Imran tells India

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan feels that iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar should have retired after the “ultimate high” of India winning the World Cup last year. “We all want to go with a big bang but you don’t always get it right. For Sachin the ultimate time to go was after that World Cup win. He had such a great World Cup. He is a great player and there is no replacement for him,” Imran said. “He has to decide for himself and he must time it right. You don’t want to go having lost to Australia 4-0. If he had gone after that World Cup that would have been the ultimate high,” Imran told a TV channel here. Imran said Indian players have the right to decide when they want to retire and the management should first get the replacement for them. “It’s a very difficult question for a sportsman to know when to leave…It’s a very difficult decision and many great players have not got it right,” he said. “For Indian cricket it’s not one player now but three or four would have to take decision. But the big question is whether you have got their replacement. If the gap between the young and old player is too much then you have to stay with the old players.” Asked about Tendulkar’s impending 100th ton, Imran said it doesn’t matter whether he gets that elusive hundred or not as statistic doesn’t matter for a great player. “Records must be broken within the team winning. You should not be playing to break records. Records should be part of the win. Sachin is a great player. Would I think of Sachin whether he is of 99 hundreds or 100 hundreds! No,” Imran said. “The greatest player I’ve played is Viv Richards. I don’t need to look at his records. He is great because he loves challenges. Records are after all statistics and statistics did not matter to great players,” he said. The former fast bowler said that he would have hung up his boots if his team had suffered a similar consecutive overseas whitewash like Team India.“I would have retired from cricket. I think if I was in a team that lost eight matches in a row I would have given up cricket. It’s not the West Indies of 80s. But see who India has lost to Australia and England. This Australia team hardly has won any series. You can’t blame the fans for feeling upset,” he said. Imran said if India gives too much emphasis on Twenty20 cricket and the IPL then it might be reduced to a “walkover team in Test cricket”. “India need to think seriously… have they put too much emphasis on the IPL, T20 cricket. It’s great entertainment but how to compare T20 with Test cricket. Test cricket is the ultimate test of the skills,” he said.

Sudan in African Cup quarter-finals

Sudan reached the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations for the first time in 42 years on Monday, beating Burkina Faso 2-1 to squeeze through on goal difference and edge out Angola. Mudather Tayeb scored both of Sudan s goals to deliver the nation s biggest sporting moment since it won the African Cup on home soil in 1970. It was also Sudan s first win at the tournament since that triumph. Mudather broke clear to beat Burkina Faso goalkeeper Daouda Diakite in the 33rd minute and then punished a mistake by the keeper in the second half to carry Sudan through, despite a 97th minute goal from the Burkinabes. Angola lost 2-0 to already-qualified Ivory Coast in Group B s other game in Malabo to be eliminated.

We won because we worked hard, says Rehman

Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman on Tuesday refused to accept that Pakistan’s success over world number one Test side England was a big surprise, saying the team achieved the 2-0 lead through sheer hard work. Rehman starred in his team’s 72-run win in the second Test in Abu Dhabi by claiming a career-best 6-25 to bundle England for 72 in the second innings – their lowest in all Tests against Pakistan. The win gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series with the last match in Dubai from February 3. Pakistan won the first Test by ten wickets, also played in Dubai. Rehman, 31, said beating England was not a shock. “No, it is not surprising. We have won because we have worked really hard before the series and in the two Test matches,” said Rehman, who has 12 wickets in two Tests while his spin partner Saeed Ajmal has 17. Rehman, though, admitted England’s capitulation was a bit surprising. “We had no idea that it would finish in three or four days, but since the team did well and the pitches helped us so we won,” said Rehman of the two Tests which finished in three and four days respectively. Rehman said he has received brilliant support from Ajmal, who took ten wickets – including a career-best 7-55 – in the first Test. “We don’t think like ‘he will get wicket and I will be left out,’ we support each other so much that there is no ill will in our hearts,” said Rehman. “No matter which bowler gets the wickets, it is helpful for the team.” The brilliant spinning show have raised both Ajmal and Rehman in the International Cricket Council rankings. Ajmal is second while Rehman has jumped to ninth – the first time in 23 years that two Pakistan spinners are in the top ten. Rehman admitted he was proud of his rankings. “It’s good, a very good feeling and now I am in top ten and it is after a long time that two Pakistani spinners have come in the rankings, so I am happy that I am among those bowlers who are world’s best,” said Rehman. Rehman believed England batsmen flopped because of a better gameplan by Pakistan. “What we are trying is to give them a tough time, contain them so that they make mistakes. That was the game-plan of the captain and the coach, so they made mistakes after getting fed up,” said Rehman, who now has 68 wickets in 14 Tests.

Amir Khan celebrates engagement to Fayal

The ceremony was held at the weekend with a £150,000 bash at the Rebook Stadium in his hometown of Bolton. Amir presented his fiancée with a stunning three diamond ring, believed to have cost £100,000, during the special ceremony, with the New York born beauty presenting her husband-to-be with an equally impressive platinum band. 25-year-old Amir announced his plans to marry 20-year-old Faryal earlier this month, with the couple officially marking their engagement with a lavish celebration over the weekend. 1,000 guests joined the couple to celebrate their happy news, amongst them were many famous faces from the world of sport including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ricky Hatton. Faryal flew over from New York especially for the engagement party, with her family also travelling with her. The student will spend the next week with her fiancé in Bolton as he plans to show Faryal around what will become her new home as the couple have decided to start married life in the north of England. The newly engaged couple were given a BMW 750 Li as an engagement present from the bride-to-be’s parents who have reportedly taken to the lightweight boxer in a big way, with student Faryal saying her family already treat Amir like a son. For Amir and his new fiancée Faryal, their romance got off to quite a rocky start as the bride-to-be revealed she had difficulty understanding Amir’s strong northern accent and vocabulary, with the boxer using unfamiliar words such as “daft” and “innit”, when they first started dating. However the pair managed to overcome early stumbling blocks and are now looking forward to their wedding which is likely to take place at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, the same venue which hosted their engagement party.