England's Andrew Flintoff keeps an eye on the ball bowled by South African Andrew Hall on the fifth and final day of the Test between South Africa and England at Super Sports Park in Centurion, Tuesday. (AFP Photo)

CENTURION, South Africa, Jan. 26--England sealed their first test series victory in South Africa for 40 years when the fifth and final match ended in a draw on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The touring side, set a target of 185 in 44 overs, recovered from 20 for three to reach 73 for four when bad light ended play 16 balls early. England captain Michael Vaughan was unbeaten on 26 at the close with all rounder Andrew Flintoff on 14.
The last victorious England side in South Africa was in 1964-65, when MJK Smith captained his team to a 1-0 victory in a five-match series.
England lost their first wicket without a run on the board when fast bowler Makhaya Ntini had man-of-the-series Andrew Strauss caught by Jacques Kallis at second slip with the eighth ball of the innings.
Robert Key was trapped in front for nine by fast bowler Shaun Pollock for nine, and three overs later Ntini struck again when he bowled Marcus Trescothick with an angled delivery that seamed back to hit the left-hander's off stump.
That reduced England to 20 for three, but Vaughan and Graham Thorpe kept South Africa at bay for 17 overs, adding 25 runs before Ntini had Thorpe caught by Herschelle Gibbs at third slip.
Vaughan and Flintoff survived without further alarm, however, guiding their side to a position of safety when the umpires offered them the chance to leave the field because of bad light.
Earlier, AB de Villiers scored 109 and Kallis an undefeated 136, sharing a third-wicket partnership of 227 in South Africa's second-innings total of 296 for six declared.
Kallis batted for 277 minutes, faced 217 balls and hit 16 fours and a six as he became the 25th player to score 20 test centuries.
De Villiers was at the crease for 276 minutes, facing 169 balls and hitting 11 fours and a six in his maiden test century.
After the hosts had resumed on 59 for two, De Villiers and Kallis hardly put a foot wrong in scoring 153 runs in the morning session.
England attacked to no avail before reverting to more defensive fields.
De Villiers and Kallis were separated 11 overs after lunch when the former attempted an on-drive to a ball from fast bowler Simon Jones and edged a catch to Matthew Hoggard at third man.
Graeme Smith scored just three before sending a ball from fast bowler Steve Harmison looping to substitute fielder Paul Collingwood at backward point.
Jacques Rudolph was bowled by Harmison and the declaration came after Mark Boucher tried to force a delivery from fast bowler Hoggard through the on-side and was caught by Trescothick at midwicket for six.

TEHRAN, Jan. 26--Iran's cycling team arrived in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, Tuesday night to compete at Langkawi Tour, IRNA reported.
The international tour will be held in 10 stages from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6.
According to Iranian Cycling Federation, the cyclists will pedal 1,282.6 km in the Malaysian event.
Iran comprises Qader Mizbani, Ahad Kazemi, Hossein Asgari, Alireza Haqi, Mehdi Sohrabi, Hassan Maleki, and Seyed Mo'ezzeddin Seyed Rezaei.
German manager Wolfram Linder, coach Majid Nasseri, head of the team, Ali Zangiabadi, mechanic Esmaeil Zeyn'ali are accompanying the cyclists.

WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 26--Poland and Ukraine are all set to lodge a joint bid to host the 2012 European soccer championships after the Warsaw government gave its official go-ahead on Tuesday, Polish ministers said, Reuters reported.
Deputy Sports Minister Wieslaw Wilczynski said the bid would be launched by the end of January, pitting the European Union's largest newcomer and its poorer eastern neighbor against rivals including Italy, Russia and Greece.
With a joint population of almost 90 million, the pair would offer one of the largest ever domestic audiences for the championship, but they must first secure an estimated 600-700 million euros to invest in stadiums and infrastructure.
Poland hopes local and central government money along with EU structural aid and private investment will pay for five new stadiums and upgrades of its crumbling road and rail networks, little altered since the 1989 fall of communism.
"I'm optimistic this time we will succeed and that the national team may make a success of the tournament," Interior Affairs Minister Ryszard Kalisz told public radio. "Let's just hope we'll have the roads to get us to the games."
Ukraine is emerging from weeks of political uncertainty and turmoil after its "Orange Revolution" street protests late last year defeated a Moscow-backed presidential candidate.
But Wilczynski said the country's new reformist administration faces a tough task to expand on its current total of two large stadiums and overhaul decrepit tourism infrastructure left by years of communist era neglect.
"The joint costs of both countries should be similar to Portugal's for the last championship-- around 660 million euros," Wilczynski told Reuters after the cabinet meeting.
Neither country has much experience of bidding for a major sports championship, with Poland's sole test case a recent bid to hold the Winter Olympics in the mountain resort of Zakopane.
The expanded 16-team version of the European Championships, now second only in size to soccer's World Cup, are worth millions in euros to the host country in sponsorship, ticket sales and the boost to tourism.
The Polish football association said it would notify UEFA of its bid on January 31, the deadline day. A shortlist of three countries is due to be chosen by November and the winner will be decided in December 2006.

Top seed Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a return against eighth seed Andre Agassi of the US in their men's singles quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Tuesday. (AFP Photo)

MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 26--Russian Marat Safin cashed in as the Australian Open went indoors Tuesday crushing Slovakian practice partner Dominik Hrbaty to power into the semifinals, AFP reported.
Last year's runner-up cantered to an easier than expected straight sets victory, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in just 1hr 30min, in a match played under a closed roof amid sweltering temperatures in Melbourne.
Safin now faces the exciting prospect of a semifinal Thursday against defending champion Roger Federer to whom he lost to in last year's final.
The big Russian clearly benefited from the organizers' decision to close the roof on Rod Laver Arena under the tournament's extreme heat policy.
It was a decision that delighted Safin but infuriated Hrbaty.
It was Safin's first semifinal appearance since last year's Australian Open after first-round exits at last year's Wimbledon and US Opens and third round demise at Roland Garros.
He has now made six grand slam semifinals for a win in the 2000 US Open and final appearances here last year and 2002.
Hrbaty was bidding to reach the semifinals at a grand slam for the second time after 1999 Roland Garros where he fell to eventual champion Andre Agassi in four sets but he never looked like repeating that.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer swept aside the challenge of Andre Agassi to reach the Australian Open semifinals as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova overcame furnace-like conditions to advance to the last four.
Swiss world number one Federer underscored his status as tournament favorite and current king of tennis by clinically dispatching four-time champion Agassi in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
It was a consummate display from the 23-year-old Federer, who is bidding to become the first player to win three consecutive grand slams since American Pete Sampras in 1993-94 after winning at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
Sharapova said she had struggled to cope after coming through her quarter-final with fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, a match that was halted for 10 minutes after the second set to allow players a respite from the heat.
"I need a wheelchair right now," the Siberian-born Wimbledon champion said after battling to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in 2hr 17min.
But while Sharapova and Kuznetsova looked drained after their tie, seventh-seed Williams--the 2003 champion--appeared fresher than ever after romping past French world number two Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-2 in 1hr 11min.

LONDON, Jan. 26--Ferrari's rivals agreed at a meeting on Tuesday not to rush into a new commercial agreement with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Reuters reported.
The nine team bosses also decided to ask the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) to postpone a planned meeting on Friday to discuss major changes to the regulations, although an FIA spokesman said it would go ahead as planned.
The FIA's suggested measures for 2008, seen by Reuters, included switching to a single tyre supplier and a huge reduction in aerodynamic downforce to up to 10 percent of current levels.
Telemetry would be eliminated, standard brakes introduced and rpm limits imposed on engines. There would be no spare car and race weekends would be reduced to two days.
Ecclestone said money matters were not discussed at Tuesday's meeting. According to one weekend newspaper report, teams would be offered $3 billion of guaranteed revenues over five years in exchange for signing an agreement up to 2012.
Champions Ferrari, already isolated over their refusal to sign up for a 30-day limit on in-season testing, were not invited to Tuesday's gathering at a Heathrow airport hotel.
The Italian team distanced themselves from the rest by agreeing unilaterally last week to extend the existing commercial agreement with Ecclestone from 2008 to 2012.
The teams and Ecclestone signed a letter to FIA president Max Mosley saying it would be premature to discuss his latest cost-cutting proposals and outlining their own way forward.
They plan to sit down with the FIA after the first three races instead.
The existing Concorde Agreement expires at the end of 2007 and carmakers are still threatening their own rival series from that date.
They said they wanted to assess first the impact of rule changes for 2005--such as engines lasting for two grands prix--in the initial races of the year and consult their key stakeholders.
The team bosses said they expected to be in a position to bring their collective proposals to the FIA by mid-season.

Steve Nash (l) of the Phoenix Suns dribbles in front of teammate Amare Stoudemire (r) and Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Tuesday. (AFP Photo)

NEW YORK, Jan. 26--Amare Stoudemire registered 29 points and Quentin Richardson added 25 as the Phoenix Suns's high-powered offense shifted into top gear Tuesday, romping to a 133-118 victory over the slumping New York Knicks, Reuters reported.
With point guard and NBA assists leader Steve Nash back from injury and directing traffic, the Suns received 20-plus points from four different players to put up a season-high game total of 133.
The Suns inflicted much of the damage from beyond the arc, hitting 16 three-pointers, including seven by Richardson.
Coach Herb Williams, who replaced Lenny Wilkens after he stepped down Saturday, has been unable to pull the Knicks out of their tailspin and they suffered their seventh straight defeat Tuesday.
Jamal Crawford had a game-high 40 points and Kurt Thomas contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds but it was not enough to prevent host New York losing for the 11th time in 12 games.
In Los Angeles, Vladimir Radmanovic drained 26 points and Ray Allen added 25 as the Seattle SuperSonics eased to a 104-93 triumph over the Lakers.
In Memphis, the surging Grizzlies received double-figure efforts from seven players, led by 18 from Stromile Swift, on the way to a 95-83 victory over the Orlando Magic and their 12th win in 14 games.
In Chicago, Kirk Hinrich nailed 23 points and Eddy Curry added 16, including 14 in the final quarter, as the Bulls held n to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-107 for their 11th victory in 12 games.
In Charlotte, Paul Pierce scored 33 points, including 14 in the final quarter, as the Boston Celtics snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 97-92 triumph over the expansion Bobcats.
In Sacramento, Brad Miller claimed a season-high 31 points as the Kings rebounded from their worst home loss in 10 years to pound the New Jersey Nets 113-93.

SCHLADMING, Austria, Jan. 26--Italy's Giorgio Rocca rediscovered his rhythm to clock the fastest time in the first leg of a World Cup slalom race in Schladming on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Rocca, who was disqualified in Wengen and did not finish the first run in Kitzbuehel, raced down the floodlit Planai course in 51.11 seconds.
Austria's Manfred Pranger, celebrating his 27th birthday, followed up Sunday's slalom win in Kitzbuehel with the second fastest time of the leg, 0.22 seconds behind Rocca.
Slalom World Cup leader Benjamin Raich, of Austria, put himself in contention for his fourth win at the resort, clocking 51.70 for third.
Rocca, Pranger and Raich were among the first four racers out of the starthouse and seemed to benefit from their early starts, as subsequent competitors struggled with the falling snow and the increasingly bumpy course.
Overall World Cup leader Bode Miller, who has made early exits in six of the seven slaloms this season, appeared content just to make it to the bottom of the run. The American's time of 52.26 put him in sixth, 1.15 seconds behind Rocca.

LISBON, Portugal, Jan. 26--European champions FC Porto said Tuesday they have signed Brazilian striker Claudio Mejolaro, knicknamed ÔPitbullÕ, from Brazil's Gremio on a four-and-a-half-year contract, AFP said.
The club gave no financial details but Portugal's sports dailies said the transfer fee hovered around one million euros. The 23-year-old scored 19 goals last season for the Brazilian side which was recently relegated from the nation's first division. "This is a club that is known around the world, so I was very happy to join FC Porto," he told the club's Internet site.
Mejolaro looks set to make his debut Sunday when his new club host Braga.