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Daniel Vettori completed a fine all-round display to lead New Zealand to a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Tuesday, the captain setting up the win with two fifties and a nine-wicket haul.

Set 317 runs to win the opener of the two-match series, New Zealand cruised to the victory target in the final session of the fifth day with Vettori`s contribution backed up by solid batting performances from Aaron Redmond and Daniel Flynn.

Resuming after the tea interval on 281-5, nightwatchman Vettori fell for 76 and Flynn for 49 to leave Jacob Oram (8) and Kyle Mills to polish off the remaining few runs.

“It is always important for the captain to set standards so it was pleasing for me to have made a contribution with the bat and ball,” Vettori told reporters.

“I am pretty pleased with the effort in chasing 317 against Bangladesh who I thought had the momentum. Shakib and Razzak bowled exceptionally, so it was not an easy challenge.”

“Throughout the history of New Zealand cricket we have never chased that well outside our country. So it was really pleasing.”

Vettori was bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak (3-93) while Flynn fell agonisingly short of a maiden test 50 when he was bowled by Shakib Al Hasan when only one run was needed for victory.

Shakib took 7-36 in the first innings and took a further two wickets in the second.

Earlier, Redmond contributed to his side`s cause with his maiden test half-century to help New Zealand complete a rally from a first innings deficit of 74 runs when they were skittled out for just 171 in reply to the home side`s 245.

Vettori`s 4-74 (to go with his 5-59 in the first innings) helped restrict Bangladesh to 242 in the second innings, setting New Zealand up for a difficult run chase that they will be delighted to have achieved.

Resuming the final day on their overnight score of 145-2, New Zealand added 67 runs for the loss of two wickets before lunch, with opener Redmond falling for 79 when he was caught by Zunaed Siddique at slip off the bowling of left-arm spinner Shakib.

Playing in his fourth match, Redmond`s score was his highest in test cricket after the 29-year-old struggled to make an impact in his previous six innings against England earlier this year.

Paceman Mashrafe Mortaza (1-37) took the other wicket to fall in the morning when he had Ross Taylor caught at backward-point by substitute fielder Mahbubul Alam for nine.

Razzak also removed Brendan McCullum for two in the afternoon session, trapped lbw, but the visitors always had enough wickets in hand to reach their target.

The second and final test will be played in Dhaka from Oct. 25-29.

The 2009 French Formula One Grand Prix has been cancelled for financial reasons, organisers said on Wednesday.

“For economic reasons, the FFSA (French Motorsport Federation) has decided to cancel the (2009) French Grand Prix,” said a statement posted on the race’s website (wwww.gpfrancef1.com).

“The FFSA would like to thank all those clients who attended the French Grand Prix and have supported the event in the last few years,” the statement added.

It said all those who had already booked tickets would be reimbursed and apologised to all for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.

The FFSA had said in earlier statement that, due to the economic situation, it was no longer prepared to promote financially the race at Magny-Cours.

“As a result, and as long as a promoter capable of succeeding the FFSA has not been identified, the French Grand Prix will not be able to feature on the FIA international calendar in 2009,” it added.

France, the country that invented grand prix racing and whose language permeates the sport from chassis to parc ferme, has only once (in 1955) been absent from the Formula One calendar since the championship started in 1950.

The FFSA has a contract to run the French Grand Prix until 2011 but Ecclestone has long wanted to move it to a track closer to Paris from 2010.

Next year’s race had already been billed as the last at Magny-Cours, a circuit in the depths of rural France that has fallen out of favour with teams and sponsors.

SECOND EVENT

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone had wanted to axe it earlier this year but agreed a reprieve and the circuit retained its slot with a June 28 date on an 18-round calendar published last week.

That same calendar was notable for the absence of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, which had been on an earlier 19-race provisional list, due to contractual issues.

It was not immediately clear whether France’s disappearance might re-open the door for Canada, a commercially important race for the car manufacturers who dominate the sport and are unhappy not to have a North American round following the exit of Indianapolis.

Disneyland Paris is a favoured option for a future French Grand Prix, with plenty of hotel rooms and easy rail access from Paris and the rest of Europe.

Poor accommodation facilities and difficult access were regarded as the main weaknesses of the Magny-Cours track.

The FFSA said on Wednesday it was studying six “serious and worthwhile” projects, most of which involved a new track near the French capital.

A single, faded, wall-hanging of Raju the Tiger juts out of one back wall of the new, posh athletics stadium at Balewadi, the venue for the third edition of the week-long Commonwealth Youth Games beginning in Pune on October 12.

Fourteen years ago, Pune hosted the third edition of the National Games, where mascot Raju had then star-performer Shiamak Davar regaling the packed house with his moves and verve.

Jigrr - the current mascot, also a tiger, is goofier than Raju - and all dapper with his white, grinning beard and blue cap tipped back like Lleyton Hewitt. He should start wondering about the future of the athletes he’ll lead out at the opening ceremony on Sunday. They joke here is that the only career which took off after those National Games in 1994 was dancer Shiamak Davar’s.

The 2008 edition sees the presence of some of India’s biggest names in sport - shuttler Saina Nehwal and swimmer, flagbearer, Veerdhawal Khade, who in Phelpsian style has vowed to go for five gold medals.

Future stars

There are also future stars like Yuki Bhambri in tennis, and the next generation of shooters and boxers.

The Army Sports Institute, after a listless 2008 Olympics, will test out their new batch of pugilists - with the Beijing medal-inspiration, as fresh-minted as the coats of turpentine paint, making its way onto buildings and even mountains. Yes, one hillock is actually being splashed with paint here, as part of finishing touches to the event.

Opinion stands divided over the preparedness of the venues. Competition-ready on most accounts, the external beautification remains, though a general sense of chaos prevails owing to security. Sandwiched between the song and dance of the opening and closing ceremonies - essential frivolities - are five days of competition, and a chance for the city’s residents to choose India’s sporting heroes of the coming decade, test their prowess, separate the wheat from the chaff; seeing it all for themselves. Pune is well-suited for the job too - a natural launchpad for athletes looking for a take-off, even as Raju goes trendy and becomes Jigrr.

Italian motorcycling superstar Valentino Rossi warns it will only get tougher to stop rival Casey Stoner after he regained the world crown by pipping the defending champion.

The Yamaha ace, dubbed the Doctor for his cool and clinical planning and racing, credited the 22-year-old Australian as being perhaps the toughest opponent he has ever battled.

“I think Stoner next year will be back stronger again,” Rossi, 29, said as he wrapped up his sixth premier-class title, and the first in three years, at the Japanese Grand Prix here on Sunday.

“So maybe he is the hardest rival I have ever had, more than (Sete) Gibernau and all the others I fought against in the past.”

Gibernau was the main challenger for Rossi’s crown until 2005. The Spanish firebrand retired when Stoner replaced him at Ducati for 2007.

It was at Motegi that Stoner crushed Rossi’s title hopes last year when the Australian finished sixth and the Italian dropped to 13th with brake trouble.

“Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino,” said Rossi.

But Rossi said that this year, “I rode the best of my career.”

“I think 2009 will be even more difficult than this year,” Rossi said. “But first I want to finish this year and try to win the final three races.”

In their latest duel here, Rossi overtook Stoner with 11 laps to go and beat him by 1.943 seconds, ending their battle for the title. Rossi gained an unbeatable 92-point lead with three more races remaining in the season.

Honda ace and Spaniard Dani Pedrosa finished third and is placed third in the MotoGP standings, 11 points behind Stoner.

Rossi’s five-year reign in 500cc and MotoGP ended in 2006 when he lost to Nicky Hayden despite winning five races against two for the former US Superbike champion.

“As I said, until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win,” said Rossi. “There are many strong riders but of course I hope that in the future nobody will win like Valentino Rossi.”

Rossi’s fortunes have turned this year after he managed to acquire Bridgestone tyres, which proved a technical edge over Michelin and helped Stoner triumph last year, despite Yamaha’s longtime ties with the French supplier.

After struggling to find a tyre-machine balance in his Yamaha M1 in the first three races, Rossi won the fourth round in China.

But Stoner took three straight rounds — in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany — in June and July after his Ducati GP8’s electronics control was upgraded.

Rossi stopped Stoner’s winning streak at the US GP in Laguna Seca on July 20. Stoner, starting from his fifth straight pole position, fought tail-to-nose with Rossi but he slid onto the gravel with nine laps to go and finished second.

Rossi also won a storm-shortened inaugural event at the legendary Indianapolis Speedway two weeks earlier, breaking the previous mark of 68 set by countryman Giacomo Agostini more than 30 years ago.

Stoner said, “I’m just disappointed that we made two mistakes in the mid-point of the season that allowed him (Rossi) to open up such a big advantage.”

Rossi has won eight races and Stoner four so far in the 18-round season.

“He’s had an amazing season. He only made one mistake at Assen,” the Australian said, referring to Rossi’s spill in the opening lap of the June 28 Dutch GP in which he finished 11th.

Stoner is already focused on his home Grand Prix at Phillip Island next Sunday, saying he hoped to “finish the season strongly.”

In Davis Cup, they say, anything is possible. Braveheart underdogs believe they can bring down the mightiest of foes, while the big guns are inevitably wary of the unheralded outsiders.

Even under those circumstances though, an Indian victory over Romania in Bucharest would have been one great expectation too many.

It all, unfortunately, went exactly according to the script - the singles ended in meek surrender, while the doubles was won with a flourish - and at the end of three days of tennis, it’s back to Asia Oceania Group 1 for the Indian team.

“The tennis was expected to be tough, but our plan was to target their second player. We had the feeling that Hanescu was in a different league altogether, and we had to respect him. Crivoi was also ranked just outside the top-150, which is good enough, but he was the weaker link. In the first match, Prakash started off real well - he had chances in the first, he won the second, but didn’t have the legs to carry on from there. He just didn’t have the experience to play on clay,” said coach Nandan Bal, who arrived back in India on Tuesday.

“Somdev had all the chances in the world, he needs that little bit of experience. This was just his third Davis Cup match, obviously nerves came into the picture. He served for the match, and wrapping up his first Cup victory would’ve given him a great deal of confidence. But he’s a terrific learner has come a long way since the Uzbekistan tie. One of the positives he will take from this tie are a few tips on how to handle pressure situations. In Bucharest, playing in front of a few thousand hostile people can be quite a task,” he added.

Looking ahead to 2009, Bal said the fear of other surfaces was no longer there. For 2009, the Indians have been drawn against the winners of the tie between Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan. “The good part is we now aren’t worried about playing on any other surface, looking at the way Somdev has been playing on clay. It may be too early to speculate, but I am confident next year will be a good year. We will be ready to play Chinese Taipei on their home ground, should the occasion arise.”

The lead-up to this tie involved a couple of bitter feuds, one revolt, a capitulation and one resigned captaincy, but both Bal and non-playing captain SP Mishra insisted things weren’t amiss in Bucharest. “Things were smooth, especially if you compare the situation with the Japan tie barely 3-4 months ago. The Beijing Olympics were a step forward, and Bucharest was a much larger step forward. Everybody was very professional, and there were no off-court issues or drama,” said Bal.

“We went there like a team and we played like a team,” said SP Mishra.

Officials at the Football League announced Monday there would be no replay of the English second-tier Championship match between Watford and Reading which featured a controversial goal that never was.

Reading took the lead in farcical circumstances during Saturday’s fixture at Vicarage Road when Stephen Hunt whipped in a 13th minute corner.

The ball bounced over the touchline, four yards wide of the near post, before being hooked back into play by Noel Hunt.

Andre Bikey headed back toward goal but linesman Nigel Bannister had already flagged for an own goal by Eustace.

Despite no Reading player appealing for the ‘goal’, referee Stuart Attwell, at 25 the youngest whistle-blower on the Premier League list, let it stand.

Watford eventually fought back to gain a 2-2 draw and, earlier on Monday, Reading manager Steve Coppell said he had no objection to a replay if one was ordered by the authorities.

However, Andy Williamson, the League’s chief operating officer, said the referee’s decision was final.

“The Laws of the Game give no discretion in these matters - the referee’s decision regarding whether a goal is scored or not is final and binding.”

“Given this explicit position, the League cannot intervene”.

Former Manchester United and England winger Coppell had told Reading’s official website: “If the authorities decide a replay is the correct thing to do then I’ve got no objections whatsoever.”

A statement issued by Professional Game Match Officials, which oversees the work of England’s referees and linesmen, said: “PGMO have analysed the incident at Watford where the referee, after consultation with his assistant, awarded a goal to Reading.

“It is clear that the ball did not cross the goal-line between the goalposts.”

The statement added: “We regret this error of judgement and will now work with the officials concerned to determine how this occurred in an attempt to minimise such mistakes in the future.”

Former leading English referee Graham Poll, whose career is best remembered for his mistake in issuing three yellow cards to Croatia’s Josep Simunic during a 2006 World Cup match against Austria, when he should have sent him off after two, told BBC Radio Five Live: “This is the most bizarre situation I’ve ever seen in 40 years watching football and 27 years refereeing.

“It’s completely inexplicable.”

But Dermot Gallagher, another former Premier League referee, said the that while had made a “massive mistake”, the incident should not mark the end of his career as a football official.

“What we need to do is counsel him,” Gallagher told a sports channel. “He’s been on the league for 10 years and a knee-jerk reaction of kicking him out will do him no good and do the game no good.”

Australian captain Ricky Pointing said the deadly suicide attack in Islamabad justified their decision not to visit Pakistan for the bilateral series and the Champions Trophy.Cricket security expert Reg Dickason confirmed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted the Australian team to stay in Mariott Hotel, where a devastating bomb attack killed 53 people Saturday, during the Test and one-day tour scheduled for March and April this year.

The tour was abandoned over safety and security concerns.

South Africa and other teams pulled out of the Champions Trophy, scheduled Sep 12-28, also due to security reasons. The tournament had to be finally postponed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

‘It’s devastating for the people involved,’ Ponting said about the blasts.

‘I mean, we would be talking hypothetically, of us being in the hotel or England or South Africa being in the hotel,’ Ponting was quoted as saying in ‘The Age’ prior to the team’s departure for the four-match Test series against India.

Ponting said they were right to listen to the advice of Australia’s security experts and the department of foreign affairs.

‘It is an absolute shame that things like this continue to happen in Pakistan because, believe it or not, as players, you want to play in all the conditions around the world,’ he added.

If the Champions Trophy had been played as scheduled originally, the England and South African teams may have been at the Marriott Hotel when it was virtually destroyed Saturday.

Striker Alain Djikadi grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser as TP Mazembe Englebert snatched a 2-2 draw against Sudan’s Al Hilal in their final African Champions League group match to remain on course for the semi-finals.Failure to win ended hosts Al Hilal’s hopes of progressing from Group B, while the draw put Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mazembe in second place in the group standings.

Friday’s result ensured a semi-final berth for Nigeria’s Enyimba, irrespective of the result of their Group B game at Cameroon’s Coton Sport in Garoua on Saturday.

Mazembe twice came from behind to draw and move on to eight points from their six group games. They are one point behind Enyimba and one ahead of Coton Sport.

If Coton Sport fail to beat Enyimba, Mazembe will reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2002.

Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards was limited in practice Friday and listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

Edwards, who has had a rough start to the season with five drops for the 0-2 Browns, is dealing with an injured shoulder.

It’s likely the Browns will be without guard Eric Steinbach, who strained his shoulder in last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, and linebacker Willie McGinest (hamstring). Both missed their third straight day of practice Friday.

Wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth (quadriceps), who has yet to play in a game for Cleveland, missed practice again and is questionable.