IN BRIEF (Page 23)

NHL

Thrashers fire coach Hartley after dreadful start

ATLANTA: The Atlanta Thrashers have sacked coach Bob Hartley after six straight defeats at the start of the season, the NHL team said on Wednesday.

Executive vice-president and general manager Don Waddell will take temporary charge while a replacement is found, the Thrashers said on their Website (http://thrashers.nhl.com).

"This is always a very difficult decision to make but we feel that this is the best thing for our team right now," said Waddell, whose team is at the bottom of the Southeast division.

"We thank Bob for his service over the last four-plus seasons, but we believe that a new approach is necessary to get the club back on track and compete at the level we feel we are capable of," he added.

Hartley, who was hired on January 13, 2003 as the franchise's second head coach since it was formed in 1997, led the Thrashers to their first Southeast division championship last season.

TENNIS

Nadal overcomes Baghdatis to set up Murray clash

MADRID: World No 2 Rafael Nadal recovered from an unsteady start to overpower Marcos Baghdatis 6-4 6-4 in the Madrid Masters on Wednesday and set up a mouth-watering last-16 clash against Andy Murray.

Nadal, playing his first competitive match since losing to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the US Open fourth round on September 4, struggled to find his rhythm in the opening games, but eventually settled on the ultra-fast hard court.

The Spaniard got the measure of a fading Baghdatis in the second set, making the crucial break in the ninth game to claim victory at the scene of his triumph in 2005.

"The match against Murray is going to be very tough and I'm sure if he hadn't injured his wrist in Hamburg earlier this year we would be talking of a player who would be in the top two, three, five or six in the world," Nadal told a news conference.

Third seed Novak Djokovic had to shake off a determined challenge from unseeded Fernando Verdasco to win 6-7 6-3 6-3.

CRICKET

Hogg proves invaluable in Australia's one-day success

MUMBAI: Bowler Brad Hogg's incisive variations proved invaluable for world champion Australia in a crushing 4-2 one-day series victory over India.

Left-arm leg-spinner Hogg befuddled the Indians, traditionally good players of spin, claiming 11 wickets in the seven-match series at an economy rate of 4.56.

The Indian batsmen found it difficult to pick Hogg's "wrong one" delivery, which looks like it is going one way but goes the other, especially when trying to score runs off him when the field restriction was still in place.

Skipper Ricky Ponting usually brought Hogg on for his first spell during the second powerplay and the 36-year-old one-day specialist often responded to the challenge.

"He has got a very good wrong one, there is no doubt about that," Ponting said.

"That is one of his best deliveries and I think he is tending to bowl a lot better and a lot more that he used to as well."

(China Daily 10/19/2007 page23)