41.   The party, its declining fortunes evident from the successive defeats in state elections, is desperately hoping to benefit from the many divisions which plague the opposition.

42.   The Sri Lankan bowlers, however, face a stiff test against the powerful Pakistani batting to prevent a second successive defeat in the tournament.

43.   Three successive defeats for Belgium and Belarus appear to have cut the eight-nation race to fill five vacancies at Atlanta to six.

44.   Yorkshire, whose championship hopes are not yet dead, are odds-on to beat Lancashire in the Roses match to revive their flagging hopes after three successive defeats.

45.   Kenya, playing in their first World Cup, have no chance of qualifying after suffering their third successive defeat.

46.   Manager Costas Polychroniou is under pressure after successive defeats against Russia and Finland which have cost Greece their place at the top of the group.

47.   Mark Saxelby and John Morris both struck their highest competition scores as Durham thrashed Sussex by nine wickets at Hove, their third successive defeat.

48.   Oxford University signed up Dutch Olympic gold medal-winning coach Rene Mijnders on Tuesday in a bid to wrest the Boat Race from Cambridge after four successive defeats.

49.   Pakistan are thirsting for revenge after two successive defeats against the Koreans during the Asian Games and the Asia Cup.

50.   South Africa will be buoyed by a win in the third and final Test in Durban Monday, which ended a string of five successive Test defeats against Australia.