Australian batsman Matthew Hayden cuts a delivery to the boundary as New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum fails to take a catch during the second One-Day International Cricket match at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, Tuesday. (AFP Photo)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Feb. 22--Matthew Hayden blasted a century as Australia steamrolled New Zealand by 106 runs in the second One-Day International at Christchurch on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their five-match series, Reuters reported.
Hayden ended his prolonged form slump as the world champions racked up a formidable 314 for six after being given first use of a perfect batting strip.
Adam Gilchrist failed with the bat but took five catches to become the first wicketkeeper to reach 300 one-day international catches as New Zealand collapsed to 208 all out in the 41st over.
The only resistance came from Daniel Vettori who made a defiant 83 of 77 balls to equal South African Lance Klusener's record for the highest score ever made by a number eight in one-day history.
Hayden, dropped from the team earlier this month, was brutal in hitting 114 off 124 balls, including 12 boundaries and two sixes.
He shared a 99-run partnership with Ponting for the second wicket after Gilchrist went for a second-ball duck and a 133-run stand with Damien Martyn for the third.
Ponting struck six fours and a pair of sixes in his 53 off 57 balls while Martyn found the boundary five times for 58 off 70 deliveries.
Both were run out but the lower-order continued to smash the Kiwi bowlers with Michael Clarke belting 23 off 13 balls and Mike Hussey driving the final ball of the innings for six to finish 32 not out.
With the exception of left-arm spinner Vettori, who conceded 31 runs from 10 overs in a fine all-round performance, the New Zealand attack failed to make any impression on the world champions.
The worst offender was former All Black Jeff Wilson, playing his first one-day international in 12 years, who went for 57 off six overs although he took two catches and scored 22.
The third match will be played at Auckland on Saturday, with the final two games at Wellington and Napier next week.

NEW YORK, Feb. 22--Stressing diversity and a lasting legacy, New York bid officials made a successful launch Monday of a three million-dollar charm offensive they hope will bring them the 2012 Olympics, AFP reported.
A 13-member International Olympic Committee evaluation committee began four days of meetings with presentations from mayor Michael Bloomberg and deputy mayor Dan Doctoroff, multi-millionaire founder and major force behind NYC2012.
"I was very pleased," Doctoroff said. "I think we managed to convey not just the essence of the plan but our vision for the Games.
"We think we had a great day. In the end, what matters is what they think, not what we think."
The IOC panel, which spent eight hours viewing presentations, has visited Madrid and London and travels to Paris and Moscow next month before preparing an analysis in advance of the July 6 vote on 2012 in Singapore.
"We're a town with a tradition of putting on big events," Bloomberg said. "We hope to show the IOC how well we would put on the biggest event of all. The big thing this selection committee is going to see is that New York is ready."
Bidders touted New York's "melting pot" reputation, citing children from 198 Olympic nations and diversity in culture and language
"We have New Yorkers from all over the world. Every athlete can feel like they have a hometown crowd," NYC2012 executive director Jay Kriegel said.
Games-related construction could leave a major impact for decades.
"Hosting the Games will transform this city. It's not just about two weeks. It's about after the Games," Bloomberg said. "We still have some battles to fight but I'm confident we will be ready."
The big fight is over a 1.4 billion-dollar retractable roof stadium plan that has not been approved because Madison Square Garden, fearing a new arena rival, made its own redevelopment pitch for the land.

LONDON, Feb. 22--Swiss-based Sauber have sided with major Formula One car manufacturers in the battle for the sport's future, Reuters reported.
A team spokesman said on Monday that at the end of last week Peter Sauber signed a memorandum of understanding presented by the carmakers, who are planning their own series after the current commercial agreement expires in 2007.
Sauber's decision leaves only privately-owned Jordan and Red Bull, who had also reserved judgement after a meeting near London last week, still uncommitted.
Williams' partners BMW, Renault, McLaren's part-owners Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Minardi have all signed up to the rival manufacturers' memorandum.
Champions Ferrari stand alone in agreeing a unilateral deal with Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) to extend the existing agreement to 2012.
Sauber have used Ferrari engines since 1997 and their decision is likely to signal a break with the FIAT-owned company.
However, the manufacturers have offered affordable engines from 2006 for the independent teams that sign up to their vision of the future. BMW have already said they have been in talks with Sauber.

Adam Scott of Australia poses with the winner's trophy after defeating Chad Campbell of the US during the sudden death playoff of the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, Monday. (AFP Photo)

TORONTO, Feb. 22--Australia's Adam Scott won the rain-hit Nissan Open in a sudden-death playoff in Los Angeles on Monday, becoming the first PGA Tour winner in nine years to be crowned champion after 36 holes, Reuters reported.
The 24-year-old edged out American Chad Campbell at the first extra hole, where he tapped in from three feet for a par, after the tournament was reduced to two rounds following four days of heavy rain at the Riviera Country Club.
The Nissan is the first PGA Tour event to decide a winner after two rounds since Michael Bradley won the 1996 Buick Open.
"It has been a tough week, a very unusual week...a win is a win and it's nice to be playing well here," said a jubilant Scott. "Tough break for Chad, he's had two days off then (had) to come play one hole but I'm pretty pleased with my week."
Campbell stepped onto the 475-yard par four 18th tee, already rated the hardest hole on the famed Riviera layout, having not struck a ball in tournament play since Friday.
A superb drive gave the American an early advantage but he missed the green to the right with his approach and a botched four-foot putt to save par sank any hopes of a victory.
"I finished up Friday afternoon and didn't get to play any golf until then," shrugged Campbell. "But I just hit a bad second shot and not a very good putt. It's not the easiest of holes to slide in a four-footer. I should have made it."
Organizers were forced to abandon the proposed third round on Monday morning after two inches of overnight rain had left the par-71 layout saturated.

DUBAI, UAE, Feb. 22--Andre Agassi beat Radek Stepanek 6-4 7-5 in the first round of the Dubai Open on Monday, the 34-year-old American's first match in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
A packed crowd of 5,000 watched the fourth-seeded Agassi win the first 14 points on his serve and produce numerous winners, especially down the line.
Czech Stepanek, a recent finalist in Milan, fired 10 aces but it was his serve that let him down in the second set when he threatened to take Agassi to a decider.
Agassi earned the only break of the first set at 5-4 when Stepanek netted an attempted dropshot at the end of a long rally, but he then played his only weak service game of the match to drop his serve at 3-3 in the second.
Instead of consolidating his lead, however, Stepanek served three double-faults in the next game, including the last two points. Agassi broke serve again in the final game, taking the match when Stepanek netted a backhand volley.
Agassi has been troubled for some time by a hip injury, and he took the painful decision to have an injection directly into the nerve.
In other matches, fifth seed Tommy Robredo won the first five games against Olivier Rochus, but then had to battle for two hours 13 minutes to earn a 7-6 7-6 victory.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has struggled since injuring himself in practice in May, earned a 6-3 6-4 victory over Germany's Florian Mayer, and Rainer Schuettler swept aside Younes El Aynaoui 6-0 6-1.
Because of injury, the Moroccan played only five matches last year, and has not won a match since playing the Madrid Masters in October 2003.
There were also wins for Dominik Hrbaty, Fernando Verdasco and Tomas Berdych.

Pavel Nedved

MADRID, Spain,
Feb. 22--Juventus' inspirational Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved could still play a part in their Champions League last 16 first leg match at Real Madrid on Tuesday, AFP reported.
Juventus coach Fabio Capello said Monday that he was hopeful that the 2003 European Footballer of the Year would pass his fitness tests after coming to the Spanish capital as part of Juve's 20-man squad.
Nedved has not played since injuring his left knee on January 23 and until Monday had been training apart from his teammates.
"He's running very well in training and being tested. There's nothing more to say," said Capello, keeping his cards close to his chest.
However, the Juventus coach knows how important Nedved is to Juventus' hopes of getting a good result in Madrid.
"We have players other than Pavel but, if he can't play, you are always going to miss someone like him," admitted Capello on Saturday.
"He is dynamic, aggressive and can also change the rhythm of the game in a moment," added Capello, who knows his next opponents very well having guided them to the 1997 Spanish league title.
Capello will definitely be without his French striker David Trezeguet, who is suffering from flu and did not travel to Madrid.

MOSCOW, Feb. 22--Australian Open champion Marat Safin will lead Russia in next month's Davis Cup World Group opening round tie against Chile.
Russia, champions in 2002, named an unchanged line-up from last year's relegation playoff against Thailand to face the resilient South Americans.
In addition to an in-form Safin, Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has also called up Australian Open quarterfinalist Nikolay Davydenko, 2002 Davis Cup hero Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev for the March 4-6 tie at Moscow's Olympic Sports Arena.
Youzhny, who clinched Russia's first Davis Cup title in 2002 by coming from two sets down to beat France's Paul-Henri Mathieu in the decisive fifth rubber, has been suffering from a nagging knee injury, but Tarpishchev said he would be fit.
"We only have four guys and Youzhny is one of them. I'm sure he'll play if we needed him," the Russian captain told Reuters.
Tarpishchev also said the home team would have the added advantage of playing on a fast indoor surface.
"We know that Chileans, like all South Americans, like slow surfaces so we'll make it super fast, even faster than we have at our annual Kremlin Cup tournament," he said.
"We're the home team so we have to make it count. I'm sure they would have done the same thing to us if we played them on their turf."

LONDON, Feb. 22--Champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe and his jockey Jamie Moore will not appeal against last week's Jockey Club decision to sanction them over the running and riding of hurdler Celtic Son at Exeter last October, Reuters reported.
Pipe was fined 3,000 pounds ($5,693) and Moore banned for 21 days by a disciplinary panel under the Ônon-triersÕ rule.
Celtic Son was barred from running for 40 days, meaning he will miss next month's Cheltenham Festival. Moore's suspension ends on March 14, the day before the four-day Festival starts.
A statement on Pipe's website on Monday said: "After discussions with our lawyers who were categoric that we had strong grounds to appeal, Martin felt that it would be unfair to Jamie to ask him to go through for a second time what
he had to endure last Thursday and for him to risk missing Cheltenham in the process.
"We all feel that Jamie is a huge talent and he has been really hurt by all of this, as has Martin.
"The feeling at Pond House (stables) is that the Jockey Club simply does not have any understanding of just how big an impact this has had on Jamie.
"If they had, perhaps they would have taken a bit more time to look at the evidence before coming to such an incredibly quick decision."
The three-man panel hearing the case took only seven minutes to reach their verdict after 2-1/2 hours of evidence.
It ruled Moore had intentionally restrained Celtic Son after the third last hurdle until the winning post.
Although the jockey said he had hit the horse with his whip six times in the home straight, the panel took the view that any contact was minimal and the hits were not typical of a jockey trying to achieve the best possible placing.

LONDON, Feb. 22--Chelsea left back Wayne Bridge will miss the rest of the season with a double fracture of his ankle, British media reported on Monday.
Bridge was taken to hospital after being carried off on a stretcher following a challenge by Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer just after halftime in Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round tie, Reuters said.
The 24-year-old had an operation on the fracture on Monday and will spend the rest of the season on the sidelines.
Chelsea, who sold their only other left back Celestine Babayaro to Newcastle in December, visit Barcelona on Wednesday in the first leg of the first Champions League knockout round.
They were already missing injured central defender Robert Huth and could also be without forward Damien Duff and defender William Gallas after they limped off at the end of Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Newcastle.