Business Pivot Point

India legend Sachin Tendulkar scored his landmark 50th Test match hundred as they battled to save the first Test against South Africa in Centurion.

The 37-year-old great reached the milestone as India fought back on day four, reaching stumps on 107 not out.

Tendulkar, who also passed 14,500 Test runs during the innings, brought up his century with a single off Dale Steyn.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has the next highest number of hundreds in Tests with 39.

Tendulkar’s century, which included 12 fours and a six, came in a gritty fourth-day fightback from India as they tried to avoid defeat against South Africa.

Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook both hit centuries as England fought back superbly on day four of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.

England had resumed 202 runs behind on 19-0 with Australia sensing victory.

But Strauss (110) put on 188 with Cook (132 not out) in an English record stand at Brisbane, and Cook then added 121 with Jonathan Trott (54 not out).

The tourists went to stumps on 309-1 and lead the Aussies by 88 runs, with the draw looking the likely outcome.

Pakistan levelled the one-day series with England at 2-2 to set up a decider at the Rose Bowl on a day overshadowed by further off-field controversies.

Winning a hugely important toss they batted first at Lord’s, Abdul Razzaq hitting 40 runs of the 42 scored in the last two overs to get them up to 265-7.

Andrew Strauss and Steven Davies put on 113 in the first 20 overs of the chase.

But batting under floodlights again proved tough and they finished 38 runs short, all out for 227 in 46.1 overs.

Once again England found Pakistan’s highly skilled bowlers a handful as night-time conditions predictably exaggerated the movement of the ball.

Whereas it was Umar Gul who did the damage on his own in England’s dramatic collapse on Friday, this time he teamed up with his veteran pace colleague Shoaib Akhtar to take seven wickets with some late swing and pinpoint accuracy.

Muttiah Muralitharan became the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets on the final day of his Test career in Galle.

The Sri Lanka off-spinner, 38, who made his Test debut in 1992, began his final match against India on 792 wickets.

He ousted record Test run-scorer Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday and went on to take 5-63 as India had to follow on.

Team-mate Lasith Malinga took 5-50 but with the last pair together, Murali had last man Pragyan Ojha caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip to reach his 800.

It left Sri Lanka needing to score 95 to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the series, which their openers did with little fuss, but Muralitharan’s achievement - reached in his 133rd Test - will overshadow the game.

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England strolled to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 semi-finals to reach an ICC tournament final for the first time since 2004.

Led by Stuart Broad (2-21), the bowlers excelled in St Lucia with only Angelo Mathews (58) making any sort of contribution in a total of 128-6.

Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb then put on 68 in 8.1 overs for the first wicket to put England firmly on course.

New dad Kevin Pietersen made 42 not out as they eased home with 24 balls left.

England’s eyes will now turn towards Sunday’s final in Barbados, potentially against this winter’s Ashes opponents Australia, should Michael Clarke’s unbeaten team put paid to Pakistan’s defence of the trophy on Friday.

England have never won a major global tournament, a depressing statistic their fans are keen to see consigned to history, but Paul Collingwood’s side will go into the final full of confidence after an impressive all-round display.

Lewis Hamilton remained upbeat despite seeing his chances of second place in the Spanish Grand Prix ruined by a puncture on the penultimate lap.

“I was just cruising to the finish line and it was great points for me, but then I blew a tyre,” said the 2008 world champion. “That’s motor-racing.

“But it was quite a good race for me. I had really good fun out there.”

McLaren are set to investigate the front left section of Hamilton’s car back in their factory in Woking.

The incident left the 25-year-old’s tyre hanging from his car as Red Bull’s Mark Webber claimed victory.

“The parts will now be meticulously analysed back at the McLaren Technology Centre,” said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

Chelsea recaptured the Premier League title in emphatic fashion as Wigan Athletic were thrashed at Stamford Bridge.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side needed victory to end Manchester United’s three-season reign as champions - and once Nicolas Anelka gave them the lead after only six minutes there was never any doubt they would reclaim the crown.

Chelsea were then able to put the gloss on their triumph with another dazzling display of attacking football that ensured Ancelotti’s first season in England ended with the biggest domestic prize in his grasp.

After putting seven past Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City in a season that has seen them score more than a century of goals in the league, they celebrated by going one better against Roberto Martinez’s hopelessly outclassed side.

The thumping win is the biggest in their 105-year history and also saw them break the record for the most league goals in a Premier League season with 103.

Pune and Kochi have been announced as the two new franchises in the Indian Premier League.

Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370m (£246m) and Kochi went to Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333m at a Chennai auction.

The two new franchises will join the IPL from 2011, taking the total number of teams to 10.

Earlier this month, the MCC scrapped plans to buy into an IPL franchise and host matches at Lord’s.

The new teams were originally due to be unveiled on 7 March but the process was delayed by two weeks after a dispute over financial clauses.

Competition to buy the teams reflects the success of the world’s richest cricket league, whose third season is currently underway.

“It’s fantastic that two new teams have come in, it will give more youngsters an opportunity to show their talent and that’s only going to be good for Indian cricket,” said former India captain Sunil Gavaskar in a statement on the organisers’ website.

The Premier League has rejected struggling Portsmouth’s request for permission to sell players outside the transfer window.

Fifa, which sets transfer rules, had indicated it would look favourably on Pompey, who have debts of about £60m.

But the Premier League board has decided it would “not be appropriate” to grant the request.

Pompey are due in court on 1 March to contest a winding-up order which could see them go into administration.

Should that happen, the club, which is rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, will automatically lose nine points and almost certainly be relegated.

And there is even a real threat of the club going extinct, says financial expert Simon Wilson, as he believes administration is an unlikely option.