David Nalbandian has made it clear that he will play for Argentina in the Davis Cup next year. He brushed aside the rumours that he may possibly step down following a painful loss to Spain in the final. Nalbandian said that it bothers him if someone questions his continuation with the Davis Cup. He added that he sees the participation in the match representing the country s an honour.  He was speaking for a televison interview at a conference in Mar del Plata., the site of Spain’s 3-1 victory over Argentina last weekend. He said that he will defend Argentina’s flag the best way possible.

A sullen-looking Nalbandian added that he was feeling devastated by the loss at home. “Understand the pain of a player not being able to score a point in an important series,” Nalbandian said in the conference. He said that he is looking forward as the terrible weekend is over.

Argentina got its only point in the best-of-five series with the performance of Nalbandian. He defeated David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the first singles match Friday. Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri  were defeated by Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco in the doubles on Saturday. This loss  has left Argentina with the nearly impossible task of winning both reverse singles Sunday, which was a must to grab the title.

Nalbandian was upsett by the doubles loss and decided to skip the news conference after the match, for which he had to pay a fine of  $5,000. Argentina Coach Alberto Mancini justified Nalbandian saying that he left the Islas Malvinas Stadium as he was not feeling well emotionally.

Nalbandian later apologized to reporters for missing the Saturday news conference. But he also used it a chance to nail them for spreading rumours on his argument with  Calleri following the doubles loss.

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Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) supremo Ijaz Butt will be meeting Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar on Friday to discuss the troubled India-Pakistan series scheduled in Jan-Feb.
Both the board chiefs will meet at Colombo on the sidelines of the Asian cricket Council (ACC) meeting.
The relations between India and Pakistan has severely damaged after the recent terror attacks at Mumbai that shocked the entire nation. The terror strike has destroyed the cordial atmosphere between the two countries. The series supposed to be held on January is now under cloud because of security apprehensions.

Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s chief operating officer is highly confident of better results. He expressed hope that both boards will work together towards making the tour possible.

Altaf, the former Pakistan player said that the series is important for both the sides.

In the current circumstances, a final decision on the series will be taken by the two governments. But the meeting has got its own importance in making the clouds clear for the tournament.

Butt will leave for Colombo on Thursday for the ACC meeting. He will be officially announced as the ACC President in Colombo. The post was left vacant after the resignation of former ACC chief Nasim Ashraf as PCB chairman in August.

Butt is expected to discuss the issue of the 2011 World Cup with top cricket officials from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan is to co-host the quadrennial spectacle along with the three Asian nations.

The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai have put the chances of World Cup under black cloud, which is expected to bring out bitter consequences. Many teams including Australia has expressed doubts regarding the venues, which may result in black days of cricket. But anyhow, International Cricket Council (ICC) has denied the possibility of switching the World Cup venues.

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