South African cricket enters a new era when Gary Kirsten is named as coach of the Proteas on Monday.

Kirsten is set to be joined by his former Proteas team-mate and fast bowling legend Allan Donald and Warriors coach Russell Domingo, who are expected to be included in his management staff pending a Cricket South Africa board meeting regarding contractual and personal terms.

South African cricket enters a new era when Gary Kirsten is named as coach of the Proteas

The former South African opening batsman was widely expected to replace Corrie van Zyl after the 43-year-old Capetonian led hosts India to World Cup glory for the first time in 28 years earlier this year. Kirsten also took India to the No1 position in the ICC Test rankings.

CSA have had an extensive interview process that began two months ago with various ex-international coaches, including Australian John Buchanan, Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher and Englishman Richard Pybus, in line.

The country’s cricket bosses are not commenting at this stage as CSA are expected to unveil Kirsten at an official press conference. The details in terms of the length of Kirsten’s contract will also be made public there.

CSA chief executive Gerald Majola, Van Zyl (high performance manager), Andrew Hudson (selection convener), Andrew O’Connor (chairman, cricket committee) and Boeta Dippenaar (SA Cricketers’ Association representative) formed the panel responsible for selecting the new coach.

It is understood Kirsten has rescinded on his initial plan to oversee the national team as a “director of cricket” or the more radical approach of having different coaches for each format.

“Gary will be good for South African cricket. He has done unbelievably well with India. He has a great work ethic and knows what is expected of a coach at international level,” former Proteas captain Kepler Wessels said on Friday.

He has been part of the England set-up previously, while he was also short-listed for the Australian post and was expected to take up a similar role with New Zealand before the Proteas position became available.

The Kirsten-Donald partnership also dates back to the early days of South Africa being reintroduced to international cricket. Donald, a veteran of 72 Tests and 164 ODIs who claimed 572 wickets in his career, has been a much sought-after bowling coach recently.

Donald, 44, was part of the Black Caps management at the World Cup, which oversaw the Proteas’ shock exit in the quarter-finals. He is expected to replace Vincent Barnes, which would see Barnes close off an eight-year career with the national team.

Current SA Coach of the Year Domingo has been rewarded for his consistent good work with the Eastern Cape franchise over the past two seasons, when he won the limited-overs double with the Warriors in 2009/10 and led his side to the T20 Champions League final last year.

“Allan has wanted to be involved with the Proteas for a long time. He is very passionate about South African cricket and he will do a good job. He has coached quite a lot and is good technically and tactically,” Wessels said of Donald.

Further leadership changes are expected. Test captain Graeme Smith has called an official press conference in Joburg on Sunday when greater insight will be provided into his future leadership plans. Johan Botha replaced Smith in the T20 format, but it is understood AB de Villiers will be captain of both limited-overs formats. – Weekend Argus

Spain – Iker the “psychic” octopus has predicted Manchester United will beat Barcelona to be crowned club champions of Europe in Saturday’s final in London.

An octopus named Iker is seen before it predicts Manchester United's victory against Barcelona in their Champions League final soccer match. Photo: Reuters

Iker forecast a United win in the Champions League by choosing to eat a sardine from a glass cylinder decorated with the club’s crest instead of one from a cylinder with Barcelona’s crest at the Sea Life Aquarium in the southern resort of Benalmadena.

Barca need not worry though, as Iker last month wrongly forecast the Spanish club’s arch-rival Real Madrid would make the Wembley final.

The 16-kilo cephalopod from the Pacific, named after Real keeper Iker Casillas, did however correctly predict Real’s 1-1 draw against Barcelona in La Liga on April 16 and the club’s 1-0 win over the Catalan club in the King’s Cup final four days later.

During the World Cup in South Africa last year, Paul, an octopus in the German town of Oberhausen, became world famous after correctly predicting all the results involving the German team, as well as that of the final, won by Spain.

Paul died on October 26, 2010. – Sapa-AFP

1. Lionel Messi has scored the most goals in this year’s competition, netting the ball 11 times.

2. United’s most prolific Champions League scorer this season is Javier Hernandez of Mexico, with 4 goals. Rooney is next with 3 goals, alongside teammate Anderson.

3. Messi has also had the most shots on target in the Champions League, with 31 attempts, well ahead of Real’s prima donna Cristiano Ronaldo (24), Inter’s Samuel Eto’o (16) and Rooney (15).

4. The player to shoot wide of target the most times is Ronaldo, with 29 clear misses, followed by Inter’s Dutch star Wesley Sneijder (18) and Messi (16). Rooney is further down the list on 10.

5. Messi is the most fouled player in the tournament, being targeted illegally on 30 occasions. No.2 on this list is Ronaldo (26), followed by Sneijder (25).

More Champions League facts:

»- Barcelona have enjoyed the most ball possession in the Champions League this season, at 62%; United are second on 58%.

»- Barca have won 3 out of their 5 previous European Cup final appearances; Man United 3 out 4.

»- Manchester United were unbeaten when they won the trophy in 2008, as were Barcelona in 2006. Both teams are unbeaten in this season’s competition.

»- Of the five European Cup finals held at Wembley, two featured English clubs: Manchester United (1968) and Liverpool (1978) – and both teams were triumphant.

»- The only team to beat United in a European Cup final is Barcelona, 2-0 in Rome 2009.

»- Barca’s biggest European Cup final defeat came at the hands of AC Milan in 1994 (4-0).

»- Man United’s biggest defeat was 2-0 (to Barca in 2009).

London – A British politician defied a court order on Monday by identifying Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs as the soccer star fighting a legal battle to prevent newspapers from publishing allegations of an affair.

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs holds his children Zach and Libby following their English Premier League soccer match against Blackpool at Old Trafford on Sunday

The release of Giggs’ name will be seen as a victory for the media over celebrities and their lawyers after an increasingly farcical game of cat-and-mouse that prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to promise a review of the country’s privacy laws.

For weeks, British media have been fighting the growing use by the rich and famous of “super injunctions” – English court orders which prevent publication of unwelcome stories and prohibit journalists from even reporting that a ban is in place.

A newspaper in Scotland, which has its own legal system, ran a thinly disguised photograph of Giggs on Sunday over an article calling it “unsustainable” to bar reporters from naming the man identified in hundreds of Twitter postings as one of the celebrities using court orders to stifle sex scandals.

“With about 75 000 people having named Ryan Giggs on Twitter, it’s obviously impracticable to imprison them all,” Liberal Democrat politician John Hemming said in parliament.

Hemming, who has campaigned for press freedom, used parliamentary privilege – which allows parliamentarians to raise controversial legal issues without fear of prosecution – to name the player with impunity.

Asserting the independence of the judiciary, the High Court in London later again turned down a request from the Sun newspaper, part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, to formally lift the bar on naming the player.

Explaining his decison, senior judge Michael Tugendhat noted the law of privacy was also concerned with intrusion and harassment.

Giggs is expected to be in Manchester United’s squad for their Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday where he could add to his record as the most decorated player in the history of the English game.

Aged 37, he is married with two children, and has an image as one of the sport’s gentlemen.

It is alleged that he had an affair with reality television star and former Miss Wales Imogen Thomas.

Lawyers representing the player had asked US-based Twitter via a London court for information about the users of the messaging website who published details of his private life.

Hemming said this was a step too far.

“If you are going to have an expensive firm of lawyers chasing down ordinary people, with a view to threatening them with a jail sentence because they have gossiped about a footballer, that is fundamentally wrong,” he told BBC TV.

English newspapers have responded to bans taken out by a number of celebrities, including other sports stars and actors, by making references to them in gossip columns in the knowledge that readers, having read up on the internet, will spot the intention behind the apparently innocent stories.

Lawyer Roderick Dadak said the case showed how hard it was to regulate online gossip.

“It has drawn the attention of all, the judiciary and parliament, to the fact that the internet is pretty much uncontrollable,” Dadak of media firm Lewis Silkin told Reuters.

“Anyone can post whatever they want out of the jurisdiction and there is nothing you can do about it,” he added.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve announced on Monday that a parliamentary committee would study the issues raised in what has turned into a clash between politicians and the judiciary.

Cameron, in a television interview, said earlier: “It is rather unsustainable, this situation, where newspapers can’t print something that everyone else is clearly talking about.

“The danger is that (court) judgments are effectively writing a sort of new law, which is what parliament is meant to do.”

Politicians have also used parliamentary privilege to disclose that former Royal Bank of Scotland head Fred Goodwin had won a gagging order. Goodwin came under fire for taking a generous pension after his bank had to be rescued by the state. – Reuters

Imogen Thomas

Manchester, United Kingdom – Sir Alex Ferguson has joined the debate about footballers’ use of the social networking Twitter site by branding it “a waste of time”.”

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has joined the debate about footballers' use of the social networking Twitter site by branding it 'a waste of time

The veteran Manchester United manager was speaking at the end of a week in which his club’s high-profile forward Wayne Rooney attracted unwanted headlines for an on-line dispute with one follower.

Rooney was also embroiled in a spat with the broadcaster Piers Morgan, an ardent Arsenal supporter.

Earlier this season, United midfielder Darron Gibson opened a Twitter account only to close it within minutes after he received a large amount of abuse from his own club’s supporters.

After Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger warned his players of the potential “negative repercussions” involved with the use of Twitter this week, Ferguson is also conscious of the problems involved with such exposure.

“It’s about responsibility,” said Ferguson, 69. “I think they (players) are responsible for their actions, what they say on Twitter.

“I don’t understand it, to be honest with you. I don’t have the time to do it. There are a million things you can do with your life other than that. Go to a library and read a book. I’m serious. What a waste of time.

“But they seem to have a certain momentum at the moment. Everyone seems to want to do it.

“I don’t understand it but it is something that we, as a club, are looking at because there can be issues attached to it and we don’t want that.”

Wenger had claimed that Twitter could be a positive phenomenon for high-profile players as it allows them to keep in touch with true fans – an argument with which Ferguson does not agree.

“It’s better if you just play well on the pitch,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ferguson revealed he is still hopeful that Paul Scholes will continue his career beyond next weekend’s Champions League Final against Barcelona.

Scholes, 36, is out of contract this summer and there is a strong school of thought that he will retire, meaning this weekend’s game against Blackpool may prove to have been his last at Old Trafford.

“I don’t think so,” said Ferguson of that prospect. “We will discuss it and, hopefully, encourage him to stay on another year. We will talk at the end of the year.

Pitso Mosimane this morning named the following 23-man Bafana Bafana squad to face Egypt in Cairo in an African Nations Cup 2012 qualifier on June 5.

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has named a full-strength 23-strong squad for their Afcon qualifier against Egypt

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Wayne Sandilands (Mamelodi Sundowns), Mbongeni Mzimela (AmaZulu)

Defenders: Morgan Gould (SuperSport United), Mzuvukile Tom (Golden Arrows), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa, Israel), Siboniso Gaxa (Lierse SK, Belgium), Anele Ngcongca (Genk, Belgium), Siyabonga Sangweni (Golden Arrows), Happy Jele (Orlando Pirates), Bevan Fransman (Hapoel Tel Aviv)

Midfielders: Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs), Hlompo Kekana (Bloemfontein Celtic), George Maluleka (Ajax Cape Town) Andile Jali (Orlando Pirates), Thulani Serero (Ajax Cape Town), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Steven Pienaar (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Kagiso Dikgacoi (Fulham, England

Strikers: Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bernard Parker (Panserraikos, Greece), Davide Somma (Leeds United, England), Tlou Segolela (Orlando Pirates)

The following players will also join the camp in Rustenburg for observation – Bongolwethu Jayiya (Wits), Punch Masenamela (Chiefs), Sifiso Myeni (Wits), Kermit Erasmus (SuperSport)

Manchester, England – Manchester United are counting on their formidable home record to take them to a victory in the big game against Chelsea on Sunday that manager Alex Ferguson says will secure them the Premier League title.

Ferguson’s side have dropped only two points at home all season and are in good spirits after reaching the Champions League final this week with a 6-1 aggregate win over Schalke 04 which was completed using a second-string team.

Having rested first-choice players including striker Wayne Rooney, who has now recovered from a tight hamstring, Ferguson believes his team are in ideal shape for the huge game.

“If we win, I think we should win the league,” Ferguson told a news conference on Friday.

“Our home record is fantastic, it’s probably the best in Europe, and it has to be on Sunday, it’s a big game.”

With three games left, United have 73 points to Chelsea’s 70 with both on the same goal difference, meaning the London side would go top with victory at Old Trafford while a win for United would leave them needing one more point for a record 19th title.

United’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal and Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend has set up this game as key for the title race, a notion that looked unlikely two months ago when the champions trailed the leaders by 15 points.

The loss at Arsenal forced Ferguson into some drastic squad rotation against Schalke, making nine changes from the side that started the first leg, and he was glad his players would be as rested as Chelsea’s who did not play midweek.

“That makes a difference at this time of the season. You’ve got two fresh teams and it should be a fantastic game,” Ferguson said.

Chelsea were the last team to win at Old Trafford, more than a year ago, and their late charge to retain their league crown owes much to March’s victory over United at Stamford Bridge when they came from a goal behind to win 2-1.

“The result against us was the change for them,” said Ferguson. “That gave them that lift from being out of the game to winning it and of course us losing to Arsenal on Sunday is going to open the door for them.

“It’s a hard league to win, we know because we’ve been involved in championship races for almost 19 years.” – Reuters

WWE is making its return to South Africa this July with five action-packed live events scheduled for Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Yes, that’s right you’ll be able to check all of your favourite superstars right in your home town.

Experience all the drama and excitement as some of the biggest names in WWE SmackDown? hit South Africa including WWE Superstars Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Alberto Del Rio, Justin Gabriel, Kelly Kelly. plus many more.Experience all the drama and excitement as some of the biggest names in WWE SmackDown hit South Africa

Grand Arena, Grand West, Cape Town – Western Cape
Wed 06 Jul 11 8:00 PM (Open)
Thu 07 Jul 11 8:00 PM (Open)

Westridge Park Tennis Stadium, Durban – Kwazulu-Natal
Fri 08 Jul 11 8:00 PM (Open)

The Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg And Reef – Gauteng
Sat 09 Jul 11 8:00 PM (Open)
Sun 10 Jul 11 1:00 PM (Open)

Madrid –Messi has scored 48 goals in all competitions so far this season, and his next match will be Saturday against Ronaldo and his Real Madrid teammates. No Spanish league player has ever scored 50 goals in a season.

Football giants have been weighing in on the Lionel Messi (left) v Cristiano Ronaldo debate ahead of the El Clasico, and Messi leads the vote

“Yes he’s on his way,” Cruyff said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “He’s just played now four years or something like that and the others have played at least 14 years, so he’s got 10 more years to go with same quality and, hopefully, same success.”

The 23-year-old Messi has scored 95 goals in his last 99 games and helped Barcelona to eight trophies over the past two seasons, which were both capped with World Player of the Year accolades.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, endured a trophyless first year with Madrid in 2010 after six successful seasons at Manchester United. The Portugal forward doesn’t want Madrid to go three straight seasons without silverware, but Barcelona and Messi stand in the way.

The pair will play in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday before meeting in two legs of the Champions League semifinals.

But as much as Cruyff, a former Barcelona star, believes Messi is worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as Pele, Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano, he’s not as convinced about Ronaldo.

“A little more difficult, I think,” Cruyff said about the 2008 World Player of the Year. “All the people mentioned were players from the street and Ronaldo is more of a physical player, while in the others mentioned are not physical players (but) pure technical players – pure technique.”

Two-time defending champion Barcelona hold an eight-point lead over Madrid in the Spanish league going into Saturday’s match, the first of four meetings between the rivals in less than three weeks.

According to the El Pais newspaper, Ronaldo has taken on his personal rivalry against Messi with such newfound focus that he is reportedly being nicknamed “The Anxious One” inside Madrid’s locker room. Ronaldo, who has scored 39 goals in 47 games, has yet to score in six games against Barcelona, with one victory and four losses.

Barcelona have won a record five straight times against their biggest rivals, including November’s 5-0 rout at the Camp Nou.

Even England coach Fabio Capello appeared to select Messi over Ronaldo when asked Thursday which of the two players he would pick if he could nationalise just one for his current team.

“Ronaldo knows English and (Messi) knows football,” Capello said.

Against Madrid, Messi will be looking to end his own drought. The diminutive Argentine, nicknamed “The Flea,” has yet to score against a team coached by Jose Mourinho.

One thing both Messi and Ronaldo do have in common is a failure to win titles on the international stage, which could be the ultimate decider of their place in history, according to Cruyff.

Whether Maradona or Messi is regarded as Argentina’s most revered player will also likely hang on the World Cup, Cruyff said.

“(Messi’s) got qualities similar to Maradona, who was a player, too, who did a lot of individual stuff,” the 63-year-old Dutchman said. “People will connect a good player with the results they achieved in their career and Maradona of course won the world championship and that’s what Messi didn’t win and it will be (decided on) something like that.

“But for me, today, Messi is a great player.” – Sapa-AP

Charl Schwartzel, right, of South Africa receives his green jacket from former champion Phil Mickelson, left, of the US after winning the 2011 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club

Schwartzel’s final putt from 20 feet curled into the side of the cup for a 6-under 66, the best closing round at the Masters in 22 years. The 26-year-old finished at 14-under 274, two strokes ahead of Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day.

“Just an exciting day,” said Schwartzel, who also became the first Masters champion in its 75-year history to finish with four straight birdies. “So many roars, and that atmosphere out there was just incredible. A phenomenal day.”

Scott shot a 67 and Day finished with two straight birdies for a 68, leaving the Aussies in second place at 276. It was bitter disappointment for themselves and their country: the Masters is the only major an Australian has never won.

Tiger Woods was in a group at 278, failing to capitalise after making four birdies and an eagle to shoot a 31 on the front side. He missed short putts at both the 12th and 15th holes, limping to the finish with a 36 on the back nine.

“It could have been,” he said. “I hit it good all day.”

Rory McIlroy, who entered the day with a four-stroke lead, meanwhile, suffered a stunning collapse.

Still leading by one shot as he headed to the back nine, the Northern Irishman hit a tee shot next to the cabins left of the 10th fairway and twice hit a tree to make triple bogey. He three-putted from 7 feet for bogey on the 11th, four-putted from about 12 feet on the next hole and then buried his head into his forearm as the loss settled in.

McIlroy shot 80, the highest final round by the 54-hole leader since Ken Venturi in 1956. Not since Jean Van de Velde at the 1999 British Open had someone wasted at least a four-shot lead going into the last round of the major.

“It’s never nice to be leading a tournament and do what I did today,” McIlroy said.

“I just hit a poor tee shot on 10 and unravelled from there,” he added. “I’ll have plenty more chances, I know that. It’s just very disappointing what happened today.”

Schwartzel becomes the fourth straight first-time major champion, following Martin Kaymer of Germany (PGA Championship), fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen (British Open) and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (US Open). His victory comes on the 50th anniversary of Gary Player becoming the first international player to win the Masters.

“I am absolutely delighted for Charl and South Africa. Congratulations and very well done to him. That is how you finish like a champion!” Player said on Twitter.

Eight players had at least a share of the lead at some point during the back nine on Sunday. The steady hand came from Schwartzel, whose only bogey was on the fourth hole as this Masters was just getting started.

Schwartzel got up-and-down from behind the 15th green for birdie to briefly take a share of the lead before Scott made a two-footer ahead of him on the par-3 16th.

Schwartzel answered with a 15-foot birdie of his own on the 16th to catch Scott again. Then came the pivotal 17th, where Schwartzel made a 10-foot birdie to take the outright lead for the first time all day.

Schwartzel will now move to No 11 in the world, making him the No 1 player in South Africa. He becomes the sixth South African to win a major.

“It’s been such a short time to think about what can happen. It’s a dream for me,” Schwartzel said. “It’s obviously the highlight of my golf career, by a long way. I always thought if there was one I would win, it would be this one.”

In so many respects, the afternoon looked like 1986 when Jack Nicklaus charged through the back nine to win his sixth green jacket over a top field. There were twice as many possibilities at this Masters, though, with Woods, former Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald, KJ Choi and Bo Van Pelt all in contention toward the end.

Schwartzel played well from the start, chipping in from some 75 feet across the green for birdie on the opening hole, then holing out from the fairway on No 3 for eagle. Just like that, McIlroy’s four-shot lead was gone.

The cheers were impossible for McIlroy to ignore. From the second green, where he was scrambling to make par, McIlroy could hear the noise ahead of him for Schwartzel’s eagles. Moments later, another roar came from the seventh green, where Woods tapped in a close putt for another birdie.

The loudest reaction from the gallery was on the par-5 eighth, when Woods knocked in an eagle putt to reach 10 under and take a share of the lead. His momentum wouldn’t last long, however.

Woods missed a 3-foot par putt on the 12th, failed to birdie the par-5 13th with a 7-iron for his second shot. Then, after twirling his 7-iron with a shot so pure it settled 4 feet away on the par-5 15th, he missed the 4-foot eagle putt.

Woods closed with a 67, his best final round ever here. But his 36 on the back nine wasn’t good enough to win.

“I got off to a nice start there and posted 31,” he said. “And then on the back nine, could have capitalised some more.”

Woods finished equal fourth at the Masters for the second straight year, joined by Ogilvy, who ran off five straight birdies on the back nine, and Donald, who was in contention until hitting into a stream on the 12th for double bogey.

Scott, who switched to a long putter in February, took the lead for the first time with a short birdie on the 14th and had the look of a winner with his tee shot to tap-in range on the 16th, and a par save from the bunker on the 17th.

But he missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

“It’s just disappointing that I didn’t win when I held the lead with a few holes to go,” the 30-year-old said. “I’m usually a pretty good closer. I didn’t do a bad job today, but Charl was better. It was an incredible finish. I’m proud of the way I played, but I’m disappointed that I didn’t get it done when I was right there at the end.”

The 23-year-old Day closed strongly with consecutive birdies that allowed him to join Scott at 12-under.

“I couldn’t do any more than what I just did today,” Day said. “Charl played even better golf.” – Sapa-AP