Tsonga wins Qatar Open final

World number six Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-5 6-3 in the Qatar Open final to claim his eighth title in slippery conditions. World number 15 Monfils beat top seed Rafa Nadal in his semi-final while Tsonga received a bye when Roger Federer withdrew due to a back injury, giving the bulky Frenchman an extra day s rest. That advantage ultimately told in the final although Tsonga started sluggishly before rallying from 5-3 down in the first set as he claimed nine of the next 11 games against a fading opponent. "At the beginning of the match Gael was incredible, he was everywhere," Tsonga said in a court-side interview, "I made him move a lot. Then he was a bit tired and ... my movement was really good." he added. Tsonga and Monfils, each seeking their first titles since October when they won in Vienna and Stockholm respectively, began the match as fog billowed past the stadium floodlights and moisture settled on court. Play was suspended early on for 35 minutes with the finalists complaining about the wet court. When the match resumed both men seemed tentative and hugged the baseline, with no respite from the mist. At 6-5 down Monfils crumbled, losing his serve to love to concede the set. Tsonga showed no let up, serving to love in the second set opener to land his fifth straight game, a sequence that included winning 15 out of 16 points. Monfils made it 1-1 but his anger simmered, shouting in frustration at one error, lobbing his racket after another. He pummeled a forehand wide to gift his oppoonent the decisive break for a 4-2 lead and Tsonga saw out the match, earning two championship points with a nimble half-volley winner from mid-court. Tsonga is keen to do well at the Australian Open that starts on Jan. 16.

Messi set to win 3rd straight world player honour

Lionel Messi s claim to a place in football s pantheon of greats should be advanced Monday when the FIFA Ballon d Or trophy is awarded to the world s best player in 2011. The Argentina forward heads a three-player shortlist, alongside Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid s Cristiano Ronaldo, and seeks to win for a third straight year. Only World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane of France and Brazil s Ronaldo have won three times since FIFA created its world player award in 1991, now merged with the Ballon d Or presented by France Football magazine since 1956. Only France great Michel Platini ever won that trophy for three consecutive years. That Messi likely will have three awards by the age of 24 is even more remarkable.

England frustrated by lower-order rally

England XI 16 for 0 trail ICC Combined XI 281 (Viljoen 98, Shahzad 51, Broad 4-46) by 265 runs

England were given a good workout in the field on the opening day of their first warm-up match of the tour as the tail wagged for a ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI. First-class best innings from Christi Viljoen and Boyd Rankin revived the innings after England made a rampant start.

Stuart Broad claimed three wickets in his first three overs as England took command at lunch but Namibian allrounder Viljoen and Warwickshire bowler Rankin rallied in the lower order with a partnership of 96 to give England a testing final session.

Viljoen's 98 from 189 balls prevented the ICC XI from being blown away. Broad's wickets were followed by two for Graeme Swann and a wicket for Steven Finn - playing because of Chris Tremlett's eye infection and an elbow injury to Tim Bresnan.

At 91 for 6 at lunch, it was a gentle introduction to the tour for England. But Viljoen added 32 with Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, whose half century was the first resistance for the ICC XI. His counter-attacking innings came from 55 balls and included seven fours.

The second act of resistance came through Viljoen after James Anderson had Shahzad caught behind after lunch. Viljoen struck 13 fours and a six to take his side to tea on 182 for 8. But Warwickshire's Rankin also made a useful score after tea to provide another partnership for ICC XI.

Broad returned to wrap up the innings by having Viljoen caught by James Anderson two short of a maiden first-class hundred. He finished with 4 for 46 before Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook safely negotiated four overs to close on 16 for 0.

The day had begun with Strauss winning the toss after which England used the new ball to good effect. Broad enjoyed his return to an England shirt for the first time since September by removing the ICC XI top three. William Porterfield tried to flick a full ball to leg and edged behind for one before Paul Stirling played on trying to pull. Kyle Coetzer also fell for single figures as he tried to force off the back foot and edged to Steve Davies - keeping wicket in place of Matt Prior who injured a finger in training yesterday.

Finn produced an edge from Majid Haq's loose drive outside off stump, pouched by Swann low at second slip. Swann was introduced into the attack and was struck down the ground for six by Craig Williams before he pushed forward and edged behind to Davies. Swann then lured Mohammad Nabi out of his crease and he missed with a wild hack to be bowled for a second-ball duck.

The fightback arrived before Anderson claimed his second wicket having Rankin caught by Finn at point to break the main stand of the innings. Broad then took his fourth as ICC XI were bowled out for a far higher score than might have been expected.

Ajmal to unveil special delivery against England

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, has confirmed he will unveil the "special delivery" he has been working on during Pakistan's upcoming Test series against England in the UAE. Ajmal had said in August, before Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe, that he was saving the variation for the England series, and has now said he will try it but will revert to his existing variations if it does not work.

"I am working on a special delivery," he said at Pakistan's training camp in Lahore. "I won't tell you about it but you will know it when you see it. If it does not prove to be reliable then I will shift my focus back to the deliveries that have brought me success and I will keep that variation for the next series."

Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2011, with 50 wickets from eight games at an average of 23.86, and was a key factor in Pakistan winning five of those Tests. He took 18 wickets during Pakistan's last series in the UAE, against Sri Lanka in October-November last year, and said he recognised he would have an important role to play against England.

"We are going fully prepared and are working on special plans for their batsmen. I am aware of the weight of responsibility on me and am ready for it. In Dubai, the ball does break on the second and third day so hopefully I can play an important role. In Abu Dhabi it's difficult because it's a batting track."

Much of Ajmal's success in 2011 accrued from the inability of batsmen to read his doosra. Often in games, Ajmal bowled almost as many balls that turned the other way as regular offbreaks, leading to some apprehensions about him going the way of Saqlain Mushtaq in losing the ability to bowl his stock delivery. He also bowls with a flatter trajectory than most offspinners, but said that was because he was not comfortable flighting the ball.

"If I bowl with flight I cannot bowl well. If I bowl at a quicker speed I can then use variations in pace. If I take 90% of my wickets with the doosra why should I not bowl it? Whether you bowl a doosra or an offbreak, the ball should be bowled on the right line and one should take a wicket with it."

Ajmal's style of bowling is in stark contrast to England's offspinner Graeme Swann's, which is based on beating the batsman in the air and repeatedly landing his stock delivery on the right length. Though Swann took just 27 wickets in the eight Tests he played in 2011, he remains the highest-ranked spinner in the ICC Test rankings, and Ajmal said there would be healthy competition between the two of them through the series. "Swann is a good bowler and has even been the No. 1 bowler in the world. He has his own variety, I have my own."

Pakistan lost just one Test in 2011, and have won their last three Test series, though two of those have been against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Ajmal, though, pointed out that his best performances of the year had come against stronger opposition.

"Whomever you play against, you have to work for your wickets. Sri Lanka are a top team and I was Man of the Series against them. West Indies [against whom Ajmal took 17 wickets in two Tests] are not a bad team either - we have never beaten them in an away series. Bangladesh was not that good a team but only nine of my wickets came against them."

'Better to win by playing defensively' - Misbah

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he would rather win matches than worry about maintaining a balance between attack and defence. Though Misbah led Pakistan to six wins in 10 Test matches in 2011, there has been some criticism that he adopts a safety-first approach as captain.

"Cricket these days should be taken up with a balanced approach," Misbah said at the end of a four-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium organised to help Pakistan prepare for their upcoming series against England in the UAE. "[But] it's better to win by playing defensively, instead of losing by playing aggressively. It's all about the situation; what you are required to do or not do in a particular scenario."

The camp in Lahore mainly focussed on the bowlers and entailed strenuous fielding drills at the beginning of each day, as well as mental strengthening sessions for the players. Among the batsmen, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez were spotted having intense sessions in the nets. A big positive to come out of the camp was that fast bowler Junaid Khan, who suffered an abdominal muscle strain during Pakistan's recent one-day series against Sri Lanka, was declared fit to play. The players have now dispersed and will reconvene on January 9 to leave for the UAE, with the first Test to begin on January 17 in Dubai.

England are the No. 1 Test team in the world according to the ICC rankings, but Misbah said his team would not be intimidated by their opposition's reputation. "My approach is simple in cricket: when you go onto the ground, give your 100% and focus on your performance. Forget about who the opposition is, do what you can do right, play tough cricket and then you look at the results. When you do all these things right, results will be in your favour."

While fast bowler Aizaz Cheema had said the conditions in the UAE are similar to those in Pakistan, Misbah said, based on his experience of playing in the UAE, both batting and bowling will be a challenge. "If you look at the conditions in the UAE, it's difficult for bowlers to take wickets, it's also difficult for batsman to score runs because of the slow pitches where the ball doesn't come onto the bat. It will be a challenge for both teams; both departments will have to work hard.

"England is a thoroughly professional team, and we have to put in real hard work to score runs against them and will have to bowl up to the mark to bowl them out."

The Decision Review System (DRS) is a welcome addition to the series, he said. "I always say it (the DRS) gives both teams a chance because umpires are also human-beings and they can make mistakes sometimes. This is an option for both batsmen and bowlers to help rectify the mistakes of the umpires. I am always in favour of this superb innovation. No doubt it needs better accuracy but I still believe it's quite helpful for the teams."

Pakistan had an impressive run in 2011; they did not lose any of the Test series they played and reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. They have been helped by consistent all-round performances, Misbah said. "If you look at our recent performance, Pakistan is doing well in every department: batting, spin bowling, fast bowling. We do lack [a bit] in fielding and there are a few lapses, but overall every department is doing the required hard work. Against top teams you can't depend on a specific department, you have to perform well in every department to compete."

Pakistan will be grateful for the experience of Younis in upcoming Tests against England

The veteran batsman's ability to scrap and take on the short ball will be a huge asset as Pakistan attempt to rebuild after the damage caused by the spot-fixing scandal Since England and Pakistan last met — or acrimoniously clashed — in September 2010, Pakistan have assembled a virtually new team. It is just as good as their previous team in cricket terms and better, one trusts, in ethical terms.

Pakistan concluded their training camp in Lahore yesterday and fly to Dubai tomorrow for their Test series against England. The ‘host’ country will be favourites to win the one-day series of five 50-over internationals, and while England have to be favoured to win the three-Test series, it is not by much: at the moment 1-0 to England looks the likeliest result.

This is a remarkable tribute to Pakistan’s ability to regenerate their cricket, thanks to their depth of resources, and makes you wonder what the Test rankings would be if the whole world were at peace.

Take away all but three players from England or India or any other country, and you would not have a team that could win six and lose one of their next 12 Tests, as Pakistan have done since their captain Salman Butt orchestrated the spot-fixing in the Lord’s Test of August 2010.

Pakistan’s new team could even claim to be better than the one they have replaced, and not simply on ethical grounds.

Kallis inspirational in win

Jacque Kallis celebrated his 150th test match with one of the most complete all-round performances of his long career as he inspired South Africa to a 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka yesterday and a first home series win in three years.

Kallis marked his milestone match at his home ground at Newlands with a career-best 224 in South Africa's rampant first-innings batting effort in the third test. He then picked up three with the ball in Sri Lanka's second innings on the fourth day - and completed a South African record six catches in the match to be the driving force behind the Proteas' win.

South Africa overcame a 208-run loss in the second test, its first test defeat on home soil to the Sri Lankans, to seal a first home series success since beating Bangladesh in late 2008. It ended a frustrating run of four home series without a win.

In Cape Town, South Africa finally found the killer instinct to bowl Sri Lanka out for 239 and then 342 just before tea after they followed on in response to South Africa's Kallis-inspired 580-4 declared.

"I couldn't have asked for it to have worked out better. You dream of performances like that in milestone games," Kallis said.

Needing just two runs to clinch the match and series with over a day to spare, opener Alviro Petersen drove the first ball of South Africa's second innings, a no-ball from Dhammika Prasad, back through mid-on and to the boundary. At the non-striker's end, captain Graeme Smith needn't have padded up.

"Excellent bounce back from the guys," Smith said. "We were very poor in Durban. There was a bit of emotion for Jakes [Kallis] and the guys came out and played for him. We haven't lost too many [series] but we just haven't had that killer punch. This one in particular, there's a lot to build on."

AB de Villiers made 160 not out in South Africa's first innings and Petersen also had a century in the Proteas' commanding start, but 36-year-old Kallis produced one of his best outings in his 17th year of international cricket to ridicule recent suggestions in South Africa's media that the allrounder may be past his best.

He pouched tough chances at slip and a diving catch off his own bowling, and produced pace and bounce off a lifeless wicket to trouble batsmen. Having been hit over his head for six he roared in and ripped out Chanaka Welegedara's leg stump to end Sri Lanka's innings just before tea and effectively end the match.

Batting, he punished Sri Lanka's bowling for the best part of two days at the start of the game for his highest test score, hitting 31 fours and a six having become just the sixth player to reach 150 tests.

"As long as I don't read too many newspapers, I think I can keep going for a few more years," Kallis said. "As long as I keep on enjoying it, I'll keep going."

A fighting 115 not out from Thilan Samaraweera had delayed South Africa's march to victory in a gritty 142-run partnership with Angelo Mathews (63). Their disciplined stand under South Africa's relentless attack was chiefly responsible for the hosts having to bat again.

However, Samaraweera's impressive second century of the series, which included 14 fours, couldn't prevent South Africa's long-awaited victory.

Samaraweera's first century in South Africa had set up Sri Lanka's historic win in Durban. But, despite the 35-year-old batsman's fight at Newlands, Sri Lanka slid away to their fourth series defeat in four trips to South Africa and fourth straight series loss.

"It's now time to address things," captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said. "We have talked about a lot of things but we still haven't delivered. That's the main issue. As a team, we have to take the blame. "

After conceding their highest score against South Africa, Sri Lanka started Friday 138 for 4 in their second innings and still 203 runs from making the host bat again.

But Samaraweera and Mathews, who came together with Sri Lanka 98 for 4 and almost certain to slump to an innings defeat, lifted the tourists to 240 for 5 when Mathews fell to Vernon Philander. They added just 102 more for the last five wickets, though, as Philander finished with 3-54 in the innings and Imran Tahir 3-106.

South Africa's impressive bowling newcomer Philander returned from injury to take six wickets, taking his tally to 30 in his first four tests. Dale Steyn returned 3-56 in the first innings and legspinner Tahir had five wickets and Morne Morkel three, as South Africa's bowlers closed out the match.

Pep Guardiola named best club coach in the world

The FC Barcelona manager has been named the best coach in the world for the second consecutive year, according to the survey conducted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) 

Guardiola got 201 points in the vote and finished ahead of José Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson.

The FC Barcelona manager is still collecting accolades. This time it wasthe International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) that once again made him the best manager on the world. Guardiola was given 201 points in votes by the experts in 81 countries in all continents that took part in this annual election.

Guardiola finished way ahead of Real Madrid boss José Mourinho, and also Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United, who finished second and third respectively.

Barça's amazing football and wealth of titles won in 2011 are still gaining worldwide recognition and Guardiola has once again been deservedly honoured for the fantastic job he is doing.