England’s Spinning Wheels

Pakistan stunned England by 72 runs in the second Test, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

England were bowled out for 72 runs as Pakistan defeated England in the second Test.

The much-awaited England-Pakistan series is over after two matches, hence we do our series report now, as the story of any series is much truer while it was still open.  

UAE’s pitch conditions changed dramatically from the past, as this time there was a very concerted effort to provide result pitches – a lot of credit to the authorities. A good turning pitch resulted – with even bounce and equal opportunity for both sides. Pakistan displayed the better ability to play spin, and bowl it.

England’s failure to beat the conditions, however, does not bring the world’s number one Test side any disgrace (like the previous incumbent’s performances in England did, and indeed, India’s parallel performances in Australia have). They competed well, especially in the second Test when they even got the first innings lead and put themselves in a winning position. Their feeble fourth innings performance of 72 all out notwithstanding, a lot of credit is due to a fighting Pakistan for just never saying die.

However, England will rue the fact that they’ve not made any progress in improving their subcontinent record – and continue to stay at the same place.

These are the series figures - conventional averages/tallies in the first four columns, IMPACT numbers in the next three.  

NOTE: All IMPACT numbers between 0 and 5.

It is very rare to see a Test series like this. The five highest impact players are all spinners (though Hafeez is also up there for his batting).

Given that, Stuart Broad’s performance is nothing short of magnificent – he was the only fast bowler who looked threatening on these pitches. His second innings knock of 58 in the 2^nd Test should have been a match-winning one too. Unfortunately for England, that was his only outstanding performance with the bat in the two Tests, but it almost brought him an all-rounder’s status for the series (crossing an IMPACT of 1 in more than one function).

Hafeez and Swann were the only players who produced all-round performances in the series, both in different directions. Swann the bowling all-rounder, Hafeez the batting.

Saeed Ajmal is easily the Man-of-the-Series and the fundamental difference between the two sides. He achieves a perfect IMPACT of 5 for the series, not a common occurrence in Test cricket. Hopefully he will not overlooked for the award, regardless of what happens in the 3^rd Test, like Hilfenhaus was in the series going on in Australia.

Abdul Rehman was the second-best Pakistani bowler in the series – his 6 for 25 in his fourth bowling innings pretty much ended the series. However, Panesar, in the only Test he played, had a higher impact than him in the series. England will rue not playing him in the first Test.

Misbah ul Haq and Asad Shafiq absorbed the most pressure with the bat in the series for Pakistanwhile Matty Prior and Swann did so for England.

Hafeez (Batting IMPACT 3.22) and Shafiq (2.70) were the best two Pakistani batsmen while Prior(2.01) and Trott (1.82) were the best batsmen for England. Just this difference in their IMPACT numbers reveal quite a bit.

The big guns of English batting Pietersen and Bell (and Morgan) did not even cross an IMPACT of 1 in the series. Cook and Strauss barely did – and therein lies the story of England’s failure in the series.

The Team Series IMPACT for Pakistan so far is 2.48 as compared to England's 1.72. This indicates it hasn’t really been as close overall as it seemed during the second Test.

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Misbah shines to lead Pakistan from darkness

Coach Mohsin Khan and Captain Misbah ul Haq

Following the Pakistan cricket team has often been a veritable health hazard for their supporters, pledging allegiance to a supremely talented but highly fractious bunch that would veer from the sublime to the ridiculous in the blink of an eye.

Even at the start of this decade, the team functioned more like a secret society where any newcomer would struggle to breathe in a dressing room polluted by air thick with suspicion.

Not so long ago, local media would report stories about senior players holding clandestine meetings at a former captain's residence to take an oath to betray the incumbent.

A former coach would call the players "mentally retarded" and a captain would blame poor fielding on team mates busy ogling girls in the outfield.

Of course, any players named denied the allegations.

Even for such a disjointed side, the 2010 spot-fixing scandal would mark a new low, culminating with the imprisonment of the then captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for agreeing to bowl deliberate no-balls in the Lord's test against England.

Less than a year-and-a-half on and Pakistan have not only survived the crisis but emerged stronger under Misbah-ul-Haq's understated captaincy, reveling in consistency and shrugging off their notorious unpredictability.

Misbah and his men have clearly banished the nightmares of their previous meeting with England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead against the same opponent in a 'home' series in the UAE and are eyeing a clean sweep.

The latest success follows their series victories over New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in a highly rewarding 2011 when they won six of the 10 tests, losing just one.

"After the spot-fixing scandal the players discussed things and we unanimously agreed that we need to just do well," Misbah recently told the Geo News channel.

"I am happy that we have been playing with lot of focus, dedication and discipline. The players have lots of faith in each other and their abilities to perform under pressure."

Forced to host teams in the Gulf due to security concerns, Pakistan have achieved a great deal under the quiet stewardship of a 37-year-old captain who is unlike any of his predecessors.

Misbah does not warrant comparison with either Inzamam-ul-Haq or Younus Khan as a batsman, lacks Shahid Afridi's flamboyance and is not as articulate as Butt at presentation ceremonies.

WELL-KNIT UNIT

However, shoehorned into captaincy after Butt's ignominious exit, Misbah has achieved what most others could not.

He has won eight of the 12 tests he has been in charge of the team and is yet to lose a series as skipper.

More importantly, Pakistan finally look like a well-knit unit of honest triers who have complete faith in their phlegmatic leader and his single-minded pursuit of victory.

"It's better to win by playing defensively, instead of losing by playing aggressively," Misbah said before the start of the series against England.

This safety-first approach is hardly a surprise, coming from a man whose fatal scoop shot in the final of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup allowed arch-rivals India to walk away with the trophy.

Misbah may not have secured his place among Pakistan's great captains yet but in the first two tests against world number one ranked England, he has shown tactical acumen and flexibility to get the best out of his team mates.

In absence of Asif and Amir, Umar Gul is relishing leading an inexperienced pace attack while spin twins Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman have ruthlessly exposed the technical deficiencies of the English batsmen.

The second test in Abu Dhabi was a proof of the team's never-say-die attitude and Misbah's excellent captaincy.

With England chasing a meagre 145-run victory target, Misbah opened with Mohammad Hafeez's gentle off-breaks and withdrew Gul after just three overs so that he could unleash the Ajmal-Rehman dynamic duo on the tentative batsmen.

Vindicating his decision completely, the spin trio shared all 10 wickets, shooting out England for 72 in just over 36 overs for a memorable series-clinching victory.

For their volatile fans, it was a heart-warming display of the team's collective grit and many would believe Misbah applied some of the management lessons he learnt as a degree student in Lahore.

It is this steady progress that convinced coach Mohsin Khan that Pakistan, currently ranked fifth, can become the top test playing nation.

"I think this team has the capacity to become the world's best team," he said in Abu Dhabi.

"Our target should be to gradually come in the top three in both tests and one-day cricket, and then gradually go to world number one."

It's Prime Time

The best and worst from the New England Patriots media day session

The New England Patriots held their Super Bowl media day session on Tuesday morning. Shutdown Corner has an instant recap based on NFL Network's live coverage of the event. Check back later in the day for Doug Farrar's thoughts from Indianapolis.

• Like Helen Thomas in a $2,000, six-buttoned suit, Deion Sanders had the prestigious honor of asking the first question to Tom Brady at media day. He asked how Brady's fifth Super Bowl was different than the other four. Like a seasoned veteran, Brady responded with a cliche about how every game is a different experience.

• Bill Belichick answered the same question from Deion with that exact phrasing.

• Brady said he told injured tight end Rob Gronkowski to write "mom, I love you," on his ankle during Sunday's game. RULE BREAKER! The quarterback figured the message would get out since it will be photographed hundreds of times.

• Sagacious medical advice was provided during NFL Network's broadcast, courtesy Drs. Marshall Faulk and Warren Sapp. The Julliard-trained physicians provided in-depth medical analysis of Rob Gronkowski's ankle. Sapp believes Gronk should have been wearing a compression wrap. Faulk concurred.

• NFLN showed interviews with Brady, Gronkowski, Belichick, Wes Welker, Vince Wilfork and Chad Ochocinco. What, you were expecting Sergio Brown?

Most depressing sight:

Chad Ochocinco, not at a podium, getting interviewed next to little-used defensive back Nate Jones.

Most depressing quote:

"What do I need a podium for? I got 3 million followers on Twitter. That's my podium." - Ochocinco to Deion, who was trying to make Ochocinco

Most Deion-centric Deion Sanders question:

"What do I always say about you on NFL Network?" -- Deion to Wes Welker. Welker guessed that Deion said he was tough. The answer was "I love me some Wes Welker."

Hard-hitting questions:

"The boot. Is the fact that it's not there a sign of improvement?" -- NFLN's Lindsay Soto to Gronkowski. The tight end laughed before composing himself and responding that, yes, not having a huge walking boot on his foot was better than having a huge walking boot on his foot.

"What do you do with all your Super Bowl rings? Do you have one as a toe ring?" -- Unidentified ONN reporter to Tom Brady, delivered while standing next to Maurice Jones-Drew.

Most honest answers:

"They're gonna have to." -- Welker when asked whether the Patriots would have to pay him after he has a big game in the Super Bowl.

"When you work for Bill Belichick, there's only one cook in the kitchen. And we're all just dishwashers." -- Offensive coordinator and new Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien.

By the numbers:

59 -- Number of times Deion Sanders referred to himself in the first person

1 -- Fan sitting in the front row eating nachos at 9:40 a.m. ET

3 -- Televised Deion hugs

4 -- Close-ups of Rob Gronkowski's socks

3 -- Number of times during the 60-second clip shown on NFL Network that Bill Belichick responded to a question with a one-sentence response

7 -- More minutes that NFLN devoted to Ochocinco than Ochocinco will likely play on Sunday

James, Heat Escape With 97-93 Win Over Bulls

LeBron James scored 35 points, while reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose wasted two chances in the final 23 seconds and the Miami Heat escaped with a 97-93 win Sunday over the Chicago Bulls.

Chris Bosh scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds for the Heat, who never trailed — but this win in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals was not easy. Dwyane Wade added 15 points for Miami.

Rose scored 34 points for Chicago, but missed a pair of foul shots that would have given Chicago the lead with 22.7 seconds left. He had made all 29 of his free throws in the fourth quarter this season.

And Rose had a shot to tie in the final seconds, but his short jumper bounced off the rim.

Bosh sealed it with two free throws with 0.1 seconds left for Miami, which has now won five straight over the Bulls — counting the last four games of last season's East title series.

Both sides said this game was supposed to be just another regular-season matchup, one without extra meaning.

So not true.

The Bulls erased what was a 12-point deficit and tied the game at 84 on a brilliant layup by Rose with 6:55 left. The Heat answered with a 10-2 run, before Rose's three-point play with 49.1 seconds left cut the lead to 94-93.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James 

After the second miss, Bosh appeared to emerge with the rebound, but an inadvertent whistle led to a jump ball. James outleaped Taj Gibson, getting the ball to Mario Chalmers, who made one free throw for a two-point lead.Rose then lost the ball on a drive, but drew contact from Miami's Udonis Haslem and went to the line with Chicago down one with 22.7 seconds left. Rose's first hit the front of the rim and bounced away, and his second rimmed out. James grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Joakim Noah — only to miss both free throws himself.

Chicago wound up getting one last chance with 9.9 seconds left, calling time-out. Naturally, it went to Rose, who weaved his way into the lane — but came up short. Bosh got the rebound, and Miami began celebrating.

Rip Hamilton and Noah each scored 11 for Chicago, which got 10 apiece from Ronnie Brewer and Carlos Boozer.

The Bulls played without forward Luol Deng and guard C.J. Watson, both sidelined with wrist injuries. Watson may be back in Chicago's lineup as early as Monday, and Deng — who has a torn ligament in his left, non-shooting, wrist — is "very close" to a return, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Miami took an 11-point lead early in the fourth on back-to-back 3-pointers from Shane Battier and James. The Bulls roared back, as they did for most of the day whenever the Heat seemed on the cusp of taking control.

They just never got the lead, despite Rose's best efforts.

"Two sick moves by D-Rose," Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant tweeted as he watched the game, marveling at two layups by Rose that knotted the game at 84.

Insistence that this was "just another game" notwithstanding, Miami started quickly. Wade appeared a bit more emotionally charged than usual after joining his teammates in the pregame huddle, and the Heat ran out to a fast early edge.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say they "jumped" out to that lead.

Fresh Twist in Tevez Saga as Liverpool offer misfit Carroll in exchange for city outcast

Liverpool made a last-ditch attempt to get rid of flop striker Andy Carroll - by offering him to Manchester City in exchange for Carlos Tevez.

The Anfield club made an enquiry about the Argentine forward last week but their offer of a straight swap was immediately rebuffed.

Kenny Dalglish's side has struggled for goals since Luis Suarez was suspended for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

England striker Carroll has endured a particularly frustrating season but showed signs of his ability in Liverpool's 2-1 FA Cup win over United on Saturday.

But he has scored only six goals in 35 appearances since his staggering £35million move from Newcastle.

Tevez meanwhile has not played for City since September and was expected to leave the Premier League during the January transfer window.

But potential moves to AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain fell through, leaving the forward in limbo.

2 for Wambach, Morgan; US women beat Canada 4-0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—With a flick of the head, Abby Wambach sent Alex Morgan on a 30-yard run that gave the United States an early lead, the first of three goals resulting from impeccable teamwork between the veteran and the up-and-comer.

There’s no question that Wambach, now the second leading goal-scorer in women’s soccer, will be at the front of the attack for the U.S. women’s soccer team at the London Olympics. The emerging question is whether Morgan 

should be starting as well.

Wambach and Morgan scored two goals apiece Sunday night in the Americans’ 4-0 victory over Canada in the championship game of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, a match that was essentially for bragging rights between two teams that had already earned their berths for the Summer Games.

“I’m not going to lie. I think we play really well together,” Wambach said. “Her skill set is completely opposite of mine, and that just makes for a nightmare for any defenses. She’s so fast. Not only is she fast, she’s so strong on the ball.”

Wambach’s head-flick provided the assist on Morgan’s goal in the fourth minute, then Morgan assisted in the 24th and 28th as Wambach pushed her career total to 131 goals, one ahead of longtime U.S. captain Kristine Lilly. The 31-year-old forward said last week that it’s only a matter of time before she or Canada’s Christine Sinclair topple Mia Hamm’s record of 158, but that’s still a few years off.

“Lill emailed me a couple of days ago,” Wambach said. “And she says `How about you go ahead and tie me already, and then why don’t you go ahead and beat me already? But don’t make it a toe-poke, make it a nice goal.’ And I think those two goals were great goals for us.”

Wambach left for a sub at halftime, but Morgan continued merrily on, scoring her second goal in the 56th after running onto a long ball from Lauren Cheney.

Morgan has become the Americans’ super-sub, bringing energy and lightning-fast scoring potential off the bench at last year’s World Cup. She’d prefer to start—and she admits she was mad when she sat the entire game against Mexico last week—and she took advantage of a spot in the first 11 on Sunday to show that is perhaps where she belongs.

“If we play tomorrow, I’d say yes,” coach Pia Sundhage said. “When we go to Algarve Cup (next month), I don’t know. That’s the beauty of the team we have right now. We will still change the starting lineup quite a bit. Regardless of who we pick, it will be a good team. But she brought something special today with Abby.”

Sundhage has been starting games with a Wambach alone at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation. Playing Wambach and Morgan together, as the coach did Sunday, makes it a more traditional 4-4-2—and it worked magic from the opening whistle.

When Carli Lloyd hit a long ball early in the game, Wambach knew that all she had to do was nod it to on to Morgan, who used her power and speed to fight off two defenders. Canada’s Candace Chapman did everything but pull Morgan to the ground, but instead it was Chapman who ended up on the turf as Morgan finished off a left-footer from 12 yards.

Morgan then supplied the cross for Wambach’s header to make it 2-0, then collected a rebound and slid the ball to Wambach again for an easy right-footer from 7 yards four minutes later.

Wambach and Sinclair started the game tied at 129 goals, but the anticipated head-to-head matchup between two of the game’s greats turned out to be as lopsided as the final score. Sinclair, whose nine goals led all scorers in the tournament, found herself bottled up by U.S. defenders. The better scoring chances were left to Christina Julien, who was twice stymied point-blank by goalkeeper Hope Solo in the first half.

Solo played every minute of the tournament despite a slight pull of her right quadriceps suffered before the second game. The Americans outscored their opponents by a combined score of 38-0 over five games.

The U.S. and Canada were playing for the 50th or 51st time—there’s some disagreement between the two sides over a game that might or might not have taken place in the 1980s—but either way it’s been a series of American domination. Canada has only three wins and five draws, its last victory coming 11 years ago in a tournament in Portugal.

Even a sellout crowd of 25,427 at BC Place—the second-largest ever for a Canada home game—failed to rally the underdogs, who have much work to do to catch up with the Americans before heading to London.

“From what we can see, the naked eye will tell you, there’s a bit of a gap there,” Canada coach John Herdman said. “We can close that gap. I’m absolutely sure.”

Epic final sets up Djokovic grand slam bid

 Novak Djokovic, Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open awards ceremony 

Rod Laver was the last man to complete the grand slam back in 1969 and after Novak Djokovic's astonishing win in the Australian Open final it looks like the Serb could be next.

Laver was watching at Melbourne Park as Djokovic claimed his fourth grand slam title in 12 months. And if his blistering run of form continues and he wins the French Open in June he will hold all four major titles at once.

The true grand slam—winning all four trophies in a single calendar year—will also need him to retain his Wimbledon and US Open titles.

Many would bet on Djokovic succeeding where both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have failed, after the once delicate world number one survived a record 5hr 53min slugfest with the snarling Spaniard.

"You're in pain, you're suffering, you know that you're trying to activate your legs, you're trying to push yourself another point, just one more point, one more game," he said afterwards.

"You're going through so much suffering your toes are bleeding. Everything is just outrageous, you know, but you're still enjoying that pain."

Important victories seem to spur Djokovic to greater heights. After winning the 2010 Davis Cup with Serbia, he compiled a 43-match winning streak which was only halted by Federer after six months in the French Open semi-finals.

Fact file on Novak Djokovic

Last year he collected the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open trophies among 10 titles, and went 70-6 despite struggling with injury from September onwards.

Now Djokovic is targeting the French Open, the only major to elude him, which would make him a strong bet to complete the elusive grand slam.

"I'm prioritizing grand slams this year, as every year, and Olympic Games. I think that's one of my highest goals," he said.

"So I want to do well and I want to get to my first final at least in Paris. I have never been in the final there, and I have a feeling that I'm ready this year to achieve that."

Sunday's final, which stretched into the early hours of Monday, proved Djokovic has the capacity to tough it out, something which had seemed in doubt earlier in his career when he was known for pulling out of big matches.

And from regular beatings at the hands of Federer and Nadal, the Serb is now the man handing out the punishment.

"I was in that position a couple years ago, you know, losing most of the semi-finals and finals against him (Nadal) and Roger in grand slams so I know how it feels," he said.

"I really thought what I said sincerely on the court, is that unfortunately there had to only be one winner because we both gave it all. We both put 100 percent of our abilities on the court and played to the last moment.

"Unfortunately there couldn't be two winners, but he definitely deserved to be a winner as well tonight. You know, I would be saying same thing if I'm sitting here as a loser."

And for Djokovic, winning his third Australian Open title in front of Laver, who was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first of his two grand slams, gave the occasion added significance.

"I'm very proud just to be part of this history, part of the elite of the players that have won this tournament for several times," he said.

"I was very flattered to be playing in front of Rod Laver, in front of the all-time greats, and in front of 15,000 people that stayed until 1:30 am.

"It's incredible, really."

Woods falters as Rock wins in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Robert Rock held his nerve Sunday to beat U.S. Open championRory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship for the biggest win of the Englishman’s career.

The 117th-ranked Rock shot a 2-under 70 for an overall 13-under 275 to beat the 22-year Northern Irishman by a shot and the 14-major winner by two. Woods finished in a tie for third with Thomas Bjorn (68) and Graeme McDowell (68).

Woods started the final round tied for the lead with the unheralded Rock. He appeared poised to win his second tournament in a row after ending a two-year winless drought with victory last month at the Chevron World Challenge.

Tiger Woods from U.S.

But the control Woods displayed for much the weekend abandoned him Sunday and it was Rock who held it together down the stretch.

“I didn’t hit the ball as well as I would like to,” Woods said. “Today I was just a touch off. I was righting the ball through the fairways. I was hitting the ball a little bit further than I thought I would … So something to look at, and something to try and figure out.”

Woods started strong and it looked like he might pull away from Rock, sinking a 40-footer on No. 2 for a birdie and then chipping to within a foot of the cup for a second birdie on the 3rd. But Rock—who said Saturday he was a bit overwhelmed to face his idol—didn’t blink. He also birdied the first two of three holes to keep pace.

Then Woods began to unravel.

He started spraying his drives into the thick rough and fairway bunkers, resulting in the first of three bogeys. When Woods wasn’t missing the fairways, he was scrambling to save par as he did on the 11th when overshooting the green. As he approached his shot in deep rough just off the 11th green, he sighed heavily and let out a stream of obscenities under his breath.

Woods managed to save par on 11 by sinking a 12-footer and Rock just missed a birdie putt. Woods pumped his fist and appeared to be regaining the momentum when he pulled within one shot of Rock on No. 13 when the Englishman had one of his three bogeys. But the 34-year-old Rock birdied two of the next three holes to seize control.

Rock wobbled on the 18th when his drive landed in a pile of rocks near the water—forcing him to take a drop. But he recovered beautifully, reaching the green in four and then two-putting for the win.

The loss is the second straight time Woods has failed to win with at least a share of the lead after 54 holes. He lost the Chevron World Challenge in 2010 after going into the final round with a four-shot lead over McDowell.

Woods acknowledged it wasn’t the way he wanted to start the 2012 season but said he took solace from the control he showed the first three days and the putts he made over the final three days. He missed out on his 84th win and the fifth time in nine years to open the season with a victory.

“Obviously the ultimate goal is to win and I didn’t win,” Woods said.

“I hit the ball good enough to win the golf tournament this week,” he said. “Today I just didn’t give myself enough looks at it. Most of my putts were lag putts. I didn’t drive the ball in as many fairways as I should have. Some of the balls were running through. Other balls, I was just missing. It was a day I was just a touch off off the tee and consequently I couldn’t get the ball close enough to give myself looks.”

A new Hope: with Olympics on the line, U.S. keeper plays her best game in win over Costa Rica

U.S. keeper Hope Solo lunges as a first-half shot hits the crossbar  Friday

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Through the first three matches of Olympic qualifying, arguably the biggest American star off the pitch had been primarily an afterthought on it; U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, ofDancing With The Stars and nude ESPN photo shoots fame, had played reasonably well and recorded three clean sheets, but she hadn't been particularly tested. That changed in Friday's crucial semifinal, as Solo had her top game of the tournament precisely when the U.S. required it, making several critical saves to help the 

U.S. keeper Hope Solo lunges as a first-half shot hits the crossbar Friday.

Americans to a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica and a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. American coach Pia Sundhage said afterwards that Solo's world-class play gave the U.S. a crucial edge.

"We have Hope Solo," Sundhage said. "No other country has Hope Solo."

Solo's presence proved quite essential for the Americans on Friday night. Costa Rica came flying out of the gate and pressed hard right from the opening kickoff, and although the U.S. was able to take a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute off a Tobin Heath header, they were rather fortunate to get into halftime without conceding a goal. A key part of that was thanks to the play of Solo, who made several spectacular saves, including one off a partial breakaway where she raced out at just the right moment to block the attacker's shot.

"I was quick off the line, I was happy about that," she said afterwards. "I haven't had a whole lot of games since the World Cup, so being able to read the ball coming through from the back line bought my players time to get back. I got off my line quickly, I read it well, and thankfully, because I didn't get it cleanly in my hands, my defenders were there to back it up."

It's that absence that made Solo's play even more remarkable. While many of her teammates had plenty of soccer this fall, Solo was tearing up a different stage on Dancing With The Stars. After the game against Mexico on Tuesday, she said she was still working her way back into her best form.

"I'm just coming back from some time off, and I'm just trying to get my quickness back, my fitness back, my kicking back" she said. "I'm nowhere near where I want to be. ...That's the great part of being an athlete, you always want to be better."

U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo winds up for a throw Friday.Solo was also dealing with a quad injury, which made her availability for this game an open question less than 24 hours before kickoff. That didn't seem to hamper her much Friday, though. Solo did get some help, particularly when a long blast from Carol Sanchez went off the bar and Costa Rica couldn't bury the rebound, but her performance was still massive for an American team that ran into fierce opposition.

If it was Solo's best game of the tournament, it was required only because it was also Costa Rica's top showing. This was not the side that barely escaped with 2-0 victories against Haiti and Cuba before being pummeled 5-1 by Canada Monday. This Costa Rican squad looked like an entirely new team, and they brought an intensity and fire that heretofore hadn't been seen from them. They played a physical style that stifled the American attack, but they were also willing to sally forth in attack and created plenty of chances. That forced Solo into making more and tougher saves than she'd had to thus far in the competition, and the U.S. squad should be very thankful she was able to make them, as a Costa Rican goal could have turned the tide.

Instead, the Americans hung on until Abby Wambach's 72nd-minute shot went off Costa Rican keeper Erika Miranda. It was cleared off the line by a defender, but the clearance went straight to Wambach, who headed it across the box to Carli Lloyd. Lloyd, the hero of the U.S. win over Mexico, again made no mistake, driving a blast home from the top of the box and giving the Americans a two-goal cushion. Costa Rica kept pressing, but substitute Alex Morgan's 89th minute goal sealed their fate and ensured that it would be the U.S. moving on to London.

Afterwards, Solo said that although the team's play wasn't perfect, they'll take the win.

"We put together a great, great game," she said."You can't always win four, five, six-nothing against every team. Not every team's going to play perfectly every single game, but we got the job done. We did what we had to do."

Sundhage added if Solo plays at the level she showcased Friday, that bodes very well for the U.S. moving forward into the Olympics.

"She really needs to bring her game every time she plays," Sundhage said. "It's good for her, good for the team, and good for me."

Casey Stoner wants Valentino Rossi's Ducati team to challenge for title

Casey Stonner

Moto GP world champion Casey Stoner has said for the good of the competition he wants to see Ducati and Valentino Rossi mount a serious challenge this year.

Rossi, 32, struggled in his first season on the Italian bike and failed to win a single race for the first time since his 125cc debut season in 1996.

Honda's Stoner won 10 races in 2011 to beat Jorge Lorenzo to the title.

"I'm hoping [Ducati] can put together a competitive bike this year because the championship needs it," he said.

"Regardless of what the riders want, everyone needs as many manufacturers at the front as possible."

The 26-year-old Australian, who has won the title twice, expects Yamaha's Lorenzo, from Spain, to again be his main rival when the new season starts in Qatar on 8 April.

"Jorge was first in 2010 and second in 2011 - he will always be there fighting," he said.

Pakistan humiliate England to take series

Rehman takes 6-25 to shoot the No. 1 ranked side for 72

Abdur Rehman appeals for England captain Andrew Strauss' wicket on Saturday.

Abu Dhabi: Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman took a career best 6-25 to help Pakistan humble England by 72 runs in the second Test here on Saturday, to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 31-year-old twice took two wickets in successive overs to dent England's chase after they were set a 145-run target on a weary fourth day Abu Dhabi Stadium pitch, bowling them out for 72 - their lowest against Pakistan in all Tests.

Rehman's effort overshadowed Monty Panesar's 6-62, in his first Test for 30 months, which finishedPakistan's second innings at 214 in the morning.

This is England's first series defeat after being unbeaten in their previous nine since their loss to the West Indies in early 2009 -- a sequence which saw them rise to world number one in the Test rankings in August last year.

Pakistan won the first Test in Dubai by ten wickets. The third Test will also be played in Dubai from February 3.

Rehman was ably assisted by off-spinners Saeed Ajmal (3-22) and Mohammad Hafeez (1-11) in a match which saw spinners dominate from the first day.

Saeed Ajmal equalled the post-war record for the fastest 100 Test wickets.England lost their top four batsmen in the space of just 37 balls after an extra cautious start on a difficult pitch.

England captain Andrew Strauss topscored with 32 before he became one of Rehman's victims during his maiden five-wicket haul.

In the penultimate over before tea, Rehman trapped Kevin Pietersen (one) and two balls later bowled Eoin Morgan (nought) to raise hopes of an unlikely win for Pakistan.

Sensing they could only upset their rivals through early wickets, Pakistan opened the bowling with off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez who responded well by catching Alastair Cook (seven) off his own bowling after England had edged cautiously to 21 by the 15th over.

Bell, promoted to number three after Jonathan Trott was unwell, was all at sea against master spinner Saeed Ajmal and his tentative push went through his legs to hit the stumps. He made only three.

Pietersen, who has been woefully out of form making just 16 runs in the series, managed one more before Rehman trapped him and in the same over had the equally out of form Morgan bowled to dent England's hopes of a victory.

Rehman then accounted for Trott (one) and Stuart Broad (nought) in the same over to leave England 7-68.

Ajmal dismissed Graeme Swann (nought) and Matt Prior (18) to complete his 100 Test wickets in his 19th match before Anderson was caught off Rehman to give Pakistan a sensational win.

England's previous lowest against Pakistan was 130 -- made on two occasions at The Oval in 1954 and Lahore in 1987.

Earlier, Pakistan lost their last six wickets with the addition of 89 runs after resuming at 125-4, with all hopes pinned on Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Panesar took three of those wickets to finish with his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests.

Azhar Ali (68) and Asad Shafiq (43) added 88 for the fifth wicket before Panesar struck.

But England's decision to take the second new ball as soon as it was due paid rich dividends as Anderson removed the dangerman Ali with a sharp rising delivery which caught the edge and was caught behind by Prior.

Ali hit eight boundaries during his 195-ball knock.

Broad then had Adnan Akmal (13) caught by Strauss in the slips off an ambitious drive in the next over as Pakistan wilted.

Rehman (10) and Ajmal (17) added an invaluable 36 for the eighth wicket before Panesar wrapped up the innings by taking the last two wickets.