• Torres and Franck Ribéry lead list of transfer targets
• Squad pleads for final Champions League chance

Chelsea are drawing up plans to reshape their squad after being knocked out of the Champions League and despite the current squad pleading for one more chance to win Europe's top prize.

The 1–0 defeat by José Mourinho's Internazionale on Tuesday exposed weaknesses in Carlo Ancelotti's squad. The club will aim to retain the spine of the team but a number of fringe players are expected to be moved on in the summer.

Chelsea's transfer policy in recent seasons has been one of relative prudence, as successive chief executives have aimed for self-sufficiency instead of continued reliance upon Roman Abramovich's benevolence. However, the club's Russian owner has made it clear that should the right players become available at competitive prices, he will fund the occasional big signing.

Ancelotti may thus be able to consider moves for long-standing targets such as Fernando Torres, Franck Ribéry, Angel di María or Sergio Agüero. Torres is emerging as the club's principal target and the Spanish striker's future at Liverpool could be decided by the level of investment attracted to his club in the next few months. Real Madrid will compete for Ribéry's signature though the French forward, who plays for Bayern Munich, confirmed interest from Chelsea last month.

Abramovich was at the club's Cobham training base yesterday and he spoke to Ancelotti about long-term transfer policy. Funds could be raised by moving players on with the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Juliano Belletti and even Salomon Kalou potentially made available. The owner's desire to reinvigorate the squad could also have implications for contract negotiations with Joe Cole and Michael Ballack, whose deals expire at the end of the season, and possibly Nicolas Anelka, who is contracted until 2011.

Previous Chelsea managers have come under serious scrutiny following elimination from the Champions League but Ancelotti, who has been at the club for nine months, retains the owner's faith and will oversee the next stage in this team's development.

"Most of the players are really happy and want to stay here and continue the adventure," said the striker Didier Drogba, 32, who was sent off late in the 1-0 second-leg defeat. "It would mean a lot to win [the Champions League] together next season because we've been trying so hard to do that for such a long time. I hope there is more to come from this team."

Their forward Florent Malouda, 29, said the current team "could have given much more than we did". Ballack, now 33, offered the telling admission that Inter's physical power had proved too much to cope with. "I don't think this team is coming to an end because you can't use this game as a means of assessing the development of the side over the whole year," the German midfielder said.

Uefa's disciplinary panel has yet to decide if Drogba's red card for violent conduct – the Ivorian stamped on Thiago Motta's ankle – will prompt further sanction. The Ivory Coast striker is nine months into a three-year probationary period for a previous offence. Drogba was banned for four matches, with a further two games suspended, for verbally abusing the Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after Chelsea's defeat in last season's semi-final, against Barcelona.

Drogba faces a mandatory two‑match ban for his most recent offence, which could be extended to four games. "The referee was a bit hard [on me] with this red card," said the striker.

"I stepped on [Motta's] achilles tendon, but it was not intentional and I was more focused on the cross and the ball. I know I have had unhappy endings in Europe for the last three years [he was also sent off in the 2008 final], but I'm going to try and make it better. I hope next season will be mine."

• United owners want more revenue to help tackle debt
• Glazers unconcerned about animosity of fans

Manchester United are giving strong consideration to increasing season-ticket prices to help with the club's enormous interest payments, despite being acutely aware such a move would increase the sense of animosity that has led to fans protesting against the ruling Glazer family.

The Glazers have begun discussions with the club's England-based directors about next season's prices, with an official announcement due in the next month, and the early talks have been geared towards United continuing their habit of making supporters pay more every year since the Americans took control in 2005.

Season tickets have gone up by an average of 48% in that time, and by as much as 69% in some areas of Old Trafford, but the Glazers are said to be largely unmoved by the prospect of further antagonising the supporters, placing more emphasis on how to increase match-day revenue at a time when the club have £700m-plus worth of borrowings and paid £67m in interest payments last year.

The alternative is that the Glazers freeze or lower prices, as they have done with their NFL team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but, as yet, that idea has been discussed only briefly. Indeed, there is a sense that the situation in Florida may push the Glazers further towards bumping up the prices at Old Trafford. One source close to the family explained their thinking: "Will the club's financial issues affect their decision-making? Yes. Will the current climate of the protests and support anger influence them? Not at all."

United were the only club in the Premier League not to reduce or freeze season-ticket prices for the current season, when the trend throughout the rest of English football's top division was to recognise there was a significant threat of pricing supporters away from the game in a time of recession. Instead, the Premier League champions asked their 55,000 season-ticket holders to pay an extra £1 for each match, calculating it would bring in an extra £1m from their 19 Premier League home matches.

That hike attracted strong criticism from supporters' groups and there was more anger in January when the Glazers launched a prospectus in January to seek £500m worth of new bond loans. "While other Premier League clubs have experienced a flattening or reduction in ticket prices in response to the economic downturn, we were able to increase aggregate ticket prices for the 2009-10 season by 2.5%," it read.

Season-ticket holders are currently paying up to £931 and another rise would be "commercial suicide" according to Andy Mitten, the editor of United We Stand fanzine. "United are the best-supported team in the world this season but where there was once a waiting list for any season tickets, the continued price rises have diminished demand. Fans have been priced out to the point that we are now seeing empty seats inside Old Trafford for league games for the first time since 1992."

The Manchester United Supporters Trust expects that many fans will not renew, adhering to the belief that if enough of them effectively go on strike it will affect the Glazers' business plan enough to persuade them to sever their ties with the club.

This idea has the backing of the Red Knights, the consortium of businessmen and financiers led by the former United director Jim O'Neill and involving the former Football League chairman Keith Harris, who are trying to put in place a takeover deal. Their plan is to reward boycotters by guaranteeing them a season-ticket, at a reduced price, if their takeover is successful.

Discuss the day's big issues, send us your favourite links, follow us on Twitter and take a look at our 2010 sport calendar

8.03am: Andy Murray is in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open (you can watch highlights of the tournament here). He was leading against Nicolas Almagro when the Spaniard retired injured. Here's Simon Cambers's match report from Indian Wells, plus more on Britain's Davis Cup team, with the news that Murray does not favour Greg Rusedski as the new coach.

7.59am: Good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. Throughout the day we'll update this page with news, links and what's expected to happen in the hours ahead. Time permitting, we'll try to wade in below the line, answering your questions and comments. PW

• Scot leading 6-2, 1-0 before Spaniard withdraws
• Murray will play No6 seed Robin Soderling tomorrow

Andy Murray enjoyed a shorter than expected workout here last night as he moved into the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open when Nicolas Almagro of Spain retired injured after one game of the second set in their fourth-round clash.

A left foot injury put paid to any hopes the world No40 might have had of fighting back from the loss of the first set but by the time he quit, Murray was well in command, playing his best tennis of the week on his way to a 6-2, 1-0 lead before Almagro called it an early night in the desert.

Tomorrow, Murray will take on the No6 seed Robin Soderling of Sweden, who is likely to give him a much more strenuous test but, after looking a little scratchy in his first two matches, the Scot was much more like his normal self against Almagro. With Roger Federer, whom he was seeded to face in the semi-finals, having gone out in round three on Tuesday, Murray may just fancy his chances of going one better than last year, when he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the final.

Ideally, Murray would probably have liked to have had more than the 37 minutes on court against Almagro. The match was just his fifth since his defeat by Federer in the final of the Australian Open in January and in his first two matches he struggled for consistency. Yesterday he was sharp, with his movement particularly impressive.

It took losing his serve, though, to get him going. Two double-faults put him in trouble in the third game and though he saved one with a deft drop shot, an errant forehand cost him the break. An angry swipe of his racquet as he came out from the change of ends showed what he thought of being broken, but from that moment on he was a changed man.

He broke back to love and continued his streak, losing just four more points as he wrapped up the first set. Almagro then had treatment for a problem with his left foot and after giving it one more game, he decided he could not play on, handing Murray a place in the last eight. "[Almagro] is a really dangerous player," Murray said. "He has given a lot of top guys problems because he hits a really big ball. He has got a huge serve, his second serve is tough to attack and he just goes for big shots.

"When he's under a little bit less pressure, he tends to play better. He started well, but obviously I managed to break back in the next game, and felt more comfortable after that."

• Fly-half axed for third time in 12-year Test career
• Five other changes reflect disappointing campaign

It has not been the greatest of weeks for England's twin sporting icons. David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson would insist the health of their teams matters more than their own bruised feelings but it still feels awfully like the end of an era. Becks on crutches, Jonny on the bench? If there is a moral to this week's headlines it is that Old Father Time catches up with everyone in the end.

As Martin Johnson made clear yesterday, England's management do not yet view this as a case of Wilko and out on a permanent basis. "If I thought Jonny was on the decline, I wouldn't have picked him for our last seven internationals," said Johnson, having installed Toby Flood at fly-half as one of six changes to the side that drew 15-15 with Scotland in Edinburgh last weekend. "I'm sure Jonny will be disappointed he's not starting but he's a team player. The bench is so important in the last 25-30 minutes."

The public perception will be different. This is only the third time a fit Wilkinson has been dropped by England. He was omitted by Clive Woodward in favour of Paul Grayson on the eve of the 1999 World Cup quarter-final, and usurped by Danny Cipriani for the final game of the 2008 Six Nations. Arguably the biggest shock this time is that Johnson did not drop his old team-mate earlier.

Maybe that was the problem: having seen all those match-winning goals and extraordinary tackles at first hand, Johnson could not bring himself to accept the reality. It has hardly been Wilkinson's fault in isolation that England have played like drains for so much of this year's Six Nations but international fly‑halves who lose the ability to shape Test matches cannot be picked on reputation indefinitely.

Keeping a goal-kicker of Wilkinson's calibre in reserve will clearly be attractive at next year's World Cup in New Zealand, where he will presumably be as valued a squad member as Beckham was scheduled to be in South Africa this summer. The brutal truth, though, is that the golden boots of yesteryear are no longer the irreplaceable cargo they once were.

Had Cipriani not broken his ankle two years ago, Wilkinson might already be reduced to footman status and it could be that Flood's promotion acts as a similar catalyst for England's under-performing back line. Wilkinson, who will be 31 in May, still has the capacity to be good but it has been a while since he shone in the areas of the game – tactical kicking, gain-line awareness, creating space for those outside him – that have become so crucial in modern rugby.

There is also the little matter of the fusillade of blows he took against the Scots, the last of them courtesy of his own captain, Steve Borthwick. Even if he is deemed clear-headed enough to be a replacement, sending out a punch-drunk playmaker is never clever. The mind's eye will always associate Wilkinson with Paris – winning the 2000 game almost on his own; being ruthlessly hunted down by Serge Betsen in 2002; hoisting England into a World Cup final in 2007, against the odds – but his legendary commitment has almost become part of the problem.

"If he redoubled his efforts … well, I don't know how he could do that," said Flood. All work and no play, sadly, has not always made Jonny a visionary playmaker, particularly since the tactically sharp likes of Will Greenwood, Mike Catt and Matt Dawson retired.

Even for someone as instinctively loyal as Johnson, the time has come to try something different, for the sake of everybody's sanity. With Ugo Monye and Delon Armitage discarded on fitness and form grounds respectively, the promotions of Northampton's Ben Foden and Chris Ashton at full-back and on the wing have been overdue for a while.

Ashton, with 71 tries in 71 games for the Saints since arriving from rugby league, is a poacher par excellence and has built up an excellent understanding at club level with the 24-year-old Foden. The full-back also knows Mark Cueto well from his Sale days. Aimless "kick tennis" is set to be given the boot in favour of something more daring.

With the experienced Mike Tindall rushed back into the starting XV in place of Mathew Tait after just three games for Gloucester since returning from injury – "If he was a five-cap player you'd probably think differently," said Johnson – and Simon Shaw fit to resume in the second-row in place of Louis Deacon, the only other change is in the back row, where Lewis Moody returns at No7 and Joe Worsley switches across to the blindside in place of James Haskell. Should Borthwick's knee problem fail to improve – he has seen two specialists so far and received conflicting diagnoses – the Stade Français lock Tom Palmer will be drafted in and a replacement captain named. Johnson says he knows who it is – the favourites would appear to be Lewis Moody and Nick Easter – but he is saying nothing more pending further tests on Borthwick today.

Whether the captain makes it or not, England will have to produce an awful lot more than they have managed so far this season if they are to deny France the most authoritative of grand slams. Asked how he intended to unsettle Les Bleus, Johnson opted initially for black humour – "We've just got to execute better and put them under pressure that way … that might surprise them" – but also stressed that it was not Tindall's job alone to stop the rumbling Mathieu Bastareaud, France's hugely powerful centre.

While the English fret about Wilkinson's diminishing powers, the French have their eyes on the prize and sound ominously confident.

"It will be a special game and it will be even more special because the last game will be against England," said their No8, Imanol Harinordoquy. "I don't like them saying 'good game' when they beat us. I hold a grudge against them because they stopped me from doing great things like playing in two World Cup finals. A game against England is always a rendezvous because you know your opposite number will not be out to do you any favours. Saturday's game will be a real contest, a real fight, a brawl."

If England's forwards start slowly, Johnson's fly-half selection will be irrelevant.

• Fast ground blamed for favourite's defeat
• Bookmaker claims punters have lost £25m at meeting

Seven is no age for a steeplechaser, but there was the sense of a champion whose time has been and gone here yesterday as Master Minded came up horribly short in his attempt to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase for the third year running. Instead it was Big Zeb, two years his senior, who had the strength when it mattered, running on strongly from the turn to beat Forpadydeplasterer by six lengths, with Master Minded, the 4-5 favourite, only fourth.

Dunguib, beaten at the same price in Tuesday's opening race, at least gave his backers something to shout at on the run to the last. Master Minded, though, was beaten turning for home, and Big Zeb and Barry Geraghty had the race already won, assuming that they cleared the last.

That has been a rash assumption in the past, not least when Big Zeb smashed through the last at Punchestown in April with a victory over Master Minded within his grasp. This year, though, his jumping has been much more reliable and, as soon as he was over, the bookies could start to celebrate.

So too could his trainer, Colm Murphy, whose return at the Festival from a relatively small string now includes two of the meeting's feature events, following Brave Inca's Champion Hurdle in 2006.

"Before racing, I said that there was only one horse in it and that was Big Zeb," Geraghty said. "If I got a nice rhythm going, I was confident I was on the right horse. He's probably a bit like Moscow [Flyer, Geraghty's 2003 and 2005 winner] in that he's got balls and he'll take a chance and do something stupid, but they're the lads who won't duck out.

"At the last at Punchestown, when I fired him at it, he came up and dived at it but he was willing to have a go. There's probably a fine line between being a great jumper and being a bit of an eejit that will miss one. You need to throw caution to the wind and he did that today."

Paul Nicholls, Master Minded's trainer, said afterwards that his horse may not have appreciated the drying ground. "We were beaten fair and square," Nicholls said. "I was concerned with the drying ground over the past couple of days and Ruby [Walsh] said that he didn't let himself down. I could see that, too, after a couple of fences. He is a big, heavy horse and, on ground like this, something just stops him letting himself down. He's a hard horse to train, unlike Kauto Star."

Master Minded's defeat was the lowest point of another grim afternoon for the punters, as the Champion Bumper fell to a 40-1 chance, Cue Card. Nicholls' Sanctuaire, the only winning favourite at 4-1, played with the field in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle but one bookmaker estimated that the industry had won as much as £25m over the day's seven races.

Long Run and Punchestowns, reckoned by Nicky Henderson to be two of the finest novice chasers he has trained, were beaten into third and fifth respectively as Weapon's Amnesty, trained by Charles Byrnes, took the RSA Chase with surprising ease for a 10-1 chance.

Long Run, ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen, the son of the horse's owner Robert, made a couple of mistakes on his third run over British fences, but his challenge petered out quickly after the home turn.

Rite Of Passage was another warm favourite to delight the bookmakers in the Neptune Investment Management Novice Hurdle, which saw a performance of immense promise from Peddlers Cross. Jason Maguire always looked confident on the winner and delivered his challenge clearing the final flight. Peddlers Cross is now unbeaten in four starts under Rules, and is as short as 8-1 for next year's World Hurdle.

"When Jason won on him at Bangor [in December], he said to me in the winner's enclosure, "this is the best horse I've ever ridden", Donald McCain, his trainer, said. "I had to ring him up on the way home to make sure I'd heard him right.

"I've never trained a horse with the gears this one has. Whiteoak [the 2008 Mares' Hurdle winner] was quick, but this one's got speed to burn and gets a trip as well."

Rain is forecast for Cheltenham today, but track officials still planned to water the New Course last night. "We will be watering selectively to maintain good ground, putting on between three and five millimetres," Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course, said last night.

The arrangement allows England to benefit from the David Beckham circus without the distraction of his football skills

Let me begin by saying that it is in no way an indication of some national psychiatric malaise that within hours of David Beckham being confirmed as out of the World Cup, urgent moves to fashion a "24th man" role for him at the tournament were already well under way. According to a range of reports, Fabio Capello and the FA will invite Beckham to travel to South Africa in what is described as a "special role", with pundits gibbering about both his importance as a mentor to the England squad and his peerless lobbying skills for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

As yet, this special role remains tantalisingly undefined in formal terms, with the above brief placing him somewhere between a brilliant but twinkly-eyed diplomat in the mould of Ben Franklin, and Linus van Pelt's security blanket in Peanuts. But the arrangement is a triumph of logic, ideally allowing the England set-up to benefit from the David Beckham circus without the irritating distraction of any of his football skills.

Certainly, there will be a few who imagine this to be the worst of both worlds, but optimists should regard Beckham's personally devastating injury as what David St Hubbins once called "a great freeing-up of time", permitting those self-assured national bigwigs to deputise him to perform any number of vital functions they lack the wit or charm to perform themselves. Indeed, before Capello's lieutenants rush into merely scheduling Beckham into the inevitable bilateral summit with Jacob Zuma, they must consider what a golden factotum David might become were he charged with any – ideally all – of the following roles.

Official England mascot: Instead of holding the hand of a local child as he comes out on to the pitch, Rio Ferdinand should cling on to that of Beckham, a powerful gesture about mentoring and self-confidence which would swiftly become as intimidating a tradition as the haka.

Official England press officer: Under this scenario, David would be the only member of the England camp permitted to speak to the media in South Africa, with even Capello deferring press conference duties on the basis that they mostly want to talk about Beckham anyway. None of us wishes to speculate on the quality of England performances David is likely to have to gloss, but he would doubtless offer a slightly more benign version of the Comical Ali role occupied by Alastair Campbell during the Lions tour of New Zealand.

Furthermore, Beckham would always have the threat of a trump card. Journalists would know that unless they conformed to certain behavioural standards, he might reprise the notorious Lads Done Well Strike of 2004, when unfavourable press coverage of England resulted in the then-captain downing tools in the aftermath of beating Poland in a World Cup qualifier and refusing to spew out the usual platitudes to the media.

Official Englishman abroad: As far as downtime activities go, England squads have long realised you can't win. When a group of players took the opportunity to visit Auschwitz before the aforementioned World Cup qualifier, some newspapers criticised them for wearing tracksuits, a sense of perspective which contrived to reduce the Holocaust to a niggle about Michael Owen's leisurewear. To avoid falling into traditional traps in South Africa, all photogenic township visits should be delegated to Beckham. Ditto all Baden-Baden-esque shopping trips.

Official England psychologist: Given the motley parade of professional shrinks and lay quacks who have drifted through the England camp in past years, Beckham is easily qualified enough to carve out some head guru role within the camp. His methodology? Probably best to rule out Gestalt or Freudianism and bet on a highly idiosyncratic brand of tattooed shamanism.

Official England celebrity booker: Beckham has long proved his ability to draw the big names, with his box at the Home Depot Centre packed regularly with the likes of Eva Longoria, Kate Beckinsale, and of course the Cruise-Holmeses. For England's games in South Africa, he could be put in charge of turnout, calling in the sort of A-lister presence of which other, more football-focused countries could only dream. And if a certain special buddy of David's wishes to augment his team psychologist role by introducing Dianetics to the dressing room, then that can only be a bonus.

Official England director of football: Pretty much self-explanatory, the final one. Not only does this set-up work brilliantly everywhere it's tried, but you have to ask: doesn't Beckham's apparently indomitable power base demand nothing less?

Critics claim Bangladesh should not be a Test nation, but with the right infrastructure they will develop the bowlers to compete

If some of the pundits had their way it would be a long time before England toured Bangladesh again. There have been plenty of suggestions that Bangladesh, beaten by 181 runs, should be demoted from Test cricket, either down to a second tier of nations or out of the cycle altogether. It is a viewpoint that I would question.

Poor as Bangladesh were in patches, England still needed to play proper cricket to beat them. We saw in this match that Bangladesh are improving as a side. If you plotted a graph of their progress since they came into Test cricket, the line would be curving steadily upwards. Junaid Siddique's 106 in the second innings made him the fifth Bangladeshi batsman to score a Test century since 1 January. That is as many centuries in the last two and a half months as the team managed in the previous four years.

It has been 10 years since Bangladesh made their Test debut. In that time they have played 65 matches and won three of them. Critics have short memories. That record is in line with the trend for emerging Test nations. In their first 10 years of Test cricket, between 1982 and 1992, Sri Lanka played 37 Tests, and won two. In New Zealand's first decade they played 14 times without winning once (and took 45 matches to do so). No doubt there were people who wanted to kick those teams out of Test cricket then, too.

Where Bangladesh's record does differ is in the number of draws they have secured, only six, as opposed to Sri Lanka's 16. Sri Lanka were lucky in that they went on to discover Muttiah Muralitharan and were able to build a bowling attack around him. In the absence of such a star spinner, Bangladesh's big difficulty is fast bowling. There are two sides to the problem – their batsmen are not comfortable facing it, and their bowlers are not capable of delivering it. The first issue can be fixed, but the second is tougher to solve.

The weaknesses of their top order against fast bowling were clear in the first innings of this Test in Chittagong. Both Siddique and Imrul Kayes were bounced out. I know from my own playing days with Zimbabwe just how difficult it is as a batsman in a developing team to deal with the step up in pace that occurs when you play a top nation. It is a real shock to the system to come out of a net or a first‑class game where the bowling has been at 130kph to face a barrage in a Test match at 140kph.

That extra 10kph may not seem much on paper, but imagine it as the difference between a spin bowler's regular delivery and his arm-ball. The change in pace is similarly slight but very effective. In Zimbabwe we actually recruited two South African baseball pitchers to come into the nets and throw at us as fast as they could from 19 yards, to help us adapt to the pace of top-level cricket. At first we could hardly get the bat on the ball, but over time we became accustomed to the increased speed. Until Bangladesh can find some quicks of their own for their batsmen to practise against, they may need to resort to more unnatural methods like that one.

Developing that bowling talent is a tough task. Even India have faltered because they do not have a consistent squad of pace bowlers who can really intimidate the opposition. Bangladesh face similar difficulties. Between the flat wickets and the heat and humidity of the conditions, not many young players are going to want to run up and bowl at 140kph for any period of time. One way forward would be to develop wickets that offer more encouragement for seam bowlers.

But the bedrock for future development is what is happening underneath Test cricket. I would want to visit and inspect Bangladesh's domestic set-up before passing judgment, but wherever you are in the world strong first‑class cricket is absolutely crucial for Test success. You can't pluck players from a weak domestic league and expect them to make a quick transition to the top level. This also takes time. Bangladesh have had 10 years to work on their domestic structure. England have had more than 100, and still not got it right.

Bangladesh have a part to play in the modern game. Their huge cricketing population is a resource that the sport should not waste. If you suddenly split Test cricket into two divisions then that interest will wane. England's visit will stimulate enthusiasm in a way that playing Ireland and Zimbabwe never would. The mismatches, we are told, are doing nothing for the health of Test cricket, but what about the longer-term development of the sport? Cricket would only benefit from Bangladesh getting better.

The third season of the IPL has begun with some off the hype turned down – allowing the excellent cricket to do the talking

In Blinded by Rainbows, the Rolling Stones ask: "Did you ever touch the night/Did you ever count the cost/Do you hide away the fear/Put down paradise as lost?" I don't know about touching the darkness, but over the past five days, in three different cities, I've watched stolid Jacques Kallis win a Twenty20 game, witnessed an Eden Gardens crowd roar its approval of a returning prodigal son, and seen Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya upstaged by two kids who could still walk down a busy street in Mumbai unmolested. Welcome to the IPL.

Those that wish it away could be in for a very long wait. The opening game of the third Indian Premier League season – between the Deccan Chargers, the defending champions, and the Kolkata Knight Riders – was watched in 19.9m Indian homes. As many as 479,000 tuned in to ITV in the UK, despite it being a Friday afternoon. Youtube's IPL channel saw more than eight million views in the first four days. Wednesday night's Delhi-Mumbai clash at the Feroz Shah Kotla is sold out, and most other venues have seen nearly full houses despite the oppressive summer heat arriving early.

More importantly, everyone seems to have been infected with the cricket virus. Stewardesses on flights discuss Yusuf Pathan's big-hitting, hotel gatemen ask you for passes and cab drivers want to know why "Kevin Peter" (Pietersen) isn't playing for Bangalore. After I had covered the Eden game on Sunday evening, the receptionist at my hotel was aghast that I was stepping out for dinner rather than watching the second game in the bar.

There's been some fine cricket, too. Sure, Shane Warne was guilty of hyperbole and revisionism when he called Pathan's 37-ball century the best he'd ever seen, but it was still a thrilling display of power and timing. In the same match, Ambati Rayudu, once touted as India's next big thing, and Sourabh Tiwary took on Warne with the fearlessness that comes easily to the young. A day later, Manoj Tiwary, the wasted years in Delhi behind him, delighted his home crowd in Kolkata with a superb innings against Dale Steyn and Anil Kumble.

All well worth watching, if not quite in the same league as the Kallis masterclass on Tuesday night. Not too many sides chase down 204, and even fewer do it with seven balls to spare. Manish Pandey (38 from 26 balls) and Robin Uthappa (51 from 21) exploded grenades around him, but it was Kallis that finally took out the Kings XI, easing to 45 from 38 balls before smashing 44 from the next 17 that he faced.

In 2007, he wasn't considered good enough for South Africa's Twenty20 side, and down the years he's often been characterised as some sort of yokel. But when it comes to knowledge of the game, and his own strengths in particular, Kallis is as bright as they come. And even if he might not be able to tell you the significance of the Battle of the Sexes, he understands perfectly what Billie Jean King was talking about when she said: "Champions keep playing until they get it right."

"Two years ago, there was a lot of criticism from people who said that I couldn't play it [Twenty20]," said Kallis after Bangalore had coasted to their first win of the season. "I've worked at it. It's something I pride myself on. Technically, you don't need to change much. In Test cricket, you get a bit more behind the ball. In Twenty20, you need to give yourself a bit more room to hit."

Watching players such as Kallis and Adam Gilchrist bat is also a perfect real-time education for their younger team-mates. Many of them get carried away by the moment and forget that the same stroke can fetch you runs in every form of the game. Rather that look to strip the leather off every ball that they face, Kallis and the old pros use the bowler's pace as much as they do their own bat swings.

English observers would have seen similar maturity from Ravi Bopara. Despite the Kings XI losing both their games, Bopara has stood out with his unhurried approach and classy stroke play. The game against Bangalore was a prime example. Manvinder Bisla, once part of India's Under-19 side, batted a bit like a slalom skier on speed on his way to 75 from 51 balls. Without taking anything like the same risks, Bopara made 77 in a ball fewer. Though more eyes have been on Eoin Morgan (10 from 7 balls in his only inning so far), Bopara and Owais Shah, with a superbly paced half-century in the opening game, have done their chances of Twenty20 selection no harm at all.

It's not just been about the batsmen, either. Lakshmipathy Balaji – how good would India's attack have been had those back and abdominal injuries not wrecked his career? – illustrated the virtues of keeping it simple and varying pace as the Knight Riders were handed a first defeat on Tuesday night, and there have been standout performances from Justin Kemp and Angelo Mathews. With Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas on their way home after picking up finger and ankle injuries, how long before Graeme Swann's hotel room in Dhaka gets an SOS from Warne and the Rajasthan Royals?

The emphasis on young Indian talent and the salary cap have kept things interesting and unpredictable, though both the Royals and Kings XI need to be wary of falling too far behind. There have also been improvements on the telecast front, with viewers subjected to fewer DLF Maximums and Citi Moments of Success. On the flight to Bangalore from Kolkata, I had one of the IMG staff for company, and he spoke of the wrath that he had incurred by asking the TV production folk to go easy on the endless promotion.

"It comes with maturity," he said. "Soon, even the advertisers will realise that they have a product that doesn't need to be given the hard sell every 10 seconds." He was English and spoke of getting texts from friends who had been catching the action after getting home from work. "I don't think people back home realise quite how big the IPL is," he said. "You're talking about an audience larger than the population of the UK. And all the best players want to be here."

You know that times have changed when Warne tweets about the body being a temple and orders a fruit platter ("Elite athlete's lunch"). Canned spaghetti and baked beans are apparently passé. The IPL certainly is not.

• Zamora prepared for Italians' strong-arm tactics
• Hodgson plays down talk of English superiority

It is one thing to be prepared for the close attention of an Italian team's defenders but quite another to deal with it in the prickly heat of a European knockout tie. Ask Didier Drogba, the Chelsea striker, who was sent off against Internazionale on Tuesday night.

Bobby Zamora talked the talk yesterday, on the eve of one of Fulham's biggest matches – the second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie with Juventus, in which the Italians are 3-1 up from the first leg. The striker, though, must be cool if his team are to fashion another remarkable result under Roy Hodgson.

"Italian defenders are definitely more hands‑on," said Zamora, who will face the Juventus centre-half Fabio Cannavaro. "I'm sure you watched the Chelsea-Inter game the other night. It is exactly that. The closest thing we have in England to playing against an Italian side is probably when you play against [Chelsea's] Ricardo Carvalho. He's a very clever player, not overly strong or overly quick but he knows when to foul at the right times. I suppose they are very clever at it. A lot of their game is very tactical. It's an art form in itself."

Zamora first encountered Serie A opposition when he played for West Ham against Palermo in the Uefa Cup three seasons ago and this season Fulham played Roma in their group. Hodgson's team had three players sent off over the two games.

"I'm sure that Juve will be doing exactly the same to us as what Inter did to Chelsea, trying to frustrate us and kill time and so on," said Zamora. "But the gaffer has said that we've got to keep our heads, stay calm and get on to the referee if needed."

Fulham have made ripples across Europe with their progress this season. They put an end to Basle's unbeaten home run to emerge from a difficult group and in the first knockout round they beat the holders, Shakhtar Donetsk. In the Premier League they have beaten Manchester United and Liverpool, but Zamora said a win against Juventus might top the lot.

Juventus are, in terms of European games played, the most experienced team left in the Europa League while Fulham are the least. The London club have never made it so far in a European competition.

The fixture is set to renew the focus on Anglo-Italian rivalry. When Manchester United beat Milan 7‑2 on aggregate in the Champions League, it was held as evidence of the Premier League's superiority over Serie A. But Fiorentina beat Liverpool home and away in the group stage and Roma took four points from Fulham in the Europa League. Then there was Inter's stunning defeat of Chelsea.

"Why should the Inter result be a surprise?" asked Hodgson. "It bothers me that we are getting so enamoured with what we do here on this island that, all of a sudden, we believe we are invincible. The unfortunate thing when you start to compare leagues is that you compare the very top teams but what you never compare is, for example, Chievo against Sunderland. Maybe to really discuss how good a league is, you might have to start analysing some of those teams. I don't like glibness, it is very dangerous. For me, football is full of surprises."

Fulham (4-4-2, probable): Schwarzer; Kelly, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky; Davies, Baird, Etuhu, Gera; Dempsey, Zamora

Juventus (4-3-1-2, probable): Chimenti; Grygera, Zebina, Cannavaro, Grosso; Sissoko, Poulsen, Melo; Diego; Trezeguet, Del Piero

• Tony Mowbray looks for new left-back at Parkhead
• Algeria's Belhadj almost certain to leave in May

Celtic have identified Portsmouth's Nadir Belhadj as the answer to their problematic left-back position. Tony Mowbray believes the Algerian could be available for as little as £2.5m this summer amid Portsmouth's financial troubles.

Belhadj has been widely reported to be one of the players almost certain to leave Fratton Park when the transfer window re-opens in the summer. The Celtic manager currently has Holland's Edson Braafheid as a left-back but the player is expected to return to Bayern Munich when his loan deal expires in May.

Mowbray has been linked again this week with the Hearts defender José Gonçalves, whose contract ends this summer. The Portuguese defender, though, is not thought to be among Celtic's initial transfer targets.

While they are poised to follow up their interest in Belhadj with a formal bid, Celtic could face stiff competition for the 27-year-old's services. Speculation has linked Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Barcelona with a move for the former Lens player, with each of those clubs easily able to top any wage available in Scotland.

Mowbray is also confident of turning Diomansy Kamara's loan move from Fulham into a permanent transfer this summer.

Celtic's manager, meanwhile, has been criticised for his substitutions by Scott McDonald, the striker who left Parkhead for Middlesbrough during January. Mowbray admitted in the aftermath of Saturday's 3-0 win at Kilmarnock that he was close to substituting Robbie Keane before the on-loan Tottenham player scored the first goal of a hat-trick.

McDonald remains irked at being replaced frequently – often early in the second half of games – by Mowbray during the opening half of this season. "I wasn't necessarily not playing at Celtic," McDonald said. "I think I only missed a couple of games. But it was becoming more and more frustrating that I wasn't getting enough time on the park. That did concern me a lot.

"Even with me not at the club Tony Mowbray likes to make changes at that period in games, for reasons unknown to players who will question, if you're having not a bad game: 'Why are you taking me off?'

"It was not something I was completely happy about and I'd be honest about it and say. But he's the boss and, accordingly, he does what he sees as right. You're not always going to agree with it, though."

McDonald admitted his old club's quest to reclaim the Premier League title from Rangers, who are 13 points in front of Celtic, looks forlorn despite Keane's arrival. "It was a great signing for Celtic but probably too little too late," McDonald said. "The damage had already been done."

• Former England manager rejects Nigeria coaching contract
• Hoddle claims he was under pressure to arrange a bung

Glenn Hoddle's decision to walk away from a near-£1m contract to manage Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup has sparked a corruption investigation. Nigerian police are seeking statements from Hoddle and the agent who represented him, Olatunji John Shittu.

The police will also talk to Lars Lagerback, the former Sweden coach who took the job, and executives from the Nigeria Football Federation and the national sports commission.

Hoddle is believed to have claimed to the Nigerian state authorities that he came under pressure to arrange a bung for one of his new employers. Hoddle's allegation is said to be that, having agreed a US$1m (£650,000) short-term deal last month, an official told him it would be announced as US$1.5m.

Hoddle, who has not responded to attempts by the Guardian to contact him on the matter, was informed he would have to return the £325,000 difference as a kickback.

The former England manager is said to have refused. Dr Bukola Saraki, a Nigerian state governor, says Hoddle approached him to report the incident before returning to the UK from Abuja. "When we met, Hoddle complained that he was asked to part with US$500,000 out of his US$1.5m [the contract fee to be paid] and that was the only way to do business in Nigeria," Saraki said.

An investigation by the Presidential Task Force for the 2010 World Cup found no wrongdoing. But now, according to its spokesman Femi Babafemi, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched a formal inquiry.

England play cash card

Fifa's executive committee will meet today to discuss the progress on preparations for this summer's World Cup, less than three months before it kicks off. With its 2009 financial report another topic for debate, this year's expected World Cup revenues will also be talked about. It is Fifa's only shot at a substantial revenue‑generating event in its four-year accounting cycle, but the latest reckoning is that the South Africa tournament will do only marginally better than breaking even. Now the England 2018 World Cup bid expects to capitalise by playing up its projections of big surpluses from any tournament.

Funeral rights

You have been Warned

Shane Warne, left, is being offered to English counties as a Twenty20 player after the end of the Indian Premier League next month. The captain of the Rajasthan Royals' UK agency yesterday confirmed the Australian is looking to play in the shortest form of the game over here. But it is a little strange that Warne should be inviting all-comers to apply for his services. Only last month he was at the forefront of a media announcement for the Royals  2020 franchise that was supposedly uniting Rajasthan with Hampshire in this country. The Hampshire Hawks even hoped to change their name to Hampshire Royals under the tie-up. And Digger learns that Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire's chairman and chief executive, has recently asked Warne to play at the Rose Bowl this year only to be told he is unavailable. Why Warne should be offered to other clubs so soon is puzzling.

Clean-living folk required

The drug-testing quango, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), is on a recruitment drive for suitable candidates for its athletes' committee. The agency is looking for nine current or recently retired players of top-level sport to provide advice over its education programmes and drug-testing policies and procedures. Footballers, cricketers and rugby players will all be encouraged to apply, as well as athletes from Olympic sports. UKAD says that despite the absence of a formal committee to provide feedback during the three months of its operation, athletes have been consulted for their input.

• Club captain has lost place to Kompany
• Manager says Ivorian 'very important to us'

Roberto Mancini has assured Kolo Touré that he has a significant part to play in Manchester City's chase for a top-four Premier League finish, despite the club captain having lost his place after a difficult first season since leaving Arsenal.

Touré, a £14m recruit last summer, has made only five appearances since the start of the year because of his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations and then a knee injury. The Ivory Coast defender, who turns 29 on Friday, is now fit but has been unable to regain his place. Mancini has preferred to use Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott in central defence.

The goalkeeper Shay Given has been captain in Touré's absence but Mancini has no plans to make that a permanent switch. "Kolo was out of the team initially because he had a [knee] problem for two weeks," Mancini said. "He is OK now and still very important for us. We still have a lot of games left and we will need all the players to be 100%."

Touré may get a chance to return to the team for Sunday's game at Fulham now Wayne Bridge is out for a month. Bridge has had a hernia operation, leaving Mancini to consider whether to move Lescott to left-back or bring in Javier Garrido or Sylvinho.

City's defence has looked stronger with Lescott alongside Kompany but Mancini said: "When I arrived [at the club] I played with Kolo alongside Vincent because Joleon was injured and in every game we had a clean sheet."

• Hammers withhold payments due to seven players
• Revenue and Customs investigating tax status of image rights

West Ham United have risked upsetting a number of their key players after taking the unprecedented step of freezing image‑rights payments. The club have decided to withhold money due to seven of their first-team squad until Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs completes an ongoing investigation into tax due on image-rights contracts, a move that other clubs will view with interest.

The payments, which are typically free of PAYE and National Insurance, and often channelled through an offshore company, have come under increased scrutiny across the Premier League as HMRC seeks to recover up to £60m in unpaid taxes. It is unclear just how much individual clubs would be liable to pay back if the Revenue is able to prove that image rights contracts are a form of remuneration but West Ham are not prepared to wait and find out.

Kieron Dyer, Matthew Upson, Robert Green and Scott Parker are believed to be among those who have received letters informing them that the payments will stop. The decision could be seen as further evidence of West Ham's financial plight but David Sullivan, their chairman, maintains the move is a "logical, common-sense solution to a potential problem".

He said: "Because the Inland Revenue are saying that tax has to be deducted at source, until the people receiving the image rights have clarified things with the Inland Revenue, we are freezing payments on the basis that there has been a backlog of deductions that have not been made. Every penny they are entitled to will be paid in due course, but until it is agreed with the Inland Revenue we can't release the money.

"Until we build up the deficit for the previous payments, the payments will be held in escrow pending a settlement with the Inland Revenue. If anyone wants to sort out their particular case with the Inland Revenue, we'll abide by whatever they say. But what we can't have is a situation where a guy goes back to France and then in two years' time they [HMRC] say to us: 'You've given him £1m in image rights, we want 40% of that.'"

It is understood that the legal and financial representatives of the players have contacted West Ham to contest the decision, which they claim breaches contractual obligations. Sullivan, however, has urged them to deal directly with HMRC. "They can bring it to a head with the Revenue themselves. Their lawyers and their accountants should write to the Inland Revenue and resolve it," said Sullivan, who claimed "people are not particularly disgruntled" despite suggestions to the contrary.

Licensing payments are commonplace in the Premier League and often equate to at least 10% of a player's salary, but Sullivan believes his predecessors were too quick to approve image-rights contracts. "The previous board have been irresponsible in the way they have paid it and we are immediately reversing things in a fair and reasonable way," he said. "We are not doing anything tricky. We are just trying to limit our exposure for any punitive back-tax."

• Hull chairman says Dowie has point to prove
• Manager happy to replace skiing with management

Iain Dowie has exchanged the controlled thrills of an indoor ski slope for English football's equivalent of a black run. Hull City's newly appointed manager today mothballed his new hobby to expose himself to the adrenaline highs of a relegation struggle deemed unacceptably risky by some of his peers.

"I've had three lessons at the ski slope and it's the most exciting pastime I've ever tried, but this job is better," said Dowie, who has been appointed for nine games with a review in the summer, as he stood on the KC Stadium's pitch. "Mind you, I set speed records for going down backwards on my backside."

Now many Hull fans fear a man who has been out of football since his dismissal as Alan Shearer's assistant at newly relegated Newcastle United last summer, will similarly accelerate Hull's descent towards the Championship.

Adam Pearson, the club's chairman, believes such doom-mongers are mistaking lack of glamour for shortage of ability. "We're not really looking for a manager with a wow factor or an ego or with a reputation to look after," he said, perhaps rather pointedly. "We want someone with a point to prove and who is desperate to be the manager of this club, which Iain is. I understand fans want big names and we'd all like to see José Mourinho here. But José probably doesn't want to walk out of that tunnel."

Neither did a handful of others approached by Pearson, but he denied Mark  Hughes and company were deterred by warnings from Hull's auditors indicating the club could be on the brink of financial meltdown.

"We've got the lowest debt in the Premier League, it's down to £4.5m, we've got a £2.5m operating profit and a £52m turnover," he said. "That doesn't sound catastrophic to me. If this club gets relegated, we'll cope."

Dowie's priority is to avoid such a fate and the former Oldham, Crystal Palace, Charlton, Coventry and Queens Park Rangers manager's modus operandi will be very different from Phil Brown's. The days when Hull's manager made boasts about talking a suicidal woman down from the Humber Bridge, lectured his players on the pitch at half‑time and snatched a microphone before entertaining fans to a Beach Boys number are over. "You would not want to hear my voice," said Dowie. "I can dance but I can't sing. I won't be involved in things like that, I'm not like that."

Coincidentally, the 45-year-old was at a charity lunch with Brown yesterdaywhen he received a call inviting him to meet Pearson for talks after Sheffield Wednesday's game at Preston, which Dowie covered for Sky that evening. "We had a good chat," he said. "Phil was very positive, you won't hear me saying anything bad about him."

Dowie's sentences are peppered with "positives" but his critics on Tyneside claim he was over-controlling as Shearer's assistant, upsetting players by making ice baths compulsory and fretting over their lunchtime fat intake.

A big believer in sports science and psychology, he will be assisted by Steve Wigley and Tim Flowers and makes no apologies for his part in Newcastle's run of one win in eight. "We didn't do a great deal wrong," Dowie said. "There's not a lot I'd do differently, we were unlucky. It's a shame things worked out that way but Alan will be a top manager one day. And every experience makes you stronger; Newcastle steeled me for this."

A man famed for subjecting Oldham's players to dawn swims may have some comparable surprises in store for his new squad. "I don't know if I'll take them to the North Sea and tell them to jump in, but there can be gimmicks," said Dowie. "I'm not ruling anything out. I believe in intense training."

Hull certainly require something dramatic to arrest a decline which has seen them win only six of their last 51 league games. Dowie trusts a remedy to long‑standing problems away from home – the last victory on the road came more than a year ago – will arrive at Portsmouth on Saturday. Indeed this holder of a masters degree in aeronautical engineering remains confident his Hull tenure will enjoy a successful take‑off and that six of the remaining nine fixtures are "winnable".

Although Hull are second bottom of the Premier League, three points adrift of safety, they face more less-than-daunting home matches than many of their rivals – Fulham, Burnley and Sunderland – although their last is against Liverpool.

Moreover Brown's successor aims to survive in style. "I believe I can get sides playing open, enjoyable, attractive football. I want to give the people of Hull smiley Saturday afternoons. I look forward to keeping the team up and then establishing them as a Premier League force. I'd love to stay long term. This club and this area suit my personality."

After beginning the evening with their hopes of progression in the balance, Barcelona returned to their thrilling best at Camp Nou and can now be considered favourites to retain the European Cup.

Much of this optimism can be hung on the form of Lionel Messi, the little forward who with two goals of alarming quality and one assist left Stuttgart wondering how they managed to head into the second leg on level terms. The Argentinian now has seven goals in his past four games.

"He was so decisive," the Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said of the player. "Every great has a tendency to influence his team, like [Michael] Jordan with the Chicago Bulls. He's the best. We wouldn't trade him for anybody."

The Stuttgart manager Christian Gross was equally in thrall to the 22-year-old. "His ability is incredible when you consider his age," he said. "I think it's fair to compare him to [Diego] Maradona."

Barcelona's preparations were hampered when the midfielder Xavi was ruled out for a fortnight with a leg injury, but they hardly wanted for fluency as they took the lead after 13 minutes. Messi ran at a retreating Stuttgart defence and then lashed a searing drive from the edge of the area past Jens Lehmann.

Stuttgart proffered briefly through Pavel Pogrebnyak but their plan to attack the 2009 winners was shredded as soon as Pedro made it 2-0 midway through the first half. Messi's angled pass into the area was perfectly weighted for Yaya Touré, who slipped the ball across the six-yard box for Pedro to tap in.

Messi's second was no less spectacular as he collected Dani Alves's flicked backheel pass, veered towards the left before swiftly switching direction and curling his shot into the bottom right corner. He then had two chances to get a hat-trick, being denied by a superb Lehmann save and then dinking the ball wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Barça's dominance was confirmed when Zlatan Ibrahimovic produced a neat through ball to set up his fellow substitute Bojan Krkic, who scored with his first touch. "To reach the quarter-finals is very important," Guardiola added. "We were very, very intense in all facets, very aggressive. We played a great game."

If Newcastle United's return to the top flight after one chastening season below deck is starting to look like a formality, the race to finish as the team's top scorer is providing a less predictable subplot.

Positions shifted again last night as Andy Carroll and Peter Lovenkrands scored all of the goals and Newcastle moved 12 points clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest with a game in hand.

Scunthorpe beat Newcastle back in October, a 2-1 reverse which briefly suggested the newly relegated club may struggle to get back on their feet. Chris Hughton's side have been proving the opposite ever since, and Nigel Adkins' side were outclassed here by a side who never felt the need to play at full throttle.

"It's nothing we didn't expect," the Scunthorpe manager said. "I've watched them a couple of times and they are a Premier League side in waiting, end of story. Our supporters will probably never ever see this as a league fixture again in their lifetime."

That is not a view shared publicly by the Newcastle manager, despite his satisfaction at another comprehensive home win, their sixth in succession. "People outside of the club might start to believe we are already promoted but that won't be a view shared by us because we are still very focused on what still needs to be done," he said. "We have two tough away games coming up and that is all we think about. We're not up yet and we won't make the mistake of thinking we are."

Hughton was more willing to fuel the competition among his strikers, however, with Lovenkrands and Carroll now on 14 apiece for the season and Kevin Nolan only one behind them. "I don't really care who finishes top but I do know it's a very healthy battle to have," he said. "It doesn't matter to me but it does matter to them."

There was an air of arrogance about Newcastle's play but if they were not quite as sharp as they should have been, it was nothing compared with the sloppiness of Scunthorpe's defending.

Carroll — courted by new Scotland manager Craig Levein — is probably the most dangerous target man outside of the top flight but Scunthorpe's defence still gave the England Under-21 a completely free header to gift Newcastle the lead.

Nolan then had a goal ruled out for offside and Lovenkrands hit the bar with Joe Murphy grounded but the Dane eventually did score, applying a delicate finish to Wayne Routledge's through ball.

The contest was killed off 10 minutes into the second half, when Carroll ran on to Danny Guthrie's pass and chipped Murphy to haul himself level with Lovenkrands.

• Midfielder will make 'complete recovery' in six months
• Beckham thanks Milan doctors, team-mates and fans

David Beckham and his wife Victoria left Finland today on a private jet to London, two days after the former England captain had surgery for a torn achilles' tendon.

The operation on his left foot has been judged a success, although the injury will keep him sidelined for about six months, meaning he will miss the World Cup in South Africa.

The couple made no comments as they left, and it wasn't immediately clear where they were heading. "I did say that perhaps it would not be wise to fly straight off to Los Angeles ... that he should stop somewhere first," said Sakari Orava, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation.

He added: "He has to take it easy for about a month – that's how long it will be in a cast – and then week-by-week he can move the foot and use it more."

Beckham tore his left achilles' tendon when playing for Milan on Sunday and underwent surgery in Turku, Finland, on Monday, before being joined by his wife a day later.

Orava said they ordered pizzas and watched football on a large-screen TV on Tuesday evening but that he left the couple just as the Champions League match between Chelsea and Internazionale started.

"They looked happy," he said.

Orava, who has operated on several international sports stars, including runners Frank Fredericks, Merlene Ottey and Haile Gebreselassie, noted that Beckham was an exemplary patient.

"He was a very easy and good patient. Even the nurses said they wished that all their patients were like him," Orava said. "He was very satisfied and didn't complain about anything and thanked everyone."

Milan said Beckham would begin rehabilitation right away: "The plan includes a complete recovery in six months, at the end of which he can play again," they stated.

The player thanked the club for the support he has received: "I want to thank from my heart all the Rossoneri, the club, the doctors, my team-mates and the fans," he said on Milan's official website www.acmilan.com. "I have appreciated so much all the messages I have received after the injury, they are of great help and support. I truly thank you, the members of Milan for what they have done for me. I have read the many messages from the fans, I thank them one by one."

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.

Keith Hackett's answers

1) As you have decided to continue to play despite the worsening conditions you must now make a firm decision, then stick to it. If you cannot uncover the line beneath the snow, pace out 16.5m (18 yds) from the goalline before making your judgment. Clearly it would have been better to have stopped the game earlier to ask for the lines to be brushed. I remember officiating in these conditions once in an important midweek FA Cup tie – Southend v Liverpool in 1979. I remember tossing the coin before kick-off and watching it disappear into the snow at our feet. I called it tails against Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes, who was a bit put out and asked how I could tell. I said I saw it on the way down. We started the game with smiles on our faces – great memories!
2) c) Restart the half properly, and report your error to the authorities after the game. It's an awful error: you should have recorded who kicked off in your notebook. Thanks to Marc Pawlowsky for the question.
3) Stop play, and have the kick retaken. The ball needs to leave the penalty area before it is in play. Hugh Fox wins the shirt for this question.

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new Observer YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt of your choice from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.

Your surefire route to a lie-in every morning

You get bored at work, we get bored at work; the difference is, we don't get sacked for playing these games. Not yet, anyway.

Collected below are some of our favourite games on t'internet, so get stuck in and putt, kick, or skate your way to the JobCentre.

If you know something we don't, send a link to your favourite online (sports) game headlined The greatest games ever ... to sports.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk (with a few lines telling us why it's so good) and we'll add them to our list - vigorous quality control guaranteed, reader.

Our latest finds

Basketball: Not got the required inches to be a master of the hoops? Well, now you don't need to. This little gem of a game tests your prowess at judging height and distance and gives you a new area of the court to shoot from with every shot you take. You can also see how you rank against other work-shy competitors around the globe. Simple and very addictive. P45 rating ***

Zombie Football: Hot on the heels of the popular Zombe Cricket comes its footballing brother. There's a little more to it - angles and movement - and you can pick your Premier League side. Frighteningly good.

RBS Drop Kick: Just in time for the Six Nations. Watch for the scrum half's signal, catch his pass and ping the ball between the posts. Not as easy as it sounds. P45 rating **

The Hand of Henry: This game is all in French but it's easy enough to work out how to 'jouer'. The graphics are basic but it's fun to play. My score: France 31-1 Ireland. Pretty handy.
P45 rating **

And the full catalogue...

CRICKET

Ashes Desktop Challenge: Not a million miles away from the tabletop childhood game of yore Test Match Cricket. Addictive but ultimately quite frustrating, much like the Ashes then.
P45 rating ****

Test Catch Cricket: Pretty tricky to get the hang of, then hours of fun. And rather addictive, if only for the rare pleasure of taking a one-handed catch at full-stretch. And then keeping the mouse moving for added flamboyance.
P45 rating: ***

Little Master Cricket: One of our favourites. Ever. The very best internet games share the same characteristics - they're simple and they're fiendishley addictive. We're grateful to Mark Jones for suggesting this little beauty. "Try to beat my high score of 366," he says, "either in a Pietersen like smashathon, or in an Boycott-type forward defensive inspired resolute innings." Our best? A hard-hitting 107 after 45 minutes determined effort.
P45 rating: ****

Battrick: "The Barmy Army is all over the game," so 'Shailes' tells us. Manage a cricket team against others from across the globe in First Class, 50- and 20-over competitions, as well as buying, selling, and ground-developing. Like the football version, Hat-trick, which you can find below, you've got to be in for the long haul on this one.
P45 Rating ****

Stick Cricket: Takes a while to get the knack of, but worth the effort for the first time you knock Dennis Lillee out of the ground.
P45 rating: ****

Slog Cricket: You are the bat! Pretty simple. Until it gets quite hard.
P45 rating: ***

Ashes2Ashes zombie cricket: This game has entertaining graphics as Ricky Ponting-lookalike zombies limp towards the batsman whenever he fails to crack a six. But the dimensions are not quite right, making it really tricky to judge when to hit the ball. Or maybe we're just bad at cricket.
P45 rating ***

FOOTBALL

Gaelic Football Challenge: Take on a quick seven-a-side game, or register for the All-Ireland Championship mode for a more immersive experience. Shades of Sensible Soccer give this decent playability, though you may need some serious interest in Gaelic Football to get the most out of it.
P45 rating ***

Jumpers for Goalposts: Start from the bottom and work your way up, gaining contracts, international honours and, most importantly, girls along the way. Surprisingly addictive for an abstract football-based RPG.
P45 Rating ****

Goal Street: Have you ever tried to breakdance and strike a ball at the same time? Get down with a load of no good punk kids in this street football game that frankly makes it all a bit too easy.
P45 Rating ***

Bumperball: "It's football, but in bumper cars, on an ice rink," writes Nathan Jones. "What is there not to love?" Erm ...
P45 rating: ***

Football Agent: Buy! Sell! Be the Mr 10% and rake in enough cash to buy a mansion. Tough, but in a good way
P45 rating: ****

Roby Baggio's Free-Kick Game: An old classic. We've found the trick is swinging the ball in Bolton-style for the onrushing centre-forward, rather than going for spectacular Baggioesque finishes.
P45 rating: ***

Super Soccer: Finally a football game which doesn't involve posing as a faded star playing keepy-uppy. Sadly, despite reading the instructions three times, we're rubbish at it. Hours must be spent perfecting our skills, clearly.
P45 rating: ***

Hat-trick: This is a slow burner - register your team, develop your youth squad, make transfers, all in aid of winning the 16 week league. Could cut your working day by hours.
P45 rating: ****

Volley Challenge 07/08: Pick your team, play a season, and make your striker hump the ball over the crossbar. Over and over again.
P45 rating: ***

Free-kick Fusion: As suggested by Zach Parrott: "This game ruined my summer job during WC 2006. It's amazing because you compulsively seek a higher and higher score. You're only inches away from the next level each time!"
P45 rating: **

RUGBY

Flick n Kick rugby: A peculiar little game, this is a combination of digital Subbuteo and rugby. Of course, it's so obvious. Pick up points for avoiding tackles, collecting power-ups (if you're playing Wales you can turn into a dragon, no less), and of course scoring tries and conversions. Won't get you the sack, but will amuse for a few minutes.
P45 rating: **

Game of 3 Halves: A kind of Sensible Rugby, but with three of your fellas taking on an entire team of opposition. And a streaker. And a sheep.
P45 rating: ***

GOLF

Lumix World Golf: Travel the world, see the sights ... play crazy golf. Negotiate courses based around Easter Island, Sydney harbour, and the Big Apple, among others, all with just your putter and a keen appreciation of angles.
P45 rating: ****

Office Minigolf: "That's the game that you really play in the office - for sure after your colleagues have gone," chuckles someone called simply 'Joe', before adding: "nice dice". We're not sure what he means but this is a quirky, very playable effort.
P45 rating: ***

Cat with a bow golf: Ah, golf. Funny trousers, silly terminology and a cat firing itself at a target with a bow and arrow. A good walk ruined.
P45 rating: ****

Golf Drive: Apparently it's a "relaxing game of golf the prehistoric way". Very tricky, but very nice graphics and takes a bit of thought.
P45 rating: ****

Mini Putt 2: The graphics on this aren't as good as Electrotank, but the gameplay is better. We suggest organising an office championship (our best score is 33, by the way)
P45 rating: *****

Crazy Golf: See if you can resist the temptation to give it a whack and hope for the best.
P45 rating: ***

Driving Mad: Driving in the Tiger Woods sense, not Kimi Raikkonen, this is another game which sets you simple targets and even tells you you're great when you're not [like us]. Bonus points for taking down the odd pigeon, too.
P45 rating: ***

Pandaf Golf: Slightly insane, very annoying sound effects, but rather addictive all the same. "This one is a definite candidate for rapid P45 delivery. Once you have finished the 100 or so levels you can make up your own layouts!" squeals Mark Bermingham, probably clapping his hands, too.
P45 rating: ****

Line Golfer: As much Tony Hart as it is Tony Jacklin, you can design your own course using virtual crayons (the dafter and more complex the better), set your own par, play other people's courses and – you never know – you might even make the leader board. It's unlikely though. Courses designed in the shape of appendages will be frowned upon.
P45 Rating ***

World Golf Tour: Very impressive graphics for a free online game and pretty playable too. "This one cost me a pay rise last year," writes Neil McCallum. "A quick nine without the boss noticing is as much a challenge as the game itself."
P45 rating: ****

Galactic Gravity Golf: Based on the admittedly flimsy premise that golf in space would be made more difficult by planets' gravitation pull it proves fiendishly addictive if a little unrealistic.
P45 rating ***

Tiger Woods Outrun: Imagine you're a golfer being chased by a golf club-wielding blonde and you must avoid a series of obstacles including trees and fire hydrants. It would never happen in the real world, of course, but it's fun to pretend. P45 rating ***

TENNIS

Table Tennis: Rob Bentham reckons "it's really addictive, and sounds great as well". We reckon it might be a little infuriating.
P45 rating: If self-confessed temp Rob is anything to go by, ****

Tennis Ace: "I think this is the best tennis game - it has a practice option and three levels of difficulty too. Nice umpiring too!" says Bryan Coleman. Be warned, you'll be a lot better in training than in the match ...
P45 rating: ***

Rong: It's ping-pong Jim, but not as we know it. Rather ridiculously addictive
P45 rating: *****

The Optus tennis challenge: Keepy-uppy with a tennis ball, essentially - but pity the poor souls with time enough on their hands to notch up high scores of close to 2000.
P45 rating: ***

BOWLING

League Bowling: Enjoyably retro.
P45 rating: ***

Super Bowling: Ego-boostingly simple to play. Get that swerve on
P45 rating: ****

WINTER SPORTS

Horace goes skiing: Not big or particularly clever, but it's a trip down memory lane for anyone who once owned a ZX81.
P45 rating **

Snowboarding: We would like to say this game is, like, totally rad dude. But we've no idea how to retain control.
P45 rating: ***

PUB SPORTS

English Pub Pool
Cracking physics, plenty of options so you can keep the rules exactly as you have them when at the pub, and includes the tear-inducing moment as you realise you've accidentally knocked in the black. All that, and opponents with low rent names.
P45 rating ****

Let's Play Darts: Mark Ingle suggests this little beauty from Holland. "The best bit (other than hitting multiple 180s) is the sound effects, delivered by a genuine dart scorer legend," says Mark. There's also a daily Top 100 score board. Our best? 22.2sec. Oh yeah.
P45 rating: ****

Lightning Break: Easy controls, simple objectives, endlessly entertaining.
P45 rating: ****

First2zero virtual darts: Pick an overweight, cartoon dartsmith and toss your 'arras at the treble 20, simple. The only game that involves less effort than real darts.
P45 rating: ***

Blast Billiards: Ian Gale calls this "a fiendishly addictive way to waste an hour or three at work." Even though we're shamefully useless at this game, we're inclined to agree. And they've added side spin options in the later versions, for anyone who just needs more control
P45 rating: *****

AMERICAN SPORTS

Candystand Baseball: Takes a few innings to get used to the controls, particularly when you are the fielding team. But it's worth the 10 minutes of head-scratching and running in the wrong direction when you do get the hang of it. Surprisingly representative, very playable, and includes some nice details, such as the pitcher mocking you when you swing and miss. Goodbye Mr Spalding and other such hackneyed phrases.
P45 rating: ****

Three point shootout: Another in the 'simple but addictive' category. Attempt three point shots from all around the basketball court with nothing more than a swish of your mouse, just like they do in the NBA's All-Star weekend. Well, kind of. It's easy to learn, but tough to master. Once you get in the zone you'll be hitting nothing but net, and inner monologuing 'LeBron from way downtown', in a rather pathetic way.
P45 rating ***

Pinch Hitter 2: Take a strange large-headed boy from hitting balls in his backyard to the major league. With hour upon hour of practice of course.
P45 rating: ***

Trick hoops challenge: This one is all about showing off with the most outrageous attempts at the basket, if you can get it in off the wall you are far better than us.
P45 rating: ***

Baseball: Badda-badda…..Shwiiiiiiiiiiiing…..badda-badda. It's the bottom of the ninth, you need two runs for victory and there's a gum-chewing schmuck on the pitching mound with some curve-balls up his sleeve. Swing for the sweet-spot.
P45 Rating ****

HORSES AND DOGS

Steeplechase Challenge: There's something deeply retro about this one. The secret is in judicious use of the whip and perfect timing in the jump.
P45 rating *** (***** if your betting syndicate is rumbled)

Greyhound Racer Rampage: Greyhound training crossed with Guitar Hero doesn't sound the most thrilling combination, but the pride we felt when our dog - Carl - finally crossed the finish line first ... well, it was emotional, put it that way. Quirky, clever and made with a bit of love.
P45 rating ***

MOTOR SPORTS

Stick Rally X: Despite the name, this very playable top-down rally romp is about as un-'sticky' as they get. Like a more sober version of Micro Machines, you get to whizz around various dirt tracks, unlocking new circuits and cars along the way. Want to go faster? Then hit that nitro boost button, baby!
P45 rating: ***

Stunt Dirt Bike: A mix of impressive acceleration and chronic problems with staying vertical make this the Didier Drogba of internet sports games. Much more popular around the office though.
P45 rating: ****

Drag Racing: Sadly, no 15st blokes hotfooting it on heels here. But sneaking a win on the line in a Honda Civic is enjoyment enough.
P45 rating: ***

OLD SCHOOL
Sidering knockout: A old style beat 'em up with energy bars and combo moves. Take your humble slugger up through ranks and finally earn a title fight.
P45 rating: ***

Denise Lewis Heptathlon: While it is not the most covert operation (bashing the B and N keys for all your worth) and is likely to cause debilitating finger cramps, this old style arcade game is maddeningly addictive.
P45: *****

3-D Pong: Just when you thought pong couldn't get any better, they go and make it 3D. So hard you will inevitably spend hours of company time playing it.
P45 rating: ****

ATHLETICS

Olympix Summer Games: Suffering from Beijing withdrawal symptoms? Well, fear not. Here you can try your hand at the 100m, the 110m hurdles, the javelin and the long jump. It's pretty straightforward, rather addictive, suitable time-consuming and you can't fare any worse than GB's track and field athletes.
P45 rating: **

QWOP Athletics: From the people who brought you Little Master cricket, here's a game in which you control an athletes calves and thighs. Anyone who can do more than spasm and fall over deserves some sort of prize.
P45 rating: **

Janey Thomson's marathon: This is a finger-clicking nightmare of a game that is likely to reduce your life expectancy. It was removed from arcades after its release in 1984 because kids found it too tiring. You have been warned ...
P45 rating **

WATER SPORTS

Kayak King: "Bad title pun aside, this canoe game is pretty damn addictive," says Jack Iles. We enjoyed the first level. Then found it infuriatingly difficult.
P45 rating: **

CYCLING

King of the Road: This finger-bashing effort tries to recreate the Tour de France. Its replete with photographers and dogs to halt your progress and is reminiscent of Daley Thompson's Decathlon.
P45 rating ****

MISCELLANEOUS

OK, so these are not strictly sports. But they should be.

Ball Blitz: Use your balls to knock the other guys balls out of the ring. It's life in flash game format.
P45 rating: ***

Crash Test Dummy Olympics: There's not much to these events, but getting them right is infuriatingly tough. A guaranteed time-waster.
P45 rating: ***

Escapa: This has got office tournament written all over it. You are a red square trying to escape the accelerating wrath of some blue squares. Get anywhere near 20 and you're doing well. 19.966 since you ask.
P45 rating: ***

Yeti Sports: All the Pingu smacking fun you can handle, on one site. Repetitive, but strangely pleasurable.
P45 rating: ***

Home Run: Admittedly, this isn't strictly a sports game but it can technically be shoehorned into the Pub Sports category. Stop yourself from keeling over as you stagger home after a beer too many. Mindlessly simple and therefore highly amusing. Bet you can't beat 200m.
P45 rating: ***

This week's round-up features classic cricketing ultraviolence, Celtic's other masterful team in Europe and the NFL v archery

1) Back in 1921, the stuffy old buffoons at the FA banned women's football, declaring the game "quite unfit" for females. "I do not believe women are fitted for violent leg strain," announced one doctor, propelling hot air through his hat. It was an outrageous decision, and one only reversed in 1971. This 89-year-old footage – posted by the BFI in celebration of International Women's Day – celebrates how far we've come.

2) Here's a tenuous Bill Forsyth-related segue: from the Gregory's Girl-isms of women socking it to the men, we move to the real-life Local Hero situation of a big US entrepreneur hoping to do away with a beach. Donald Trump is planning to build a massive golf course on links land near Aberdeen. Here's film-making genius Jonathan Meades having a right old pop at the bugger.

3) Staying in Scotland, it's the 40th anniversary of Celtic's second European Cup final this year. Everyone remembers the Lisbon Lions of 1967, of course, but Celtic's 1970 vintage were arguably better – and certainly should have seen off Feyenoord in the final. Ah well.

4) Last week, our Digger column broke the news that poor old John McCririck is to be used more sparingly by Channel 4 Racing. Here's the sort of knockabout nonsense they'll miss, a proper old-school blazing row with trainer Barney Curley. (Which was actually on At The Races, but the point stands.)

5) And we finish with a spot of classic cricking ultraviolence. It's Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft and Joel Garner, the original and best Fearsome Foursome

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) Felipe Contepomi hoofs a penalty between the posts – then watches in horror as a Galway gale blows it right back in his face.

2) New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, the 2010 Super Bowl MVP, explains the science of throwing a pigskin. By launching it at an archery target. Repeatedly.

3) Jai alai is the world's fastest ballgame, it says here. We don't know whether that's true or not, but we wouldn't put our head in the way of the ball to find out.

4) J-League side Cerezo Osaka take on a team of children. It's not so one-sided as you'd think, for the kids' team has 100 players. One hundred!

5) Balls to the Cruyff Turn: the greatest piece of footballing skill by someone wearing an orange shirt was the Phil Clarkson phlick.

Spotter's badges: thecruiseboy, JPA210688, brownshoesdontmakeit, fillergallery, jimmymook

• ICC rate England spinner as No2 bowler in the world
• Swann valuable to England team on and off the pitch

Graeme Swann used to be the spinner that England would not give a second glance, but after his 10-wicket Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong he now finds himself ranked as the second-best bowler in the world.

A sense of humour has long been an essential attribute for any England spinner and fortunately Swann had that quality in abundance long before he turned his first cricket ball. Someone who joked before the Chittagong Test, during a gruelling England training session, that he could not wait for the day when he was captain of his local darts team is not about to carried away with fame.

Swann awoke this morning, after an evening flight from Chittagong to Dhaka, to learn he had risen to No2 in the ICC's Test bowling rankings, behind the South Africa quick Dale Steyn. The last England bowler to be ranked so high was Steve Harmison six years ago.

"He causes dangers for the batsmen all the time – quite strange for an off-spinner really," was the accolade offered by Stuart Broad, his England and Nottinghamshire team-mate.

Swann is a godsend in Bangladesh, not only because of his ability to carry England's attack on ponderous, slow-turning tracks, but because of a mischievous personality that helps the squad through the drearier nights. He has recently married, so could be forgiven a maudlin mood at the end of a long winter away from home, but he remains as effervescent as ever, inventing nicknames for the new tourist Steve Finn, and poking fun at his new Twitter mate Paul Collingwood, who is temporarily filling the role normally reserved for James Anderson.

He looks fitter than he has ever been, a most unSwann-like shape in fact, and he will need that conditioning after bowling 79 overs in Chittagong and with the prospect of another bowling marathon in the second Test, which begins in Dhaka on Saturday.

He had to labour for his rewards; the umpires' willingness in a Hawk-Eye-influenced age to give off-spinners more leg-before decisions against left-handers has not helped him here as the pitches give batsmen more time to adjust. Only Shakib Al Hasan fell lbw in the first Test – and that was due to a misconceived sweep.

Jim Laker was the last specialist England offie to take 10 wickets in a Test, in 1956, but Tony Greig, the former England all-rounder, was the last non-specialist to do it. Greig was also in touch yesterday to challenge what had become a widespread cricketing assumption that he was bowling off-cutters when he took 13 wickets against West Indies in Trinidad in 1974.

"I can assure you that I was bowling off-spinners at the time," said Greig, who bowled them off a strikingly long run, and who largely reverted to lively swing bowling in less spin-friendly conditions. The editor of Wisden has since been informed, so general enlightenment will no doubt follow.

Endless England spinners of past vintage figured in the Swann lists yesterday. The ICC Test rankings (which attempt to gauge a player's current standing) are regarded by many with deep suspicion, but, for all that, it illustrates his rise that his 783 points are the highest granted to any England off-spinner since Fred Titmus in 1965 and any England spinner of any type since Derek Underwood 12 years later.

He now has 79 wickets in 17 Tests and to find an established England spinner who can outdo his strike rate of a wicket every 59 balls you have to go back to Walter Robins, the Middlesex leggie, in the 1930s. He will soon be rumoured to have completed the Guardian crossword faster than Vic Marks, have a sharper knowledge of Cockney rhyming slang than Phil Tufnell and got out on the wrong side of the bed more often than Robert Croft.

"It's not a fluke," said his captain, Alastair Cook, in Chittagong. Everybody nodded wisely, as if his rise had been expected all along. But the beauty of Swann's success is that it proves that professionalism can be lighthearted and that laughter does not have to equal weakness.

It was good, too, to hear his "unreserved apology" for his crude send-off on the final day, born of frustration, to Junaid Siddique, because we have come to know him as one of the good guys.

A wild theory sprung up that he had bowled a doosra in Chittagong, only for replays to identify it as a common-and-garden leg-spinner. That at least allowed him to have a playful dig at Shane Warne's tendency to give supposed new deliveries a flamboyant name. "I've not come up with a name for it yet as spinners are supposed to do," he said. "Perhaps I'll call it The Chittagong."

Swann's value to an uncertain new captain is immense. Cook's preference for an extra batsman in the first Test and for not enforcing the follow-on against Bangladesh when 303 ahead in case his bowlers proved too weary perhaps tell of a skipper more intent on avoiding pitfalls than grasping opportunities. Swann's optimism is good for him.

"Swanny has so much control of his game that he is very easy to captain," Cook said. "He knows the fields he wants, and you trust him to make the breakthrough. If he keeps his feet on the ground there is no reason why he can't be one of the greats."

• Augusta welcomes Woods with support and encouragement
• CBS news predicts 'biggest media spectacle in recent memory'

Augusta National, scene of countless Tiger Woods highlights over the years, will also play host to his comeback in the aftermath of scandal, with the golfer announcing today that he will make his return to competition at next month's Masters.

Four months after a car crash outside his Florida home set off a wave of revelations about his private life, and three weeks after hinting his absence could be prolonged, Woods said Augusta on 8 April, the opening day of the 2010 Masters, was "where I need to be".

The world No1 has not played competitively since 15 November, when he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne. "The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played," he said in a statement.

"I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."

Since his car crash and the ensuing scandal, Woods has seen his much-vaunted "brand" severely damaged, with several companies, including Accenture and Gillette, ending their sponsorship deals with him. Estimates suggest he may have lost as much as US$30m a year as a result.

Such is the public's fascination for Woods, and such is the interest in his return, it is safe to assume the 2010 Masters will be one of the most watched sporting events in history. Sean McManus, head of news for CBS, network in the US, said at the weekend: "My only prediction is when he [Woods] comes back it will be, other than the Obama inauguration, one of if not the biggest media spectacle in recent memory."

Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, offered the club's backing for Woods's decision to make his return there, adding: "We support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life."

Yet if Woods, a four-time Masters champion, will receive a warm welcome from the club members, sceptics will point out that his choice of Augusta owes much to his desire to keep his interaction with the press and public to a minimum. Traditionally, the Masters limits media access more than any other tournament, and the galleries are more polite than elsewhere.

Some of his fellow competitors may not appreciate having the run‑up to the first major championship of the year dominated by questions about Woods. Publicly, most have been supportive over the last four months but in recent weeks there has been growing irritation at the uncertainty over his plans, with Ernie Els being among those describing Woods's behaviour as "selfish".

• First time in competition over the distance for Jamaican
• Current 300m world record held by Michael Johnson

Usain Bolt, the world 100m and 200m record holder, will move up in distance to 300m at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava in the Czech Republic on 27 May.

It will be the first time the Jamaican has competed over the distance.

Bolt, who will making his fourth appearance at the meeting, said: "I have done some 300's in training so am used to the distance but this will be my first time to race it. If the weather is good I hope to run a fast time."

Bolt is expected to challenge the world's best performance of 30.85 seconds set by Michael Johnson 10 years ago at altitude in Pretoria.

• Back row forward recruited from Stade Français
• Taylor is excited by challenge of the Guinness Premiership

Bath have signed the Scotland international Simon Taylor on a three-year contract. Taylor, 30, will move to the Recreation Ground from Heineken Cup quarter-finalists Stade Français in the summer.

The back-row forward has won 68 caps, making his Test debut against the USA in 2000, and he also toured with the 2001 and 2005 British and Irish Lions to Australia and New Zealand.

His 2001 Lions trip though, was ended by a knee injury, while he did not play at all, four years later after a hamstring problem forced him to fly home early.

Taylor joined Stade Francais three years ago, but he now moves to Bath just after they recruited England flanker Lewis Moody from Leicester for next season.

"I am very excited to be heading to Bath," said Taylor. "Bath has a fantastic squad with a great style of play. I think that they have real vision for the future, and I want to be a part of that.

"It will also be the first time that I have played in the Guinness Premiership, which is something I am looking forward to. Having played in the Magners League and Top 14, the new challenge that another competition brings will be great."

Bath's head coach, Steve Meehan, added: "Simon is a dynamic, skilful player. Everyone knows him as a back-row forward, but he has already made it clear that he is not adverse to playing lock, which is an extra bonus for the squad.

"After having a number of conversations with him, he really struck me as a very thoughtful player. He listens, takes things on board and surveys what is around him before acting. We think he will fit in well at Bath, as his vision and ethos clearly matches our own."