Cape Town, January 19
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded Yusuf Pathan for his blistering innings and said with more experience the dashing all-rounder can become a good match-finishing batsman for the country. Pathan produced a terrific 50-ball 59 run innings last night to help India chase South Africa's total of 220 with 10 balls to spare after being precariously placed at 93 for five at one stage.

"He (Pathan) played his natural game. I want him to continue playing the kind of cricket he plays. As he gets more experience he will turn into a match-finishing batsman," Dhoni said.

"It was good effort from the batsmen. The lower middle-order also played well. But Pathan was superb," Dhoni said. Dhoni also praised his death bowlers for their superb show during the fag end of the South African innings. "The best thing today was our powerplay and death bowling," the Indian skipper said.

Man-of-the-match Pathan said he was just playing his natural game and it put pressure on the South African bowlers.

"It's a good win for us. I was just looking to hit the balls which were in my areas. If you let the bowler know you can play the shots, you will play the shots and he will stay under pressure," Yusuf said.

"I went in thinking that I will play my shots but won't be in any hurry to play those shots. I will wait for the balls in my area and I was successful doing that." Pathan, who hit six fours and three sixes, said it was a bouncy pitch but he played his shots to put the opponent on to the back foot.

"There was bounce in the pitch. But I knew if I played a few shots, things would get easier. If you hit the bowlers, the opposition gets on to the back foot. A lot of things run through the captain's mind, and you benefit from that," he added.

The Baroda batsman said with this win, South Africa will be under pressure to bounce back into the five-match one-day series. "Our team is full of confidence right now," Pathan said. "South Africa will obviously be under pressure because they have lost two matches, and we have done better in pressure situation. We made a comeback in the previous game, and here too. So the pressure will be on them." — PTI

Hobart, January 19
England selectors opted for Matt Prior as wicketkeeper ahead of Steve Davies in the 15-man squad announced hours before the deadline today for the World Cup starting next month in the Indian subcontinent. Prior has been playing domestic cricket in Australia since playing a key role in England's Ashes test series victory in Australia, while Davies has been the gloveman for England in its last six limited-overs internationals.

The 28-year-old Prior, who hasn't been part of England's ODI setup for most of the last year, is now expected to join the England squad ahead of the second ODI against Australia in Hobart on Friday. "It was a tough decision," England coach Andy Flower said.

"Steve Davies was picked in our last one-day series, he did okay against Pakistan. We picked him for this series in Australia because of the conditions out here, but as we get closer to the World Cup we've made that adjustment and we want Prior to get a few games under his belt before we get out there."

Prior, who scored a century at a fast run-rate in the last Ashes test against Australia, is expected to partner skipper Andrew Strauss at the top of the order.

"We believe that Matt Prior is best suited to the subcontinent conditions and that's why we've picked him," Flower said. "The circumstances have changed. Matt Prior did very well out here in the test matches. He is a combative, aggressive cricketer. He fits our aggressive fielding unit so those are the reasons why he has been picked for the World Cup." "Of course he is disappointed." Flower said. "But those are the harsh realities of playing professional sport. Steve and the others who have been left out will have to accept it."

England squad: Andrew Strauss (Captain), Jimmy Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy. — AP

Cape Town, January 19
Injured allrounder Jacques Kallis and uncapped leg-spinner Imran Tahir were today included but veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Bouncher failed to find a place as South Africa announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming World Cup.

The 35-year-old Kallis was ruled out of the ongoing one-day series against India due to a right side muscle injury, but South Africa's team management today expressed confidence that the veteran would get back to full fitness before the mega-event to be played in the sub-continent from February 19.

Pakistan-born Tahir also made the final cut after being cleared to play for South Africa in December 2010, while allrounder Faf du Plessis was also named in the elite squad. Faf du Plessis, who made a fine half-century on debut against India in the third one-dayer yesterday, has been named in place of middle-order batsman David Miller.

Boucher and hard-hitting all-rounder Albie Morkel have also missed out on the final squad., while Morne van Wyk is named as the backup wicketkeeper to A B de Villiers. While Tahir, off-spinner Johan Botha and left-armer Robin Peterson forms South Africa's spin attack on the spin-friendly pitches of the subcontinent, the fast bowling department includes Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Defending the selection of Tahir as the only uncapped player in the side, convener Andrew Hudson said that he was a 'unique talent'.

"We think he's a unique talent," said Hudson. "The selection of three specialist spin bowlers is essential for the conditions we expect to encounter at the World Cup and it's not a worry that Tahir has not played an ODI yet. His record in domestic cricket speaks for itself. We know exactly what he offers us," he added.

Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, A B de Villiers, J P Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk. — PTI

Dhaka, January 19
Bangladesh were today forced to drop pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza for the World Cup due to lingering doubts over his fitness for next month's tournament. The 27-year-old former captain, who sustained an injury in his right knee during a domestic match in December, was excluded from the 15-man squad for the showpiece event. "There is little chance that Mortaza will be fit before the World Cup," chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP, adding that chief coach Jamie Siddons supported this assessment.

Wellington, January 19
Daniel Vettori's none-too-impressive stint as New Zealand captain ended on a sour note with his team losing the two-Test series against Pakistan 1-0. Vettori today confirmed that he would be stepping down from the captaincy after the World Cup, making the second Test at the Basin Reverse here his last at the helm.

The New Zealander, since taking over from StEphen Fleming in November 2007, had often said that he would relinquish the captaincy after the 2011 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the sub-continent from February 19-April 2.

"I made that decision three and a half years ago," Vettori said. "So that's it. My timing was always to finish after the World Cup and that stays the same."

Vettori's stint as skipper has been a disappointing one for New Zealand, as the Test team saw a dip in form. —PTI

Melbourne, January 19
Reigning champion Roger Federer was taken to five gripping sets by French nemesis Gilles Simon today before scraping into the Australian Open's third round.

The world number two, defending his only remaining Grand Slam crown, was pegged back from two sets up before scoring his first-ever win over Simon, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, to stay on course for his fifth Open title.

It was a desperately close call for the 29-year-old, who holds a record 16 Grand Slam titles and only narrowly avoided his worst performance at a major in eight years, and his poorest ever Australian Open outing.

Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic also had difficulties in his ethnically-charged clash with Croatia's Ivan Dodig. Djokovic, who won his only major title here in 2008, let slip a set before winning 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 6-0, 6-2. The match was played under a heavy security presence but there was no repeat of violence between ethnic Serbian and Croatian fans which has repeatedly hit the season's first Grand Slam.

Earlier Venus Williams bravely battled through a painful muscle strain to reach the third round, women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki finally hit form and Spain's Fernando Verdasco survived another five-set thriller.

Injury-hit Williams' first tournament since the US Open looked to have ended in disaster as she screamed and clutched herself in pain when losing the first set's decisive point against Czech Sandra Zahlavova.

The 30-year-old limped off for treatment and returned with her right thigh strapped. But the seven-time Grand Slam winner was quickly in the points and saw Zahlavova off 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-4.

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone needed a 16-game third set before seeing off Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-3, 5-7, 9-7, while Russian glamour girl Maria Sharapova beat France's Virginie Razzano.

Meanwhile Verdasco, on the losing end of the Australian Open's longest-ever match two years ago, prevailed in five sets against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/0), 6-0.

America's Andy Roddick, 28, downed Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, 6-3 and Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in four. Denmark's Wozniacki, 20, shook off a troubled start to the year with a 6-1, 6-0 demolition of America's Vania King, burying 23 winners to reach the third round and join a list of impressive women's winners. Belgium's Justine Henin won 6-1, 6-3 against Briton Elena Baltacha and Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-4. — AFP

Doha, January 19
Despite being laid low by injuries in recent times, Indian football team skipper Bhaichung Bhutia has his eyes trained on the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.

The 34-year-old striker made a comeback from injury as a 80th-minute substitute in India's 4-1 to South Korea in their final Group C match yesterday, thus bringing to an end a nearly four-month hiatus. Bhutia has been out of action since September with a calf problem.

"I don't want to retire injured," Bhutia told reporters here. "I will take a break for two to three months and see if I can recover fully from my injury and after that I will decide. I think I will recover in two or three months and then I will continue playing," India's record goal-scorer said.

"I consulted the Australian team doctor and other local doctors here. Every two days blood clots are drained from my calf and I took painkillers," he said. Bhutia said he was delighted to have made his Asian Cup debut, after missing out on the first two matches.

"I did not feel any discomfort in the 15 minutes I played (against South Korea). I am happy that I played in the Asian Cup. "It is the biggest stage of football in Asia. For every Asian player, the World Cup and Asian Cup are the biggest tournaments.

"I am happy to have played in the Asian Cup. I will play in the next Asian Cup (in Australia in 2015)," Bhutia said. — PTI

Manchester, January 19
Manchester City survived some jitters to beat Championship (second division) Leicester City 4-2 in a lively FA Cup third round replay at Eastlands on Tuesday. In other replays, which also featured Premier League sides beating second tier teams, Wolverhampton Wanderers thrashed Doncaster Rovers 5-0 while Stoke City needed extra time to beat Cardiff City 2-0.

Two goals in just over a minute towards the end of the first half tipped the game in Manchester City's favour after Carlos Tevez's 15th-minute opener for the home side was cancelled out by Paul Gallagher's penalty four minutes later. Patrick Vieira and Adam Johnson struck for City in quick succession but Lloyd Dyer's 83rd-minute strike set nerves jangling before Aleksandar Kolarov made sure of the win for the Premier League high-fliers with a last-minute goal. Tevez had a 59th-minute penalty saved but his side were not made to pay for it as they set up a trip to League One (third division) Notts County in the fourth round.

"I think we made it hard for ourselves," City winger Johnson told ESPN television. "I think when we got a two-goal lead we shouldn't really have been put under pressure." City manager Roberto Mancini sported a red and black scarf over the top of his usual blue and white one as he joined thousands of home fans in honouring terminally ill ex-City forward Neil Young, who scored the winner in their 1969 FA Cup final triumph over Leicester. — Reuters

Seville, January 19
Sevilla reached the Copa del Rey semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons after beating Villarreal 3-0 yesterday and 6-3 on aggregate. Villarreal needed victory at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium but saw its hopes deflated from the 10th minute following Renato's opener.

Villarreal created opportunities but the holders put the outcome beyond doubt with goals from Frederic Kanoute and Alexis Ruano within five minutes of the restart. Sevilla plays either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid next, with Madrid leading 3-1 after the first leg going into tomorrow's match at the Vicente Calderon stadium.

Sevilla defender Sergio Sanchez returned to action for the first time since undergoing heart surgery to correct a condition that sidelined the 24-year-old defender a year ago. — AP