Test Cricket: Pakistan beat Australia in a Test for the first time in 15 years after a three-wicket victory in the second Test on the fourth day at Headingley yesterday. Pakistan, chasing 180 to win, finished on 180 for seven after resuming on 140 for three. Pakistan's victory ended a run of 13 straight Test defeats by Australia - a record for one country against another - and levelled this two-match series at 1-1.
Cycling: Portuguese racer Nuno Ribeiro, winner of last year's Tour of Portugal, has been handed a two-year ban after testing positive for EPO-Cera during a race, his country's cycling federation said. Ribeiro, 33, had been suspended temporarily by the International Cycling Union from September of last year following the result of an August 3 test.
Tennis: Andy Roddick had to battle a slow start before bludgeoning his way into the semi-finals of the Atlanta Tennis Championships over the opponent he beat for the title in 2001. The American rallied to beat Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a re-run of the final nine years ago which marked the first career ATP title for a teenaged Roddick.
Basket, NBA: Two-time NBA scoring champion Kobe Bryant has undergone surgery to repair his injured knee. Bryant, a 12-time NBA all-star, underwent arthroscopic surgery on the right knee last week. He is expected to be ready for the start of the training camp on September 25. Between then and now, the two-time finals MVP Bryant will be spending time in the gym rehabilitating the knee, the club said.
Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar has denied a report that his blood will be used in a special pictorial "celebration" book on the career of the Indian cricket legend. The mammoth book slated to appear in February is designed to be the "ultimate tribute to a living sporting legend" and "the definitive work on his life and career", publishers Kraken said. Kraken chief executive Karl Fowler was quoted by The Guardian as saying 10 copies of the book would be printed using Tendulkar's blood.
Reds Lose: Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic made his Liverpool debut yesterday, as a young Reds team fell to a 1-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly at Kaiserslautern. Jovanovic, who joined on a free transfer from Standard Liege, played the first 45 minutes before being withdrawn by new coach Roy Hodgson. Ilian Micanski's close-range tap-in was enough to secure victory for the newly-promoted Bundesliga side.
Freak Injury: Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield is set to miss the rest of the Scottish club's pre-season preparations after spilling boiling water on his foot. Langfield will be out for two or three weeks after the accident while making a cup of coffee on Aberdeen's team bus as the squad headed to England for a training camp.
Luis: Deportivo have reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid to transfer Brazilian international defender Filipe Luis to the Europa League champions. The 24-year-old, who joined Deportivo in 2006, passed his medical tests to complete the deal. Spanish media said the player had signed for five years in a deal worth between 10 and 12 million euros.
Veloso: Genoa have signed Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso. The 24-year-old joins fellow Portugal international Eduardo and Luca Toni among Genoa's new arrivals this summer. Veloso will sign for €6.5m plus Alberto Zapater in exchange.
Poyet: Brighton have received a massive pre-season boost after manager Gus Poyet and his assistant Mauricio Taricco signed new four-year deals. The pair, who put pen to paper on their new terms at the League One club's Portuguese training base, joined Brighton in November and their original contracts were due to expire at the end of the 2010/11 season.
New Venue: Colchester will host their first U-21 international in September after being named as the venue for England's U-21 Championship qualifying match against Lithuania. The League One club's 10,000-capacity Weston Homes Community Stadium has already staged both the U-19s and England women's team.
Friendly: Argentina will face World Cup winners Spain in a friendly in Buenos Aires on September 7. The Argentinian FA confirmed they would play host to the world and European champions as part of the Bicentenary celebrations of the May Revolution of 1810. The match will take place at River Plate's El Monumental stadium.
Revolt: The head of Japan's FA, who is spearheading the country's bid for the 2022 World Cup, is to quit following a boardroom revolt over his "forceful" rule. Motoaki Inukai, 68, is expected to be replaced as president by his deputy and long-time FIFA executive committee member Junji Ogura, 71, in a vote today, reports said.