shining Sehwag leads Indian response

Third Test,P Sara Oval: Virender Sehwag led an violent Indian response to Sri Lanka's demanding score on a competitive pitch on the second day at the P Sara Oval. Thilan Samaraweera let down India's quest for early wickets with an certain century amid testing spells from Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha, but Sehwag's counter-attack, with some luck, helped the visitors even things out. The signs were encouraging for Sri Lanka at the start of the Indian innings with the seamers finding sway while their opponents had produced virtually none. Lasith Malinga targeted the blockhole and hurled a couple of sharp bouncers, while Chanaka Welegedara got the ball to flit in. But the helpful conditions did not produce the restlessness Sri Lanka would have hoped from the Indian openers, as Sehwag settled in with three consecutive boundaries - through point, mid-on and over midwicket - off Welegedera, who had dismissed him twice in the Galle Test.

First Innings:

Sri Lanka 425 (Samaraweera 137, Sangakkara 75)

India 180 for 2 (Sehwag 97*, Tendulkar 40*)

Gareth Thomas caps rugby club move with call-up to Wales squad

Gareth Thomas is rest to win his first rugby league cap after being named in Wales's training squad for the Alitalia European Cup.
Thomas, 36, a former British and Irish Lions captain, who won the last of his 100 caps in rugby union at the 2007 World Cup, in his first season of league with Crusaders.
He said,‘It is a great feeling,' 'To be able to stand for Wales in a different sport, in such a short space of time, is a massive, massive honour and achievement for me.'

Cricket: Tendulkar rest to break record

Sachin Tendulkar is set to become the most capped test cricketer while India plays Sri Lanka in the third and final match.
The 37-year-old batting huge, who is the most creative run getter in both tests and one-day internationals and who has the most number of centuries in both versions, will exceed former Australia captain Steve Waugh when he plays his 169th test.
"It has been a very long journey. The 169th test. I still remember the first test match that I played against Pakistan," Tendulkar said today. "Very happy that I have had the freedom of such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 test matches is unbelievable."

TEST APPEARANCES - ALL TIME LEADERS

168 - Sachin Tendulkar (India)
168 - Steve Waugh (Australia)
156 - Allan Border (Australia)
146 - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
145 - Shane Warne (Australia)
141 - Rahul Dravid (India)
140 - Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
134 - Mark Boucher (South Africa)

Death a twice loss for rugby and cricket

Eric Tindill, the only man to play tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby, and preside in a test in both, has died in Nelson. He was 99 years old.
At the same time as others have become known as double rugby-cricket internationals though appearing only in tour games as different from tests in one or the other sport, Tindill was single in his four-strong achievements.
A halfback or first five-eighths for Wellington, Tindill played 16 matches for the All Blacks, include one test, a 13-0 loss to England at Twickenham in 1936.
Fourteen years later he was refereed three tests, two between the All Blacks and the British Lions, and then one against Australia in 1955. Tindill played five cricket tests as a wicketkeeper-batsman between 1937 and 1947, his first appearance against England at Lord's. His first-class career spanned 18 seasons.

Andrew Flintoff lined out for rest of the spell by Lancashire

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff leftovers hopeful of making his long-awaited comeback from injury but has not set himself a timescale after his domestic season was ended in advance without him playing a match.
The 32-year-old has not played since the the final Ashes Test nearly a year ago, after which he underwent two operations on his right knee and his comeback for Lancashire 2nd XI this week was aborted as a defensive measure.
His province have ruled him out for the remainder of the domestic season - which in reality is only six weeks - in order for him to continue treatment work.This latest delay also rules him out of next month's Twenty20 Champions Trophy in South Africa where he was due to play for Chennai Super Kings.

£9k for shaming the World Cup FIFA 2010 fine Holland paltry sum after 'anti-football' in final against Spain

Holland's violent feat in the World Cup final has landed the Dutch FA a paltry fine of £9,244.

Eight Holland players were revealed yellow cards and one - John Heitinga - was sent off by English referee Howard Webb through the most ill-disciplined World Cup final in history. FIFA yesterday responded with a nominal fine, a sum which looks even lesser set against the £15m awarded to the Dutch for dying runners-up.

Champions Spain were themselves fined £6,162 for individual shown five yellow cards, but it is the punishment of Holland, whose plans were condemned as 'anti-football' by Johan Cruyff, which will dismay the football world. The Dutch FA also face a recompense claim from Bayern Munich, who have reacted angrily to news that Arjen Robben will be sidelined for eight weeks as a result of his early return from a hamstring wound sustained in a warm-up game to play five matches at the World Cup.

Tests have since found that a constrain tear was not properly diagnosed earlier.

Is new coach the answer for Murray?

Would Miles Maclagan, who was sacked as Andy Murray’s coach the earlier week, have been able to do anything for the Scot as he missed match point and slumped to a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2 defeat at the hands of Sam Querrey in the final of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles on Sunday?
possibly not. You can’t coach during a match, and Murray’s plans would have been worked out beforehand. But it is ironical that Murray’s defeat could be partially attributed to his failure to ram home the advantage he had established against a man he had beaten in all four previous meetings. The walk that Murray has to take to become a Grand Slam winner (so far he has lost in two finals) and reach No. 1 in the world is not a massive one, and the locker room is deeply populated with peers who believe he can do it. This time last year he was in No. 2 in the world and he is still ranked No. 4.
So Murray has to work out precisely what he expects from a coach and just how much he will accept from him. There has to be deference and trust on both sides, and that needs time. As Murray searches for someone to take him the next rung up the stepladder, Roger Federer, who knows what it takes to get there, has employed Paul Annacone, who has worked for the British Lawn Tennis Association as a short-term coach in an attempt to regain the magic touch since his last charge, Pete Sampras, retired.