The two events take place concurrently at the Qatar capital from May 24 to 30. As many as 16 nations will vie for honours in 6 Red ball contests while 15 will compete in team championship.

According to Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF), national champion Hamza Akbar and Asian junior under-21 finalist Mohammad Majid Ali will represent the country in Asian 6 Red ball while world amateur champion Mohammad Asif and former Asian No 2 Mohammad Sajjad feature in the team event.

The cueists who arrived here from upcountry the other day, reported at the camp which ends on Wednesday. The team leaves for Doha on Thursday. —Sports Correspondent

Zhang, who had already beaten Wang in the 2011 world championships final and the Olympic final last year, prevailed 11-7 11-8 6-11 14-12 5-11 11-7 on his first match point.

“It was a tough match,” the 25-year-old Zhang told French TV Channel L’Equipe 21 after running towards the stands to hug his parents in a rare display of emotion.

“I will try to make history. I have won all the titles already and I want to do it again,” he added, confirming he was looking to take part in the 2016 Olympic Games.

It is the fifth time in a row that the men’s singles title was won by a Chinese player since Austrian Werner Schlager was crowned in Paris in 2003.

Earlier on Monday, Li Xiaoxia, the women’s singles world and Olympic champion, won the doubles title with Guo Ye for the third time in succession.

On Sunday, Zhang reached the final after a ruthless dismissal of compatriot and world number one Xu Xin in the semi-finals as he whitewashed his top-ranked compatriot 11-8, 11-2, 11-9, 12-10.

Wang, meanwhile, brushed aside second-ranked Ma Long 11-9, 11-7, 11-3, 7-11, 12-14, 11-3 in the second all-Chinese semi-final.

Li claimed her maiden world championship title to complete a career grand slam after defeating compatriot Liu Shiwen in an enthralling final.

Runner-up to Ding Ning in 2011 and four years earlier to Guo Yue, Li went one step further in the French capital with an 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 13-11 victory.

Liu appeared set to extend the match to a deciding game after saving two match points in the sixth game but Li would not be deterred, clinching the title at the third time of asking as Liu fired long.

“I won because of my really strong fighting spirit. Thanks to it I can control myself and calm down as well as play stronger when I need to,” said the 25-year-old Li.—Agencies

The former Olympian is likely to table his resignation at Tuesday’s meeting of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) which will be held at the National Hockey Stadium.

The meeting will be presided over by PHF president Qasim Zia with secretary Asif Bajwa, national team’s coach Hanif Khan and the federation’s consultant Tahir Zaman certain to be in attendance.

Akhtar has been Pakistan manager and head coach of the national outfit for nearly a year after being appointed by the PHF until next year’s World Cup in the Netherlands.

During his tenure Pakistan bagged a bronze medal in the last Champions Trophy and gold medal in the Asian Champions Trophy last year, but only could take seventh position at the London Olympics.

Akhtar lost by a narrow margin against a PTI candidate while contesting for a Punjab assembly seat on a PML-N ticket in the recent general elections.

But despite his defeat, the ex-Pakistan skipper is keen on a political career.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Olympian Tahir Zaman, who has joined the PHF some six months back as its consultant after disassociating himself from a dissident group of senior Olympians that had launched a brisk campaign against Qasim Zia-led PHF, has emerged as the likely successor to replace Akhtar.

But according to sources, Tahir will only accept the new assignment if he is appointed as manager-cum-head coach, a demand which is unlikely to be met by the PHF. Further, sources say that current coach Hanif Khan won’t be Tahir’s choice.

In the likely scenario, the PHF will probably bring back Khawaja Mohammad Junaid as Pakistan manager while naming Tahir as the head coach. Hanif could be assigned another role.

There could be changes in the top brass of the PHF with the induction of the new government at the federal level since it has been a tradition that whenever this takes place, the prime minister in his capacity as PHF’s Patron-in-Chief usually resorts to such a move.

When the PPP won the elections in 2008, the then PHF president Zafarullah Khan Jamali and secretary Khalid Mahmood were replaced by Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa, respectively.

Vettori has not played for the Black Caps for almost a year because of a hamstring injury and was left out of the squad for the two-Test series in England.

But with Martin sidelined by the injury that prevented him bowling during England’s second innings of the first Test, which ended with a 170-run win for the hosts at Lord’s on Sunday, there is a vacancy for a spinner heading into the second Test starting in Leeds on Friday.

Vettori, named in New Zealand’s squad for their one-day internationals against England and next month’s Champions Trophy, is due to link up with the squad on Tuesday.

And the former New Zealand captain could come into the reckoning as a replacement for Martin at Headingley.

“Daniel’s come over 24 hours earlier for us to have a chance to have a look at him,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said on Monday.

“We won’t risk Dan for the sake of a Test but, in saying that, it is an important Test match for us.

“We won’t be pushing Dan if he’s not ready but if he is we’d certainly love to have him.”

With 360 victims to his name, left-arm spinner Vettori is New Zealand’s second highest Test wicket-taker.

His last Test was a nine-wicket defeat by West Indies in Antigua last July and his only international action since then was at the World Twenty20 in October.

The only other bowling option open to McCullum is seamer Doug Bracewell, who was left out of the first Test.—AFP

Jayawardene said the individuals concerned must take the blame for the episode as they chose to go down the wrong path despite strong counselling from the administrators and senior players.

“It’s been disheartening and disappointing. At times I have felt angry. Cricket deserves more from the players,” he said after the Daredevils’ game against Pune Warriors at Gahunje.

“Right from the beginning (of the T20 league season), there have been interactions and counselling. Rajasthan Royals have had a great season and I am sure (captain) Rahul Dravid must have forced on the team the right spirit and the winning attitude.

“If even after that some guys don’t feel responsible, then they are making a bad decision. They must take ownership of their actions and hopefully they are taught a lesson so that others don’t follow them.”

Jayawardene felt dejected about the turn of events. “It was a sad day in England last year, it’s a sad day now … I don’t how we can stop this,” he said.

“Every senior player has taken the responsibility (to guide the youngsters). I don’t know how stronger we can be. We could go only a certain distance, beyond that it’s (up to) the individual.”

The 35-year-old from Colombo didn’t believe the fixing menace was restricted to the T20 format.

“If you see the history, it’s happened in Test and one-day cricket also,” he said.

Warriors’ batsman Luke Wright too felt it would be wrong to blame the tournament for the latest crisis. “I would love to come back next season. What’s happened is disappointing, I hope it’s dealt with in the right way.”—Agencies

The match at Wembley Stadium on Saturday will be the 41-year-old Rizzoli’s highest-profile fixture since becoming an international referee in 2007.

Rizzoli will be assisted by compatriots Renato Faverani and Andrea Stefani, while Gianluca Rocchi and Paolo Tagliavento will be the extra officials behind the goals.

The fourth official is Damir Skomina from Slovenia.—AP

Former India Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other players were arrested along with 11 bookmakers last Thursday on suspicion of spot-fixing in the country’s ongoing Twenty20 league.

The cricket board immediately suspended the trio, who have been accused of taking money to concede a certain number of runs in a particular over.

Law Minister Kapil Sibal has consulted sports minister Jitendra Singh and the new bill will likely be introduced in the next session of the Indian parliament.

“We have been looking at different ways to control and regulate that part of illegal betting,” sports secretary P.K. Deb said. “We have been studying how they deal with it in the UK and Australia and the information we have gathered will be shared with the Law Ministry. We are still some distance away from it [the law].”

Legal sports betting in India is confined to horse racing while illegal betting syndicates thrive in the absence of a law dealing specifically with such corruption in sport.

Media estimates put the amount gambled on India’s top cricket Twenty20 competition at $427 million in 2009.

“We need to have a separate law,” Law Minister Sibal told reporters on Sunday.

“I don’t think the Indian Penal Code has match-fixing and spot-fixing as an offence and I don’t think the ‘offence of cheating’ is something that adequately deals with issues of spot-fixing and match-fixing,” the law minister told reporters.

“I have requested my ministry to work on such a law … Once the broad parameters of the law are made out, I’ll hand it over to the sports ministry to take it to the cabinet and hopefully introduce it in the coming session of the parliament.”

Spot-fixing is manipulation of individual incidents within a match which may not affect the outcome of the contest, most famously exposed in a London trial and jailing of three Pakistan cricketers in 2011.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and team-mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir were jailed in Britain for their role in a spot-fixing scandal relating to a Test match against England at Lord’s in August 2010.

The International Cricket Council subsequently banned the three players for a minimum of five years. —Reuters

England went 1-0 up in the two-match series, with more than a day to spare, after dismissing New Zealand for just 68 to secure victory by the huge margin of 170 runs.

Stuart Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 44, did the bulk of the damage Sunday as New Zealand’s pursuit of a victory target of 239 ended inside 23 overs.

An otherwise even contest changed in the hour before lunch on Sunday as New Zealand slumped to 29 for six.

It was the third time in 2013 that New Zealand been six down for fewer than 40 runs. In the first Test against South Africa at Cape Town in January they were six down for 28 before being dismissed for 45. In the next Test, in Port Elizabeth, they were 39 for six before being bowled out for 121

“For so long in this game we were up with the play and at times we were dictating terms,” McCullum, himself lbw to Broad for eight, said Sunday.

“Within an hour the game turned on its head.

“Our confidence started to subside and the difference between the two teams came down to that one hour of madness.”

He added: “We’ve had many of these experiences before and I think we’ve put distance between the last time we felt this sort of pain.

“We’ve taken some significant steps forward in the last little while but today was undoubtedly a step backwards.

“You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due and Stuart Broad’s spell of bowling was high class. He swung the ball beautifully, he was able to get the odd ball to hold its line up the slope and his lengths were impeccable.”

To make matters worse for New Zealand both wicket-keeper B.J. Watling (knee) and spinner Bruce Martin suffered injuries that made the duo doubtful for the second Test at Headingley starting on Friday.

McCullum took over the gloves at Lord’s, having given up keeping in Tests because of back and knee problems.

Should McCullum, rather than reserve gloveman Tom Latham keep at Leeds, New Zealand could field Martin Guptill as an extra batsman.

Meanwhile experienced spinner and fit again former captain Daniel Vettori is due in England this week as a member of the Black Caps’ one-day squad.

“There’s plenty of different options we have to look at,” McCullum said.

“It’s important to note that batters have done a very good job for us in the most recent Test matches.

“I totally believe in this group of players and just because of one poor batting performance it’s not panic stations,” added McCullum.

Sunday’s collapse was particularly hard on Tim Southee, whose match haul of 10 for 108 saw him become only the second New Zealander, after fellow seamer Dion Nash in 1994, to take 10 wickets in a Lord’s Test.—AFP

The CA said Warner, who is set to play for Australia in the Champions Trophy and Ashes Test series in England, was alleged to have breached a section of its Code of Behaviour relating to “unbecoming behaviour.”

Warner used Twitter on Friday night from India to launch an often expletive-filled attack on News Limited journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn after taking exception to an article critical of the Indian Premier League.

Conn said he had no hard feelings and hoped the disciplinary hearing would do no more than remind Warner of his public responsibilities to use more appropriate language.—Agencies

The wet conditions resulted in the lowest attendance for a Barca home league match this season as only 56,055 filled the 99,354 capacity ground.

However, first-half goals from Pedro Rodriguez and into his own net from Marc Valiente were enough to keep the champions on track to match Real Madrid’s league record of 100 points before Victor Perez’s penalty halved the deficit a minute from time.

Tito Vilanova’s side wrapped up their fourth league crown in five years last weekend, but still have the chance to equal the mark set by Jose Mourinho’s victorious side last season as they climbed on to 94 points with two games left to play, away to city rivals Espanyol next weekend and at home to Malaga on June 1.

The weather cleared up in time for Barca to receive the trophy, which captain Carles Puyol handed over for Vilanova and defender Eric Abidal to lift to the cheers of the Camp Nou crowd in recognition of the serious health problems both have come back from this season.

“We won the league, but the most important thing is that Eric and Tito are with us,” said Puyol, before adding the traditional battle cry of “Long live Barca! And long live Catalonia!”

Vilanova and Abidal have both been fighting battles against cancer over the last year.

“From all of us, it is a real pleasure to share this title with you,” Vilanova told the fans. “It was gone for one year, but now it is back.”—Agencies