Tuesday 23rd February, 2010 13 KP misses out as Li Na eyes No. 1 after England name ranking milestone Collingwood VC KUALA LUMPUR, ferent with me. This is my goal Malaysia (AP) - Li Na has her and I need to work harder and Howard powers Magic sights set on the women’s tennis be more aggressive on the court for Bangladesh top ranking, just weeks after and start believing more in becoming the first Chinese play- myself,” said Li, who turns 28 er ever to enter the top 10. on Saturday. Li, in Kuala Lumpur for this Li earned the No. 10 WTA week’s $250,000 Malaysian ranking after reaching the Open, said her main goal has Australian Open semifinals last always been the world No. 1 month. She opens her to win Cavs spot. Malaysian campaign as the No. ORLANDO, Florida (AP) - Celtics 105 Oklahoma City edged Minnesota “Every player wants to be 2 seed against Germany’s No. 1 in the world and it is no dif- Tatjana Malek on Tuesday. Dwight Howard had 22 points At Denver, J.R. Smith scored for its ninth straight win. and 16 rebounds in a bruising 16 of his 19 points in the fourth Russell Westbrook had a battle with Shaquille O'Neal as quarter as Denver recovered to triple-double with 22 points, 10 the Orlando Magic beat beat Boston after blowing an rebounds and 14 assists, and Jeff Cleveland 101-95 on Sunday to early 20-point lead. Green added 17 points and 14 hand the Cavaliers their first Chauncey Billups had 26 rebounds for the Thunder, who three-game losing streak in two points and Carmelo Anthony have the longest active winning years. added 23 for the Nuggets, who streak in the NBA. Cleveland's skid comes on avoided back-to-back losses for Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love by Nick Hoult the heels of a 13-game win the first time since late each had 19 points for the in Dubai streak. December with the victory over Timberwolves, who have will be Alastair Howard was 8-for-13 shooting the NBA's top road team. dropped five in a row. Cook's deputy for the one-day and Test and added four blocks, and Vince Ray Allen had 25 points and Durant streak sur- series in Bangladesh after the England Carter had eight of his 11 points Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and passes Allen Iverson's 27-gam management decided against returning in the fourth quarter to help the Marquis Daniels added 15 points streak in 2001. It's the longest Kevin Pietersen to a position of author- Magic beat Cleveland for the first apiece for the Celtics, who lost since Michael Jordan had 40 ity in the team. time this season. for the first time in their last straight games of 25 or more England arrived in Dhaka on O'Neal made his first eight four road games. They remain an points in the 1986-87 season. Sunday with Collingwood handing over shots and finished with 20 NBA-best 20-10 away from home. Pistons 109, Spurs 101, OT the captaincy to Cook after Pakistan points, and LeBron James had 33 Thunder 109, Timberwolves 107 At Auburn Hills, Michigan, levelled the series at 1-1 on points and nine rebounds for the At Minneapolis, Kevin Richard Hamilton scored 27 Saturday night. In the aftermath of the four- Cavaliers, who were eliminated Durant scored 32 points to points and Rodney Stuckey defeat Collingwood had said he expect- by Orlando in last year's Eastern extend his streak of games with added 20 and Detroit held on for ed England not to name a vice- Conference finals. Nuggets 114, at least 25 points to 28 as the win after trailing to start for the inexperienced Cook, but yester- overtime. day he was offered the position by Manu Ginobili's layup tied coach . the game at 93-93 with 27.5 sec- Flower confirmed a promotion for onds left, and the Pistons missed Pietersen had not been vetoed by a two game-winning shots at the board that sacked him so publicly 12 end of regulation. months ago. It is thought Pietersen Tim Duncan had 29 points would have rejected the role anyway to concentrate on his , which and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. showed signs of recovery when he Grizzlies 104, Nets 94 made 62 on Saturday night. At East Rutherford, New “The last time Colly captained one- Jersey, Rudy Gay scored 29 dayers, it took a lot out of him, and he points as Memphis added anoth- doesn’t want to put his name forward in er exclamation point to a frus- a medium to long-term capacity for the trating season for New Jersey, captaincy,but he knows this would only rallying from an 18-point first- be a stop-gap measure,” said Flower. half deficit for the win. “He [Pietersen] was up for considera- O.J. Mayo scored 10 of his 24 tion, like everyone else in the squad, but in the end it was a simple cricketing points in a 17-point run that decision.” bridged the third and fourth England left Dubai with an extra quarters and put the Grizzlies passenger following the addition of ahead for good, adding to the to the one-day squad woes of the Nets (5-51). and he looks set to partner Cook at the Zach Randolph added 18 top of the order in the 50-over series points and 10 rebounds and Marc which begins in Dhaka on Sunday. Gasol tallied 14 of his 16 points Flower admitted yesterday that in the second half for Memphis. England lacked power and pace in their Brook Lopez had 26 points to opening , something that was abundantly clear in the Gulf. Joe lead the Nets, who led 36-20 after Denly scored only six runs in two their highest-scoring first quar- against Pakistan and Jonathan ter of the season. Hornets 102, Trott took 51 balls to make 39 on Rockets 94 Saturday, performances put into focus At New Orleans, David West by Kieswetter’s aggression while mak- scored 27 points, including four ing 81 against England for the Lions in the final 2 minutes, to lift New last week. Orleans to the win. “I think we are going in the right Darren Collison added 26 direction in 2020 but obviously slightly points for New Orleans, the fifth concerned with some of the starts we are getting,” said Flower. “We have to straight game he's had 24 or look at that, which is part of the reason more. why Kieswetter is coming in for the Chase Budinger scored 18 Bangladesh one-day series. We want to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, right, puts up a shot in front points and Aaron Brooks added have a look at him prior to us selecting of Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal, left, during the first 15 for Houston, which has the World 2020 squad. He’s trained half of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 21, dropped two straight. hard, lost weight, got stronger and fit- 2010. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) ter, and shown in his performances the sort of hard-hitting capability that we need at the top of the order.” Pakistan’s success on Saturday was England left Dubai for Twenty20 . He deserves his largely down to an innings by Abdul Bangladesh on Sunday having chance." Razzaq who thumped two sixes in the gleaned plenty of positives from Kieswetter Despite the fact he has been final over from , who their drawn Twenty20 series keeping wicket for the Lions, and had taken two in his first over against Pakistan - but the biggest also does so for Somerset, as an international to win the match. impact may have been made by a England's Kieswetter's emergence does not man who took no part in either appear to directly challenge Matt (C) The Telegraph Group, match, cricket365.com reported on Prior's place in England's limited- London, 2010 its website, Sunday. overs set-up. Paul Collingwood, England's big winner Prior is Andy Flower's first captain in the shortest form of the choice gloveman in all three for- game, will hand the leadership to mats and Collingwood was ful- Federer out of when the team some in his praise of the Sussex touch down in Dhaka, having man earlier this week. Dubai event due to presided over an entertaining 1-1 Instead, it is Kieswetter's fear- draw against the world champi- less ball striking at the top of the lung infection ons. order that the England selectors But before passing the baton to covet after their opening partner- DUBAI, (AP) — Cook, Collingwood had time for an ship misfired on both occasions Roger Federer withdrew on Sunday from assessment of the squad's against Pakistan. the Dubai Championships because of a progress. is likely to get lung infection. , whose meas- more chances but Joe Denly, Organizers said that the top-ranked ured earned him the man whose double failure in Dubai Swiss star picked up the infection last week of the series award, is sure to have took his Twenty20 record to just 20 and will miss the $2 million event, which impressed, as did big-hitting duo runs in five innings, may be sacri- started Monday, for the second straight and Kevin Pietersen. ficed. year. But it was the emergence of When asked about the Kent A four-time winner in Dubai, Federer South Africa-born Craig batsman's struggles, Collingwood will rest for two weeks and is expected to Kieswetter which has drawn was supportive but equivocal. return at Indian Wells from March 11. much of the attention over the last "I'm sure he's disappointed “I’m hoping to be back for Indian Wells. fortnight. with his form because we've seen But of course, there are no promises,” Federer said. “This is something that will be The wicketkeeper-batsman's what Joe can do in county crick- finished only with proper treatment. fine form on the Lions tour of the et," he said. “I’ve been taking it easy, relaxing as UAE, including a knock of 81 "His domestic record is very Craig Kieswetter much as possible. My breathing is a bit dif- against the senior side in a warm- good but batting at the top of the ficult and everything feels a bit slow. I can’t up match, earned him a last- order is a confidence thing, and if minute call-up to the one-day side, Pakistan A has opened everyone's you get one innings when you get take any chances until I’m fit again. It could eyes and he deserves inclusion be better, it could be worse.” a move which earned it away, you get the ball rolling. Collingwood's blessing. into the senior squads. "There are things we've got to Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic "He's an exciting player and he replaces him in the main draw. The captain said: "The way he improve on before the Twenty20 played against us, and the way he hits the ball extremely hard, World Cup, but Joe is a three- Andy Roddick, the 2008 champion, which is great for one-day and withdrew from the tournament on Saturday. played for the Lions against dimensional cricketer.