mr Mitchell's report would have been far less revealing, as the players and their union were uncooperative and his inquiry did not have the power of subpoena.

Kirk Radomski was convicted of distributing steroids in April

Kirk Radomski, who pleaded guilty to distributing steroids in April, testified that he provided banned steroids, human growth hormones and stimulants to dozens of players by mail order between 1995 and 2005.

Although none of the allegations are based on positive drug tests, the report cited cancelled cheques, shipping slips and phone records as evidence of the players' involvement.

Mr Mitchell also met district attorneys in Albany, New York, who have been leading an investigation into claims of drugs distributed illegally by internet pharmacies.

Media reports about doping in baseball began in the late 1980s, but the sport did not start testing and punishing players until more than a decade later.

MLB and its players agreed in September 2002 to test for steroids, although penalties were not introduced for positive tests until 2004.

A ban on human growth hormones was agreed in 2005, although there is no reliable test to detect the substances.

Drug-testing criticised

The report also criticised MLB officials and the players' union, and called for major changes in the league's drug-testing programme:

• Appointing an independent administrator or hiring an outside agency to run the sport's drug-testing programme. It is currently run by the MLB in conjunction with the players' union
• Ensuring "state-of-the-art" testing, including introducing additional year-round tests
• Allowing the testing administrator to actively investigate "non-analytical positives" - information which shows a player broke rules in the absence of a positive drug test
• Improving player education about performance-enhancing drugs

Mr Mitchell said one of the most serious consequences was that "hundreds of thousands" of high school-aged athletes had also been encouraged to use banned substances.

Some observers questioned in advance whether Mr Mitchell might suffer a conflict of interest, saying they were troubled by his friendship with Mr Selig and his close affiliation with the Boston Red Sox, of which he is a director.

Mr Mitchell also used to be chairman of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, the US TV sports network that has paid $2.4bn to televise MLB games until 2013.

Pakistan dig deep for India draw

Second Test, Calcutta (day five, stumps): India 616-5 & 184-4 v Pakistan 456 & 214-4

Anil Kumble celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Kamran Akmal

The three-match series between India and Pakistan remains alive after the tourists held out for a draw on day five of the second Test in Calcutta.

Captains Anil Kumble and Younus Khan agreed to end the match early with Pakistan on 214-4, 131 short of their victory target amid fading light.

India declared their second innings on 184-4, a lead of 344, but Younus (107) and Mohammad Yousuf (42) held firm.

India lead 1-0 with the final Test starting in Bangalore on Saturday.

But the hosts will bitterly disappointed not to have wrapped up the series having posted a mammoth total of 616-5 in their first innings and then reduced Pakistan to 150-5 on day three.

"We were in a good position on the third day and had there been more pace and bounce in this pitch, it'd have helped us more," said Kumble, India's captain.

The tourists will travel to Bangalore in high spirits after battling back from the jaws of defeat.

I am happy that I scored runs when the side needed them most Pakistan's Younus Khan

There were even murmurings that they may press ahead for a shock win.

Misbah-ul-Haq's magnificent 161 in the first innings set the platform, but it was the 136-run partnership between Younus and Yousuf that so frustrated Kumble's side.

Pakistan's most experienced pair came together with their side struggling on 78-4 midway through the afternoon session and saw them through to the close of play.

The morning saw India add just 43 to their overnight total of 141-2 before their second declaration of the match.

Mahendra Dhoni (37) and Sourav Ganguly (46) were the men to go, both bowled by Shoaib Akhtar, leaving Rahul Dravid unbeaten on eight when Kumble called his men in.

Ganguly brought up 6,000 Test runs but missed out on a half-century following his first innings ton in front of his home crowd at Eden Gardens.

Pakistan began their response confidently, Kamran Akmal and Yasir Hameed taking the fight to Kumble and Zaheer Khan from the outset.

Younus Kahn's 15th Test century was perfectly timed for Pakistan

But in the seventh over Hameed drove a slower ball from Khan straight back to the paceman to fall for 14.

It was a terrific catch from Khan for his first wicket of the match.

Akmal and Salman Butt eased through to lunch but the run rate was becoming desperately slow - Butt made 11 runs off 91 balls.

India knew they needed quick wickets and with the second ball after the re-start, Kumble turned one in from outside leg stump to clean bowl Akmal.

The India captain then trapped Butt leg before wicket with a ball that turned quickly from outside off stump in the 34th over.

India could have made further inroads one ball later when new batsman Misbah was dropped by Dinesh Karthik at short leg.

Kumble's disappointment receded five overs later, however, when Munaf Patel bowled Misbah with an off-cutter that nipped back sharply, sneaking between bat and pad to leave Pakistan reeling.

But that wicket brought Yousuf to the crease to join Younus and the tourists' most experienced pair were quick to steady the ship.

Stand-in captain Younus looked in good for his first innings 43 and the 30-year-old built on that by bringing up a 15th Test century with a reverse sweep through backward point.

The knock could not have come at a better time and it makes for a nail-biting third Test.

"The team needed someone to stay at the crease for a long period and I am happy that I scored runs when the side needed them most," said Younus.

Kumble was keen to praise his bowling attack, saying: "It was a pretty flat pitch and tough for bowlers.

"I think they did a fantastic job to help us dominate in this match."

Sangakkara makes England suffer

First Test, Kandy: Sri Lanka 188 & 442-8d v England 281 & 9-1 (day four, stumps)

England will face a tough final day in the first Test after Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara struck a majestic 152.

Dropped by Ian Bell on 98, Sangakkara became the first man in Tests to hit four 150s in as many matches before Sri Lanka finally declared on 422-8.

England lost Alastair Cook early on as they reached stumps on 9-1, needing 350 for an unlikely victory in Kandy.

Monty Panesar took 3-132, but Muttiah Muralitharan could prove a huge danger for England's batsmen on Wednesday.

In reality, their target will be to bat out the final day to keep the series all-square heading into the second Test in Colombo starting on Sunday.

But they may have to field a team without leading bowler Matthew Hoggard for that match.

The Yorkshire seamer limped out of the attack with back trouble after sending down two overs after lunch and did not re-appear.

Worryingly, Hoggard missed most of last summer's Tests with similar problems.

The day began with Sri Lanka already holding the advantage on 167-2, with Sangakkara on 30 and Mahela Jayawardene yet to score.

Kumar Sangakkara collated Test scores since July 2006 287 v South Africa, Colombo 14 & 39 v SA, Colombo 4 & 100* v NZ, Christchurch 156* & 8 v NZ, Wellington 6 v Bangladesh, Colombo 200* v B'desh, Colombo 222* v B'desh, Kandy 57 & 192 v Australia, Hobart 93 & 152 v England, Kandy

With the ball already 52 overs old and the pitch playing well, England's seamers knew they needed some luck to dislodge two of the finest batsmen to wear Sri Lankan whites.

But though James Anderson in particular bowled intelligently, fortune favoured the home team in the early exchanges as a handful of edges just evaded either the stumps or the slips.

Once Sangakkara had raised his own half-century and Jayawardene had hit the single to bring up the fifty partnership, Sri Lanka were already looking ominously strong with a lead fast approaching 150 and eight wickets still in hand.

Michael Vaughan eventually turned to Monty Panesar, but initially the pitch provided little in the way of assistance for the spinner.

Both batsmen used the crease well to increase their options and Sangakkara was soon confident enough to skip down the wicket to drive Panesar through the covers for the best shot of the day.

Vaughan initially declined the option of taking the new ball, opting for a few overs of his own spin before lunch.

Jayawardene hit him over the top for four, but there were no other signs of aggression and both batsmen looked hungry for big scores.

Finally, Hoggard returned for one over just before the interval and immediately struck with a loosener angled down the leg-side.

Jayawardene, on 65, got a faint edge and Matt Prior, standing up to the timbers, did well to cling on.

After lunch, the new ball was taken and Sangakkara moved to 95 with a wonderful drive through the covers off Anderson.

But he was suddenly afflicted by nerves and offered Bell the simplest of slip catches off Ryan Sidebottom three runs later.

The unfortunate bowler kicked the crease in anger when the chance was floored.

In the two hours between lunch and tea, 100 runs were added while Panesar took two wickets.

The Northamptonshire left-armer finally struck for the first time in the innings when umpire Asad Rauf upheld an appeal for lbw against Chamara Silva (37).

And an out-of-sorts Jehan Mubarak, who Prior should have stumped on nought, holed out to long-on for nine.

After tea, Sangakkara duly passed 150 on his home ground before fatigue finally set in and he chipped a catch to midwicket off Paul Collingwood.

By then Collingwood had also bowled Prasanna Jayawardene and there was one further cheap wicket for Panesar before the declaration was called.

Cook had fallen in Chaminda Vaas's first over on day one, and history repeated itself when the left-hander played tentatively forward to edge a comfortable catch to first slip.

Vaughan and nightwatchman Anderson somehow survived the remaining four-and-a-half overs but the dismissal had completed a nightmare day for England.

Their batsmen will sleep uneasily knowing the wicket has deteriorated considerably since Muralitharan took a record 710th wicket on Monday.

But Tuesday had belonged to Sangakkara, who has enjoyed an extraordinary run of success since handing over the wicket-keeper's gloves to Jayawardene in July 2006.

In nine Tests since then he has hit 1,529 runs in 14 innings, with two unbeaten double centuries and four centuries, two of those also unbeaten.

India v Pakistan 1st ODI

India 242-5 (47 ovs) bt Pakistan 239-7 (50 ovs) by 5 wkts

Mahendra Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh hit half-centuries to inspire India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in their opening one-day match in Guwahati.

They put on 105, the aggressive Dhoni hitting eight fours in his 63, while Yuvraj fired six fours and a six in 58.

Both fell near the end but India got to their 240 target with 18 balls left.

Salman Butt gave Pakistan a good start with 50 from 57 balls and Mohammad Yousuf, dropped on nine, hit eight fours in a battling unbeaten 83.

Given the talent of India's batsmen, a target of 240 initially seemed somewhat insufficient, particularly as there were no floodlights to encourage movement for the bowlers.

After Sachin Tendulkar was lbw to a Shoaib Akhtar slower ball in the third over, it quickly became evident that it would not be so straightforward.

Gambhir twice edged a noticeably portly Shoaib - who left an advertising hoarding in need of repair when colliding with it in the field - between keeper and slip to the boundary early in his innings.

But the two left-handers slowly came to terms with the slow surface, Ganguly recording the 50 with a lofted straight drive for six as Umar Gul tried a slower ball.

They were progressing serenely until Ganguly was sent back and the throw from backward square-leg saw him short of his ground by the narrowest of margins.

Four overs later Gambhir missed a straight one from Shahid Afridi that bowled him around his legs and 127 were still needed.

But Dhoni signalled his intentions by flashing at his first ball, which fizzed off the outside edge to the boundary, and the batting side were soon firmly in command again.

Butt was needlessly run out having completed a fine fifty

Yuvraj, who survived a confident lbw appeal from spinner Abdur Rehman, wafted the next ball effortlessly over mid-wicket for six to keep his team well ahead of the rate.

He was first of the pair to fifty, from 66 balls, Dhoni following suit in the next over, and the searing boundaries continued as the 100 stand came up in 129 balls.

With 22 needed from 42 balls, Yuvraj top-edged a sweep to fine-leg and the requirement was 15 from 35 when Dhoni was smartly caught behind off the persistent Shoaib.

There were a couple more moments of anxiety before Robin Uthappa thumped Shoaib down the ground for four and advanced down the pitch to slice the winning runs in style with a six over third man.

When Shoaib Malik elected to have first use of the pitch, Butt played some fluent strokes with the field up for the powerplay overs, taken in one bundle by India captain Dhoni.

Kamran Akmal was not able to score as freely and succumbed playing an ungainly stroke across the line, although replays suggested that umpire Ian Gould, resplendent in old school colonial-style panama hat, was incorrect as the ball pitched outside leg-stump.

After the drinks break, spin was introduced in the form of Harbhajan Singh and he made the breakthrough, although not with any magical delivery.

Having completed his fifty from 56 balls, Butt miscued to mid-off but set off for a perfectly realistic single, only to find Younus Khan rooted to the non-striker's end.

Butt was unable to scramble back as Yuvraj Singh whistled the ball back to Dhoni and with slow left-armer Murali Kartik in operation from the other end the scoring slowed, 16 overs passing by without a boundary.

Yousuf was reprieved when he got a leading edge playing against the spin of Kartik but Ganguly, running back towards mid-off, could not cling on to the chance.

Younus also felt the urgency to accelerate the scoring but succumbed, lofting to long-off.

It took until 35th over for the first six of the innings, a brutal heave over long-on from Afridi as Pathan dropped short, but when spin returned problems mounted for Pakistan.

Having butchered another boundary, Afridi was hopelessly deceived in the flight by Tendulkar and was almost nearer the bowler's end than the crease as Dhoni took off the bails.

Worse was to follow as Malik, wearing eye-catchingly luminous green pads, fell to an eye-catchingly bad shot, hoiking a full toss from Sachin Tendulkar straight to the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary.

Yousuf grinded out a 68-ball half-century, the 200 coming up in the 46th over, but the lack of significant support from his middle-order colleagues proved decisive.

Brazil set to host 2014 World Cup

Brazil are set to be unveiled as the 2014 World Cup hosts on Tuesday.

The South American country is the only nation bidding to host the tournament which is due to be staged on the continent under Fifa's rotation system.

The other South American nations agreed to back Brazil, who have won the World Cup a record five times, as their only candidate in 2003.

Two-time winner and former Brazil coach Mario Zagallo said: "I've no doubt the 2014 World Cup will be in Brazil."

And Zagallo, who won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962, as a coach in 1970 and as an assistant coach in 1994, believes the country has enough time to get ready.

"In seven years Brazil will have new stadiums and we will fix those that need to be fixed," he added.

"Fifa has been here and have seen it is possible to be done."

Brazil have hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950.

They reached the final but were beaten 2-1 by South American rivals Uruguay in front of an official record crowd of 173,830 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, although the actual attendance was estimated to be over 200,000.

Triple injury blow hits Liverpool

Liverpool players Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano all face spells out after suffering injuries in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Arsenal.

Alonso (metatarsal) and Torres (abductor muscle) both had recurrences of the injuries which had kept them out for a month before the game.

Alonso limped off after 68 minutes while Torres was replaced by Peter Crouch at half-time.

Mascherano suffered a foot injury and left with his foot in a medical boot.

Manager Rafael Benitez said: "Alonso has suffered the same injury again, the metatarsal, he felt something go in his foot.

"Torres also has a similar injury, a problem with an abductor muscle. Maybe he is not as bad as before. But he could not work as hard as we wanted, we wanted his pace and it was not available.

"He just was not fit. We talked beforehand and he said he was fine. Now we must wait again, he had been out for some time and we have been pushing to get him back, but he has not been right and he still is not right.

"I will need to check with the doctor to see how the players are in the next two days."

Benitez admitted his side paid the price for the injuries they experienced during the game at Anfield.

"We had problems when we lost Torres and then Alonso. We could not control the midfield then, we also had Mascherano with a foot injury and had lost (Mohamed) Sissoko beforehand with sickness," he said.

"In the end there were too many problems against a really good team."

But he praised the contribution of his captain Steven Gerrard who netted Liverpool's goal after a difficult week.

"Stevie has been playing better and this was a very good performance," he added.

"We had a plan to use the strikers wide and for Stevie to attack through the middle with two holding players behind.

"But when we started losing players through injury, it just became too difficult to get forward.

"What pleased me most was the commitment of the players, our supporters should be happy with the efforts they put in against a very good team like Arsenal.

"Arsenal are playing well, a fantastic team. But it is too early, we are six points behind with a game in hand and there is a long way to go yet."

Red Sox claim World Series glory

Boston Red Sox have won the World Series, beating Colorado Rockies 4-3 in the fourth game for a sweep in the best-of-seven series.

It is the second World Series win in four seasons for the Red Sox after they beat St Louis in 2004. Before that they had to wait 86 years for a win.

Veteran third baseman Mike Lowell hit a solo home run and scored twice for the Sox before becoming a free agent.

It was Boston's seventh Series crown overall since it started in 1903.

Lowell blasted his homer in the seventh innings to give Boston a 3-0 lead.

And after Colorado's Brad Hawpe answered with a solo home run, pinch-hitter Bobby Kielty blasted on the first pitch of the eighth innings to seal the Rockies' fate.

The Rockies refused to give in, however, with Garrett Atkins hitting a two-run homer off Red Sox relief pitcher Hideki Okajima in the eighth innings to pull Colorado back to 4-3.

But then Jonathan Papelbon, Boston's closing reliever, forced the final five outs.

Colorado's Jamey Carroll cracked the ball deep to left field in the ninth innings, but it was caught for the penultimate dismissal before Rockies pinch-hitter Seth Smith followed by striking out, touching off a huge Red Sox celebrations.

It completed a remarkable turn-around in form for Boston who had rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Cleveland in the AL Championship series, before winning seven straight games.

"This team has got a lot of heart," Boston team captain Jason Varitek said afterwards.

"We just beat a very, very good team, an excellent team. We had to do the little things, and we were able to."

The Rockies, who won 21 of 22 games to storm into the post-season and their first World Series, never found their stride after waiting eight days for the Series to begin.

And Rockies manager Clint Hurdle admitted: "Boston executed better than us all four games.

"They deserve all the credit. We just got beat by a better team in this series in every way."

Hamilton keen to win 'fair' title

Lewis Hamilton has told that he does not want to win an F1 title through disqualifications for other drivers.

Kimi Raikkonen's win in Brazil secured the world title for the Finn by one point from Hamilton but McLaren are to launch an appeal into the placings.

"To have the world title taken away is a bit cruel and probably not good for the sport," Hamilton told 5live Sport.

"It would feel weird after Kimi did such a fantastic job in the last two races and won on Sunday."

He added: "I want to win it on the track. You want to do it in style, you want to win the race or battling it out for the lead.

"Being promoted after other people have been thrown out is not the way I want to do it."

McLaren are to challenge Sunday's result after fuel irregularities by Williams and BMW Sauber went unpunished by race stewards but Hamilton, who finished seventh, believes he will have more chances to win a world title.

"I'm only 22 and there's going to be plenty more opportunities for me to win the world championship. I have no doubt that we can do that in the future," he added.

"It has been a phenomenal year and it has just been a real pleasure to be part of the team.

"I'm extremely proud of them and of my family and everyone that's supported me to get me where I am."

Earlier, McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso said he would be "embarrassed" if Hamilton won the world title on appeal.

"If he wins the title because of this it wouldn't be fair. I'd be embarrassed for this sport," said the Spaniard.

Alonso gave his backing to Raikkonen as a worthy winner, saying: "Raikkonen is the deserved champion.

"If you have more points, you are the deserved champion, just like in football. Kimi has won six races and Hamilton, like me, has won four."

Shoaib banned after hitting Asif

Shoaib Akhtar has been banned for 13 games by the Pakistan Cricket Board over an incident in which he struck team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat.

The seamer was sent home from the World Twenty20 in South Africa and has also been fined £28,000 after an inquiry.

The ban has been backdated to the South Africa tournament so he will only sit out four more international games.

However, he has been warned that any more misdemeanours will mean the end of his career at the highest level.

"If he is found guilty of any act of indiscipline, he faces a life ban," said PCB disciplinary committee chairman Shafqat Naghmi.

Naghmi said the 32-year-old had been found guilty of three charges relating to the Asif incident: hitting a team-mate, accusing another player, Shahid Afridi, of involvement, and holding a news conference on his return from South Africa.

The committe also found against him on two other charges of missing a training camp in August in order to play a charity match in England and publicly criticising the PCB.

I have been going through a nightmare for the last four weeks Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib previously insisted he had accidentally struck Asif, who he claimed had intervened in a row with Afridi.

Now the "Rawalpindi Express" says he accepts his punishment and is eager to play again for his country at the first available opportunity, which Naghmi said would be the tour of India in November.

"I have suffered enough, it was all in the heat of the moment and I'll make sure to be extra careful in the future," Shoaib said.

"I have already apologised to Asif, to the whole nation and the PCB, now I just want to move on and concentrate on playing cricket for Pakistan.

"I have been going through a nightmare for the last four weeks and whatever happened I just don't want to even recall it."

Last year Shoaib and Asif tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Champions Trophy and were sent home from the tournament in India.

They were subsequently cleared but Shoaib has played just one Test and four one-dayers in the last 15 months because of fitness and disciplinary problems.

The selectors must now choose whether to save Shoaib for the India tour, to begin from 1 November, or to play him in the final home one-day international against South Africa.

Celtic fined as Dida receives ban

Celtic have been fined £25,000 and AC Milan goalkeeper Dida has been banned for two matches following trouble at the recent Champions League game.

However, the European champions intend to appeal against the penalty imposed on the 34-year-old Brazilian.

Dida collapsed dramatically after a fan appeared to strike him near the end of AC Milan's 2-1 defeat on 3 October.

Celtic were found guilty of a lack of organisation and improper conduct of supporters at the Celtic Park match.

The Scottish champions will pay half of the fine now, while the rest is deferred over a two-year probationary period.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell issued a statement saying: "As a club we feel this penalty is proportionate to the incident in question and a fair outcome.

"We took this matter extremely seriously and following an immediate internal investigation took swift and firm action against the offender.

"Celtic FC will continue to take all organisational, security and health and safety matters as its first priority."

Dida was stretchered off after being confronted by the invading fan and was criticised for overreacting.

Uefa's control and disciplinary body took a dim view of the keeper's theatrics, charging him with a lack of sportsmanship.

"It involved the fan, we don't condone that, hence, the fine for Celtic," said Uefa spokesman Rob Faulkner.

"But at the same time it was fairly clear that what happened after Dida had set off, fallen to the ground and the antics after that were a little bit out of keeping with the incident.

"I think that's why he has come out with a two-game ban."

The incident occurred after Scott McDonald had slammed in Celtic's winner late on after Dida had failed to hold a Gary Caldwell shot.

The fan, who has since been identified and banned by Celtic for life, ran onto the pitch and made contact with Dida, who proceeded to briefly give chase before collapsing to the ground.

He was eventually substituted, with Australian Zeljko Kalac replacing him.

The Italian club's lawyer, Leandro Cantamessa, described the sanctions against Dida as "disproportionate and illogical".

He added: "I have no issue with Celtic but I am only trying to establish a sense of proportion - one is the event, the other is only the effect of the event."

If Dida's ban stands, he will miss the Champions League double-header with Group D leaders Shaktar Donestk.

Betsen takes place in France team

Betsen was in the stands for most of France's win over the All Blacks

Serge Betsen has been named in France's team for the World Cup semi-final against England despite suffering a head injury in the quarter-final.

The flanker lasted just five minutes against New Zealand before sustaining a heavy blow to the back of his head.

Coach Bernard Laporte has named the same starting XV and replacements who featured against the All Blacks for Saturday's game with England.

Prop Olivier Milloud, who hurt his neck against New Zealand, is fit to play.

One of the biggest issues was who should start at fly-half - Lionel Beauxis, who has started the last two games, Frederic Michalak, who turned the game against New Zealand after coming on as a replacement, or David Skrela.

But Laporte admitted it would have been hard to make any changes to the team that beat the tournament favourites in such thrilling fashion in the quarter-final.

"All the players gave us satisfaction against New Zealand and that made it very difficult for us to take somebody out," he said.

Laporte insisted Betsen was completely fit to play, despite having looked extremely groggy as he was helped from the pitch in Cardiff.

"He's passed all the medical tests. If we'd had the slightest doubt, we wouldn't have picked Serge," he said.

Saturday's game at the Stade de France will be the fourth time the teams have played one another this year.

England won the Six Nations encounter at Twickenham 26-18, but France won both pre-tournament warm-up encounters, 21-15 at Twickenham and 22-9 in France.

FOURTH ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL, Colombo

FOURTH ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL, Colombo:
England 212-5 bt Sri Lanka 211-9 by five wickets

England produced a fantastic display with both bat and ball to ease to a five-wicket win in Colombo and seal a first one-day series win in Sri Lanka.

James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom were the heroes with the ball, taking three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka made 211-9.

Even a 126-run stand between Chamara Silva and Kumar Sangakkara (69) could not disguise a superb bowling effort.

And Kevin Pietersen (63no) and Alastair Cook (80) then dug deep with the bat to help England home with 19 balls left.

It put the tourists 3-1 up with one to play in the five-match series, sealing a second successive one-day international series win following their home defeat of India in September.

The result rarely looked in doubt after England shook off the disappointment of losing the toss to take crucial early wickets.

Anderson and Sidebottom have found good rhythm in the opening overs throughout the series, and the pair did not disappoint skipper Paul Collingwood again in Colombo.

Sidebottom (3-27) led the way and he had conceded just one run off the bat when he had Upul Tharanga caught at slip by Owais Shah in just his second over.

But, despite being flicked for four off his very first delivery, it was Anderson (3-33) that snared the key wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayasuriya fell looping a slower ball straight to Kevin Pietersen at mid-off, before Jayawardene lashed an attempted cut high to third man, where Stuart Broad took a good catch on the run.

They were Anderson's first wickets of the series and when he and Sidebottom had completed 13 overs between them, Sri Lanka were limping along at 25-3.

The replacement bowlers fared almost as well in the early stages, Broad, Collingwood and Graeme Swann restricting Sri Lanka's scoring with persistent line, length and some turn.

Sangakkara dug in to make his first real contribution of the series

But, despite being another slow wicket, pre-match suspicions that the pitch would yield runs to the better batsmen rang true as Sangakkara and Silva settled.

The pair dug in impressively, nudging and nurdling for ones and twos and only occasionally opening their shoulders for a boundary shot, as the hosts slowly edged towards 200.

The stand was not without scares, with Sangakkara lofting a leading edge safe off Swann.

And Ravi Bopara, in his first bowl of the series, was frustrated three times in his efforts to remove Silva - once when Phil Mustard shelled a thin edge standing up to the stumps and then when two confident lbw appeals were turned down by Rudi Koertzen.

However, just as the duo began to cut loose, Silva top-edged a wide bouncing delivery from Broad down to third man to leave the hosts 146-4 with 10 overs remaining.

The new Nottinghamshire man struck again 12 balls later when Sangakkara pulled straight to Bopara to end his 102-ball stand and Collingwood brought himself back on to remove Kaushal Lokuarachchi plumb lbw for nine.

Dilshan and Mubarak racked up a stand of 23 off three overs, before the former was bowled by Anderson, and Sidebottom wrapped up the tail to keep England's noses in front.

Chasing under lights has proved troublesome throughout this series, but a typical top-order burst from Phil Mustard suggested the pitch was better than the Sri Lankan batsmen had made it look.

The Durham keeper once again failed to capitalise on a good start, driving four boundaries before dollying a return catch to Lasith Malinga, but Cook and Ian Bell rotated the strike nicely to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Cook top-scored with 80 to see England to an historic series victory

Bell was left cursing his choice of shot in the 20th over when he lobbed Lokuarachchi to mid-on, but after that England cruised.

Pietersen, averaging just nine on this tour before his innings, looked determined to make a score and he and Cook refused to take chances on a slow pitch.

It made for turgid viewing at times, and a short rain delay slowed the outfield even more to ensure it barely got better in the latter stages.

However, there was no denying England's application and Cook and Pietersen did what had to be done in taking the tourists to within 50 runs of victory with 11 overs remaining.

Cook had already brought up his half century by that stage - off 76 balls - and Pietersen greeted the 40th over with a welcome display of aggression, smashing the first six of the match down the ground to bring up his own 50.

He eventually registered four more boundaries with typically wristy shots in a stand of 110 with Cook, and ended unbeaten on 63 for a welcome return to form.

Even after the Essex man played on off Dilhara Fernando and was followed immediately back in the hutch by Collingwood lbw first ball, the tourists looked untroubled.

There was still time for Owais Shah to be bowled by Malinga, but Pietersen and Ravi Bopara saw England to 212-5 to secure the historic victory and send the visiting dressing room into raptures.

I can handle pressure - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says he can handle the pressure ahead of the Formula One title decider in Brazil on 21 October.

The British driver, 22, leads McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso by four points, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is seven adrift heading to Interlagos.

"I've been in these situations before and I can cope with the pressure," said Hamilton, who won the 2006 GP2 Series.

"If you start to reflect on the negatives in this business, it can adversely affect the way you think."

Hamilton crashed out of last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix while entering the pit lane to change his worn tyres allowing Raikkonen to win from Alonso and set up Sunday's Sao Paulo showdown.

I know the team are never going to be favourable towards me McLaren's Fernando Alonso

And he insists he will remain focused as he bids to become the first man to win the world title in his debut season.

"It's good when you look at the reports but it's probably better I don't as anything can plant thoughts at the back of your mind without you realising it," added Hamilton.

"But when I think about getting in that car, there is nothing that gives me a better feeling.

"As long as I can do this job with the team I want to be with, being competitive and vying for championships, then I'll always be happy."

And Hamilton has likened himself to the laid-back Raikkonen, who is also chasing his first world title.

"They say Kimi's ice-cool, like he's flat-lined, but I think my subconscious is pretty much like that," he said.

"Kimi and Fernando have more experience but I know my character - I'm cool about things and I've bounced back from what happened in China."

And while McLaren have insisted they will treat the drivers equally in Brazil, double world champion Alonso is concerned he will fall foul of what he says is the team's preference for Hamilton to win because of his cool relationship with boss Ron Dennis this season.

He said: "We are going to try to make the impossible possible. But I know the team are never going to be favourable towards me."

Tennis chiefs battle match-fixers

Tennis players are to be given 48 hours to tell the authorities if they are approached about throwing matches and risk punishment if they fail do so.

The new 48-hour rule will be adopted by the board of the ATP Tour at its next meeting in November, and will be backed up by a new 'integrity unit'.

The news comes after Andy Murray told "everyone knows corruption goes on" in tennis.

The ATP has already said it will ask to meet Murray to discuss his comments.

Murray told that matches on the men's ATP Tour are being thrown and that all players are aware of it.

"It is pretty disappointing for all the players, but everyone knows that it goes on," said the top-20 ranked Scot.

"It's difficult to prove. They can try their best until the last games in each set and then make some mistakes, hit a couple of double faults and that's it."

The ATP confirmed that it would look into these claims as a matter of great importance, and that it was working with the sport's other authorities on setting up an integrity unit.

"We have asked Andy Murray, through his agent, for a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the claims made public," said a tour spokesman.

"Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and the ATP has shown that it will act where it has information which requires investigation.

It is the responsibility of everyone, without exception, to ensure we have any information about possible threats to the integrity of tennis ATP spokesman

"It will become a sanctionable offence for a player not to provide information that helps the police and the authorities.

"If a player is approached they need to pass on that information within 48 hours.

"Our anti-corruption programme has stringent procedures in place to deal with any suspected corruption.

"It is the responsibility of everyone, without exception, to ensure we have any information about possible threats to the integrity of tennis."

In an investigation for 5live Sport, leading betting companies have expressed concern about the results of several games.

And Murray believes the chance to make extra money is too much for some players to turn down.

He added: "There are some guys who have to come to tournaments every single week and out of their first-round-loser's cheque - about 2,500 euros - they have to pay for their air fares.

"A career lasts probably only 10 or 12 years and you have to make all your money while you're still playing. But it's not really acceptable."

"I personally have never experienced it but, listening to the players talking, it seems it goes on," said the former British number one.

In August, online betting exchange Betfair voided the market on Nikolay Davydenko's match with Martin Vassallo at the Poland Open because of concerns over unusual betting activity.

The ATP Tour launched its own probe as a result.