Sports

LONDON, (Reuters) – Pakistan avenged their heart-breaking defeat in this year’s World Twenty20 semi-final to beat Australia by 23 runs in the first T20 international in Birmingham yesterday.

ERASMIA, South Africa, (Reuters) – Germany’s World  Cup semi-final opponents Spain are far more dangerous than  Argentina, with their game based on the world’s best teamwork  and not just individual qualities, said coach Joachim Loew.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – The World Cup’s history men  face the competition’s nearly men when inaugural hosts and twice  winners Uruguay take on double runners-up Netherlands in Cape  Town today fighting it out for a place in the final.

SPA, Belgium, (Reuters) – Tour de France riders  staged a mini-protest yesternday after rain and an oil spill combined to make the roads ultra slippery on the 201-km second  stage from Brussels.

– with 3-1 whipping of Cuba By Marlon Munroe Brittany Persaud and Ashley and Justina Rodrigues scored once while goalkeeper Tenyka Francique pulled of a spectacular save to propel the Lady Jags football team to a 3-1 win over Cuba on Saturday at the National Stadium at Providence.

By Floyd Christie The coordinators of the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) added frosting to an already entertaining tournament when they selected the cream of the crop to face off in the NSBF Junior and Senior All-Star games Saturday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

By Floyd Christie Defending champion  Warren Mc Kay, fresh from beating the field in the recent National Road Race championships, will start as favourites today when the Roraima Bikers Club NAMILCO `Wheat Up’ 70-mile road race takes place on the East Bank Public Road.

What is expected to be quite simply the biggest Veterans table tennis tournament to be staged here in recent times gets underway this morning at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

(Cricinfo) The BCCI has voted unanimously to ratify the charges against suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi at its special general body meeting in Mumbai yesterday, and forwarded the case to its disciplinary committee.

-Fired up Nadal whips Berdych to reclaim Wimbledon crown LONDON, (Reuters) – So eager was Rafael Nadal to  reclaim his Wimbledon title yesterday that he entered Centre  Court with his racket already cocked in his left hand and the  unwitting Czech Tomas Berdych lined up in his sights.

(BBC) Ravi Bopara struck a sparkling 168 as England Lions reached the tri-series final with their third win out of three, a 124-run rout of West Indies A yesterday.

LONDON, England,  CMC – West Indies pinch hitter Kieron Pollard failed with the bat but got two wickets for Somerset to help them to a comprehensive 79-run victory over Middlesex in the Friends Provident Twenty20 tournament yesterday.

ABUJA, (Reuters) – Nigeria’s football federation  (NFF) yesterday overhauled its leadership and apologised for the poor state of its national team in a last-minute bid to reverse a directive suspending it from international matches.

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – Alessandro Petacchi used  patience and experience to get through a crash-filled first  stage of the Tour de France and snatch his first sprint victory  on the race for seven years.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania, (Reuters) – Tiger Woods completed a frustrating week with a pedestrian one-over-par 71  in the final round at the AT&T National yesterday.

CAPE TOWN,  (Reuters) – Germany outclassed Argentina  4-0 with a superb attacking display to hand their old rivals  their worst World Cup defeat in 52 years and reach the  semi-finals yesterday. 

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Spain were forced to work  harder than expected to beat Paraguay 1-0 yesterday as they  reached the last four at the World Cup for the first time since  1950 in a dramatic match in which both sides missed a penalty. 

CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – Top seeds Richard Chin and Charlie Sonson had easy advances to the semi-finals of the annual St Lucia Open but Vincentian Kevin Bailey had a tough run against Barbadian veteran Nigel Griffith during quarter-final action here Friday night.

The Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) Mini-Tennis Interschool competition  will get underway this morning at the National Gymnasium from 9:00am.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Australia captain Ricky Ponting  hinted yesterday he would welcome paceman Shaun Tait back into  test cricket, possibly for the Ashes series against England that  starts in November.