Abu dhabi: Leftarm spinner Abdur Rehman led Pakistan to a crushing 72-run over England and a convincing victory in the series on Saturday, taking a career-best six wickets for 25 as the world's top-ranked test side was embarrassingly skittled out for just 72 runs.

Wellington: New Zealand captain Ross Taylor’s participation in the first cricket test against Zimbabwe and the rest of the series is in doubt after he suffered a suspected torn calf muscle.

Karachi: Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has said he will skip a major part of the Bangladesh Premier League to play in the limited overs series against England.

Kolkata: Describing the Padma Shri award as a "big motivation" to scale greater heights for the country in cricket, Indian women's team captain Jhulan Goswami Wednesday said the honour has filled her with pride.

New Delhi: Star batsman Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to play in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League due to the ongoing treatment of his non-malignant lung tumour that could keep him out of competitive cricket for about six months.

Karachi: Pakistan's flamboyant allrounder and former captain Shahid Afridi wants to retire at the peak of his career so that he is remembered among cricket's legends.

Colombo: South African Graham Ford has been named Sri Lanka's new coach in a series of changes aimed at improving the standard of the national cricket team, the government information department said here on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi: Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, backing his compatriot Saeed Ajmal's bowling action, has said it is for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and not former England skipper Bob Willis to decide whether the offie's doosra was legal or not.

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) on Tuesday, felicitated its team for winning the Ranji trophy for the second consecutive time, by beating Tamil Nadu on basis of first-innings lead.

Nico Hulkenberg's race deal with Force India appears to be only for a single season.

Lewis Hamilton has told a Munich court he is not available to testify next week at friend Adrian Sutil's assault trial.

Team test driver Gary Paffett has admitted McLaren is hoping Lewis Hamilton has "sorted himself out" after a tumultuous 2011.

Kimi Raikkonen will not immediately set the F1 tracks alight in 2012, according to grand prix veteran Jarno Trulli.

It is not certain Lewis Hamilton will stay at McLaren beyond this year, according to 1996 World Champion Damon Hill.

Jenson Button will give McLaren's 2012 car, the MP4-27, its official track debut at Jerez on 7 February, the British team has announced.

An annually alternating race date would be a "good" solution to Spain's formula one crisis.

Returning German driver Nico Hulkenberg will enjoy equal status with his teammate Paul di Resta this year, Force India has announced.

According to some sections of the media, Lewis Hamilton has kicked off 2012 on the wrong foot.

Kimi Raikkonen's return to fitness can now resume in full in the wake of his snowmobile crash last month.

London: David Beckham has revealed that the red card given to him during the 1998 World Cup and the reaction that followed still haunts him.

London: Blackburn Rovers captain Christopher Samba has launched a scathing attack on the club’s Indian owners, Venky’s for failing to meet the promises made. He has claimed that he signed a new contract with the Rovers last year because he was shown rosy pictures.

London: Soccer ace David Beckham, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Victoria, says he was only interested in playing soccer when he was young and not becoming famous.

London: English football club Portsmouth, which been suffering severe financial troubles, has been handed a winding-up petition by the Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an unpaid tax bill.

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho evaded all awkward questions in his pre-game conference ahead of Copa del Rey football quarter-final return leg against Barcelona.

Madrid: Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho could quit as the manager of the Los Blancos, according to reports from Spain. Mourinho earlier had a fierce argument with Sergio Ramos and captain Iker Casillas after they failed to defend his negative tactics during their 2-1 Spanish Cup loss to Barcelona.

Milan: AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been voted the Serie A player of 2011 by his fellow players, and the Rossoneri won another award with Massimilliano Allegri winning best coach.

London: English Premier League giants Manchester United are planning a 50 million pound bid for Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, who is currently playing for rival club Tottenham Hotspur.

London: Manchester City turned the Premier League into what looks like a two-horse race Sunday with a dramatic 3-2 win over Tottenham, leaving Manchester United its only likely rival for the English title.

London: Manchester United's Antonio Valencia gave his best impression of Cristiano Ronaldo on Sunday, scoring one goal and setting up another to give his side a 2-1 win at Arsenal that keeps the pressure on Premier League leader Manchester City.

Melbourne: Nadal enters the match with a 16-13 edge in career meetings, but Djokovic has won the last six matches between them, all in 2011, including the Wimbledon and US Open finals.

Melbourne: Victoria Azarenka routed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 to win the Australian Open women's title and secure the No. 1 ranking on Saturday night, all in her first Grand Slam final.

Melbourne: Defending champion Novak Djokovic moved into an Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal after edging Andy Murray in a five-set, almost five-hour semifinal late Friday night.

Melbourne: Rising Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic has accused the Gold Coast police of wanting to "hit" him after the 19-year-old was issued $300 traffic fine on three separate occasions Thursday.

Melbourne: The newly formed pair of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek stormed into the men's doubles final of the Australian Open, defeating second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor here Thursday. Leander also made it to the last four of mixed doubles with partner Elena Vesnina.

Melbourne: The age gap only two years, the difference in experience is vast between Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.

Melbourne: Rafael Nadal outlasted Roger Federer 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in an Australian Open semifinal on Thursday night, the longtime rivals playing with the intensity normally displayed when meeting in a Grand Slam final.

Melbourne: Leander Paes had a productive day at the Australian Open as he made it to the semifinals of the men's doubles pairing Radek Stepanek and then entered the mixed doubles quarterfinals with Elena Vesnina on Wednesday.

Melbourne: Fourth seed Andy Murray has entered into the semi-finals of the Australian Open, defeating Japanese Kei Nishikori in straight-sets.

The Union sports minister Ajay Maken today said that although he would try not to get too intrusive, he is uncomfortable with the idea of Suresh Kalmadi returning as the President of Indian Olympic Association.

Mumbai: The rebel World Series Hockey, which was postponed last month and which offers prize money of $2 million, starts Feb 29 with Chandigarh Comets taking on Bhopal Badshahs, according to the fixtures released Monday.

New Delhi: The internal bickerings in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) surfaced Sunday when the Ethics Commission, hurriedly constituted by secretary general Randhir Singh and which was disbanded by a General Body resolution in December, issued a showcasue notice to its president Suresh Kalmadi and joint secretary Lalit Bhanot as to why their membership should not be terminated.

Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Imran Hasan Khan booked their London Olympic Games tickets in trap shooting and 50m rifle three-position events, respectively, on the concluding day of the Asian Championships in Doha on Saturday.

New Delhi: Promising youngster Yuvraj Walmiki struck twice as India registered a thrilling 4-3 victory over South Africa in the fourth hockey Test as they clinched the five-match series 3-1 on Saturday.

New Delhi: Indian women's hockey team thrashed Azerbaijan 3-0 for their third successive win the and took a 3-0 lead in the four-match Karbonn Cup Test series at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Wednesday.

New Delhi: Indian hockey coach Michael Nobbs was unimpressed with the team's 2-1 win against South Africa in the second of the five-Test Karbonn Cup series at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Tuesday.

Doha: The final bid for top Indian shooters Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Anjali Bhagwat to qualify for London Olympics ended in disappointment as they failed to make it to the final round in their respective events in the Asian Shooting Championships on Saturday.

Kuala Lumpur: India's Saina Nehwal lost to World No. 1 Yihan Wang of China in the women's singles semifinals at the Malaysia Open Superseries badminton event on Saturday.