Johannesburg - The critics have been silenced, organizers of the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa said on Wednesday.

"Plan B is dead," Danny Jordaan, head of the World Cup local organizing committee told reporters in Johannesburg in a year-end review of preparations for the tournament.

Jordaan was referring to speculation earlier this year that the world football body FIFA could yank the World Cup from South Africa if the country was deemed ill-prepared to become the first African host of the tournament.

FIFA president Joseph Blatter's admission in June that FIFA did have a Plan B when it came to the host nation - in the event of a major upset - was grist for the rumour mill.

London - Blackburn Rovers coaching staff member Nigel Winterburn moved on Wednesday to give his support to under-fire manager Paul Ince.

Ince was one of the most respected young English managers when he took over from Mark Hughes in the summer, but after five straight defeats Blackburn lie second-bottom of the Premier League table.

His future is believed to have been discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday, with rumours of player unrest mounting.

But Winterburn, the former Arsenal defender who is the defensive coach at Rovers, insisted that Ince retains the confidence of the squad.

Melbourne - Jelena Dokic has again arrived in Australia determined to rescue her tennis, but this time bearing a conciliatory message to her adopted country.

The Serbia-born player, whose career has been a roller-coaster of success and dismal disappointment, has rolled back her harsh comments of a year ago, when the
25-year-old hammered Australian Open officials for failing to award her a wild card.

"I've apologised to (tournament director Craig Tiley) and Tennis Australia," Dokic said after arriving from Monte Carlo to compete in next week's playoff for a wild card entry into the Grand Slam field.

"I made some remarks in January that were out of line. I should not have said that."

Melbourne - The Auckland ATP tournament has won a power struggle with the elite AAMI Classic at Kooyong club over the appearance of Latvian Ernests Gulbis next month.

The 20-year-old's handlers may have somehow double-booked their man into two events during the same January week in two different countries.

With the stalemate threatening, Kooyong organiser Colin Stubs had to yield to the tour, replacing Gulbis with Spanish heart-throb Fernando Verdasco for the January 14-17 Australian Open tune-up headed by Roger Federer.

In another scheduling bungle, American James Blake was also substituted in the eight-man field after his handlers also got their timing wrong.

Los Angeles - The calendar reads December, but to Texas powerhouses San Antonio and Dallas, an early season Western Conference match-up felt more like an intense spring playoff game.

Tim Duncan scored eight of his season-record tying 32 points in the second overtime and grabbed 14 rebounds, carrying the San Antonio Spurs to a thrilling 133-126 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

"Yeah, yeah it was (like a playoff game) from beginning to end," Duncan said. "It was double overtime, just a great game by both teams, fighting through ups and downs."

London, Dec 10 : England has called up Graeme Swann and Matt Prior for the opening Test against India to be played in Chennai from Thursday.

Nottinghamshire off-spinner Swann will make his Test debut in place of the injured Stuart Broad, while Prior has been preferred to Tim Ambrose as wicketkeeper, The Times reported.

England's decision to partner Swann with Monty Panesar, his former Northamptonshire team-mate, represents a gamble against an India side renowned for their ability to play spin.