Miami, Florida, June 29, 2009 - USA and Puerto Rico in Pool A and Brazil and Dominican Republic in Pool B are set to clash on Tuesday in crucial matches to define the top bracket’s positions and the automatic tickets to the semi final round of the Eighth Women’s Pan American Cup.

The United States (4-0) defeated Peru (2-2) by score of 25-22, 25-21, 26-24 on Monday night while Puerto Rico remained undefeated in four outings with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-11 victory over Costa Rica (1-3) at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center.

In Pool B, Brazil defeated Trinidad and Tobago in straight sets 25-11, 25-14, 25-9 to tie with Dominican Republic, which had Monday off, both with 3-0 win-loss records.

The pool’s winners will automatically advance to the tournament’s second round and have two days to prepare as July 1 is an off day in the schedule and group victors receive a bye on July 2.

Five Team USA players reached double-digits in scoring in a well balanced offense. Jordan Larson led the U.S. with a match-high 14 points that included 12 kills and two aces. Kristin Richards added 13 points on 12 kills and an ace, while Nancy Metcalf chipped in 13 points. Danielle Scott-Arruda was credited with five blocks as part of an 11-point night, while Christa Harmotto contributed 10 points with three blocks.

Patricia Soto paced Peru with 11 points, while Yulissa Zamudio added nine points. Leyla Chihuan tacked on eight points in the loss, while teammate Jessenia Uceda put down seven points.

Aurea Cruz tallied a match-high 14 points for Puerto Rico and she was aided on the scoreboard by Sarai Alvarez and Yarimar Rosa, who each contributed nine points. Sheila Ocasio turned in seven points in the victory. Costa Rica was led by Verania Willis’ nine points, while Angela Willis added seven points.

Caroline Gattaz led Brazil with 13 points, including six blocks and Adenizia Silva added 11 with three blocks. Regiane Bidias, Joyce Da Silva and Welissa Gonzaga each contributed 9 points to the victory.

“We expected a tough match from Peru and that is what we got,” U.S. Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “Some of our problems tonight are my fault as we are putting in a lot of changes to this team, both in technique and system. I was happy that we found a way to win and battle through the challenge.”

“At first we made too many errors and needed a lot of effort to defeat our opponent,” Puerto Rico Head Coach Carlos Cardona said. “The most important part of this match was learning to deal with adversity to win.”

“Tomorrow’s game against Dominican Republic will be an important one to decide the group”, said Roberto Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach. “They always play strong against us with good serves and good blocking. It should be a very an interesting match.”

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ICC chief suggests four-day Tests

David Morgan, the ICC president, has hinted that Test cricket may be reduced to four days to protect and enrich the game's oldest format in the face of lucrative Twenty20 leagues like the IPL. The suggestion comes in the wake of a few other changes that are being mooted, including a two-tier format and day-night Tests to attract more crowds.

"Another thought that many people have, that we are examining is whether Test match cricket can be playd over four days rather than five," Morgan told the India Today magazine. "I would be very surprised if within a year you haven't seen some significant changes in Test match cricket."

Morgan felt it wouldn't be too difficult for players to make a mental shift from five days to four. He added that Test cricket needed many more adjustments, and that special cricket balls would have to be made to facilitate night Tests in white clothing.

"We need better over-rates, better pitches that give a good balance between bat and ball and we need to consider day-night Test cricket," Morgan said. "There is great support for it, the issue is the colour of the ball and the quality of the ball. It would be a pity if Test match cricket - day-night - had to be played with a white ball and therefore coloured clothing.

"We are looking very closely at ball manufacturing design that replicates a red ball, maybe an orange ball, a ball that could still allow us to play in white clothing and still at night."

The two-tier structure was recently mooted by Dave Richardson, the ICC general manager for cricket, to divide the stronger and weaker teams and make the format more competitive. The ICC has also given the go ahead for the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) from October following trials in specific series over the last year. Umpires will have greater scope to decide on bad-light interruptions and the penalities for slow over-rates have also been increased.

With so much emphasis on Twenty20 and the enrichment of Test cricket, Morgan was very confident of the survival of the 50-over game in its current form, now with batting Powerplays and free-hits added to spice it up. He also defended the presence of the Champions Trophy in an already crowded calendar, despite calls for it to be scrapped.

The Champions Trophy, in South Africa in September, now features only the top eight teams and is a shorter tournament compared to previous editions.

"It will be played over a shorter period and we are certain it will rejuvenate the Champions Trophy brand," he said. "The brand needed polishing, rejuvenating, it needed remodeling and this event will be a very, very exciting and successful event I'm sure. It will be the event that will give fifty overs cricket its profile back, give it a boost without a doubt."

ICC chief suggests four-day Tests

David Morgan, the ICC president, has hinted at four-day Tests and is confident the 50-over brand will get a boost

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Andy Murray said he was surprised his momentous fourth-round match against Stanislas Wawrinka was played under the Centre Court roof. Murray won 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. However, he said: "It was dry when we were warming up outside and I was expecting to play without the roof." The British number one and number three seed also complained that he had not been given enough warning that the match would be played indoors. "In very few sports would coaches and teams be particularly happy if they don't know exactly what time they're going to kick off or what the conditions are going to be like when they go out there," he stated. It's very, very heavy and I was sweating so much. When I finished it was like I'd been in a bath Andy Murray "When you haven't experienced something before it is tough to know how it's going to play." Murray conceded the humid conditions had caused him problems. "I'd never played a grass-court match indoors before and it made a difference," he confirmed. "It's very, very heavy and I was sweating so much. When I finished it was like I'd been in a bath. "Both of us were trying to get white towels from the locker room because your hands were drenched. When I finished it was like I'd been in a bath, it was very, very humid. "It slowed it down a lot and I struggled to serve because it wasn't coming off the strings that quickly. There were a lot more rallies and I got a lot less free points off my serve when it did go in. "You can really swing very hard at the ball and it can go in the net or doesn't really go anywhere." Murray, who will play wildcard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the last eight, added: "I like playing indoors and going into the next match I'll know what to expect if the roof comes on. "But for two-and-a-half sets of the match I played great tennis, it's just that it took me a little while to get used to it." 606: DEBATE Can Murray win the title? Wawrinka admitted the defeat was hard to take but backed Murray to go all the way to the final. "He's playing very well and I think he's good for the rest of the tournament," said the Swiss after the match, which ended at 2238 BST, the latest finish in Wimbledon's history. "He's ready but you shouldn't forget the other players. Roger Federer is still there and I think it could be a very nice final." The 24-year-old added: "It was a tough match and to lose is very bad for me. I tried everything to win the match but it was not enough. "It was very special, it was a nice atmosphere on Centre Court, with all the fans, and I enjoyed the match a lot but for sure I'm very sad afterwards. "In the second game of the final set he broke me when I was 40-0. I was playing very good, I was in the match and I was hoping to do better in the fifth set." Looking ahead to Wednesday's quarter-final clash with Ferrero, former British number one Tim Henman told BBC Sport that Murray would be the clear favourite. The fact that the roof and the floodlights allowed Murray to finish could be vital because now he has a full day off to rest and recuperate ahead of the quarter-final Tim Henman "They played each other at Queen's in the semi-final a fortnight or so and Murray took him apart," said Henman. "He'll show the Spaniard the respect he deserves, of course, but I just don't think Ferrero has the game to hurt Andy. "Where Wawrinka has the power and the strength in his shots, Ferrero doesn't have that. "It was important for Andy to get through, of course, but to get through tonight could also be crucial. "The fact that the roof and the floodlights allowed him to finish could be vital because now he has a full day off tomorrow to rest and recuperate ahead of the quarter-final. "If he'd had to come back tomorrow to finish off he wouldn't have got what might just be crucial recovery time."

Advertisement see also Murray wins late-night thriller 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Murray v Wawrinka as it happened 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Roof is welcome Wimbledon addition 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Federer sweeps into quarter-final 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Safina edges Mauresmo under roof 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Venus and Serena reach last eight 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Djokovic & Roddick into quarters 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Wimbledon day seven as it happened 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Roof rolled out at Centre Court 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Britain's men's doubles hopes end 29 Jun 09 | Tennis Order of play 23 May 09 | Tennis Men's singles results 26 Jun 07 | Results Women's singles results 26 Jun 07 | Results Wimbledon: Live map 22 Jun 09 | Tennis Men's singles draw 23 Aug 08 | Tennis Women's singles draw 22 Jun 07 | Tennis

champions Brazil fought back in the second half of the final to retain the Confederations Cup title.

They beat the United States 3-2 to win the Cup for the third time running.

United States shocked the European champions Spain in the semi-finals, who looked all set to upset defending champions Brazil when goals by Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan put them 2-0 ahead at half-time.

The US goalkeeper Tim Howard produced several good saves before striker Luis Fabiano took his tournament tally to five in five games when he scored just after the restart and equalised in the 74th minute.

Brazil’s captain Lucio clinched the final goal when he rose superbly to head home an Elano corner six minutes from time.

“That defeat really hurt. I’m extremely proud of my players, but it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away. I hope though that people around the world see we have good team and great players and it is a big step forward,” said USA coach Bob Bradley after the match.

A jubilant Brazil coach Dunga said: “Even after we went 2-0 down the team was still sure of itself. We told them at half-time to play down the wings, keep patient. We did that, we have been together for 29 days and we were determined to win it. We showed a high level of professionalism.”

West Indies 192 for 2 (Morton 85*, Gayle 64) beat India 188 (Dhoni 95, Rampaul 4-37, Taylor 3-35, Bravo 3-26) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	The joke was on the Indian batsmen as the fast bowlers had them in all sorts of troubles © AFP
Related Links News : 'The best I have bowled for a long time' - Rampaul Player/Officials: MS Dhoni | Runako Morton | Ravi Rampaul | RP Singh Matches: West Indies v India at Kingston Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies Teams: India | West Indies

The West Indies fast bowlers - even without Fidel Edwards - embarrassed the Indian batting line-up for the second time in three weeks, setting the foundation for a series-levelling win. They bowled aggressively and smartly, reducing India to 82 for 8 before a 101-run ninth-wicket stand between MS Dhoni and RP Singh kept the match alive. Chris Gayle and Runako Morton replied with a 101-run partnership of their own, ensuring there was no late drama in a game that was mostly dominated by West Indies.

Two days ago 658 runs were scored on the same Sabina Park pitch by the same set of batsmen, but the early swing exposed some technical flaws with the Indian line-up. There were personal milestones for Ravi Rampaul and Denesh Ramdin along the way, Rampaul taking career-best figures of 4 for 37 and Ramdin five catches.

Gayle's captaincy stood out early on. He employed two slips as soon as he saw some swing. Jerome Taylor didn't need any of the slips in the first over, when he bowled the perfect outswinger to Dinesh Karthik, shaping in, pitching off, moving away, making the batsman play, and getting the edge through to the keeper.

If Karthik had no option but to play at Taylor, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma played unnecessary shots to Rampaul in the next over. Bowling to Rohit, Rampaul wanted the second slip out, but Gayle persisted. And how it worked. Rohit chased a wide outswinger, Ramdin went too hard at the catch, but the second slip took the rebound. Seven for 3 in 1.4 overs, and there was still a long queue outside the Sabina Park.

By the time the crowd finally settled, Yuvraj Singh was promising another treat. By the end of 12 overs India seemed to have weathered the storm, only momentarily. Yuvraj had reached 35 off 32, quite a contrast to Dhoni's 11 off 31. It was all fine until then, because the partnership read 47 off 62.

But neither Gayle nor Taylor was done yet. Taylor was asked to bowl his seventh over on the trot, and he got Yuvraj with the first ball. Gayle was not going to wait for mistakes now. Back came Rampaul, in came a leg gully and a slip, and out came the open secret: the bouncers. After an edgy nine-ball stay, Yusuf Pathan edged an accurate bouncer from Dwayne Bravo. Ravindra Jadeja repeated his dismissal from the first match, pushing at a delivery away from his body. After the second slump of the innings, India stood at 70 for 6, and Dhoni looking for some support from the other end.

Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar didn't show any appreciation of the fact that there were close to 30 overs still to go, getting out to flashy shots, and soon India were 82 for 8. But Rampaul's fourth wicket came in his tenth over, a maiden, and Taylor and Bravo were nearing the completion of their quotas as well.

Dhoni took the batting Powerplay in the 23rd over, and farmed strike, even refusing singles to RP. Gayle got through the Powerplay overs without much damage, but had to opt against an all-out attack because Bravo and Taylor had only two overs each to go. He also seemed to have sensed that the pitch had eased out, and was happy to contain. Dhoni and RP, meanwhile, batted sensibly.

Dhoni wasn't in the cleanest of touches, but took charge of the rescue work. RP hung around him, and between them they brought up only the fifth 100-run stand for the ninth wicket in ODI history. RP's 23 was his personal best, and Dhoni looked set for what would have been a fifth century. But Bravo and Taylor came back well, making sure India didn't play their full quota. Dhoni was the last to go, for a responsible 95, to a perfect slower ball from Taylor in the 49th over.

If India thought they were carrying some momentum into the defence, they had another think coming. The maiden bowled at the top of the innings, by Praveen Kumar to Gayle, was a false start too. When Morton stood tall and slapped the first ball he faced for four, it confirmed that the pitch held no horrors, at least not after the first few overs in the morning.

That being the case, Gayle took a liking to the medium-pace of Ashish Nehra, RP and Praveen. In the over after that maiden, Praveen's quick reflexes saved his life: the straight pull from Gayle reached the boundary even before one could say "thank god". Gayle immediately put his hand up to apologise.

There was no sense of apology in the way he took the left-arm medium-pacers for 37 runs in their first five overs, killing the contest right there. When Gayle finally fell for a 46-ball 62, Morton had scored just 30. Morton stayed solid after his captain's fall, getting to his tenth fifty and taking West Indies home with 15.5 overs to spare.

Pakistan got 5th position after beating defending champion Argentina 4-1

Lahore, June 19: Pakistan got 5th position after beating defending champion Argentina 4-1 in the position match of Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup at Singapore on Friday. At the end of the first half the match was tied 1-1. Amir Shahzad of Pakistan scored the first goal in 6th minute on penalty corner. Guido Barreiros Lopez of Argentina leveled the goal in 16th minute. Pakistan captain Shafqat Rasool scored the second two goals in 45th minute on penalty corner and in 64th minute field goal. The fourth goal was scored by Abbas Haider in 65th minute. Pakistan team will arrive back to Lahore on Saturday at 1130pm.
Earlier, South Korea beat Spain 4-3 and secured 7th position in the tournament.
Shahzad Malik
Media Manager PHF

Mens Wimbledon - 28/6/2009

3rd Round Tommy Haas (24) def. Marin Cilic (11), 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (3-7), 10-8

3rd Round Igor Andreev (29) def. Andreas Seppi, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5)

3rd Round Andy Murray (3) def. Viktor Troicki (30), 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

3rd Round Andy Roddick (6) def. Jurgen Melzer (26), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3

3rd Round Gilles Simon (8) def. Victor Hanescu (31), 6-2, 7-5, 6-2

3rd Round Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Fernando Gonzalez (10), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

3rd Round Radek Stepanek (23) def. David Ferrer (16), 7-5, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4

3rd Round Tomas Berdych (20) def. Nikolay Davydenko (12), 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

3rd Round Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Jesse Levine, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3

3rd Round Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petschner, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

3rd Round Dinara Safina (1) def. Kirsten Flipkens, 7-5, 6-1

3rd Round Venus Williams (3) def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-0, 6-4

3rd Round Sabine Lasicki def. Svetlana Kuznetsova (5), 6-2, 7-5

3rd Round Melanie Oudin def. Jelena Jankovic (6), 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 6-2

3rd Round Caroline Wozniacki (9) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues (20), 6-2, 6-2

3rd Round Agnieszka Radwanska (11) def. Na Li (19), 6-4, 7-5

3rd Round Ana Ivanovic (13) def. Samantha Stosur (18), 7-5, 6-2

3rd Round Amelie Mauresmo (17) def. Flavia Pennetta (15), 7-5, 6-3

All Wimbledon Results

Michael Vaughn man who led England to more Test victories than any other captain, is expected to announce his retirement from all cricket this week. A press conference has been scheduled for 11.30am at Edgbaston on Tuesday, at which it is widely anticipated that he will call time on his 16-year first-class career.

Vaughan has struggled with injuries to his right knee which kept him out of cricket for over a year between November 2005 and May 2007. In January, he withdrew from the IPL auction to concentrate on getting back into the Test side in time for the Ashes, but still lost out on a place in the 16-man pre-Ashes squad.

Vaughan's timeline December 1999 - Makes England debut in Johannesburg, and impresses with an unflappable 33, despite a scoreline of 2 for 4 January 2000 - Named Man of the Match after scoring 69 to seal a consolation win for England at Centurion, in a match later discredited after Hansie Cronje revelations May 2001 - First Test century, 120 against Pakistan at Old Trafford Aug-Sept 2002 - Makes a Test-best 197 against India at Trent Bridge, closely followed by 195 at The Oval, in a remarkable tally of 615 runs in four Tests January 2003 - Climbs to the top of the world rankings after his third century in five Tests against Australia, a brilliant 183 that secures a consolation win in Sydney July 2003 - Named England captain for the second Test against South Africa at Lord's after Nasser Hussain steps down August 2003 - Secures first Test win as captain, by 70 runs at Trent Bridge August 2003 - England level the series against South Africa with a nine-wicket win at The Oval March 2004 - Leads England to their first series win in West Indies since 1967-68 May-August 2004 - England win all seven Tests in the summer against New Zealand and West Indies January 2005 - A draw at Centurion Park gives England a series victory in South Africa for the first time since 1965 September 2005 - England regain the Ashes after 16 years with a draw at The Oval February 2006 - Breaks down with a knee injury at the start of tour of India. Doesn't play again for nearly a year May 2007 - Makes Test comeback with a century at Headingley against West Indies June 2007 - Resigns one-day captaincy August 2007 - Loses his first home series as captain, going down 1-0 to India August 2008 - Resigns as Test captain following five-wicket loss against South Africa at Edgbaston September 2008 - Retains central contract, but is omitted from winter tours to India and West Indies June 2009 - Overlooked for 16-man preliminary squad for Ashes series

It had been speculated that Vaughan's final appearance for Yorkshire would take place in Sunday's Twenty20 Cup fixture against Derbyshire at Headingley, but he was omitted from the starting line-up for that match. According to Stewart Regan, Yorkshire's chief executive, any official announcement is on hold until Vaughan has met with the ECB, to whom he is still centrally contracted.

"There is a meeting between Michael and the ECB scheduled for tomorrow, and after that it will be up to the ECB to make any formal announcement," Regan told Cricinfo. "Michael has obviously not been selected in the squad today, his place has been taken by Anthony McGrath, and we are very much concentrating on what is a very important game for Yorkshire." An ECB official dismissed the presumed content of the meeting as "speculation".

Vaughan, 34, captained England in 51 of his 82 Tests, and won a record 26 of these, including most famously the two matches that enabled England to regain the Ashes in 2005. But he hasn't played international cricket since stepping down from the captaincy during the home series against South Africa last year, and this season he has made only 159 runs at 19.88 for Yorkshire. The last time he scored a century in a competitive match was for Yorkshire in a 50-over game against Surrey in Abu Dhabi this March.

Aside from the growing acceptance that he will never play international cricket again, not least since Ravi Bopara burst onto the scene at the beginning of the season to nail down the No. 3 slot, Vaughan is believed to be wary of hampering the opportunities of young talent at Yorkshire - among them Jonathan Bairstow, the 19-year-old son of the former England wicketkeeper, David, who made his debut this season.

"If Vaughan really is packing it in I can understand his decision, though it's a sad day for all of us who played in 2005," Steve Harmison told The Mail on Sunday. "He was a great leader on the field. He knew how to get the best out of me, by telling me I was the best bowler in the world. Maybe he was lying, maybe it was kidology but he knew how to press the buttons and we all wanted to play for him."

Vaughan scored three centuries out of a tally of 633 runs in the 2002-03 Ashes that preceded his 2005 triumph, and was one of the few English cricketers whom Australia hold in the highest regard. "I was slightly shocked about Vaughan not getting the inclusion [in the current Ashes squad]," said Brett Lee last week, "more so from what he's done against us in the past, he's got the utmost respect from all our players."

If, as expected, he does call it quits this week, the timing of Vaughan's retirement will serve to spare the current Ashes team endless speculation about his chances of a recall, should early results against Australia go against them. One of his finest achievements as captain was to shield the side against panic in 2005, after a heavy defeat in the first Test at Lord's. The same side was retained for each of the first four matches of the series.

Vaughan is highly likely to remain close to the action this summer, however, as he is sure to be welcomed straight into the Sky commentary box, alongside his former team-mates and fellow

Vaughan expected to announce retirement

Michael Vaughan is expected to announce his retirement from international cricket this week

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