Global Sport

Another blow for England as Gough pulls outLEEDS: England suffered a blow yesterday when it was revealed that top all-rounder Darren Gough h...

Another blow for England as Gough pulls out

LEEDS: England suffered a blow yesterday when it was revealed that top all-rounder Darren Gough has been ruled out of England8217;s tour to the West Indies which begins this month.

The 27-year-old Gough, who has a quot;degenerative condition of the left hamstring tendonquot;, will be replaced by Yorkshire team-mate Chris Silverwood, who is currently on tour with the England A team in Kenya. Silverwood, 22, will fly to Antigua to join up with Atherton8217;s squad, who fly there on Saturday morning.

Champ Sautin favourite for gold

MOSCOW: Russia8217;s Olympic diving champion Dmitry Sautin is one of his country8217;s best chances of a gold medal at the World Swimming Championships in Perth next month, having shaken off a career-threatening injury.

Sautin has been in the wars more than once since he claimed the 1993 European title when he was badly wounded in his hometown of Voronezh, in southern Russia, receiving more than a dozen knife wounds in a dispute following a party to celebrate his victory.

However, he recovered from the attack remarkably quickly, and kept diving until his triumphant 1996 Olympics where he won the gold medal with a series of outstanding dives which left him almost 30 points ahead of his nearest rival.

Tough drug testing promised

PERTH: Competitors in the World Swimming Championships starting here next week will be subjected to the world8217;s most comprehensive drug tests, event executive Alan Melchert said today.

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quot;It will be far in advance of anything you8217;ve seen before because of the level of testing,quot; he said.

quot;We have been assured by the Australian Sports Drug Agency ASDA this is probably as good as it gets.quot;

Brazilian footballer Emerson for sale

MIDDLESBROUGH: Brazilian mid-fielder Emerson was put up for sale by Middlesbrough on yesterday after failing to return to the club following a trip back home.

Emerson, who has angered manager Bryan Robson at least twice before for going to Brazil and delaying his return, was allowed home this time while he served a two-match suspension. But he didn8217;t return to play in Sunday8217;s game against Stockport and telephoned the Division One leader on Tuesday to say he wasn8217;t coming back.

Cuban pitcher allowed to enter US

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NASSAU BAHAMAS: Cuban pitcher Orlando quot;el Duquequot; Hernandez, his wife and another baseball player, who escaped from Cuba on a small boat, were cleared by the US State department yesterday to enter the United States. The three Cubans were in a group of eight who escaped from Cuba last week and were being held in the Bahamas while US officials considered their request for asylum.