Shanghai - Roger Federer went through what has become his annual sponsor obligation as he taught a group of Chinese teenagers how to shave at a public relations event as the countdown continued on Friday to the Masters Cup.

The Swiss top seed - number one Rafael Nadal is missing with right knee tendinitis - will open his title defence on Monday against France's Gilles Simon.

Federer showed quick hands off the court as he brandished a microphone in one fist and a razor in the other during the "first shave" with a group of local 18-year-olds.

Karachi, Nov 7 : Former Pakistan cricket skipper Zaheer Abbas has said that star batsman Mohammad Yousuf’s move to join the “rebel” Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a huge loss to Pakistan cricket.

Yousuf (34) had joined the lucrative ICL on Wednesday, prompting the PCB to ban him from national and international cricket.

Islamabad, Nov 7: The PCB is set to appoint former Pakistan Test cricketer Ijaz Ahmed as the new fielding coach of the national team ahead of the home series against India.

Ijaz, who is working as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) fielding coach, would be elevated as the national fielding coach well before the important series against India starting in January 2009, The News quoted a well placed PCB source as saying.

Nagpur, Nov 7: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gave farewell honours to four cricket greats of the country.

Leg spinner Anil Kumble quit as skipper this week while former skipper and batsman Saurav Ganguly will hang up his boots at the end of the ongoing fourth Test against Australia.

The BCCI felicitated Sachin Tendulkar and V. V. S. Laxman for their milestones of becoming highest run getter in Test cricket and for having completed playing of 100 Tests respectively.

The BCCI felicitated them at a function in Nagpur on Thursday.

Sinsheim, Germany - The working day was not over for Vedad Ibisevic after he had scored twice in the 4-1 rout of Karlsruhe to take his goal tally for the season to 13.

First he had to acknowledge the ovation given to him from Hoffenheim fans and to sign his first autographs. Then the Bosnian - fluent in English, German and French - was on hand to translate into German for his team-mates Demba Ba and Chinedu Obasi in an interview with the pay-TV channel Premiere.

For the Bundesliga's leading scorer, the goals are doing all the talking.

Hamburg - There were victories for most favourites in Thursday's UEFA Cup group games, with Serie A clubs AC Milan and Udinese being two of six club with two wins from two matches.

Former Champions League winners Milan needed a goal four minutes into injury time from substitute Ronaldinho to break down the Sporting Braga defence.

The other Group E game saw German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg come from behind to beat Dutch club Heerenveen 5-1 in the so-called Group of Death.