Yorkshire have defended their decision to release Matthew Hoggard and pointed out the former England seamer turned down a new contract earlier in the year.
The county also claim to be "extremely disappointed" that the 32-year-old chose to break the news himself in an interview with a national newspaper.
Hoggard said he felt he had "effectively been sacked" after learning last week that his contract at Headingley Carnegie would not be renewed.
A statement from Yorkshire read: "The club is extremely disappointed that Matthew broke the news to Monday morning's edition of The Times newspaper.
"The club has every respect for Matthew Hoggard as a player and as a person and had been working over the weekend with Matthew's representatives at the Professional Cricketers' Association to ensure the news broke at a mutually agreeable time, thereby assisting his transition to a new county in the most positive manner possible.
"An extremely competitive two-year contract, with the option of a third year based on performance, was offered to Matthew Hoggard at the beginning of the season; a deal that would have retained his position as one of the highest earners at the county. Matthew turned that contract offer down as he wanted a higher salary and a longer contract.
"The club and player agreed that they would review the situation after the season had ended.
"Over the course of the summer the club has reviewed its playing staff for 2010 and made plans to secure a number of key players.
"This has become increasingly costly due to the tightening of work permit regulations for overseas players and the demand for young England qualified talent."
Hoggard, who has played for Yorkshire for the past 15 seasons and was their top wicket-taker in the LV County Championship this summer, told The Times: "I'm shocked and bitterly disappointed. I think I've been loyal to Yorkshire."
Sports in Brief: U.S. soccer looks ahead to 2010 World Cup
The U.S. soccer team achieved its first goal: getting into the World Cup.
Now the Americans can set their sights on the second goal: getting out of the first round in the 2010 Cup in South Africa.
Of the 19 teams that have qualified for next year's 32-nation field, the United States is among six nations to have reached six straight World Cups, joined by Brazil, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain.
The U.S. team clinched with a 3-2 win at Honduras late Saturday.
"Hopefully, the sky's the limit for us," goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "We've played some big games in the last few years, and I'm hoping that we go down there and we're not afraid of what they throw at us."
Next up is December's draw to determine the three first-round opponents for each team.
Serbia has issued warrants for the arrest of two fugitives suspected of taking part in the fatal beating of a French soccer fan last month. Hooligans attacked French fans in a Belgrade pub before September's Europa League match between Toulouse and Partizan Belgrade and left 28-year-old Brice Taton critically injured. He died in a hospital several days later.
Elsewhere: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out for up to four weeks because of a severely sprained right ankle. . . . England will complain to FIFA about the lit flares that were thrown onto the field during its 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Ukraine on Saturday night, forcing two stoppages.
TENNIS: Serbia's Novak Djokovic won the China Open with a 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic. Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 6-2, 6-4, in the women's final in Beijing.
COLLEGES: Two projected starters for Louisville's basketball team were released from jail yesterday after being arrested the night before on misdemeanor charges of resisting law enforcement. Details were not available.
A university spokesman confirmed that sophomore forward Terrence Jennings and senior guard Jerry Smith (a team captain) were arrested in Jeffersonville, Ind.
The spokesman said basketball coach Rick Pitino was aware of the arrests and the issue would be handled inside the program.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Angel McCoughtry scored 20 points to lead the United States past host UMMC Ekaterinburg, 78-63, in a tournament final in Russia.
OLYMPICS: Hiroshima and Nagasaki - site of atomic bombings in World War II - are teaming up to make a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics that will emphasize world peace.
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said they would form a joint bid committee. The mayors are founding members of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign, which advocates a global ban on nuclear arms.
The announcement came a little more than a week after Tokyo lost its bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
A number of cities have expressed interest in vying for the 2020 Olympics, including Istanbul, Turkey; Budapest, Hungary; and Delhi, India.
RUNNING: Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya won the Chicago Marathon with the fastest ever time on American soil, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 41 seconds on a morning when temperatures never got out of the mid-30s. Wanjiru broke the record set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999 by a full second.
SKATING: Alena Leonova of Russia won the ladies' competition in the annual Finlandia Trophy figure-skating event, and Sinead and John Kerr of Britain won the ice-dance title. Daisuke Takahashi of Japan won the men's title Saturday in Helsinki.
Coulthard caught over-speeding
David Coulthard gave Mumbaikars a taste of Formula One -- he broke every possible speed limit as he zoomed across Mumbai's Sea Link in a Red Bull F1 machine at 260km per hour.
"I have been driving over 200kmph all my life. It is difficult to keep my speed below 100kmph," he said after the drive.
"Apparently there is a speed-limit.. about 50 or 100kms.
But the Maharashtra Government may take action against the organisers. The Maharahstra State Road Development Corporation is looking into whether Coulthard violated the 100 km per hour speed limit.
Much to the disappointment of F1 lovers, MSRDC, which owns the bridge, had asked Coulthard not to drive at over 100kmph, the permissible speed limit on the recently inaugurated Bandra-Worli sea-link.
Brazil favored to reach Under-20 World Cup final
CAIRO — Brazil has already beaten Costa Rica once and is heavily favored to win again Tuesday in the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup.
Brazil last won the tournament in 2003 and will stay on track for its fifth title if it beats Costa Rica in Cairo. In the other semifinal match, Ghana takes on Hungary and is a game away from reaching its third U20 final.
Costa Rica lost its opening match to Brazil 5-0 and faces the daunting task of trying to stop the team's attacking machine again. Brazil has scored 13 goals in five games and spread the goals around.
"Most teams have been playing very defensively against Brazil," Brazil coach Rogerio Lourenco said. "Still, we will be ready to face any formation."
Brazil survived a nervy quarterfinal match against Germany, with Maicon coming off the bench to equalize very late before scoring another in extra time. Krisztian Nemeth also scored twice, both in extra time, as Hungary beat Italy 3-2.
"Once you are into the knockout stage of such a competition, you have to keep your balance and your mindset no matter what score it is," Lourenco said. "The players were able to keep their calm, and they kept believing."
Costa Rica also needed extra time to beat the United Arab Emirates, and coach Ronald Gonzalez sounded far from confident about facing Brazil.
"We are aware of what we have achieved so far and are very contented," Gonzalez said Monday. "Against Brazil you have to concentrate for at least (90) minutes. Against Brazil, we obviously have to pay attention to the way we defend."
Ghana lost to Argentina in the final in 1993 and 2001, and has looked to be the most consistent team so far along with Brazil.
With Hungary's senior team looking likely to again miss the World Cup -- Hungary has not played in football's main event since 1986 -- the nation's despondent fans will get a welcome boost if Hungary beats Ghana.
"We should not think about our personal careers. We must think only that there is a country behind us and they are really hungry for success," Nemeth said. "This country deserves it."
After losing its opening match to Honduras 3-0, Hungary has scored 11 goals in four matches, with Nemeth and midfielder Vladimir Koman getting three each.
"This is the most successful generation. At the (2008) under-19 European Championship we also reached the last four," Hungary coach Sandor Egervari said. "This is a sign that this generation is really strong. I hope they break through."
Koman, however, is suspended for Tuesday's match, as are right back Adrian Szekeres and Egervari -- both were sent off against Italy.
Zsolt Korcsmar will replace Koman as captain, but Egervari said that will be a huge loss.
"We don't have an equivalent player, he is also our playmaker," Egervari said. "The players who replace him will have a very hard job."
Ghana has relied heavily on strikers Ransford Osei and Dominic Adiyiah, the tournament's top scorer with six goals, and the team has successfully mixed athleticism with attacking flair.
"Ghana has made a lot of impact at this tournament," Ghana coach Sellas Tetteh said. "It's a great opportunity for the players to showcase themselves."
Tetteh is wary of Hungary's attacking threat, even without Koman orchestrating attacks.
"They have been very consistent, and it is so clear that they have the fighting spirit," Tetteh said. "They are good passers of the ball and are very quick in attack."
Royal Challengers vs Otago Volts
Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a flying start in their do-or-die clash against Otago Volts in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore, on Monday.
Local boy Robin Uthappa smashed a quickfire 42 from 31 deliveries, that was laced with five boundaries and two sixes, as they put up 79 for 1 after ten overs.
Jacques Kallis also started positively, and was unbeaten on 31 from 29 deliveries, inclusive of three boundaries, despite struggling with a rib injury.
After three quiet overs, Challengers broke the shackles in Dmitri Mascarenhas's second over when Kallis drove him through point for a boundary and Uthappa followed it up by launching him wide of long-on for a six.
It was Uthappa, who was more dangerous of the two, as he hammered straight boundaries in successive overs off Warren McSkimming and Ian Butler to take Challengers to 53 after seven overs.
Kallis seemed to be struggling with a rib injury while running between the wickets but that did not hamper his batting as he set about laying a solid foundation for the batsmen to follow.
Uthappa made sure off-spinner Nathan McCullum was not allowed to settle and launched him once again through wide of long-on for his second six and followed it with a reverse sweep for a boundary in the ninth over.
Part-time leg-spinner Aaron Redmond got the crucial wicket for Otago, dismissing high-flying Uthappa. The Indian batsman tried to play Redmond through the leg side but got a leading edge and was neatly held by Craig Cumming, diving forward, after a fine knock of 42 from 31 deliveries. (75-1, 9.5)
The Uthappa-Kallis 75-run opening partnership in 59 deliveries had given Challengers the perfect foundation in their quest for a huge score in this vital game.
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Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble [ Images ] won the toss and elected to bat against Otago Volts in the Group C match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in Bangalore, on Monday.
It is a do-or-die match for both teams after having lost their opening encounters to South Africa's [ Images ] Cape Cobras. The winner of the match progresses to the Super Eights league stage.
IPL runners-up Royal Challengers made one change to their side, replacing Manish Pandey [ Images ] with all-rounder Balachandra Akhil, who, Kumbles believes, will give them an extra bowling option.
In the earlier match at this venue, Trinidad and Tobago made a winning start to their campaign, shocking Somerset by 44 runs.
Race against time for holding 2010 games
New Delhi: The Commonwealth Games Federation on Monday decided to form an independent panel to monitor the preparations for the 2010 edition of the games in New Delhi and bluntly reminded the organisers that time was the "biggest enemy".
"I have no doubt that the 2010 games can still be great games, provided all corrective measures are taken and there is no further slippage," said Michael Fennell, president of the federation, at a press conference in New Delhi.
"Two years before the games, I had told the OC (organising committee) that time was not your friend and now one year before it, I say time is your enemy. But together, we can defeat it," he said.
"The CGF (Commonwealth Games Federation) Executive Board has decided to establish a high-level, independent, technical review panel, that will monitor the progress (of games preparation). This panel will comprise chairman and other members who will be experts in their field. They would give us monthly report on in an open, transparent fashion," said Fennell.
The Commonwealth Coordination Commission would also maintain its monitoring, he said. "The Commission will continue its visit and they would come next on December 14 to address all key areas and all operational areas."
Fennell said a Chef-de-Missions meeting would be held in March 2010 where the head of the missions would take stock of the progress and return home accordingly. The CGF chief identified infrastructure and security as two important areas and sounded confident with both.
"A great deal has been discussed and achieved. Despite lagging behind, we feel the venues would be ready in 2010 well before testing events. That remains a top priority because venues cannot afford anymore slippage and it should be ensured that the new deadlines are met.
"We fully acknowledge the strong commitment of the Indian and Delhi government to complete the venues and Games Village on time and with due diligence, this can be done," he said.
On the safety aspect of the Games, Fennell said, "During the visit, we also witness the commitment of security. Everyone here for the CGF General Assembly felt they have been operation in a safe and secure environment and this can be extended to the Games itself
Fennell, earlier on Monday, said that the initial reports on India's preparations for the games were not accurate.
"We have come here amidst many reports about Delhi's preparedness, which are not quite accurate. Attention is being paid by the Government of India through (Sports) minister MS Gill, who has assured that all the resources that are necessary to ensure the successful celebration of the games in 2010 will be provided," said Fennell.
Fennell went around New Delhi visiting all the venues and the Games Village that are being constructed for the October 3-14 games next year.
Done in by a Chinaman
October 12, 2009 Somerset were emphatically undone by Trinidad's Chinaman bowler Dave Mohammed and his fellow spinners 76 years after Walter Robbins' famous exclamation - "Fancy getting out to a bloody Chinaman" - on being bowled out by another Trinidadian, Ellis "Puss" Achong. Justin Langer, Somerset's captain, wasn't as evocative as Robbins but he did say his team had been sufficiently warned about Mohammed and legspinner Samuel Badree by Omari Banks, the West Indian offspinner in the county's ranks - to no avail.
Perhaps Somerset were distracted by the sight of three spinners in a West Indian side playing a Twenty20 game but Daren Ganga, Trinidad & Tobago's captain, was unambiguous about his team's strengths.
"In West Indies we still talk about our great 70s pace quartet and what not," Ganga said. "We have quite a few good spinners like Mohammed and Badree in our region. Those in power in West Indies cricket are going in the wrong direction by not giving enough opportunities to the spinners. You need a quality spinner or two to win you Test games. And unless you give chances they are not going to develop. The spinners are very under rated back home by the men in power."
In the here and now, it was almost a joy to see three spinners of different variety - an offie, a leggie and a quality Chinaman - do the strangling act on hapless batsmen. It was Mohammed, who was the best of the lot, Badree landed most of his leg breaks on the correct line and length, and Sherwin Ganga squeezed in his offbreaks to pick up a clutch of wickets.
Langer was the first victim to spin, pulling Sherwin straight to backward square leg. Arul Suppiah charged out only to be beaten in flight and bowled by Mohammed, who also went on to lure Peter Trego to his demise with a loopy delivery. Sherwin stepped in to pick up a bagful as the Somerset lower order swatted at him cluelessly. Both Badree and Mohammed should have got more wickets, had a few plausible lbw decisions gone in their favour. Perhaps even the umpires were shocked by the plethora of spinners from the Caribbean region and didn't quite know how to react.
While Sherwin ended up with the biggest haul, it was Mohammed who was the real star and the toast of the Indian public in Bangalore with his pumped-up celebrations. It must have been a great feeling for him for the last time he played India, many fans would have been mocking him while watching on the television. In 2006, with India pressing for a declaration in the first Test in Antigua, Brian Lara gave the ball to Mohammed. The result? MS Dhoni biffed six sixes in his 51-ball 69 and Mohammed's figures read: 3 for 162 from 29.5 overs. He never played another Test in that series.
Today the highlight came when he removed Trego. As soon as he saw the attempted reverse sweep land in point's hands, he did a somersault, thumped his chest like Tarzan as he lay on the ground, waiting to be mobbed by his team-mates. The crowd roared in delight. It wasn't quite self-redemption for Mohammed as it would only come when he does well against an Indian team but for now, this toast from the public would do just fine.
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