IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Tennis

Czechs name players for Davis Cup semifinal

PRAGUE: Czech Davis Cup captain Jaroslav Navratil on Tuesday named an unchanged squad to face Russia in the April 11-13 semifinals.

Navratil has opted for the same four players who overcame Belgium 3-2 at home in the last round. These are world No 10 Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek, ranked 28th, and doubles specialists Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner, the CTK agency reported citing the general secretary of the national federation, Josef Nechutny.

The match will take place on clay in Moscow. The two teams have competed eight times against each other in the Davis Cup with honors even, although the Russians won the last two encounters after they went down to the deciding tie.

Athletics

CAS to hear Pistorius, Gatlin appeals

NEW YORK: Appeals by South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this month and next, the Lausanne-based court said.

Pistorius' hearing will take place April 29-30 and Gatlin's will follow on May 28-29, CAS said. No location was given for either hearing.

Pistorius, who runs with carbon-fiber blades attached to both legs below the knees, wants to compete at the Beijing Olympics but the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled in January he could not compete against able-bodied athletes.

American Gatlin, the Olympic 100m champion, wants a four-year doping ban for a 2006 positive test overturned or reduced to two years. That would allow him to compete in the American Olympic trials in late June in a bid to defend his title in Beijing.

Cricket

Former Pakistan captain Imran slams Akhtar ban

KARACHI, Pakistan: Former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Javed Miandad slammed the country's cricket board on Tuesday for handing fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar a five-year ban on disciplinary grounds.

"It is totally unacceptable. This ban, it literally ends his career. The board is destroying Pakistan cricket by banning players," Imran told the Express television channel.

Akhtar was banned for repeated disciplinary violations but said he was ready to take court action to fight it.

Imran also criticized the board for banning the players who had signed up to the rebel Indian Cricket League.

"These bans are weakening Pakistan cricket. A fine would have been fine for Shoaib. He has not committed a crime," he said.

"The board must keep in mind that we also need to win matches and keep our pride in international cricket."

Soccer

Report claims Real Madrid chasing Roma midfield duo

MADRID: Spanish champion Real Madrid is interested in signing Roma midfielders Daniele De Rossi and Alberto Aquilani, sports daily Marca reported yesterday.

Real's sports director Pedja Mijatovic was in Rome on Tuesday to "hear from the mouths of the directors of the (Italian) club if it is open to an offer" for these two players, the newspaper said without citing sources.

Roma is unlikely to let 24-year-old international De Rossi go for less than 30 million euros ($47 million), the paper added.

De Rossi, a product of Roma's youth system, has said he wants to stay with the Italian club "for life".

Aquilani, 23, is under contract with Roma until June 2009 but he has said he would like to leave the club, where he is one of its least well paid players.

(China Daily 04/03/2008 page24)