Football legend Maradona recovering in hospital

Football legend Diego Maradona remained in hospital for alcoholic detoxification, two days after being admitted, with a psychiatric nurse by his side, the hospital director said.

“Maradona remains under treatment with sedatives, … and support medications. There have been new routine tests, which have shown acceptable results,” Hector Pezzella, the medical chief at Guemes Hospital, told reporters.

Pezzella said that while Maradona, 46, was “fully into a period of recovery,” he was drowsy given the sedatives he has been receiving “to avoid withdrawal symptoms.”
“He is stable and is progressing very well … he did wake up and he ate breakfast,” Pezzella added, noting that eating on his own was a sign of progress.
 

Nobody will beat us, says McGrath

Glenn McGrath believes no side will threaten Australia in their push for a third successive World Cup, provided the defending champions keep up their current form.
McGrath, who is poised to become the leading wicket-taker in World Cup history, said Australia had the ability to win every match in the tournament, as they did in 2003.
“If we go and play the way we have I can’t really see any team getting close to us,” he told AFP. “In any Australian sport it seems that attitude is carried right across the board,” he added.

Present bad, future worse for Pakistan cricket?

It can only happen in Pakistan. The most high-profile sportsmen of the country flop miserably in the most high-profile event -ñ the Cricket World Cup. The chief of the board running the sport resigns, accepting responsibility for the disaster but is asked to continue by the ‘chief patron’ some days later.
The farce continues. The board’s chief – Dr Nasim Ashraf – willingly reaccepts the responsibility of putting his team back on track, expecting everything would somehow fall in to place. He promises to come out with ‘short and long-term rebuilding plans for Pakistan cricket shortly’.

Inzamam turns down match fixing charges, admits responsibility of defeat

Pakistan’s quitting cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq while turning down match fixing allegations in the World Cup Saturday accepted responsibility of the national team’s defeat in the tournament.

Lara wins toss, puts Australia into bat

ST JOHN’S: West Indies skipper Brian Lara won the toss in their second-stage Super Eights match with holders Australia on Tuesday and put them into bat.

Teams:

Australia – Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting(captain), Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, ShaneWatson, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath.

West Indies – Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, RamnareshSarwan, Marlon Samuels, Brian Lara (captain), Dwayne Bravo,Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor,Daren Powell.

Australia’s progress to the Super Eights of the tournament has so far been serene with comfortable victories in all of their Group A games including an eventually emphatic 83-run thumping of top ranked South Africa on Saturday.

Lara’s West Indies have possibly not shown quite the ruthless form of Ricky Ponting’s men but they too arrive here with a 3-0 perfect record from Group D, their opening-day victory helping to knock out Pakistan.

Earlier, Captain Brian Lara insists his team will not crumble when they face rampant defending champions Australia in the match.

West Indies, bidding to become the first host nation to win the world title, could not have chosen a more menacing opponent.

Lara’s side beat Australia in the Champions Trophy group games in India in
2006, when seamer Jerome Taylor grabbed four wickets and Runako Morton
top-scored with 90.

Bob Woolmer (L)

Detectives are investigating whether Bob Woolmer was murdered after a fall-out with his Pakistani players over their dismal performance against Ireland in the cricket World Cup.

Quoting a Sunday Telegraph report, the Daily Times said that Woolmer had strained relations with some of the players prior to the tournament.

Ireland dump Pakistan out of World Cup

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup here on Saturday after losing to Ireland by three wickets in a dramatic match at Sabina Park. The win for Ireland, made up mostly of part-timers and foreign imports, was secured when skipper Trent Johnston hit a huge six off Azhar Mahmood off the fourth ball of the 43rd over.

Bangladesh upset India by 5 wickets win

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Bangladesh won their opening Group ‘B’ match by five wickets against India here today at the Queen’s Park.

Chasing a target of 192 in 50 overs, Bangladeshi batsmen easily overcame India in 48.3 overs with three half-centuries scored.

Moody is not impressed by India

We know how India is in India and how they perform abroad, remarked Moody with a nonchalance.

Two matches in Cricket World Cup today

St. LUCIA: Australia to take on Scotland while Kenya to face Canada today (Wednesday) in World Cup Cricket Tournament 2007 here.

Canada meets Kenya in a key game in Group C, which also includes England and New Zealand. Canada and Kenya need a win Wednesday, and then an upset result against one of the group heavyweights if they have any chance of advancing.