India fight back despite KP ton

India claimed two wickets late in the day to seize the initiative after Kevin Pietersen led a spirited England fightback.

England's hopes of pushing for an unlikely victory in the final Test stalled with the loss of two wickets in 12 balls just before stumps on day three.
The tourists had fought back after slumping to one for two, captain Pietersen forging a 149-run fifth-wicket stand with Andrew Flintoff to lead his team to 280 for four in reply to India's 453.
But with just minutes remaining before the umpires called a halt to the day in fading light, England lost both batsmen and slumped to 282 for six at the close, still trailing by 171 runs.

Pietersen had hit his 15th Test century and become the third fastest England player to reach 4,000 Test runs on 105, beaten only by Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton.
He hit 17 fours and a six during his brilliant 144 and transformed England's fortunes with his aggression, only for India to fight back in the closing overs.
Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan had undermined England's reply with the third ball of the innings when he won an lbw appeal against Andrew Strauss.
England slipped into further trouble in the next over with seamer Ishant Sharma continuing Ian Bell's struggles by removing his middle stump with his first delivery.
India captain MS Dhoni used Pietersen's arrival at the crease to embark on psychological tactics to try to unsettle his rival.
Instead of continuing with Zaheer following his successful first over, Dhoni turned to the occasional left-arm spin of Yuvraj Singh, who has waged a running battle with Pietersen through the series.
It was a tactic which was almost inspired with Pietersen nearly bowled off an inside edge from the first delivery, while he almost picked out extra cover with a drive off the final ball of the over.
Yuvraj was taken off after one over and it took the return of Zaheer midway through the afternoon session to make the next breakthrough, an inswinging yorker accounting for Alastair Cook lbw for 50 - his 20th innings without a century.
England regained momentum with Freddie and KP
But with Flintoff showing aggression from the start of his innings, England quickly regained the momentum and added 154 runs in the afternoon session.
It prompted India to go on the defensive and bowl way outside off-stump for most of the final session, and it paid off in the closing minutes when Harbhajan won an lbw appeal against Pietersen.
England chose to use nightwatchman James Anderson rather than send out Matt Prior but it backfired when the Lancashire seamer took a single in what became the final over of the day to expose Flintoff, who gave a bat-pad catch to short leg off leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham

Irish winger Damien Duff came off the bench to fire fast-improving Newcastle to a last-minute 2-1 victory over Tottenham.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder had only been on the pitch for two minutes when he combined superbly with fellow substitute Mark Viduka before beating goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
Spurs midfielder Luka Modric cancelled out Charles N'Zogbia's 11th-minute opener 17 minutes later, but it was Duff who had the final say.
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins was denied the opportunity to score in a fifth successive league game against Tottenham when a groin injury ruled him out of this afternoon's clash.
The Nigerian, who sustained the problem just before putting his side 2-0 ahead at Portsmouth last weekend, was replaced by Shola Ameobi in the only change to Joe Kinnear's starting line-up.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp welcomed back Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vedran Corluka, Ledley King, Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who sat out the 2-2 UEFA Cup draw with Spartak Moscow in midweek.
Fraizer Campbell, Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter, Gilberto and Jamie O'Hara were the men to make way as the visitors looked for a repeat of their 2-1 Carling Cup win at St James' Park back in September.
The visitors lined up with Pavlyuchenko playing as a lone striker, with support from former Magpies target Luka Modric and wingers Lennon and David Bentley.
Lennon was in action within two minutes of the kick-off when he received Michael Dawson's long ball and cut inside left-back Jose Enrique.
Danny Guthrie got in an important block, but the ball broke back to the winger and he drilled a cross across the face of Shay Given's goal with no-one able to get a decisive touch.
Newcastle created their first chance five minutes later when Jonas Gutierrez forced Assou-Ekotto to concede a right-wing corner.
Fabricio Coloccini headed down Guthrie's set-piece to Sebastien Bassong, who scuffed his volley.
Given had to punch away a looping header from Dawson after he met Bentley's eighth-minute corner in a lively start.
Dawson then had to block a shot from Charles N'Zogbia after 11 minutes, but the Frenchman was not to be denied as the home side took the direct route seconds later.
N'Zogbia managed to reach Given's clearance before Assou-Ekotto, and although the defender recovered to hold him up, the midfielder turned smartly to fire right-footed past goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
Enrique, who had earlier been booked for a foul on Lennon, was having a torrid time with the England international running at him at every opportunity.
For all the pressure they were exerting, Redknapp's men were failing to make the most of it as a series of set-pieces ended up in Given's waiting arms.
N'Zogbia, who has been linked with the north London club this season, was enjoying his afternoon and forced his way into another promising position with 27 minutes gone.
He worked his way into the box from the left and blasted a shot towards Gomes' near post, forcing the keeper to punch it away.
However, the visitors were back on terms a minute later when Dawson's strong challenge on Ameobi saw him lift the ball over the top to Modric, and as the home defence hesitated with Pavlyuchenko working his way back from an offside position, the Croatian ran in unopposed to beat Given.
Ameobi limped off before the restart to be replaced by Mark Viduka as Kinnear's side set about the task of restoring their lead.
The momentum was very much with Spurs and Enrique had to intervene to prevent Modric reaching Pavlyuchenko's return pass.
And the Spaniard did even better to deny the Russian seconds later, just getting ahead of him to clear as he prepared to shoot at the near post.
Michael Owen flicked a 39th-minute header well wide from an N'Zogbia cross as Newcastle responded, and King had to make an important challenge to dispossess Viduka on the edge of the box four minutes later.
Spurs were on the attack once again within seconds of the restart when the home defence failed to deal adequately with a Modric cross and central defender Dawson shot acrobatically over the bar from close range.
Newcastle were seeing plenty of the ball, but with the visitors pressing them in possession, were unable to create any meaningful openings in the early stages of the half.
However, N'Zogbia caused problems down the left once again with 50 minutes gone when he smashed the ball across the face of goal and Dawson managed to stab it away.
Modric continued to put the Magpies under extreme pressure, and Habib Beye conceded a free-kick for bringing him down as he threatened to break free down the left two minutes later.
But Viduka was beginning to have an impact at the other end, holding the ball up well for the support to reach him, although too often the final pass was inaccurate.
Nicky Butt was enjoying another solid performance, and sensed a chance for glory with 56 minutes gone when he beat Modric to the ball and went for goal from distance, although he sliced his effort horribly wide.
Tottenham started to impose themselves once again with Bentley in the thick of it down the left and the game opening up.
They thought they were in with 62 minutes gone when Lennon cut inside to slip the ball through for Tom Huddlestone, but Sebastien Bassong got a touch before Given cleared with the midfielder earning a booking for going to ground under his challenge.
Pavlyuchenko made way from Campbell three minutes later as Redknapp introduced fresh legs, but it was Bentley who forced Given into a decent 69th-minute save when his shot reared up off Fabricio Coloccini.
Owen had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-1 when Viduka laid off an N'Zogbia cross to him six yards out, although his disappointment at lifting the ball over the top was eased by an offside flag.
Campbell flicked a header well wide from Bentley's 83rd-minute cross, but it was his side which looked the more likely to snatch victory as the clock ran down.
The on-loan Manchester United striker just failed to connect with Lennon's cross two minutes later, but the twist in the tail was to come at the other end.
Damien Duff, who had replaced Enrique two minutes earlier, played a superb one-two with Viduka and slid a left-foot shot past Gomes to snatch an invaluable win in the final minute of normal time.

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool

Liverpool fought back to take a 1-1 draw from a high-octane clash with an Arsenal side who had Emmanuel Adebayor sent off.
Robin van Persie had fired the Gunners ahead with a fine strike on 24 minutes, only for former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane to equalise.
Adebayor was shown a second yellow card by referee Howard Webb on the hour mark, and the Gunners had to settle for a draw which further dents their fading title aspirations.
Liverpool looked to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League without manager Rafael Benitez, who did not travel to Emirates Stadium following surgery to remove kidney stones.
Assistant boss Sammy Lee had taken charge of training during the week and named a side showing four changes from the one which started against Hull, with Robbie Keane, Lucas, Emiliano Insua and Daniel Agger all coming in. Javier Mascherano was absent with a virus.
Arsenal welcomed back winger Samir Nasri from an ankle injury, but defender Kolo Toure missed out with a calf strain.
The Gunners were looking to get back into the top four at the expense of Manchester United and close the gap to Aston Villa to a point.
Arsenal may have beaten both United and Chelsea this season, but the failure to see off so-called lesser sides has proved costly to their title challenge.
The leaders were, of course, set to present a stern test of those credentials and it was a cagey opening to the game.
The first decent chance came in the ninth minute.
A long ball up field was knocked back by Keane from the edge of the Arsenal penalty area into the path of Reds captain Steven Gerrard, whose 20-yard effort was straight at Manuel Almunia.
Both teams were flying into the challenges, with Keane complaining to referee Howard Webb that defender William Gallas had used an elbow to shake him off in the Arsenal half.
A clipped ball in from Bacary Sagna on the right floated through to Emmanuel Adebayor, but his glanced, diving header just lacked the power to beat Jose Reina.
Keane was in the book on 20 minutes for clattering in from behind on Gael Clichy out on the left touchline.
Arsenal then snatched the lead through Robin van Persie out of nothing after 24 minutes.
Nasri chipped a high ball through from just inside his own half, which the Dutchman, on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, collected on his chest before turning two defenders and firing a right-foot shot into the net.
Liverpool, whose form has dipped in recent weeks, were clearly rattled after previously looking quite comfortable.
In contrast Arsenal were now playing with a renewed confidence and held possession well.
On 33 minutes, Gerrard tried his luck with a long-range free-kick, but it was too central to trouble Almunia.
Adebayor was cautioned for leaving his foot in as he went for a 50/50 ball with Insua before Liverpool levelled minutes before the break.
The ball was thumped upfield from deep inside the Liverpool half by Alvaro Arbeloa and bounced right over Johan Djourou into the path of Keane.
The Republic of Ireland striker let the ball bounce again into the Arsenal penalty area before lashing it past Almunia.
The Reds almost snatched another ahead of half-time, but Gerrard was unable to get on the end of Dirk Kuyt's low ball across goal.
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas had suffered what looked like a knee problem in a tackle with Spanish compatriot Xabi Alonso at the end of the first half, and was unable to continue.
Abou Diaby came on to play on the left of midfield, with Denilson and Alex Song in the centre.
Liverpool started strongly, with Almunia having to beat away a snap-shot from Lucas.
The tempo of the match increased as the hour approached, but it was the visitors who remained in the ascendancy as Agger headed wide following a corner.
Referee Howard Webb then caused a storm when he reduced Arsenal to 10 men after Adebayor was shown a second yellow card for a hefty challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa, who fell to the ground clutching his face.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was incensed, but replays suggested the Togo striker had indeed gone in with a raised boot, rather than a flaying arm, which would have merited a caution.
The atmosphere in the Emirates was becoming highly charged, and Van Persie was another in the book when he fouled Agger.
To their credit the Gunners responded by pressing Diaby further forwards as they looked to get back in front.
Tempers, though, were never far from boiling point as Sagna became the third Arsenal man into the book when he tripped Albert Riera.
Nasri sent a 25-yard effort wide, then Almunia saved bravely at the feet of Kuyt as the visitors pressed for a winner.
Agger fired a superb 25-yard strike just over as both teams had to settle for a point.

Rooney wants to sing a song

Wayne Rooney wants to change the words of a song Manchester United's fans sing in their club's honour.

Instead of 'champions of England, champions of Europe' being bellowed out around grounds across the globe, the striker wants to hear 'champions of the world' instead.
They would be able to do just that if the Red Devils were to overcome Ecuador's LDU Quito in Sunday's Club World Cup final.
And while some in England still doubt the validity of the competition, Rooney is convinced it is an honour worth winning.
He said: "You don't get many chances to win this tournament so we want to take it.
"I could hear our fans singing 'champions of England, champions of Europe'. It would sound even better for them to add 'champions of the world' to the song, so we want to win it for them as much as ourselves."
Rooney freely admits this competition has never been on his list of priorities before.
However, once he arrived in Japan, the England international has been whipped up by the enthusiasm of supporters attending games.
Almost 70,000 were present last night to see the Old Trafford outfit defeat Gamba Osaka, with a similar number due to watch Sunday's decider.
"Winning the world championship has never really been in my mind," said Ferguson.
"When I joined a club like United the targets were the obvious ones like the Premier League and the Champions League.
"But the chance to play in this competition has really excited me. I am really happy to be playing in it."
One man who does not require an explanation about the prestige which goes with being world champions is Edwin van der Sar.
Thirteen years ago, the veteran Dutchman was part of the Ajax side which defeated Gremio in a penalty shoot-out in Tokyo to collect the old Intercontinental Cup.
And Van der Sar still remembers the reception Ajax received on their return to Amsterdam.
"It was a big thing," said the 38-year-old, who has just agreed a new one-year deal with the Old Trafford outfit.
"We didn't lose a game with Ajax for 18 months, so we were really in the flow. There was a big celebration in Amsterdam, with about 100,000 people welcoming us back.
"It is not the same as winning the Champions League but I never became a world champion with the national team and are we are playing different teams in a different country so I am up for it."
Just like the Champions League, which Van der Sar won last May - 13 years after his previous triumph with Ajax - the Club World Cup offers him a chance to revisit past glories.
"You could say it has taken too long to achieve all this again but it is never too late to enjoy them," he said.
"Let's hope I am repeating everything again on Sunday."
Van der Sar's team-mates want that too, putting worries over how the 12-hour return trip and readjustment to GMT will still be affecting them by the time they tackle Stoke on Boxing Day.
Instead of dwelling on a potential negative, Rooney prefers to look at the positive side and what a boost it would give United over their domestic rivals to return as number one in the world.
"It would send out a powerful message if we were to win it," he claimed.
"We are in quite a strong position in the league and if we can go back as champions of the world it would be a big boost for us and a platform for the second half of the season."
Ferguson has confirmed his intention to make changes to his starting line-up, with Rooney among those set to come in.
United must await a fitness update on Dimitar Berbatov before learning whether the Bulgarian will be involved with Ferguson admitting, defensively at least, his team must do better.
"We were a bit slow covering our defensive positions, which is possibly because we are still adjusting to the time difference," he said.
"Hopefully by Sunday we will be in better physical shape and our performance will be better. It will have to be because in my experience it is always difficult playing South American teams."

Inzamam urges India to tour Pakistan

Inzamam-ul Haq has urged India not to snap cricketing ties with Islamabad and go ahead with the January tour.

India are scheduled to travel to Pakistan early next year for a full tour, but the series is in doubt following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Last week, India's sports minister MS Gill categorically stated India should not travel to Pakistan and the International Cricket Council refused to intervene saying it could not force teams to tour Pakistan.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is awaiting a reply from the government of India asking for permission to tour.
BCCI officials say they would abide by the decision the government takes.
Inzamam, however, believes India should tour as it would bolster deteriorating political and diplomatic ties between the two neighbouring countries.
"Cricket has always served as a good tool to soothe tensions between the two countries in the past," Inzamam said.
"By not touring, India will not serve any purpose.
"If anything cricket will help keep relations on an even keel and prevent things from getting out of hand."
Inzamam, who was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for playing in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League, said India's decision to tour would be crucial to other teams touring Pakistan.
"If India decides not to play in Pakistan; it would be a big setback for cricket in the subcontinent," he said.
"When these two neighbouring countries can't play against each other then why should we expect other teams to come and play in the subcontinent.
"That is why I feel England took the right decision to return to India.
"When England can accept assurances from India and return why not the same approach for Pakistan?".
Pakistan have not played a Test this year with teams cancelling scheduled tours due to security concerns.
Inzamam said the PCB was to blame for the mess.
"It is strange that we did not have any other Test matches scheduled in the FTP this year apart from the Australia series which was cancelled," he said.
"Bangladesh is playing more international cricket than we are doing.
"Our administrators need to rectify this."

India call off Pakistan tour

India's proposed tour of Pakistan in January of 2009 has been called off by the government in the wake of recent political tensions.

The Indian government has conveyed its decision to the BCCI to not go ahead with the scheduled tour in early 2009.
The Government's decision was conveyed to the BCCI President Shashank Manohar today through a letter which cited "recent developments as well as the overall circumstances prevailing at present" as the reasons for calling off the high-profile tour."The final decision has been taken. We have got the letter from the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs not to proceed with the tour", senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla told PTI."The government has declined permission to go ahead with the tour taking into account the recent developments in Mumbai as well as the overall circumstances prevailing at present", Shukla said.He said the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Sports Minister M S Gill had also personally called up Monohar to convey the decision.India were scheduled to play three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match during their tour of Pakistan from January 4 to February 28 but the tour had been thrown into jeopardy in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.The BCCI had all along maintained that it was upto the government to decide on the fate of the tour. "Now that we have received the letter, we will intimate it to the Pakistan Cricket Board," Shukla said.There was intense speculation that the tour will be called off in the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage and top BCCI officials had privately admitted that there was no chance that the team will travel to Pakistan.Even the Sports Minister Gill had gone on record last week that the team should not tour Pakistan under the circumstances, which was seen as a clear indication of things to come.Even before the Mumbai carnage, some of the senior Indian cricketers were apprehensive of travelling to Pakistan because of the security scenario in the strife-torn country.The cancellation of the tour has not only put a question mark on the sporting ties between the two countries but will also have a bearing on the 2011 Cricket World Cup being jointly hosted by the four Asian countries.Pakistan was keen to play the series at a neutral venue in case the tour was cancelled but the BCCI said it had not taken any decision on such a possibility.BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said that the government's decision will not have any impact on the 2011 World Cup. "It will not affect the 2011 World Cup, that's a different tournament," he said."We'd written to the government about the tour and we've just got the letter from the government that in the present circumstances the tour is not possible.Asked if it was because of the fact that senior players were not ready to play in Pakistan, Shetty said "I am not ready to comment on that. It was upto the government to decide and it was not for the BCCI to decide.Shetty did not feel it would create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the BCCI and PCB."No, I don't think so. PCB is aware of whatever is happening at the moment." He said there was no discussion on the two teams playing the series at a neutral venue."We've not discussed anything on this," he said and added there would be "no tour to replace the Pakistan series".The Sports Minister gave the first indication of the government view when he sent out a strong message by bluntly suggesting that the team's tour of Pakistan should not go ahead. The Minister had said it was not the right time to play cricket with Pakistan when "people from their soil were indulging in mass murder in India"."Is it possible for one team to arrive in Mumbai and indulge in mass murder, and have another team go and play cricket in the winter afternoon sun at Lahore, immediately after," he had said.The cancellation of the tour will hit Pakistan hard with the cash-starved PCB having already suffered with many teams calling off tours in the recent past.Hit hard by teams after teams refusing to tour the country because of the volatile security situation there, Pakistan has not hosted a major international tournament since the Asia Cup in June this year.The high-profile Champions Trophy, which was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September this year, had to be deferred with most teams refusing to tour the country. The Indian junior hockey team's tour was also cancelled last month.Desperate to salvage the series, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt had decided to tour India to convince the BCCI top brass and also offered to shift the series to a neutral venue, possibly Abu Dhabi or England, but after the Mumbai attacks, even that possibility had become non-existent.
Maninder Singh, former India spinner hailed the decison to cancel the tour, saying he was surprised to see that people actually thought that India could still have gone on to play cricket in Pakistan.
"This is absolutely the right decision. First correct the political differences and then play cricket. How can anyone think of playing cricket with Pakistan in this environment? The country comes first", Maninder said .

Sri Lanka agree to tour Pakistan

Pakistan have invited Sri Lanka to tour next year, filling the gap created by India's recent cancellation of a proposed Test series.

The Indian government refused to sanction permission for India to travel to Pakistan for a series comprising of three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international in January and February next year.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, who had already discussed the possibility of Sri Lanka stepping in to bridge the gap should India refuse to tour, wasted no time in sending a formal invite to Sri Lanka.
"India's withdrawal is disappointing for us but we were expecting this," PCB chief operating officer Salim Altaf said.
"We have sent an invitation to Sri Lanka to play three Tests, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game.
"Pakistan has gone without Test cricket for more than a year now and we are desperate to have international cricket at home.
"The Sri Lankan board should hopefully accept our invitation."
Confirming receipt of the invitation Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Arjuna Ranatunga said they had assured Pakistan of their support.
"The PCB have official contacted us and we have assured them of our fullest support," Ranatunga said.
"We have agreed to play in Pakistan and have not demanded huge financial guarantees.
"As for security concerns, we were very pleased with the security arrangements made during the Asia Cup.
"India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always worked closely together and we wish to ensure that good relationship is maintained.
"It will be an exciting series."
The Sri Lankan team is currently away in Bangladesh where they are due to play two Tests and a triangular one-day series also involving Zimbabwe.
India's tour of Pakistan was due to begin with the first Test in Karachi on January 13, but Sri Lanka can only travel to Pakistan only after January 16 when the tri-nation one-day series ends in Bangladesh.