Phelps flies to victory

Olympic superstar Michael Phelps had a lot more trouble with the cold weather than with his competitors Friday at the Santa Clara Invitational swim meet.

Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly by more than 5 1/2 seconds, racing away from the rest of the field to set a meet record of 1 minute, 54.31 seconds - fourth fastest in the world this year.

But then came the toughest part of his evening. Meet officials could not find his clothes, and the swimmer who captured eight gold medals at the Beijing Games last August stood shivering in the chilly air for several minutes with only a large white towel to protect him from the elements.

"It's cold out here, I'm freezing,'' Phelps said. "It's windy and chilly."

While the water is kept at a comfortable competition temperature, Phelps said he could feel the wind in his face during the last half of the race.

"I felt the wind the third 50 (meters)," he said. "Coming off the 100 wall I was feeling, 'Ooh, this is not good.'"

While Phelps had the most dominant victory Friday night, he was not the biggest winner.

That honor went to American Dana Vollmer, who won the women's 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly, and then added her third gold medal of the evening by swimming the anchor leg on the winning 4x100m freestyle relay.

Australia's Meagen Nay won the 400m freestyle, took the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle and added a relay silver medal.

She has had a strong showing on the Australian team's US tour, with seven gold medals at a meeting in Arizona last weekend.

Her teammate Leisel Jones broke her own 2-year-old meet record with a winning performance of 2:23.92 in the 200m breaststroke.

Jones, a six-time Olympic medalist, is skipping the world championships this summer to focus on beauty school. She hopes to open her own salon later this year back home in Australia.

"Waxing, nails, massage, hair - it's a nice way to break up swimming. They're totally different people from athletes," she said of beauty school. "Australians love their day spas."

Katie Hoff, who won three medals for the US at the Beijing Games, pulled out of the 400m freestyle final with a bad cough and her coach, Bob Bowman, said she would skip the final two days of the meet.

Other swimmers might be coughing soon, too, after an unseasonably cold, windy evening.

"It was tough, especially with the wind," said Australia's Brenton Rickard, who won the men's 100m breaststroke. "It kind of slaps you in the face with every breath you take."

The meeting continues on Saturday.

Last lap for SA

FIFA Confederations Cup , Confederation Cup starts today


With the country's president kicking a soccer ball off a stand, South Africa began its one-year countdown to the World Cup at a nearly complete stadium overlooking Nelson Mandela's former Robben Island prison.

“We have made it,” President Jacob Zuma said Thursday at Greenpoint Stadium.

Zuma spoke amid cheers from construction workers and the honking of vuvuzelas, the plastic horns that could become one of the tournament's hallmarks.

The 68,000-seat stadium is to be completed in December. It has come to symbolize the pitfalls and prizes that go with the country's role as the first African nation to hold a World Cup.

The stadium was long delayed by residents angered at the prospect of raucous soccer fans disrupting the tranquility of some of South Africa's most expensive real estate. The cost of $550 million is way more than originally budgeted and there are fears it may become a very expensive white elephant after the whistle blows on the semifinal it hosts.

But it has also provided a platform for Cape Town to launch a $1.5 billion infrastructure program to upgrade transit and other facilities that would otherwise have been neglected. That pattern is repeated in other host cities.

The government says the infrastructure investmentplanned and budgeted while the economy was bloomingwill help create jobs and lift South Africa as it deals with its first recession in 17 years.

“It's the best possible time to have investment,” said Michael Jordaan, the chief executive officer of South Africa's First National Bank. “It is the most wonderful thing that we have a deadline. We have to get the stadium ready and the roads. It's very fortuitous that the timing hits us right now.

“Barack Obama talks about being shovel ready,” Jordaan added. “We're already shoveling.”

But he said the economic benefits of the World Cup were likely overstated and that South Africa still had to overcome many challenges to make the tournament a success.

While international attention has focused on stadium construction and South Africa's ability to protect fans from crime, the biggest stumbling block has been transportation.

All major airports are being upgraded. But plans to create rapid urban bus systems to supplement erratic and often dangerous minibus taxis are being fiercely resisted by taxi drivers who have threatened to wreak mayhem if they are ignored. The government and taxi associations are trying to resolve the impasse, even as construction work continues on bus lanes.

“It is our biggest concern, no question,” Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape province, told delegates at the World Economic Forum.

There are also questions whether there will be enough accommodations for the expected 450,000 fans, and whether South Africa's communications network will be advanced enough to handle the anticipated 15,000 media members.

Zuma, who was elected president in April, dismissed all the worries.

“We have proved to the world that South Africans are special people,” Zuma said. “When we have challenges we always rise to the occasion.”

TODAY'S FIXTURES
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Gul blows Kiwis away

ICC World Twenty20

Umar Gul became the first bowler to claim five wickets in Twenty20 internationals as Pakistan roared back into contention in the ICC World Twenty20 on Saturday.

Needing a win to stay in the competition, Pakistan rode on seamer Gul's amazing figures of five wickets for six runs in three overs to skittle New Zealand out for a paltry 99 in 18.3 overs at the Oval.

Pakistan surpassed the modest target in 13.1 overs for the loss of four wickets to come back strongly after losing their opening Super Eights match to Sri Lanka by 19 runs on Friday.

Teenager Shahzaib Hasan hit four boundaries and two sixes in his maiden international match before he was run out for 35 off 28 balls.

Pakistan lost three wickets in eight balls to slip from 61-1 to 71-4, but Shahid Afridi lifted his team home with 29 not out.

Pakistan and New Zealand both have one win from two games in group F, while Sri Lanka still have two matches to play against the Kiwis and minnows Ireland.

The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals.

Gul sliced through the tail to build on Abdur Razzaq's memorable return to official cricket after two years.

Razzaq, who last played for Pakistan in May 2007, grabbed a wicket off his fourth delivery and another one in his third over to reduce New Zealand to 37-3.

The 29-year-old was called up as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat after breaking links with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Asked to open the bowling by captain Younus Khan, Razzaq had the dangerous Brendon McCullum caught at point before trapping Martin Guptill leg-before.

Gul, brought on as the sixth bowler, struck immediately as Afridi sprinted back from mid-on to catch Scott Styris (22) near the boundary.

The steady seamer claimed four of the last five wickets to leave Pakistan chasing a modest target of 5.5 runs an over.

Scott Styris' 22 was New Zealand's top score on the easy-paced wicket as eight batsmen failed to reach double figures.

Pakistan omitted opener Salman Butt to play 19-year-old rookie Shahzaib Hasan and brought in Razzaq in place of Sohail Tanvir.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori made his first appearance in the tournament following a shoulder injury.

SCORES IN BRIEF
NEW ZEALAND: 99 all out in 18.3 overs (B. McCullum 12, Redmond 15, Styris 22, extras 6; Aamer 1-23, Razzaq 2-17, Afridi 1-17, Gul 5-6)
PAKISTAN: 100 for 4 in 13.1 overs (Akmal 19, Shahzaib 35, Afridi 29 not out, Younus 6 not out, extras 2; Mills 1-28, Vettori 2-20)
Result: Pakistan won by six wickets.
Man-of-the-match: Umar Gul (Pakistan).

Bravo IPL

ICC World Twenty20

West Indies star Dwayne Bravo believes skills picked up at the Indian Premier League (IPL), while his teammates were suffering a Test mauling in England, will be crucial in their World Twenty20 title push.

Bravo took four wickets and then smashed a stylish, unbeaten 66 as West Indies cruised to a seven-wicket victory over defending champions India at Lord's to boost their hopes of reaching the semifinals.

He was promoted up the order to No 4 on Friday and was glad to have seized his chance.

"I just have a love and passion for the game," Bravo said. "I enjoy playing cricket. This is what I was born to do. I was given the opportunity by the captain to go up the order, I grabbed it with both hands."

Bravo came into this tournament on the back of a stint with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, having missed West Indies' unsuccessful tour of England because he wasn't deemed fit enough for Tests following an ankle injury.

"This is my second stint in the IPL, I gained a lot of experience both times. Sharing the same dressing room with some of the best players in the world, you've got to learn a lot. I think that's what I did.

"Since I returned from injury, I have been working very hard at my game and it is nice to see the hard work paying off."

"We are a young team but this is a team that is willing to learn and really looking forward to this tournament."

Meanwhile West Indies captain Chris Gayle challenged his side to overcome the handicap of a congested fixture schedule and repeat their win over India against South Africa.

The West Indies held India to 153 for seven before Bravo saw them home.

But having played in Friday's late game at Lord's they will find themselves in action again in the earlier of two fixtures across London at the Oval on Saturday.

By contrast, tournament favourites South Africa had a day off Friday.

"It would be nice if we could have another evening game," said Gayle.

"We'll just have to set our minds, put this behind us and focus on tomorrow. It's difficult. You might look at it and say it's a Twenty20 but this format of the game is draining mentally.

"We will just have to switch on as quickly as possible."

Medium-pacer Bravo took four for 38 after fast bowler Fidel Edwards had put India on the backfoot with early wickets on his way to fine figures of three for 24.

Hearteningly for the West Indies, this match also showed they could win matches in this format without a major contribution from opening batsman Gayle, dismissed for 22 against India.

Bravo added: "It's nice to see someone actually put up their hand, take the game into their own hands.

"Yes we depend on Chris to get a good start but this is cricket, it doesn't happen all the time. He's in good form and we know before this tournament is over he's going to come good again.

"Our captain had the confidence to shuffle the batting order and we still got the job done. It doesn't matter what number I bat."

Gayle, who hammered 88 in the group win over Australia, said the sometimes wayward Edwards had played a crucial role.

"We had that tremendous start from Fidel Edwards, picking up wickets at the top of the order made it difficult for them to get off to a flyer."

There was also a marked improvement in West Indies' fielding. Not only did Lendl Simmons, who later weighed in with 44, take a brilliant catch running backwards to get rid of Gautam Gambhir, but West Indies' ground fielding was impressive too.

"We have had a discussion about our fielding," Gayle revealed. "We did more catching drills during our warm-up. It's not like we are not working on our fielding, we know it's our downfall. We just have to keep working."

Dhoni bucks India up

ICC World Twenty20

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rallied his side following their seven-wicket World Twenty20 loss to the West Indies by saying history proved they could come back from a reverse at this stage.

Defeat in their Super Eights opener left India on the backfoot. But that was equally the case in South Africa two years ago when a team captained by Dhoni were beaten in the corresponding fixture by New Zealand.

But from then on India went through the rest of the tournament unbeaten and defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final.

India next face England at the Oval on Sunday before completing the second round against tournament favourites South Africa - who earlier this week pulverised the hosts at Trent Bridge.

Against the West Indies, India collapsed to 29 for three before an innings of 67 from Yuvraj Singh helped them recover to 153 for seven.

But they were left powerless in the field by all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's unbeaten 66.

Asked about India's situation, Dhoni told reporters: "This brings the best out of us.

"We'll be under pressure to perform in the next game but that was the story in the last World Cup," the wicketkeeper added.

"After the first (Super Eights) game, every other game was a do-or-die situation for us and we played some of the toughest teams and got through to the finals to win the Cup so it's not like we can't do it again.

"You have to be at your best because some of the teams are playing really good cricket.

Looking ahead, Dhoni said: "Hopefully everyone will come through this and when we're under pressure that's often when India's best performances happen, so when we turn up next for the game against England we will be at our best.

"We are still at the same place we were before this game. We still have two more games and nothing much changes. We're concentrating on the next game because whatever is gone is gone.

"We'll just consider it an off day for us but in this format we have seen some of the best sides losing so we're not worried too much about it.

"Even though we didn't bat well, we still had the firepower to make a game out of it and it ran until the second last over."

Dhoni, who admitted Bravo had "taken the game away from us", said India's batsmen had let the side down.

"On these sort of tracks it (your score) should be at least 160 because the wickets are nice.

"We still really fancied our chances with 153 on the board if we could contain them in the first six overs when Chris Gayle was batting because he can really take the game away from you.

"I think the bowlers did well to contain him but in the middle overs they batted really well and scored runs off the spinners."

S'kara thanks bowlers

ICC World Twenty20

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara believes his side's varied attack is the reason they've remained unbeaten so far at the World Twenty20.

The team have long been known for the quality of their spin bowling yet Pakistan were 35 for three at Lord's on Friday before the likes of off-break ace Muttiah Muralidaran and mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis had come on.

Sri Lanka, despite being restricted to a modest 150 for seven, held Pakistan to 131 for nine as they won their opening Super Eights encounter by 19 runs.

Muralidaran did take two wickets in two balls to get rid of Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi but unorthodox paceman Lasith Malinga weighed in with an impressive three for 17.

Minnows Ireland will try to stop the Lankans in their tracks at Lord's on Sunday with Sangakkara confident the best is yet to come from his side.

"It was a great, all-round effort to defend that total when we should have had 170 or 175," said Sangakkara. "With better options and partnerships, we could have had a more comfortable total."

All-rounder Tillekaratne Dilshan, man-of-the-match against Pakistan for his 46 off 39 balls, added: "It was important we got a good start and we went on from there. We're confident we can finish (the Super Eights) well.

"We're playing very good cricket, we know with Mendis and Murali we can defend 160 against any team. This was always a very important match, a great result and this has given us confidence."

Pakistan captain Younus Khan tried to lead from the front with 50 off 37 balls but was undone by his side side's indiscipline display in the field which saw 20 extras conceded.

"We had a couple of early no-balls and you can't do that in this sort of cricket," he said.

"You then get a free hit and four runs so it's not very good - we had 20 extras today and we lost by 19 runs so it shows how crucial it is in this form of cricket.

"At one stage I was thinking they'd score 200 or something like that, but our spinners did a good job. It's all been about the start for us in this tournament and we've struggled with that for the whole tournament.

"We also struggled with our batting and we only had one good partnership but in a match like this you have to go all the way and not just score twenties and things like that."

Proteas keep winning

ICC World Twenty20


South Africa maintained their unbeaten record at the World Twenty20 with a 20-run Super Eights win over the West Indies at the Oval here on Saturday.

West Indies, chasing 184 to win, were given hope by Lendl Simmons's brilliant innings of 77, which came off just 50 balls with a six and 12 fours.

But when he holed out to left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe his side were 133 for five off the last ball of the 16th over.

And next ball the game was all but up when fast bowler Dale Steyn removed Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Teenage left-arm quick Wayne Parnell took four wickets for 13 runs, including two in four balls to remove openers Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle.

South Africa were on course for a huge total while Herschelle Gibbs (55) and all-rounder Jacques Kallis (45) and Gibbs were at the crease.

But they lost five wickets for 34 runs in 25 balls on a typically good Oval batting pitch, accompanied by a fast outfield, to finish on 183 for seven.

Fast bowler Jerome Taylor, whose second over cost 16 runs, fought back well to finish with three wickets for 30 runs in his maximum four overs.

Parnell's early double strike left the West Indies 13 for two but Simmons counter-attacked with three fours off Kallis.

Dwayne Bravo, whose unbeaten 66 at Lord's on Friday led the West Indies to a seven-wicket win over defending champions India, could only manage 19 before he holed out against van der Merwe.

But two more superb boundaries from Simmons against off-spinner Johan Botha kept the West Indies on course.

However, occasional spinner Jean-Paul Duminy struck second ball to have Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught and bowled cheaply to leave the West Indies 91 for four in the 12th over and they struggled to recover.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith and fellow opener Kallis prospered early on against the West Indies quicks.

But spin, as it has so often done at this tournament, yielded a wicket.

Left-armer Sulieman Benn troubled Smith before the left-hander steered him straight to Andre Fletcher at point, having made 31 off 18 balls with six fours.

Another fifty stand, between Kallis and Gibbs kept the runs coming briskly before Kallis holed out off medium-pacer Simmons to Kieron Pollard for a 31-ball 45.

Gibbs pressed on, hoisting Simmons for a huge six over wide long-on. But soon after completing a 33-ball fifty, featuring that six and seven fours, Gibbs exited when he chipped Pollard to Taylor at mid-on.

That left South Africa 136 for three in the 15th over but the West Indies' revival saw them fall short of 200.

West Indies complete their Super Eights programme against hosts England at the Oval on Monday with South Africa facing India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

SCORES IN BRIEF
SOUTH AFRICA: 183 for 7 in 20 overs (Smith 31, Kallis 45, Gibbs 55, De Villiers 17, Morkel 10, Boucher 17 not out; Taylor 3-30)

WEST INDIES: 163 for 9 in 20 overs (Simmons 77, Bravo 19, Chanderpaul 8, Sarwan 8, Ramdin 8; Steyn 2-30, Parnell 4-13, Van der Merwe 2-30)
Result: South Africa won by 20 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Wayne Parnell.

Shilpa Shetty become Vogue cover girl

"Kabhi kabhi jeetne ke liye kuch haarna bhi padta hai ....aur haarkar jeetne walon ko Baazigar kehte hain"
If you were to guess the name of the cover girl of the latest edition of Vogue, the above line would definitely make sense. Not just for the reason that it's from her debut film but also because it suits her more than to anyone else this season. With her IPL team Rajasthan Royals' not making it to the finals, Shilpa Shetty did face a defeat recently. But, not the one to sob, Shilpa is raring to go and how! She can be seen sizzling while looking her curvaceous best on the cover of the recent edition of Vogue.
If the title 'The Business of being Shilpa Shetty' is anything to go by, then, it's totally needless to say that the story angle is surely tilting to more of Shilpa - the businesswoman as compared to Shilpa - the actress. Validating this is none other than her 'Prince Charming' Raj Kundra, who says "I saw the international appeal Shilpa had and suggested she make a brand of herself. She's taken to business like a fish to water. I call her India's Martha Stewart".
While talking about the change in her life, Shilpa says, "I like the idea of reinventing myself, of moulding and enhancing one's personality...I am not someone you would call a conventional beauty". To read more about Shilpa - the businesswoman, pick up the latest copy of Vogue.