David Beckham will definitely rejoin AC Milan on loan in January, according to the Italian club's chief executive Adriano Galliani. Beckham, 34, is keen to play for Milan to maximise his chances of making the England squad for the 2010 World Cup. Galliani told Italy's Sky TV: "It's 100% certain. The only thing missing is the signatures, the agreement is done." The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder had a loan spell at Milan last season, during the Major League Soccer off-season. He joined Milan on an initial three-month deal in January that was extended to the end of the season. Beckham was a big success in Serie A and negotiations have been under way to repeat the arrangement. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player said the deal was "95% done" after appearing for England as a substitute during their 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Belarus on 15 October, adding: "I don't see why it isn't going to happen. I always wanted to go back."
Visitor #
Flag Counter
KARACHI: South Australia have signed Shahid Afridi for the Twenty20 Big Bash this summer as a replacement for the spinner Ajantha Mendis.
The Redbacks had announced the recruitment of Mendis in July but he is now unavailable due to Sri Lanka's planned tri-series with India and Bangladesh in January.
South Australia's Big Bash campaign begins on December 29, when Pakistan will be involved in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
However, Afridi has not played Test cricket since 2006 and is not expected to feature in their Test squad, which would leave him free to take part in the full Twenty20 competition.
"We narrowly missed out on finals last season and these signings are definitely a boost to our quest to qualify for the Champions League this year," South Australia's high performance manager Jamie Cox said.
"I have made no secret of the fact that I view the Big Bash competition as the most commercial on the domestic calendar and the inaugural Champions' League also provides fantastic opportunities for young players to showcase their skills on the world stage."
Afridi should be a valuable Twenty20 asset for South Australia; he was the player of the tournament at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and averages 21.05 with the bat and 15.73 with the ball from his 24 Twenty20 internationals. Other international signings for the Big Bash include Chris Gayle (Western Australia) and Dwayne Bravo (Victoria).
Lasith Malinga was to join Tasmania and Victoria had attracted Muttiah Muralitharan but both men are likely to be unavailable for the same reason as Mendis. The West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard is on New South Wales' radar and the states have until Christmas Eve to confirm up to two international recruits.
LONDON: Liverpool silenced their critics with a pulsating 2-0 victory over Manchester United to revive their English Premier League (EPL) title hopes in a match at Anfield which saw both teams end with 10 men.
Spain striker Fernando Torres returned from injury put the home side ahead with a clinical strike in the 64th minute on Sunday, and his late replacement David Ngog wrapped up victory in injury-time after Nemanja Vidic and Javier Mascherano were both sent off for two bookings.
Liverpool inflicted only United's second league defeat this season and prevent Alex Ferguson's second-placed side from returning to the top of the table above Chelsea, who are two points clear after Saturday's 5-0 thrashing of Blackburn.
The result lifted Liverpool into fifth place on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, who blew a two-goal lead to be held 2-2 at home by Fulham.
Arsenal climbed into third place above London rivals Tottenham on goal difference, having played one fewer match, despite also allowing 10-man West Ham to come back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw in their capital derby.
MOSCOW: Italy's Francesca Schiavone won just the second title of her career here on Sunday by defeating Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-3, 6-0 in the Kremlin Cup final.
The 29-year-old veteran, ranked 24th in the world and seeded eighth in Moscow, won in one hour 17 minutes to record her second win in three head-to-head meetings with Govortsova.
The finalists traded breaks throughout a closely-fought first set, but it was Schiavone, the 2005 runner-up here, who was the more consistent.
She broke her rival's serve three times for a one-set lead in 47 minutes, while Govortsova managed to just two breaks.
In the second set Govortsova, currently 67th in the WTA rankings, lost her nerve completely allowing the experienced Schiavone to break three more times to win the set to love.
"In the first set we were pretty close battling for every single point," Schiavone said. "But in the end I was a bit more precise and served well when it was 5-3 to win the set."
"I won! And I'm happy!" claimed Schiavone who had won only one of her previous 10 WTA tournament finals at Bad Gastein in 2007.
At the award ceremony Schiavone, who was playing in her seventh Kremlin Cup, praised the Moscow public for their support throughout the week.
Schiavone received a silver trophy and a prize purse of 157,427 dollars, while runner-up Govortsova, who lost her second career final, pocketed 83,908 of prize dollars.
Third seed Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who was seeded sixth, will decide Kremlin Cup winner in the ATP section of the event later on Sunday.
VADODARA, India: Injury doubts over captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and explosive batsman Yuvraj Singh hit India’s preparations ahead of the first one-dayer against Australia here on Sunday.
Dhoni limped off the ground after hurting his left knee during practice Friday while Yuvraj was yet to recover fully from a finger injury that kept him out of the Champions Trophy in South Africa in September-October.
Dhoni stopped short of ruling out Yuvraj for the opening game while also refusing to confirm his availability.
“I am feeling a lot better now but I will see how it goes on the morning of the match,” Dhoni told a pre-match media conference on Saturday.
“As for Yuvraj, all I can say is that he will surely be available for the second match,” he said. “Most guys are carrying small niggles but there is nothing major.
“You can’t do much when someone gets injured while batting or bowling during practice sessions, which are so intense.”
The injuries increase the home team’s troubles, sulking after a first-round exit from the Champions Trophy. Dhoni is the only specialist wicketkeeper in the 15-member Indian squad with the selectors opting to leave aside Dinesh Karthik, who was the back up keeper for the Champions Trophy.
India will however be strengthened by the return of aggressive opener Virender Sehwag, who missed the action in South Africa with a shoulder injury.
Australia, in prime form after winning a second successive Champions Trophy, have also been hit by injuries to leading players.
Key middle-order batsman Michael Clarke (back), first choice wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (finger) and left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken (knee) have all been forced to follow the action from the sidelines.
Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang Valentino Rossi made the perfect start to his bid to seal a successful defence of his world title in Malaysia by claiming pole for Sunday's grand prix. The 30-year-old Italian will win his seventh world crown in this class if he can finish in the top four places. Rossi's Yamaha team-mate and nearest rival Jorge Lorenzo, who is behind in the championship standings by 38 points, came home second quickest. Dani Pedrosa completed the front row, with Casey Stoner in fourth place.
Date: Sunday, 25 October
125 and 250cc race: 0350-0605 GMT, BBC Red Button/online
MotoGP: 0645-0800 GMT, BBC One/online, Race repeat 1230-1330 GMT, BBC Two/online
HYDERABAD DECCAN: New South Wales Blues stunned Trinidad & Tobago by 41 runs to win Friday's Champions League Twenty20 final in Hyderabad.
T&T appeared to have gained the advantage when seamers Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo engineered a top-order collapse - leaving NSW in danger of being bowled out for under 100. But Brett Lee rescued the innings with an excellent 48, and Steven Smith contributed 33 as NSW - tottering at 83 for six at one stage - recovered to reach 159 for nine.
Lee then claimed two early wickets as T&T faltered at the start of their chase - and although several batsmen got starts, they never recovered and were bowled out for 118 in 15.5 overs.
David Warner was just beginning to settle into his customary aggressive role when he lost Phil Hughes - bowled by Rampaul for just three.
Bravo then had Warner, caught brilliantly by Dave Mohammed at backward point, in an expensive first over and followed up with the prized scalp of Simon Katich in his next.
NSW's middle order then fell apart but Smith eased the pressure with consecutive big hits off Kieron Pollard, before Lee launched his attack.
His innings was peppered with five sixes as he hauled NSW past the 150-run mark. Lee was dismissed off the final delivery of the innings, attempting to reach his half-century with another big shot off Rampaul but picking out William Perkins at deep cover.
When T&T batted, Lee dislodged opener Perkins for a second-ball duck and then took a stunning return catch to get rid of Lendl Simmons.
Leg-spinner Smith, who shared the new ball, claimed Adrian Barath in his first over and then Daren Ganga to end a fifth-wicket stand with Denesh Ramdin just when the pair were beginning to look dangerous.
T&T's remaining hopes rested with Pollard, who had destroyed NSW in a group match. The big hitter took three singles from the first six balls he faced, before smacking Doug Bollinger for his first six. He clubbed Nathan Hauritz for two more but eventually skied to Lee - who took a good catch on the long-off boundary.
