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All-rounder Nathan McCullam scalped a career best six for 90 as New Zeland A bowled out India A for 248 in their first innings on the opening day of their four-day cricket match here today. The off-spinner, who had bowled just 11 overs without success in the tri-series also involving Australia, ran through the inconsistent Indian batting line up, bowling 30.4 overs unchanged from the Pavilion end after being pressed into the attack in the 16th over.

M Vijay (45) and in-form Yusuf Pathan (44) were the main scorers. The hosts failed to take advantage after winning the toss on the flat turf and lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 248 in 75.4 overs in post-tea session.

New Zealand started their reply strongly and were 36 for no loss in 12 overs at close of play with Aaron Redmond (31-41b, 4×4, 1×6) and B J Walting (2) at the crease. McCullum, older brother of Kiwi batsman Brendon McCullum, took wickets at vital times and his victims included Vijay, Captain Suresh Raina (21), Jayadev Shah (38) and Pathan.

Fast bowlers Michael Mason (1/23) and Trent Boult (1/42) and spinner Watling (2/31) gave McCullum good support. After a shaky start losing opener Sahil Kukreja (5) in the fifth over, the Indians recovered well through Vijay (66b, 7×4) and Shikar Dhawan (27-85b, 2×4).

The two appeared to be settling down for a big score when McCullum struck first. He had Vijay snapped up in the slip with a good ball in the 24th over to break the 71-run second wicket partnership.

Pathan, who was dropped by Mason at point off McCullum with his score on one and team total 132/4, and Saha rescued India adding 54 runs for the sixth wicket. Pathan fell going for an unnecessary pull shot just before tea break and was caught at long on by Trent Boult.

Rest of India pacer Munaf Patel was fined 75 per cent of his match fee today for abusing Delhi captain Virender Sehwag during the Irani Cup. Match referee R R Jadeja refused to disclose the fine but it was learnt that Munaf was docked 75 per cent match fee.

“I am sending a report to the BCCI and I cant disclose its content,” Jadeja said. Asked who were present in the hearing, Jadeja said “Delhi were represented by coach Vijay Dahia, while Rest of India captain Anil Kumble, senior player Rahul Dravid and Munaf also attended the season.

” Munaf had a altercation with Delhi opener Akash Chopra, forcing Sehwag to intervene. The pacer reportedly mouthed something foul to Sehwag, which infuriated the Delhi camp.

Subsequently Sehwag lodged an official complain with the match referee and hearing took place today after Rest of India beat Delhi within 4 days to lift the Irani Cup. Incidentally, this is not the first time that the temperamental pacer has found himself in a spot of bother.

During the recent ODI series in Sri Lanka, Munaf was found guilty of verbally abusing Gamini Silva after the Lankan umpire had turned down a leg before appeal.

Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and the rest of the San Diego Chargers simply left no doubt. Frustrated by two gut-wrenching losses, the Chargers raced past nemesis Brett Favre and the New York Jets for a 48-29 victory Monday night in a wild game befitting two original AFL teams.

Rivers threw three touchdown passes, Tomlinson scored his first two TDs of the season and San Diego finally got back at Favre after all these years. They sacked him four times and intercepted him twice, including a 52-yard return for a score by All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

Favre always seemed to come up big on Monday nights with Green Bay. This night, though, he finally lost to the Chargers after beating them five straight times dating to 1993.

San Diego (1-2) looked like the team picked by many to reach the Super Bowl. The Chargers lost their opener to Carolina on the last play, then lost by one point at Denver in a game remembered for referee Ed Hochuli’s blown call that set up the Broncos’ winning score.

Tomlinson, the two-time defending NFL rushing champion, scored on a 2-yard leap to give the Chargers a 38-14 lead in the third quarter. He had been slowed since jamming his right big toe late in the Carolina game. He scored on another 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter, one play after Rivers’ 60-yard pass to Vincent Jackson.

Rivers has thrown three TD passes in every game this season. He was 19-of-25 for 250 yards on Monday, while Tomlinson had 67 yards on 26 carries, his third straight game under 100 yards.

Favre had three touchdown passes for the Jets (1-2), including fourth-quarter TD throws of 4 yards to Chansi Stuckey and 13 yards to Dustin Keller. The 38-year-old Favre was 30-of-42 for 271 yards.

The Chargers could have had two more picks, but safety Clinton Hart dropped Favre’s fourth-down pass in the end zone late in the third quarter and Cromartie let an interception and a sure touchdown clang off his hands in the first quarter. Cromartie intercepted backup QB Kellen Clemens in the end zone in the final minute.

The Chargers scored three times and the Jets once in a crazy span of 5 minutes, 46 seconds spanning the first and second quarters.

Rivers recovered from an early blunder to throw a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie fullback Mike Tolbert for a 10-7 lead late with 2:03 left in the first quarter.

On the fourth play of the next Jets’ drive, Cromartie overpowered Laveranues Coles and took the ball away, racing 52 yards for a 17-7 lead.

Leon Washington returned the kickoff 94 yards to the San Diego 5. Two plays later, Favre hit Coles on a 3-yard TD pass to pull the Jets within 17-14.

San Diego’s Marques Harris recovered an onside kick at the Jets 44 to set up a 27-yard scoring pass from Rivers to Chris Chambers that made it 24-14 11:17 before halftime.

Eric Weddle intercepted Favre to set up Rivers’ 6-yard scoring pass to tight end Antonio Gates for a 31-14 lead late in the second quarter.

Jets cornerback David Barrett stunned the Chargers and quieted the crowd at Qualcomm Stadium when he jumped in front of Gates for an interception he returned 25 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game.

Romania crushed Indian dreams of a place in the Davis Cup World Group after their players won both reverse singles in Bucharest on Sunday. Victor Hanescu, ranked 67th in the world, handed Prakash Amritraj a straight sets result in the first match of the day, defeating him 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. This victory gave Romania an unassailable 3-1 lead. The second reverse singles between Somdev Devvarman and Victor Crivoi was rendered meaningless, and the Indian’s defeat in this one gave the Romanians this World Group playoff tie 4-1.

“It was tough, especially playing an in-form Hanescu on his best surface away. Overall it was a good experience for me, as these are times one needs to go through in one’s career. I think this will help me in the long run,” said Prakash. “Right now it is difficult, as I had chances on the first day to win the match, and I had a few chances early on in Sunday’s match. The next time I come for a clay court tie, I definitely feel I’ll be better prepared.”

Somdev lost a chance to record his first Davis Cup win and in a dramatic turnaround, Victor Crivoi won 10 games on the trot to clinch the second reverse singles 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Somdev broke Crivoi, ranked 158th, twice to win four games on the trot to shoot up to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. But the world number 242 failed to hold his serve in the next game.

Somdev then earned two set points through a crushing inside-out forehand winner in the ninth game but Crivoi did not let the Indian cash in on that, fighting brilliantly to reduce the margin to 4-5. The Indian player again earned three set points, squandered two, but finally managed to pocket the first set when a Crivoi forehand sailed long after a long rally.

The first game of the second set was fought fiercely and the Indian got two chances to get an early break but the Romania player showed determination and courage to win. The intense battle continued in the following games as both players fought hard for each point resulting in engrossing rallies.

Somdev saved a break point in the fourth game and then broke Crivoi in the next game to create an opening.

Somdev was serving for the match in the 10th game in the second set but dropped his serve, allowing Crivoi to make a comeback.

Crivoi shifted gears and broke Somdev in the 12th to take the set, stretching the issue to the third and final set. Crivoi continued his onslaught and forced his inexperienced opponent to commit unforced errors and saved two break point in the third game of the final set to get himself a 3-0 cushion.

Shaken in confidence, Somdev was soon trailing 0-5 and Crivoi served out the match in the ninth game.

With 13 of its players turning ‘Dhaka Warriors’ for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is now pinning hopes on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions Trophy to rally its players.

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has said it will help out Bangladesh cricket by including a team in the 2010 edition of the Champions Twenty20 League and include more Bangladeshi cricketers in the lucrative IPL, The Daily Star said Friday.

BCCI vice president Lalit Modi, who also heads both these tournaments, told Cricinfo: ‘We will definitely play an active role in helping them out. We are looking at adding a few of their (Bangladesh) players for the next IPL auction. We are also looking at a team from Bangladesh participating in the Champions League from 2010.’

The next IPL auction is tentatively scheduled for Jan 29, about two months before the second season begins April 10.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak is the only Bangladesh player currently in the IPL and Bangalore Royal Challengers signed him up for $50,000.

Although national boards don’t get a share of IPL’s revenues, they will receive a significant sum for participating in the Champions League, along with a separate participation fee for the domestic Twenty20 teams that are invited. The Champions League is hoping to expand from eight teams this year to 12 in 2009.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that any discussion on Bangladesh’s Test future will have to be within the committee it had formed in July on unofficial cricket.

‘Any decision on this will be taken at the ICC board meeting and it will be the working party that will decide on such an issue,’ an ICC spokesperson told CricInfo.

The ICC’s committee is believed to have discussed the issue over the last few months although Modi, who is a member, declined to comment on the nature of those talks.

Although none of the 13 cricketers who signed up for ICL came for a meeting the BCB had convened Thursday, BCB’s tough stance against the ‘Dhaka Warriors’ received a further boost when the ICC and the BCCI backed their move to ban the players. BCB banned the players for 10 years.

A Red Star Belgrade fan who used a flare to attack a policeman during a Serbian first division match last December was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Friday, the Belgrade-based Beta news agency reported.

Uros Misic, 20, assaulted a plain-clothes police officer during Red Star’s home game with Hajduk Kula and was tried for attempted murder by the Belgrade District Court.

He inflicted multiple burns on Nebojsa Trajkovic and then tried to force it into his throat, after which the policeman fired gunshots into the air in self-defence.

“It was a barbaric, brutal and monstrous attack on a policeman on duty and the authorities have the right to defend themselves when attacked,” judge Velimir Lazovic said after the judicial council passed the verdict.

“The assault was also completely unprovoked and it had to be qualified as attempted murder because Trajkovic was fighting for his life out there,” he said.

“The punishment is fitting and it is a message that there will be zero tolerance for such acts.”

Two other fans involved in the incident were convicted of violent assault earlier this month. Milos Zimonja was sentenced to one year and eight months and Slavisa Drakul to one year in jail.

“This kind of violence has become an epidemic and the legal bodies have to respond appropriately because common citizens can expect no protection if we allow villains to carry out bestial acts against the police,” judge Lazovic said.

Serbian soccer has been rife with violence in the past 15 years but similar acts had often gone unpunished even after bloody conflicts between rival fans resulted in deaths.

The country’s soccer federation and the authorities had appeared powerless to consistently implement a strict law providing long prison terms for the offenders.

That changed after the horrific scenes from Red Star’s ground were televised and prompted the federation to ask the government to take a tougher stance on hooliganism.

The waterfall alongside the 13th green at Valhalla Golf Club could have been lifted from a Disney theme park.

How appropriate as another major golf tournament comes to a course that’s always seemed to be a bit of a whimsical creation.

Lacking the tradition of an Augusta National or the truly memorable holes of a place such as Pebble Beach, this Jack Nicklaus-designed layout on the eastern fringe of Louisville is nonetheless hosting the Ryder Cup, it’s third big-time event in the last dozen years.

Not bad for a club that’s not even as old as the youngest member of the U.S. team, 23-year-old Anthony Kim.

At least the reviews are better than they were in 1996, when Valhalla hosted its first PGA Championship just a decade after opening its gates. The comments then were pretty stinging.

No tradition. A pedestrian layout more suited for a tournament named after a tractor or a bank. A blatant attempt by the owner, the PGA of America, to bolster the reputation of the club.

But it might prove to be the right fit for a Ryder Cup.

“I think it’s a superb golf course, especially for match play,” Justin Rose said. “It’s got a lot of interesting holes, a lot of dramatic-looking holes. It’s going to offer some birdie opportunities out there, but there’s some trouble out there, too. There’s a lot of risk and reward holes, and I think it sets up really well for match play.”

Actually, the Americans seem to be borrowing an idea that’s worked for Europe.

After years of hosting the Ryder Cup on U.S. Open-styled courses — Oakland Hills, The Country Club, Oak Hill — the United States has turned to a place more comparable to The Belfry in England and The K Club in Ireland, the last two courses used on the other side of the Atlantic.

It may be rather ordinary, but Valhalla is expected to yield plenty of birdies — and excitement.

“There will be eagles and birdies and all sorts of stuff flying around,” Ireland’s Graeme McDowell said.

The 13th is the signature hole — a downhill, 352-yarder that can be reached off a forward tee, assuming one can keep the ball on the par 4’s island green (it’s surrounded by a creek). Local favorite J.B. Holmes bombed away during the practice rounds, thrilling the galleries.

“We’ll see,” said Henrik Stenson of Sweden, one of Europe’s longest hitters. “I’m sure somebody is going to have a go at it.”

Matches that come down the 547-yard 18th hole will be decided on a par 5 that has a large bunker protecting the left side of the fairway and a pond down the right side. But a decent tee shot should give most players a chance to go for the green with their next swing.

“Aggressive play will be rewarded,” American rookie Steve Stricker said. “A guy that hits it long and straight is definitely going to be rewarded here.”

Valhalla was carved out of a flood plain on the outskirts of Louisville, land that had no apparent use until a local cabinetmaker came up with the idea of build a golf course good enough to host a PGA Championship, then summoned Nicklaus to design it.

The PGA of America ended up buying the place, giving Valhalla a big advantage when the organization’s two major events — the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup — are doled out.

The club hosted its second PGA Championship just four years after the first, in 2000, the quickest turnaround for a major championship other than the Masters since 1910, when the U.S. Open returned to Philadelphia Cricket Club after a three-year hiatus. For good measure, the 2004 Senior PGA Championship also was held here.

Despite being just 22 years old, Valhalla needed major renovations leading into the Ryder Cup. Nicklaus himself oversaw the changes, adding some 300 yards to a course that had quickly become outdated against today’s stronger players and improved equipment. Several greens were reconstructed. Others were modified to create more challenging pin placements. Bunkers were added at six holes.

But Nicklaus retained the most noticeable characteristic — a front nine that is much different than the back side.

“It’s interesting,” Sweden’s Robert Karlsson said. “The front nine is a lot more open … Scottish type, if you want to put it that way, golf course. The back nine is more tree lined. It’s two different nines, but they are both very good.”

Teammate Paul Casey also noticed the distinction.

“The first few holes, I thought that a really long hitter … a more erratic player, would be liking this golf course,” the Englishman said. “But when you come down the stretch on holes 15 and 16, for example, and 17 as well, they are not the widest fairways you’ve seen. In a pressure situation, those are going to be tricky to hit.”

So, while Valhalla may be lacking in tradition, there should be no shortage of thrilling shots.

“You’re going to see a lot of birdies,” Stricker predicted. “You’re going to need to make birdies to win the hole.”

- Alessandro Del Piero scored with a longe-range swerving free kick to give Juventus a 1-0 home win over Zenit St Petersburg on their return to the Champions League group stages on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old captain, who played in the final when the Turin club won the second of their two European Cups in 1996, netted on 76 minutes in their Group H opener with Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeyev looking at fault.

Juve, back in the group stages after missing out in the last two seasons following their domestic demotion for match-fixing, made hard work of the win against the Champions League debutants.

“At the start we had some problems and we were a bit afraid,” Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon told Rai television.

“It is a victory with a special taste as we and the fans have waited a long time.”

Zenit, coached by Dutchman Dick Advocaat, served notice of their European ambitions this term by beating Manchester United in last month’s Super Cup.

The UEFA Cup holders had the first clear chance against Juve when striker Danny scuffed wide from close range.

The Russian champions worried the Serie A side for long periods but Andrei Arshavin, one of the standout players of Euro 2008, failed to inspire them sufficiently with Buffon making a neat save from the playmaker.

Juve had other chances of their own however, with David Trezeguet heading just past the post from strike partner Del Piero’s clipped cross.

Winger Mauro Camoranesi, who later left the field injured, headed another good Del Piero cross against the outside of the post while midfielder Christian Poulsen went close with a flick in the second half.

Juve next travel to BATE Borisov of Belarus on Sept. 30 when Zenit host Real Madrid.

Season tickets for Oklahoma City’s new NBA franchise have sold out in just five days.

Chairman Clay Bennett says the last of approximately 13,000 Thunder season tickets were sold Friday, and the team has put names on a waiting list for games at the Ford Center.

About 4,000 seats have been withheld for single-game, group and partial-season ticket sales. Tickets to individual games are to be sold next month.

Sam Querrey will replace an “exhausted” James Blake in the US team to face Spain in next week’s Davis Cup semi-final, captain Patrick McEnroe said on Tuesday.

Blake has played in every Davis Cup tie for the US since 2005 and last year helped them win their first title in 12 years.

“James is just physically and mentally exhausted after a gruelling summer,” McEnroe said in a statement. “He said he needed a break and we respect that.”

“This is also a great opportunity for Sam, who has had a solid year, strong results on clay and has been a loyal practice partner for this team.”

The 20-year-old Querrey, ranked 40th in the world, won his first ATP title in March and recently enjoyed his best performance at a grand slam, reaching the last 16 at the US Open.

He will be making his first Davis Cup appearance.

McEnroe had said last week that Blake would play against Spain along with former world number one Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan.

The best-of-five tie against Spain will be played in Madrid from Sept. 19-21. Argentina host Russia in the other semi-final.