Oscar Pistorius defense calls anesthetist
Pretoria: Oscar Pistorius' defense team called an anesthetist to testify at the double-amputee runner's murder trial on Thursday in an attempt to counter prosecution claims that Pistorius is lying about the timeline of events on the night he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Prof Aina Christina lundgren was being questioned on her expertise regarding how long it takes a person to digest food after eating. The testimony relates to an autopsy report on Steenkamp's body that said she still had food in her stomach after she was killed by Pistorius, leading prosecutors to challenge his story that the couple last ate around eight hours before he shot her through a toilet door.
murray loses in thrird round
Madrid: Andy Murray hit error after error Thursday and was eliminated from the Madrid Masters in the third round. The Wimbledon champion lost to 46th-ranked Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-2. Murray's play was erratic throughout the match against the Colombian qualifier, who earned his first career victory against a top-10 player in 20 attempts. The eighth-ranked Murray mentioned his split from coach Ivan lendl alongside his "inconsistent" play. "My coach is missing. That's quite a big part of my team," Murray said. "I didn't envision a finish like that. I need to sit down and think about that the next couple of days and see what I need to do." Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams had little trouble reaching the quarterfinals at the clay-court tournament, both winning in straight sets
Cook grateful for England support
Aberdeen: Alastair Cook said Thursday the backing of his colleagues and team management had persuaded him to continue as England captain after he questioned his own position following a wretched Ashes series. "I was asked about (my future) after Sydney and after a long, gruelling winter, I gave it consideration," Cook, speaking in Aberdeen, where England play Scotland in a one-day international on Friday, told reporters. "I think it would be wrong if I didn't," he added. "We'd lost a lot of games and we hadn't played to the standard that side was capable of, and the stuff we were doing was not making a difference. If you don't question your position as leader then, you never will."
Agassi picks Nadal over Federer
Singapore: Andre Agassi has picked Rafael Nadal ahead of Grand Slam record-holder Roger Federer when asked to choose the best player in tennis history, a report said on Thursday. The American, putting a new slant on one of the sport's great debates, said he prefers Nadal because the Spaniard has thrived in an ultra-competitive "golden age of tennis". "I'd put Nadal number one, Federer number two," the eight-time Grand Slam-winner told Singapore's Straits Times in an interview.