Cricket: Mohammad Amir released from prison

Amir, who was convicted last November for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal, was freed from Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset after completing half of his six-month sentence. Amir, along with team-mates Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, was banned for a minimum of five years by the International Cricket Council in February last year. Asif and Butt, serving one year and two and a half years respectively, both remain behind bars. The 19-year-old will spend three weeks in London before returning to Pakistan. He will hold a series of meetings with his lawyers to finalise an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the five-year ban imposed on him by the International Cricket Council. The talented left-arm bowler had taken 51 wickets in 14 Tests before his career was brought to an abrupt halt, but Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf has left the door open for him to eventually return to international cricket. "Whenever he is cleared by the International Cricket Council and serves his punishment, we think he needs intense counselling and then the selectors can decide about him," Ashraf said last month. "As far as his playing again is concerned that is for the selectors to decide because there is no doubt about his immense talent and he is still very young." Pakistan s Test team has fared well in Amir s absence, with Misbah Ul-Haq leading the squad to a series victory over England in the United Arab Emirates.

Man Utd level on points with Man City as they beat Stoke and leaders lose at Everton

Manchester United 2-0 Stoke City

Champions Manchester United moved level on points with leaders Manchester City at the top of the Barclays Premier League as they beat Stoke City at Old Trafford.

United, without several players due to injury, went ahead in the first half when Ji-Sung Park was brought down by Jermaine Pennant and Javier Hernandez fired in the resulting penalty.

Another spot-kick wrapped it up for the hosts, Jonathan Walters fouling Antonio Valencia and Dimitar Berbatov scoring their second penalty of the match.

Everton 1-0 Manchester City

Everton stunned leaders Man City with victory at Goodison Park to move into the top half of the Barclays Premier League table.

City went perilously close in the first half when Samir Nasri's 30-yard screamer crashed against the underside of the bar, and Sergio Aguero also fired wide.

Everton scored the winner in the second half, midfielder Darron Gibson seeing his powerful drive take a slight deflection before flying past Joe Hart into the net.

Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Wigan Athletic

Spurs kept up their challenge at the top of the division courtesy of a fine performance at home against Wigan, who remain bottom.

Spurs went ahead when Gareth Bale superbly volleyed in from Luka Modric's cross, and Modric doubled the lead with a powerful 18-yard shot.

Bale hammered in a third after the break with his left foot, before James McArthur's deflected effort looped in as Wigan grabbed a consolation.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3 Liverpool

Liverpool continued their excellent recent form with an impressive victory at Molineux to see off Wolves.

The Reds took the lead after the break when Andy Carroll side-footed home, before Craig Bellamy's low shot crept past Wayne Hennessey to make it 0-2.

Dirk Kuyt scored his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool secured the three points.

Swansea City 1-1 Chelsea

Chelsea left it until stoppage time to earn a draw at Swansea and deny the hosts another victory in front of their own supporters.

The Welsh side took the lead in the first half when ex-Blues midfielder Scott Sinclair wonderfully hooked a volley into the net with his left foot.

Daniel Sturridge fired wide for Chelsea and they had Ashley Cole sent off in the closing stages, before Jose Bosingwa's cross was deflected in off Neil Taylor to hand the visitors a last-gasp point.

Australia drop Marsh, rest Haddin for Tri-series

Australia have dropped struggling top order batsman Shaun Marsh and rested wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for the first three matches of the one-day Tri-series against India and Sri Lanka, which starts next week. Marsh, a regular in the one-day team since his debut in 2008, paid the price for a disappointing start to his test career when he was omitted from the 14-man squad for the tournament, which was announced on Monday. The 28-year-old, batting at number three, scored just 17 runs in six innings in the test series against India, which concluded on Saturday with an emphatic 4-0 sweep for the Australians. “Shaun Marsh is obviously disappointed with his own form in recent weeks and is out of the side but remains in our thinking for the future while he works at state level,” chief selector John Inverarity said in a news release. “As they say, class is permanent but form can be temporary,” Haddin, who is acting vice captain in the continued absence of injured all rounder Shane Watson, also came in for some criticism during the India series and is replaced by uncapped 24-year-old Matthew Wade. “Brad Haddin has come off a heavy programme of test cricket and resting him for the start of the series will refresh him for coming international commitments while also giving us a chance to look at Matt Wade at this level,” Inverarity added. All rounder Dan Christian is joined by batsmen Peter Forrest and Mitchell Marsh as the other uncapped players in the squad. There is plenty of experience through fast bowler Brett Lee as well as batsmen Ricky Ponting and the Hussey brothers Mike and David, who are all in their mid-30s. “We want a flying start to the series against India and Sri Lanka and, as always, have selected a group we are confident can win while also keeping an eye on development for the future,” Inverarity said. A decision on who will replace Haddin as vice-captain will be made when the squad gathers in Melbourne on Friday, Inverarity said. Australia’s first three matches in the series are against India in Melbourne on February 5, Sri Lanka in Perth five days later and the world champions again in Adelaide on February 12.

Squad

Michael Clarke (captain), David Warner, Ricky Ponting, Peter Forrest, Dan Christian, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Matthew Wade, Brett Lee, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty, Clint McKay, Mitch Marsh.

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.

Bethel Swim Team Collects First Away Win Since 2008

BHS Swimming & Diving earned their first win of the year with an exciting comeback 96-90 win over Platt/Maloney. A long bus ride to Meriden that included getting lost made this "away" win even sweeter. It was the first away victory for Bethel High since January 2008, when this team's seniors were still in middle school.

BHS was ahead 32-30 after the 50 Free, but the Meriden Co-op team took a large 12 point lead with a pair of state finalist divers and a near sweep in the butterfly. This left it 41-53 at the half-way point of the meet. Bethel was ready for their comeback and took the next 6 events by a 55-37 score.

The comeback was lead by a 1-2 in the 100 Free with Captain Kevin Gallagher, senior, coming up his season best 55.96 and James Canfield with his personal best 59.50. Next came the 500 Free with Bethel trio of Sarah Whalen, Katie Bozzuti and Molly Nichols taking 2-3-4 against their male counterparts from Meriden. Now the score stood 60-66 and the BHS coaches started to think the first win was possible.

The strong 200 Free Relay team took first with Chris Wong, Tucker Bjornson, James Canfield and Kevin Gallagher posting a 1:45.25 and the score was now 68-72. The 100 Backstroke is the strongest for Bethel and they posted a near sweep with state qualifier Tucker Bjornson winning with a 1:05.76, freshman star Olivia Wootton took second at 1:09.34 and the all-stroke talented Aiden Ford collected fourth. BHS was now in the driver's seat, ahead 80-76.

Meriden wasn't done fighting though and BHS split points 8-8 in the 100 breast, making the last event, the 400 Free Relay, the true test of each team's depth: the Meriden three teams of 12 boys versus Bethel's 4 boys and 8 girls. Meriden would need a first and third place to win, but Bethel took first place with a long lead with Wootton, Gallagher, Canfield and Bjornson posting a season best 3.54.01.

Coach Katie McGowan could almost forget the 2+ hour bus ride and smile with her first career away victory and a chance to be the first multiple win BHS team since 2006. The next meet is Tuesday at the WCSU pool versus Pomperaug at 4pm.

BHS Scoring Results:

200 Medley Relay: 2nd (Sarah Whalen, Johnny Esposito, Chris Wong, Olivia Wootton)

200 Free: 1st Tucker Bjornson; 3rd Katie Bozzuti; 5th Aiden Ford

200 IM: 1st Olivia Wootton; 2nd Sarah Whalen; 5th Juliana Bell

50 Free: 2nd Kevin Gallagher; 3rd James Canfield

Diving: 3rd Alex Nackid; 4th Julia Morton

100 Fly: 3rd Chris Wong; 5th Cara Bernardo

100 Free: 1st Kevin Gallagher; 2nd James Canfield

500 Free: 2nd Sarah Whalen; 3rd Katie Bozzuti; 4th Molly Nichols

200 Free Relay: 1st (Wong,Bjornson,Canfield,Gallagher)

100 Back: 1st Tucker Bjornson; 2nd Olivia Wootton; 4th Aiden Ford

100 Breast: 2nd Molly Nichols; 3rd Johnny Esposito; 5th Davidson Abiali

400 Free Relay: 1st (Wootton,Gallagher,Canfield,Bjornson)