Week in review: sport

This week was all about dreams in the sports world: some began, some ended, some came true and others became nightmares.

For Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, it was a dream come true as his side clinched the FA Cup final against Cardiff at the weekend. It handed the jovial manager a well-deserved first career trophy after 40 hardworking years in the game.

Nwankwo Kanu, scorer of the only goal in the match, was a prime example of Redknapp's masterful talent of taking players other clubs have discarded and transforming them into quality performers. Goalkeeper David James is another example, nicknamed "Calamity James" before his move to Portsmouth, the England player not only kept a record of clean sheets, he also regained his place in the international team.

As Redknapp and his boys celebrated, a little further into Europe in Madrid, Spain, an Olympic dream was just beginning for another sports star. Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete who has no legs and runs with prosthetic limbs, had his International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) ban on him competing against able-bodied athletes overturned by the Court of Arbitration (CAS) for Sport.

The CAS unanimously ruled that Pistorius did not gain an advantage from his carbon fibre prosthetics and revoked the ban with immediate effect.

The ruling gives one of the most amazing and dedicated athletes a chance to achieve his Olympic goal and join compatriot – swimmer Natalie du Toit – who made headlines earlier this month for becoming the first disabled athlete to qualify for the Olympics.

Pistorius still has to run the qualifying times for the 400 metres to compete at the Olympics, but if South Africa choose to include him in their 4x400m relay team, he will be able to go to Beijing without qualifying – in which case it will make his country the story of the Games.

Back to England where a dream turned into a nightmare for fly-half Danny Cipriani. The 20-year old Wasps rugby player, tipped for a big England contribution this winter, fractured and dislocated his ankle and is out of the game for six months.

Also spare a thought for Everton defender Joseph Yobo whose dream of playing for his country at the Olympics ended this week after the secretary for the Nigerian Football Association forgot to put his name on the submitted squad list.

Then last but not least, in the Indian Premier League watch: Amit Mishra took a hat-trick for Delhi Daredevils as the Deccan Chargers failed to score the 15 they need off the last over to win their match in Delhi. South Africa's Makhaya Ntini later did the same for Chennai Super Kings in a three-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, who were promptly skittled for 67 (the lowest IPL score) by Mumbai Indians in their next game.

Meanwhile, media reports emerging out of England speculate that Kevin Pietersen is in line for a record IPL deal worth more than $4million (Dh14.6m) over three years starting in 2009. If so, the attack-minded England batsman is set to become the highest earner in the competition.

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