Latest News:Sharapova, Safina, Davydenko out of Miami

MIAMI: Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova will miss the Sony Ericsson Open, as will women's world number two Dinara Safina and 2008 men's champion Nikolay Davydenko, organizers said Wednesday.

The Miami tournament is the second of prestigious back-to-back hardcourt tournaments in the United States, coming immediately after this week's event at Indian Wells, California.

Sharapova, who won the WTA title in Memphis in February, had been slated to play in Miami for the first time since 2007.

But an MRI exam on the sore right elbow that hindered her as she made a third-round exit in Indian Wells showed a bone bruise that is likely to sideline the Russian for three to six weeks.

Safina, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, remains sidelined by the back injury that forced her out of the Australian Open.

Davydenko is out with a broken left wrist. He had played one match at Indian Wells and then pulled out after an MRI revealed the wrist he injured in Rotterdam last month was, in fact, fractured.

Cricket Video:Match Highlights - IPL 2010 MATCH 5 - DC v CSK - 2010-03-14

Cricket Video:Funny Moments from Toss: KXIP vs DD, March 13, 2010, Match No 3, IPL 2010

Latest News: Bangladesh wobble in England Test

CHITTAGONG: Graeme Swann and debutant Steven Finn shared two early wickets as England tightened the screws on Bangladesh in the opening Test on Monday.

The hosts, chasing an improbable 513-run target, lost openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes before reaching 45-2 in their second innings at lunch on the penultimate day.

Bangladesh's highest fourth-innings total is 413, against Sri Lanka in Dhaka in 2008.

Tamim, top-scorer in the first innings with 86, contributed only 14 this time before being bowled in off-spinner Swann's second over.

Kayes fell in the last over of the morning session, caught by wicket-keeper Matt Prior off paceman Finn after making 23 with four boundaries.

England batted for 50 minutes in the morning, adding 78 runs to their overnight total of 131-5 before declaring their second innings closed at 209-7.

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan bagged both the wickets, removing Prior (seven) and Swann (32) to finish with 4-62.

Swann hit three fours in his brisk 25-ball knock, while middle-order batsman Ian Bell cracked one six and four boundaries in a 55-ball 39 not out. They put on 65 for the eighth wicket.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 296 in their first innings in reply to England's mammoth 599-6 declared.

Latest News:Murray’s victories continue in Indian Wells

CALIFORNIA: Andy Murray, who fell to Federer in the Australian Open final, booked his third-round berth with a "scrappy" 6-4, 6-4 victory over Italian Andreas Seppi.

The fourth-seeded Briton, who was runner-up here last year, got off to an erratic start but found a groove with his serve in the second set to triumph in an hour and 26 minutes.

Other men's seeds to advance Sunday included sixth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan, and seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick.

Roddick dispatched Taiwanese qualifier Lu Yen-Hsun 6-4, 6-4.

In women's third-round action Australian Open semi-finalist Zheng Jie of China outlasted 2006 titlist and 10th seed Maria Sharapova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in a gritty battle lasting two hours and 43 minutes.

Other seeded women advanced on cue, including second-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki who beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-0, 6-3.

Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva also advanced, downing Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland cruised into the round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Argentina's Gisela Dulko.

Latest News: Sports minister meets hockey team tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Federal minister for sports Ejaz Jakhrani will meet the Pakistan hockey team here tomorrow and discuss their resignations.

The federal government wants to know the reasons of the team’s shameful defeat in the World cup and the resignations of the players.

President Pakistan Hockey Federation Qasim Zia will also present on the occasion.

Confirming the news of this meeting in Islamabad, national team’s goalkeeper Salman Akbar told Geo News that all the players of the team are meeting with the federal sports minister tomorrow evening in Islamabad

Latest News:Senate committee backs ban on top cricketers

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Sport on Monday described the Pakistan Cricket Board’s ban on seven players as a right move revealing that some of the cricketers were involved in match-fixing during the winless tour of Australia.

The three-member sub-committee of the Senate Committee on Sports made the revelation after a meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board officials, including its chairman Ejaz Butt, at Gaddafi Stadium here.

Later, addressing a joint news conference, Committee Chairman Abdul Ghafar Qureshi, members Haroon Akhtar and Tahir Mashhadi said that the committee had the evidence that more than one player were involved in match-fixing but declined to name them.

They not only fully backed the ban and fine imposed on top cricketers but also lauded the cricket board for making this bold decision.

The senators refused to name these players, saying it was inappropriate for them to do so but added that the PCB could name them.

Muhammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi were not involved in match-fixing, they said.