Pritha Sarkar

When Bob Woolmer was appointed Pakistan coach in 2004 he entered a part of the world where only religion exceeds the importance of cricket. In the sub continent where the annual per capita income amounts to just , cricket offers one of the few distractions from the daily grind of surviving on or below the breadline.

Maria Sharapova gate crashed Kim Clijsters's farewell party at the Australian Open on Thursday to set up an historic final showdown with Serena Williams. Comeback queen Williams proved that she still belonged among the elite as she doused the youthful exuberance of Czech 10th seed Nicole Vaidisova 7-6 6-4 with a ruthless exhibition of power-hitting.

United States women will be out to gain a psychological edge over their rivals when the gymnastics world championships begin in Aarhus, Denmark, this weekend. With the 2008 Beijing Olympics less than two years away, the leading nations will be determined to prove their worth under a new scoring system, which will be used at a major global event for the first time.