Email: info@mashriq.co.uk

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

58 Oldham Road Ashton Under Lyne OL6 7AP

0161 3431 5660770 6113 104

10

165/Window

Fitting FREE

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Kevin Pietersen was recalled to England's lim-ited-overs squad for the trip to India nextmonth. England have five one-day matchesagainst the world champions followed by aTwenty20 match, with the tour starting withthe first of two warm-up fixtures on October 8.

The England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) confirmed that Pietersen has been in-cluded in the 15-man squad, which includesuncapped Surrey pace bowler StuartMeaker, but bowler James Anderson hasbeen rested. Meaker, 22, was called up lastweek to try out with the squad in the netsand has done enough to impress the selec-tors. "This squad contains an exciting balanceof experienced international cricketers alongwith some very talented younger playerswho can play the high quality limited overscricket needed to challenge India," said na-tional selector Geoff Miller.

"A number of injuries and a decision to

omit James Anderson in line with our policyof sensibly managing player workloads giveopportunities for other very talented playersto continue to develop as international crick-eters.

"We had a promising One-Day series winover India earlier this month and this squadwill be looking forward to the challenge ofcontinuing that success in the sub-continentover the next four weeks. "The additions tothe squad for the Twenty20 fixture willstrengthen the squad and provide Jos Buttlerand Alex Hales with valuable experience ofplaying in the sub-continent. "Stuart Broadis currently undergoing a period of rehabili-tation for a shoulder injury. However he willjoin the squad in India if he completes his re-habilitation programme ahead of schedule.Graeme Swann will once again lead theTwenty20 side if Stuart is unable to join thesquad."

Platini givesthumbs up toUkraine onEuro-2012

UEFA president Michel Pla-tini has given the thumbs-upto Ukraine's preparations forthe Euro 2012 tournament itis co-hosting with Poland,saying worries that the ex-So-viet republic would not beready were now a thing ofthe past.

Earlier this year Ukrainehad risked losing its right tostage the event as a financialcrisis threatened the buildingof stadiums, roads and hotelsand preparations were be-hind schedule.

But it got a glowing reportfrom Platini. "Many Euro-pean countries thought it wasa bit early for Ukraine to hostthe tournament. But now allcities have done a great joband are almost ready," Platinitold a news briefing.

This digitally created composite image has been made from a sequence of frames: CurrentEngland long jump champion and London 2012 hopeful J.J. Jegede attempts an exhibitionjump over three Limited edition 2012 MINIs in London. This world first is taking place tocelebrate the launch of the MINI London 2012 Edition models, of which only 2,012 will beproduced.

Shoaib Akhtar rilesIndia again

Former Pakistan fast bowlerShoaib Akhtar has ruffledfeathers in India again in anew headline-grabbing auto-biography that also containscandid admissions aboutball-tampering and corrup-tion.

The book, from the manwho was once the fastestbowler in the world, takes aswipe at Indian heroes SachinTendulkar and Rahul Dravid,as well as unnamed figureswho have "ruined" the gamein Pakistan.

His comments about thestar duo in "ControversiallyYours", excerpts of whichhave been released to themedia, have especially madewaves in India, Pakistan'sneighbour and great rival.

Akhtar, 36, claimed thatTendulkar and Dravid, twoof the world's top Test bats-men, played for their ownrecords and rarely wonmatches for India. "I can't re-call a series from Tendulkar'searlier playing days when hehelped win matches. Hemight have had more runs

and records but he lacked theability to finish a game," hewrote. Akhtar, who played46 Tests and 163 one-day in-ternationals between 1997and 2011, recalled that onIndia's tour of Pakistan in2006 Tendulkar was "dis-tinctly uncomfortable" facinghim.

"We managed to psycho-logically browbeat him," thefast bowler wrote. "Webounced the ball at him andwere able to unnerve him."The book was released inNew Delhi last week, but itslaunch in Tendulkar's homecity of Mumbai on Sundaywas cancelled by organiserswithout any explanation. Thebowler, whose career wasmarked by allegations ofdrug abuse and ball-tamper-ing, wrote that he did not feelguilty about "working" on theball.

"The game has becomevery unequal and onlyfavours the batsman," hewrote. "If you bowl a no-ball,the batsman gets a free-hit;bouncers have been curtailed.

Pietersen recalled for India tour

18

Tevez denies refusing to playManchester City striker Carlos Tevez denied he had re-fused to come on as a substitute in their Champions Leaguematch against Bayern Munich and said he is ready to playon for the club.

Manager Roberto Mancini told reporters that the Argen-tine had ignored his instruction to warm up early in the sec-ond half of Tuesday's 2-0 defeat in Germany and that Tevezwas "finished" while he was manager.

Tevez, who has found controversy follow him from clubto club, sought to placate City fans whom he has alreadyangered over the past year with his open desire to leave theclub.

"There was some confusion on the bench and I believemy position may have been misunderstood," he said in astatement, according to local media.

"I would like to apologise to all Manchester City fans,with whom I have always had a strong relationship, for anymisunderstanding that occurred in Munich.

Aneta Havlickova of Czech Republic smashes as Anna Rybaczewski of France blocks dur-ing the women's Volleyball European Championship match between Czech Republic andFrance in Belgrade, Serbia.

Spectators flee as a bull charges during a traditional Corraleja, or bullfight, in Since,Colombia.

FIFA bans GuyanaFA president for

26 months Guyana FA president ColinKlass became the secondhigh-ranking official, and thefourth in all, to be banned fortheir part in a bribery scandalwhen world soccer's rulingbody FIFA suspended him onFriday for 26 months.

Klass, who was also fined$5,537, was provisionally sus-pended on Aug. 11 after theEthics Committee ruled hehad breached their Code ofEthics for his part in the scan-dal that also led to the life-time ban for QatariMohamed Bin Hammam fol-lowing a meeting of theCaribbean Football Union(CFU) in May.

The Guyanese, a memberof the CFU's executive com-mittee for 22 years, protestedhis innocence but in a state-ment issued on Friday FIFAruled he had "breached vari-ous articles of the Code ofEthics following an investiga-tion related to the specialmeeting of the CFU held inTrinidad & Tobago on May10-11."

Boxing body refutes London2012 fix allegation

Amateur boxing's world gov-erning body has dismissed as"preposterous and utterly un-true" allegations that Azer-baijan was promised twogold medals at next year'sLondon Olympics in ex-change for a loan of millionsof dollars.

The International Ama-teur Boxing Association(AIBA), under president DrChing-Kuo Wu of Taiwan,said in a statement they re-jected the claims "in thestrongest possible terms" butwould set up an investigationcommittee.

The allegations, by an un-named insider, were broad-cast by the BBC on theirNewsnight programme onThursday and reported onthe website www.bbc.co.uk.

"Any suggestion the loanwas made in return for prom-

ises of gold medals at the2012 Olympics is preposter-ous and utterly untrue," saidthe AIBA statement.

The BBC said it had un-covered evidence of "secretpayments" of millions of dol-lars from a mystery source inAzerbaijan to World SeriesBoxing (WSB), a competitionrun under the auspices ofAIBA.

AIBA's communicationsdirector Sbastien Gillot toldReuters in an email that theallegations aired on the BBCwere "absolutely false andridiculous."

The AIBA statement said:"In 2010 an agreement wassigned between WSB SA, aSwiss incorporated companywhich runs the World Seriesof Boxing competition underthe auspices of AIBA, and aSwiss company for a loan in

respect of the operation ofWSB's American franchises.

"The Swiss company facil-itated the making of the loan,which originated from anAzerbaijani private investor.The loan was not "secret" andnor was there anything im-proper about it.

"It was an arm's lengthtransaction between two enti-ties made on a commercialbasis and with a view to acommercial return for the in-vestor.

"While that investorprefers not to be named ...AIBA/WSB can confirm thatthey are a private investorand are not the AzerbaijaniGovernment.

"AIBA/WSB believe thatsuch allegations have beenmade by individuals with anaxe to grind, who are totallydiscredited.

Unprecedented demandfor 2012 Paralympics

Demand for tickets for nextyear's Paralympic Games hasbeen unprecedented andmany of the sessions willhave to go to a ballot, London2012 chief executive PaulDeighton said.

Ticket sales in Britainopened on Sept. 9 and closedon Monday. Speaking toReuters at the opening of aTeam GB and ParalympicsGBoutlet at the new Westfieldshopping centre at theOlympic Park in east London,Deighton said the public re-sponse had been exceptional.

"We are still sortingthrough the final numbersbut we are delighted with theoutcome. We have sold hun-dreds and hundreds of thou-sands, a very impressivereturn. In Paralympic terms,it's unprecedented," he said."There's a substantial numberof sessions where we willhave to go to ballot becausethey've been ov