World Sport Briefs

Cricket
 The International Cricket Council yesterday decided to relocate the 2009 Champions Trophy from Pakistan due to lingering security fears in the troubled nation.
 Following a meeting of the ICC board, chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the ‘safety and security environment’ in Pakistan had forced a relocation of the eight-nation event.

Cricket
The International Cricket Council yesterday decided to relocate the 2009 Champions Trophy from Pakistan due to lingering security fears in the troubled nation.
Following a meeting of the ICC board, chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the ‘safety and security environment’ in Pakistan had forced a relocation of the eight-nation event. The second-biggest one-day tournament in world cricket behind the World Cup, the Champions Trophy had already been delayed 12 months to September this year because of concerns over player safety.
Football
Australia has formally submitted its bid to host the 2018 and the 2022 FIFA World Cups, the Football Federation Australia said yesterday.
‘We have submitted Australia’s expression of interest in hosting either the 2018 or 2022 Fifa World Cup tournaments,’ FFA Chairman Frank Lowy said.
FIFA has invited countries to express interest, by February 2, in either or both 2018 and 2022. It will choose the hosts of both tournaments in December 2010.
Australia will face competition from England, Belgium and the Netherlands, China, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Portugal and Spain, Qatar and Russia.
Cricket
Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, and Paul Collingwood all came close, but failed to cross over the hundred-run threshold as England’s tour match against West Indies-A ended in a draw on Saturday.
Left-hander Strauss was dismissed for 97, Pietersen made 90, and Collingwood gathered 82, as England were bowled out for 414, replying to the A-Team’s first innings total of 574 for eight declared on the third and final day of the match at Warner Park.
Athletics
Morocco’s Adil Annani won the Beppu Oita men’s marathon yesterday, clocking up a personal best time of two hours 10 minutes and 15 seconds.
The 28-year-old Annani, running only his third full distance marathon, broke away at around 37 kilometres to beat his previous time of 2:11.05 set last year at Marrakesh.
Seiji Kobayashi finished second in 2:10:38, followed by fellow Japanese Keita Akiba third in 2:10:53.
Football
Real Madrid’s captain marvel Raul joined Alfredo di Stefano as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 307 goals on Saturday as he helped his team cut Barcelona’s lead to nine points.
Raul, 31, scored his historic goal in the 48th minute of the 2-0 win at Numancia following in after Gonzalo Higuain’s shot had been parried.
Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored a great individual goal on 56 minutes to clinch Real’s sixth successive league win. Barcelona were at Racing Santander late yesterday.
– Reports by Nampa-Reuters and AFP