BIRMINGHAM: Kevin Pietersen has been told to find himself a new county by next season or risk jeopardising his England central contract.But England coach Andy Flower says it won`t worry him if Pietersen`s domestic cricket future is unresolved by the time the side head off to Australia for

SHEBOYGAN: The tabloids have toned down their coverage, the paparazzi no longer sit in front of his hotel trying to snap photos and the helicopters don`t hover above his house like they used to.But just when it seemed like life might be returning to a semi-normal state following the

TORONTO: Roger Federer blasted out of the starting blocks for US Open hardcourt build-up, overcoming early niggles to beat Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 to reach the third round of the Toronto Masters Tuesday.Federer is working on a trial basis with coach Paul Annacone, former mentor

CINCINNATTI: Maria Sharapova survived a second-set lapse and delivered a dominant third set to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Cincinnati Women`s Open.While Kuznetsova`s triumph in San Diego on Sunday pushed her ranking to 14, one higher than

LONDON: Interim Ivory Coast coach Francois Zahoui refused to be drawn on whether he`d take the job vacated by Sven Goran Eriksson on a permanent basis even after beating Italy in his first game in charge.The former Elephants midfielder, who is coach of the national youth team, watched his

EAST RUTHERFORD: After a World Cup where they failed to live up to expectations, the smiles appeared to return to Brazilian faces again on Tuesday after a new-look team beat the United States 2-0 in a friendly.The bright and lively performance from the team coached for the first time by

SYDNEY: Australia Wednesday named German veteran Holger Osieck as their surprise new coach, opting against a "big name" to help rebuild after a disappointing World Cup.Osieck, 61, who was Franz Beckenbauer`s assistant when Germany won the 1990 World Cup and coached Canada to the 2000

DAMBULLA: A run-a-ball record fourth wicket partnership of 190 by captain Ross Taylor and Scott Styris guided New Zealand to a thumping 200 run victory over India in the opening match of the one-day tri-series on Tuesday.India was bundled out for 88, their lowest one-day total against New

ROME: Argentine pair Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti on Monday signed contract extensions with European champions Inter Milan.Both were integral players in Inter`s historic treble season last time out.Hot-shot Milito, who scored the winning goals in both the Champions League and Coppa

KARACHI: Former captain Zaheer Abbas said Tuesday he feared for the future of cricket in Pakistan, saying bad administration had led the sport towards disaster."Win or lose are part and parcel of the game, but I fear for Pakistan cricket because the manner in which matters like

FRANKFURT: German coach Joachim Loew will decide next month who between Michael Ballack and Philipp Lahm will captain the team in qualifiers for the 2012 European Championships.Ballack, Germany captain up until the injury that ruled him out of this summer`s World Cup, and Lahm, who took

BERLIN: German footballing giants Bayern Munich are set to achieve a record turnover of 350 million euros, club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Tuesday."We`re basing this on a turnover exceeding 300m euros for the first time. With the consolidated takings of the Allianz-Arena

TORONTO: The world`s top two players, Spain`s Rafael Nadal and Serbian Novak Djokovic, slumped to a shock loss in their Toronto Masters first round doubles match to a pair of wildcard Canadians.Nadal and Djokovic took the first set 7-5 against the unheralded duo of Vasek Pospisil and

PARIS: World sprint sensation Usain Bolt on Tuesday ruled himself out of the rest of the 2010 season because of a back problem that affects his striding power.The Jamaican, who won gold in both the 100 and 200 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 worlds, and is world record

Mexico City: Spain set off today on the long trip to face Mexico in what will be their first international since winning the FIFA World Cup™ for the first time.La Roja set off for Mexico City, where they are scheduled to play in the Azteca stadium as part of their hosts` bicentenary

Rome: Argentine pair Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti on Monday signed contract extensions with European champions Inter Milan. Both were integral players in Inter`s historic treble season last time out.Hot-shot Milito, who scored the winning goals in both the UEFA Champions League and

LONDON: Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has warned his best is yet to come as he makes his comeback after groin surgery.The Ivory Coast forward stepped up his recovery with a 30-minute cameo in the 3-1 Community Shield defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.The 32-year-old feels the

DUBLIN: Argentina will be desperate to take out their World Cup anger on the Republic of Ireland in Wednesday`s friendly in Dublin, according to Giovanni Trapattoni.Trapattoni`s Ireland will provide the opposition for Argentina`s first game since their shock 4-0 quarter-final defeat

TORONTO: Roger Federer celebrated his 29th birthday this week but the cagey Swiss said he was not too old to learn a few new tricks as he launched his North American hardcourt campaign with coach Paul Annacone at his side.The 16-time grand slam winner came to the Toronto Masters with his

SYDNEY: Australia`s star midfielder Tim Cahill has pulled out of this week`s friendly with Slovenia due to injury, team officials said on Tuesday.Everton`s Cahill and JEF United defender Mark Milligan did not travel to Slovenia with the rest of the squad and will not be replaced, the