SRK to watch FIFA final with Charlize Theron

Shah Rukh Khan, who will be watching the final match of the FIFA world cup from the stadium at Johannesburg on Sunday, is having an unexpected company. Charlize Theron has also reserved seats in the same VIP pavilion at the stadium. Whether they will be seated together will be known only once the plans are finalised on the day of the match. After the match, a dinner and party have been planned. The party will have officials from Spain, The Netherlands, and international celebrities from Hollywood. Shah Rukh Khan has been specially invited for the by invite only get together.

Spain, Dutch set for World Cup final battle

JOHANNESBURG: Spain and Holland championed unity as the key to Sunday's World Cup final battle while Germany's impressive collection of young talent set out their stall for the 2014 title by clinching third place. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes victory at Johannesburg's Soccer City can strike a blow for national cohesion, a day after a million people marched in northeastern Spain in support of Catalan autonomy. "There are players from all over Spain here in the squad, we are united and I hope the same feeling of unity occurs back in Spain," said Del Bosque. "I think sport does many good things and I hope football could lead to better relations in our country." Barcelona supplied seven of the starting line-up when Spain beat Germany in the semi-finals with that figure likely to be replicated when del Bosque's stylish side look to add a first world title to their European crown. Dutch skipper Giovanni van Bronckhorst also stressed the significance of team spirit as he confirmed there had been none of the tensions between players that have hampered Holland's chances of success at previous tournaments. "I think the spirit in the camp has been extremely important," said Feyenoord star van Bronckhorst, who will retire after Sunday's final. "As players you have to spend six or seven weeks together to achieve your goal and I believe, if the atmosphere is good off the pitch, it will be good on it - you will go that extra mile for a team mate." It has not always been like that for the Dutch, whose chances of success on the international stage have been frequently sabotaged by squabbling.

Mark Boucher celebrates 500 dismissals

Mark Boucher, the South Africa wicketkeeper, reached yet another landmark during the fourth day of the second Test against West Indies in St Kitts, notching up his 500th dismissal. An edge from Ravi Rampaul off Morne Morkel was snapped up by Boucher to mark the historic moment, as he became the first wicketkeeper to get there.

Boucher is the most successful Test wicketkeeper till date, with 479 catches and 21 stumpings, and is now the only wicketkeeper to have scored in excess of 5000 runs and effected 500 dismissals. It will be a while before the record is broken, as the next 13 members on the list of most successful wicketkeepers have all retired. Kamran Akmal, with 181 dismissals to his name, is 14th.

Boucher had been excluded from the initial few games on this tour, with AB de Villiers preferred as the wicket-keeper batsman and the milestone, one of the few highlights of what has so far been a dull Test, came as welcome relief. "I have kept wicket to some fantastic bowlers and also on wickets that at times have been friendly to bowlers," Boucher said. "It has been a hard month for me and it is nice for me to have something to smile about.

"Once you have played international cricket for as long as I have done you tend to look back on what you have done and also to look to the future. I would like to carry on playing Test cricket for a while now. I also have goals on the one-day front and I will keep working on my game to become a better cricketer both for myself and for South Africa."

Earlier in the game, Jacques Kallis reached 11,000 runs in Tests on his way to his 35th Test century. He remains the to have scored more than 10,000 runs and grab 200 or more wickets, and is currently in the list of highest run-getters in the format.

Sri Lanka try chasing under lights

In the dress rehearsal for the final, Kumar Sangakkara chose to experience batting under lights, something Sri Lanka haven't done in the tournament, and something that has been difficult with inadequate floodlights and a pitch that attains new life in the evening. India, too, were happy to bat first for the first time in the tournament, making the toss an amicable arrangement.

Both the sides gave their fringe players chances. Sri Lanka rested four first-choice players, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Samaraweera. That meant Rangana Herath and Thilina Kandamby got their chances.

India were forced to bring Dinesh Karthik in for the indisposed Virender Sehwag. They also played Ashok Dinda and Pragyan Ojha to give Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra a rest.

Sri Lanka 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Chanaka Welegedera.

India 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashok Dinda.