Sports digest

Today's other stories in brief

Williams overpowers Henin

TENNIS: Serena Williams moved a step closer to a semi-final against her sister Venus after thrashing world number one Justine Henin at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami yesterday.

Serena crushed the Belgian 6-2, 6-0 to move into the last four and was set to be an interested spectator as Venus took on the Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"Obviously I want my sister to win," said Serena, who has an 8-7 edge in the sibling rivalry.

"(Venus has) been playing unbelievable. I won't be too upset if I end up losing to her, but I want to beat her."

Henin had won three straight in the series with Serena - claiming quarter-final victories at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open - but was thoroughly outplayed by the American.

Akhtar vows to appeal against five-year ban 

CRICKET: Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to appeal against the five-year ban imposed yesterday which threatens to end his international career.

The 32-year-old has been banned from playing cricket in his homeland for five years following repeated violations of the players' code of conduct. The latest blot on Shoaib's copybook came when he criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board after missing out on one of the top contracts to play for the national team.

Akhtar, nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, was offered a special retainership but took umbrage at being overlooked for a central contract and hit out at the national governing body.

Shoaib's punishment was much more severe than expected, but he vowed to fight the ban.

"I am deeply disappointed and hurt," he said after appearing in front of the PCB disciplinary committee with fellow bowler Danish Kaneria. "I will go to court and fight against the ban."

The board took a tough stance after finally losing patience with the player, who was on a two-year probation for attacking team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before last year's World Twenty20.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf said: "It is about enforcing strict discipline in the team. No player is bigger than the game. Shoaib was already serving a two-year suspension and thus any indiscipline during this period would automatically result in a ban."

Date fixed for Pistorius hearing

OLYMPICS: Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will have his appeal hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport on April 29th-30th as he looks to overturn the ruling barring him from the Olympics.

Pistorius is appealing the January decision by the International Association of Athletics Federations that he can't participate in August's Beijing Games because the carbon-fibre prosthetics he uses are "technical aids".

Monty critical of Augusta policy

GOLF:Colin Montgomerie has criticised Augusta National, organisers of the Masters, for inviting three Asian players to next week's tournament for commercial rather than golfing reasons.

China's Liang Wen-chong, Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng and Indian Jeev Milkha Singh - respectively 111th, 93rd and 80th in the world - are additions to the field for the first major of the year.

Montgomerie, who has missed out on the Masters after falling to 75th in the rankings, told reporters in Munich: "No, there has been no call from Augusta. But then I wasn't expecting one - there are enough Brits in the field, so there won't be a call. Now if I were the only person in the country, à la China, I might get in. It's a strange way to make up a field for a major championship - TV rights. Augusta chairman Billy Payne said: "These three individuals are successful, accomplished and talented golfers deserving of a Masters invitation. They are outstanding representatives of their respective countries."