Showing posts with label Cricket news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket news. Show all posts

Gokul Sharma Captain of Assam Cricket Ranji Team, A Gorkha Pride!!

2:25 PM
Gokul Sharma is an Indian Gorkha first-class cricketer who plays for Assam and is the Captain of Assam Cricket Ranji Team. Sharma is a right-handed middle order batsman and right-arm off break bowler. Son of Mr. Khadanand Sharma and Mrs. Dil Kumari Sharma. Studied in Model High School, Born and Brought Up in Guwahati. He is also working as an Auditor at Indian Audit & Accounts Department (C&AG of India). His Best innings is 101 against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy in 2010-11.

Full name Gokul Sharma
Born December 25, 1985, Guwahati, Assam
Current age 30 years 167 days
Major teams Assam
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Gokul Sharma Captain of Assam Cricket Ranji Team
Gokul Sharma Captain of Assam Cricket Ranji Team


His Interview With The Gorkha Times Assam

The Gorkha Times Assam asked him some Questions,

-How does it feels to lead the Assam Cricket Team?.
He replies, "It's an honour to lead a team like Assam which have so much of potential and believe to perform at the highest level."

-Who is your Inspiration?
He Replies, "Well in cricket I always idolise Sachin Tendulkar, the way he goes about the game and also the kind of human being he is off the field and in my life my mother is my inspiration because I saw the toughest part she faced in her life, what I really appreciate and like about my mother was the attitude and the way she handled that situation was very learning experience for me"

-His view about "The Gorkha Times Assam"?
He Replies,"I would like to thanks them for promoting cricket and showing great interest for the development of the game. The Gorkha Times Assam is doing a great work by promoting crickets or any other sports,just like to give a big thank to them and keep encouraging the sportsperson"
With this small Interview Conversation, We also came to know about the Great Human Being. We are Proud of you Sir.

You are Sachin Tendulkar for the Gorkhas of Assam. We wish you all the best for your future endeavours, We will be always there to support you.


Jay Gokul Bista Indian Gorkha cricketer played for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy

6:55 PM
Jay Bista (born 23 December 1995) is an Indian Gorkha cricketer who plays for Mumbai in domestic First Class cricket. He is a batting all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off break. He represented Mumbai at the Under-16 and Under-19 levels before making his first-class cricket debut in November 2015 during the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy. For a player just two games into his first-class career, 19-year-old Jay Bista exudes remarkable confidence. He is, after all, a member of the Mumbai class of 2015 - a bunch of players who slide down the hallowed of the Wankhede pavilion yet step into the playing area with a brief prayer. This is a group which has grown up with the Mumbai doctrine of batsmanship, yet one which doesn't conform to its every rule. Nothing else can possibly explain his cover drive off RP Singh in the first hour of the match. He had, after all, played and missed his two previous deliveries, attempting the very shot. There is an air of nonchalance to his batting.

Predominantly, he's all about getting into good position, keeping the head still and let the hand-eye co-ordination take over. Not very dissimilar to an affable Delhite who retired a while ago. "Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have been the two biggest influences in my life," Bista says. "I know there cannot be another Sehwag and I'm not even trying to be that, but (like him) I just love to stay positive and treat every ball on its merit without worrying about what happened the ball before," he adds, quelling the Sehwag comparisons. The buzz around the bespectacled Bista started much before he swept the experienced Jalaj Saxena out of the attack on a rank turner in Indore to set up a chase of 280 in last month's clash against Madhya Pradesh. His name had been doing the rounds in Mumbai's cricketing circles for a while, and not just because of the numbers he'd been chalking up. He was earmarked to take a place in Aditya Tare's young Ranji side, making him the first player of Nepali origin to play for Mumbai. Bista hails from Dhangadi, a town on the foothills of the Himalayas on Seti zone of the Far-Western Development Region of Nepal, close to the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The relocation to Mumbai though happened so long before he was born that Bista can't put a finger on its exact time-line. "Our family moved to this city around 40-50 years ago. Mumbai has been home ever since," he says with a chuckle. Gokul Bista, Jay's father, had pursued cricket very seriously himself.
Jay Bista Indian Gorkha cricketer
Jay Bista Indian Gorkha cricketer 
Despite representing Mumbai University, braving the cut-throat competition to make the Ranji side appeared a dream too far-fetched. So he redoubled his efforts to make sure his son was blessed with all the opportunities to make it to the sport's highest levels. This included enrolling Jay at Shardasharam Vidyamandir, the school Sachin Tendulkar famously moved to for its cricket focus. "I used to play my cricket at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana till seventh standard. I was asked to shift to Shardashram because of its sporting culture, especially towards cricket. And it was great because only after I went to Shardashram did I realise how much there was to learn. It was there I learnt the basics of how maidaan cricket is played," Bista Jr says. Interestingly, like Tendulkar, Bista started out wanting to be a fast bowler. Except, there was a little problem. His coach, Mr. Pravin Gorgaonkar, deemed that the boy, in his quest to bowl as fast as possible, was in serious violation of the infamous 15-degree arm flexion law and advised him instead to concentrate on his batting and off-spin bowling. For the batting to improve however, there were the hard yards to do. And in Mumbai, the hard yards usually start with crowded train journeys.

Bista's took him from Churchgate to Dadar, a good 12 kilometre distance, at 5:30 in the morning for practice. He used to get back home by 11, just in time to freshen up and make the return trip to Dadar for school. Giving him company in these chaotic commutes were his kit-bag and his doting mother. "My family has been my rock. I would say my mother worked harder for me than I did. When I was a kid, she would take me to practice, wait outside the grounds for the whole duration and then bring me back home and get me ready for school and the return journey." Naturally, academics took a back step in this daily grind but Mr. and Mrs. Bista ensured there was no undue pressure on their lad to excel everywhere. "I wasn't all that great but managed average grades. I scored 80 percent in my senior secondary certificate exams and 61 percent in the higher secondary level," he says. The batting talent though was spotted early. Pleasantly surprised by the boy's hitting abilities during a chance observation, Naushad Khan, father of the now-Uttar Pradesh teenager Sarfaraz, invited Bista to practice at his coaching camp for free. It was at this camp, at the famous Azad Maidan, where Bista would go on to learn his most important cricketing lessons, lessons that would hold him in good stead on a minefield of a track at the Holkar stadium in his second first-class game. "At Azad Maidan, you never got great wickets. They would spin, bounce awkwardly, sometimes keep low... you have to find some way, any way to survive.
Gorkha Ranji Player Jay Gokul Bista
Gorkha Ranji Player Jay Gokul Bista
And that's where I picked up my sweep shot," Bista recollects with a sense of accomplishment. "When I went out to open in our chase of 280 against MP, those practice sessions came flashing back. I attempted my first sweep and the ball went off the middle of my bat. I realised I was timing the sweep really well and continued to use it. 80 percent of my runs eventually came from that shot." The ascent to the senior Mumbai side was not overnight. Bista went through the full rigours of Mumbai cricket - the Under-14s, the Under-16s, the Under-19s and the Under-23s, churning out the numbers at every level. There were disappointments along the way as well. He was known to get very depressed if he ever got out early and needed a talking to from coach Vinod Raghavan to stop him from slipping into a negative spiral. Bista believes he is now mentally equipped to brush off failures and move on. The Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy early of 2014-15, in particular, put Bista on the peripherals of the senior set-up. The opener set up the title win with blazing centuries against Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in the quarters and the semis. This was followed by twin centuries for the Under-23 side against Bengal, giving the Mumbai selectors a ready-made option to address the senior side's opening woes.

The Ranji call up, he remembers vividly, was out of the blue. Under-23 Coach Vinayak Samant broke the news to him during one of the practice sessions. His parents were ecstatic while Jay himself was merely pleased. "I was not overly happy. I knew I have to perform there also. The ultimate goal, after all, is to play for India... and play at least for 10-12 years." The journey has only just begun for young Bista but he already has his eyes set on lofty targets, chief among which is to be part of a World Cup winning side. He was in Nepal in April 2011 when MS Dhoni & Co. lifted the trophy and regrets missing out on the celebrations that broke out around the Wankhede, a stone's throw away from his residence. "I dream of lifting the World Cup for India. Every once in a while, I log on to YouTube to watch the video of those celebrations at the Wankhede. Someday, I want to be that guy in the India jersey holding that cup." For now though, it's back to hard grind of Mumbai cricket for Bista. Cementing his place at the top of the order in the Ranji side is at the top of his wish-list. Tare and Chandrakant Pandit see a bright future for this lad. And he wants to do his bit to pay them back. Perhaps, propelling the team to a 41st Ranji title might get the ball rolling.

Via Veergorkha

Mirik - three under sixteen players selected by Cricket Assiciation of Bengal (CAB)

10:48 AM
The Cricket Assiciation of Bengal (CAB) has three under sixteen players from Mirik Cricket Association for state level tournaments. Mohammad Saddam, Sujan Rai and Kunal Mallay have been selected owing to their good performances in the sub-division level under 16 tournament organized by CAB in Kanchungena Stadium, Siliguri.

Mirik Cricket Association team that took part in under 16 tournament in Siliguri.
Mirik Cricket Association team that took part in
under 16 tournament in Siliguri.
Delighted over the selection of three club players, Mirik Cricket Association’s official Sanjiv Thapa said the club’s overall performance in the sub-divisional level tournament was excellent. He said the club has been training the players in the local Ilu gorund in association with the CAB. The youngsters are being trained by mentors Bipen Thapa, Phiroj Thapa, Rakesh Rasaily and KP Lama.

T-20 cricket tournament concludes in West Sikkim

10:43 AM
The open T-20 cricket tournament being held in Daramdin Kripa Salyan School play ground in West Sikkim from December 16 concluded today. The final of the event organised by the Youth Club of Sikkim, Daramdin was played between two Jorethang based clubs, Young Boys and United Star. United Star chased down Young Boys’ target of 110 runs with nine wickets to spare and claimed the winner’s trophy of the tournament.

 Young Star players pose with winner's trophy
 Young Star players pose with winner's trophy
Lungyam Junior High School Headmaster Prakash Chandra Subba and Kripa Salyan Secondary School Principal AP Rizal were present as guests of honour for the final game. Before the final match kicked off, school children performed Nepali and Lepcha cultural dances.

In his speech Prakash Chandra Subba stated games and sports are a part of education and it also contributes to health along with teaching the importance of discipline in life.

The tournament was organized with a theme of pollution free environment to inspire eco-friendliness among the young generation and promote cricketing talents. As many as 29 teams from all across Sikkim had participated in the tournament.

At the end of the day Chief Guest Subba awarded the winner team with Rs.15000/- cash, while the the runners up received Rs.8000 along with trophies. Rahul Tamang was the Man of the match.

Source-EOI

BCCI grants Sachin Tendulkar’s wish to play his final Test in home ground in Mumbai

10:25 AM
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to grant Sachin Tendulkar’s wish to play his 200th and final Test on his home ground in Mumbai when the Tour, Programme and Fixture Committee meets here on Tuesday.


BCCI grants Sachin Tendulkar’s wish to play his final Test in home ground in Mumbai
 Sachin Tendulkar’s wish to play his final Test in home ground 
The committee, chaired by vice-president Rajeev Shukla and convened by secretary Sanjay Patel will decide on the venues of the two Tests and three ODIs when the West Indies team tours India next month. Though the dates of the hastily-arranged series have been finalised earlier, the venues were yet to be decided.

It was announced a couple of days ago by the Mumbai Cricket Association president that Wankhede Stadium would host the landmark Test of one of the greatest players to have played this game.

The Darren Sammy-led West Indies will play the first Test from November  6-10 and the second, Tendulkar’s farewell Test, from November 14-18. The three ODIs are on November 21, 24 and 27.

Source : DNA

Sreesanth confession under duress - IPL spot-fixing scandal

8:46 PM
Banned fast bowler S. Sreesanth claimed innocence in a letter to the BCCI’s disciplinary Committee and said his confession to Police in the spot-fixing saga was under duress.

Sreesanth confession under duress - IPL spot-fixing scandal

“Under the threat of arrest of my close relatives a statement was forcibly taken in the manner directed by the police,” said Sreesanth, who was banned for life after being found guilty of spot-fixing in the IPL in an internal inquiry conducted by the Board’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Ravi Sawani.

“There is no confusion recorded by me willingly to the police. The police have mentally and physically harassed me and obtained signed statements. The conclusion arrived at by the Commissioner of Enquiry that I have committed offences... is based on conjectures, guesses, inferences, and inadmissible police reports” Sreesanth said in the letter which was submitted to the Disciplinary Committee just before the hearing.

“The police have not intercepted any conversation between me and others in support of the wild and fantastic charges levelled against me which has put me into injustice and prejudice as I had no opportunity to refute them,” said the 30-year-old pacer.

Sreesanth said it is too “distressing” for him because there is no concrete evidence against him.

“As regards seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe there is no trace of evidence pointing out to any such incident at all,” the Kerela pacer said.

“As regards the charges I respectfully beg to submit that all of them as has been conceded in the report itself are based on media reports and not any concrete and reliable evidence”, he said.

Source : thehindu.com

Arjun Tendulkar Sachin's son debut in Kanga League

7:34 PM
Arjun Tendulkar, whose angelic eyes are reminiscent of his great father, made his maiden appearance in the inter-club tournament, the refurbished version of which also made its ‘debut’ on Sunday. Representing the Young Parsee Cricket Club, the left-handed batsman scored one run off 11 deliveries before being stumped off the bowling of Sanjay Solanki, an off-spinner.


Arjun Tendulkar Sachin's son debut in Kanga League
Arjun Tendulkar 

However, Arjun’s early departure did not affect his team’s fortunes. Young Parsee, who posted 202/9 declared, restricted United Cricket Club to 156/6. The teams pocketed a point each.

Back to the atmosphere and the Young Parsee dugout resembled that of the Kolkata Knight Riders! Remember how Shah Rukh Khan used to turn heads during every other Indian Premier League match?

“Arjun! Look here, Arjun!” the photographers cried. The buzz around the ground was that Sachin Tendulkar had already requested the coaches and officials associated with the tournament to keep his son away from the media glare. 

There were murmurs that the maestro did not want the other kids to “suffer” due to Arjun’s presence.

But every kid isn’t as fortunate as Arjun. This newspaper can confirm that Arjun, who also bowls left-arm medium pace, trained with none other than Zaheer Khan at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra-Kurla Complex facility in the lead-up to the tournament. He also had Ajit Agarkar and Yuvraj Singh for company. 

Zaheer’s tips seemed to have helped Arjun. He returned figures of 7-2-35-1. Onlookers said Arjun got the ball to move away from left-hander Omkar Mane. 
He also managed to induce an edge which was pouched by the fielder at second slip. 

Rajesh Sanil, Arjun’s coach, was all praise for his ward. “Arjun is playing in an open age group. He is among the men now. This will make him more confident. He is a good package and is getting better by the day.”

The youngster, perhaps, knows he attracts reporters and photographers because his surname is Tendulkar. Truth is he has a long way to go.

Source : dnaindia.com

IPL spot-fixing scandal accuseds' bail granted

7:22 PM
Suspended cricketer Ajit Chandila and two others, arrested for their alleged involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal, were on Monday granted bail by a Delhi court which said there were some "missing links" in the prosecution's case.

IPL spot-fixing scandal accuseds bail granted

Additional sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma granted bail to Rajasthan Royals' player Chandila, ex-Ranji player Baburao Yadav and alleged bookie Deepak Kumar on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of like amount each. Chandila was arrested on May 16.

The court, however, dismissed the bail pleas of five other arrested accused, saying the provisions of stringent law Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were applicable on four of them.

It rejected bail applications of alleged bookies Jitender Kumar Jain, Ramesh Vyas, Ashwani Agarwal, Sunil Bhatia and Firoz Farid Ansari.

While granting bail to the three accused, the court said Chandila's connection with the alleged organised syndicate was "too remote".

The court also pulled up the Special Cell of Delhi Police for some missing links into the probe of the case and directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to examine the matter within a month.

"It is very surprising... There are some missing links in the case. I am sending the full file to the Commissioner of Police to let the case be examined...," the judge said.

The court kept pending the bail plea of Chandra Prakash Jain alias Chandresh Jain, who was allegedly accepting bets by the name of Jupiter, saying that probe against him was still going on and police is yet to file chargesheet against him.

During the hearing, the court fixed October 7 for hearing the arguments on police's plea seeking cancellation of bail granted earlier to suspended cricketer S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and 19 others who were arrested in connection with the case.

The accused, including Sreesanth and Chavan, who were earlier granted bail, on Monday appeared before the court in pursuance to the notices issued to them.

Police had filed its 6,000-page chargesheet against 39 persons. 40th accused Chandresh Jain was arrested after filing of the chargesheet in the case.

Chandila was arrested along with two other cricketers Sreesanth and Chavan of Rajasthan Royals along with 26 others in the case.

The court had on June 10 granted bail to Sreesanth, Chavan and 19 others for lack of evidence against them to be charged under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The police had in its chargesheet said that accused underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aide Chhota Shakeel, who have been "controlling the fixing and betting market" in cricket in India, were behind the IPL spot-fixing.

The other accused named in the chargesheet include Manoj Guddewar, Amit Kumar, Jiju Janardhan, Chandresh Patel, Mohammad Yahya, Bhupender Nagar and Sayed Durez Ahmed.

As per the chargesheet, the nine absconding persons are Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel, their associates Dr Javed Chutani, Salman, Ehteysham, Mohd Amir and bookies Sanjay Aggarwal, Praveen Kumar and Sandeep Sharma.

Earlier, the court had issued 'open' non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against Chutani, Salman alias Master and Ehteysham, who all are considered to be close associates of Dawood.

An NBW is termed as 'open' when no time limit is fixed for its execution.

On police's plea, the court had also issued NBWs against four alleged bookies, Sanjay Aggarwal, Mohammad Shakeel Amir, Praveen Kumar G Thakkar and Sandeep Sharma whose names had cropped up during interrogation of other arrested accused.
First Published: September 9, 2013, 4:37 pm

Interview Yuvraj Singh - passion for the game brought me back

4:18 PM
Eyeing an international comeback after falling out of favour due to poor form, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh said his passion for the game has kept him motivated.

 Yuvraj Singh
 Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj, who successfully battled cancer last year, came back to international cricket with the Twenty20 World Championships in the same year.

A drop in form saw the 31-year-old being left out of the post this year's IPL and he is now aiming for a return through good performances in the domestic circuit.

"Last one year was very difficult for me. I have seen ups and downs. Injuries before World Cup, then diagnoses with a cancer tumour after the 2011 World Cup, comeback in the team and then getting dropped, the challenges were very hard but it is my passion for the game that kept motivating me to make a comeback," Yuvraj told 'PTI Bhasha' in an interview.

"The inspiration to make a comeback and play for country was always there. It is in my system and it gave me the energy to face all the challenges. My never felt so good in last 2-3 years but now I am really feeling well. I have worked hard on off season training and hope to see the result in matches , be it domestic or international," said the batsman.

He has taken all the criticism in his stride and does not get affected by it now.

"I am OK with it. I have been playing for 13 years now and every player has highs and lows in his career. In India people criticise you the most when you are down. It is part and parcel of the game and I am prepared for that," he said.

Yuvraj now has to compete with the juniors to find a place in the team but his confidence remains high.

"Everyone has to work hard to find a place in team, whether it is a senior or junior. As I said that I have been for 13 years now and have full confidence on my abilities. I am confident making a comeback through good performance in coming season," he said.

He is eyeing on Challenger trophy to be held next month but is willing to play a few local matches before that.

"There is Challenger trophy in September but I will play a few local matches before that, if I get a chance. Then there is Duleep trophy in October and then the Australia series. If I do not get a chance to play Australia series, I will play Ranji trophy in October-November," he said.

Source : ndtv.com/

Dhawan hits 248 runs against South Africa A

8:32 PM
Dhawan's 194-minute spell at the crease ended when he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dane Vilas off the bowllng of Juan 'Rusty' Theron


Pretoria: Opener Shikhar Dhawan struck a career-best 248 runs Monday as India A made 433-3 in a 50-over match against South Africa A.

His huge total at cool, sunny LC de Villiers Oval in Highveld city Pretoria came off 150 balls and was spiced with 30 fours and seven sixes.

A 194-minute spell at the crease for Dhawan ended when he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dane Vilas off the bowllng of Juan 'Rusty' Theron.

Dhawan, 27, a left-handed, top-order batsman, scored 187 on his Test debut for India last March against Australia in Mohali.

He passed the 100-run mark in that Test off 85 balls -- the quickest ton by an Indian in a first Test appearance.

Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar attending KSCA function

10:56 AM
Bangalore: The two legends of Indian cricket Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar will be attending the grand finale of Karnataka State Cricket Association's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations here at Chinnaswamy Stadium on August 17.

 Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar attending KSCA function

"The gala awards night will see likes of Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, my favorite Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi and Sir Richard Hadlee, who got his record 374th Test wicket at this very venue," KSCA secretary Javagal Srinath told reporters.

As a run-up to the gala evening, Srinath said KSCA has planned events for its members, including a weekend Flea Market that promises to indulge people in retail therapy with cricket memorabilia, clothing and other eclectic products.

"It will also give a chance to interact with favorite cricketers," he added.
KSCA has also planned an exclusive club night, celebrating some of the oldest clubs affiliated with it, Srinath said.

Honoring the monumental landmark, KSCA Treasurer Tallam Venkatesh unveiled the official mascot 'Doodly' for the 75 years celebrations.
Venkatesh said,"We are making continuous efforts to develop the infrastructure and ensure that it permeates to every corner of Karnataka."

Taking a walk down memory lane, former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani recalled his fond memories associated with KSCA.

Source : ibnlive

Cricket : Amit Mishra shares Javagal Srinath's world record

5:17 PM
The Indian spinner managed to get six wickets in the fifth ODI as India restricted Zimbabwe to 163 seeking a 5-0 whitewash.

Cricket : Amit Mishra shares Javagal Srinath's world record

India seeking a 5-0 whitewash against Zimbabwe managed to restrict the hosts to 163 in the 5th and final ODI as Amit Mishra spun his way to a maiden five-wicket haul picking six wickets in all.

The spinner unnerved the Zimbabwean lower order with his leg spin as he cleaned the tail to finish with figures of 48/6 in 8.5 overs.

Mishra managed to get most wickets by any bowler in a 5-match series or tournament. The spinner also equaled Indian bowling great Javagal Srinath's world record for the most wickets in a bilateral ODI series with 18 wickets.

Srinath managed his feat in 7 matches so Mishra equaled the record in less matches and can be proud of his bowling prowess as India's first choice spinner R Ashwin was rested for this series.

IPL fixing - Aditya Verma offered money to settle case

2:04 PM
NEW DELHI: Aditya Verma, the man who filed the PIL which led to the Bombay High Court striking down BCCI's probe panel as "illegal and unconstitutional", has claimed that he had received an anonymous call offering him money to go in for an out-of-court settlement. Verma is the secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar.


IPL fixing - Aditya Verma offered money to settle case
"Last week, I received a phone call from a private number. A man whom I do not know said, 'Come to Chennai and meet boss. What do you want? Come and tell us'," claimed Verma.

"After the court hearing, I was again approached by some strangers who offered me money to settle the case. They also told me that my son is playing for the junior Bengal team and asked why I was fighting a powerful institution.

"This made me even more determined to carry on the battle," he added.

Verma also said that he did not know the men. He said he would not like to speculate on who they might be representing or whether their 'offers' were serious. When TOI asked him what kind of money he was offered, he declined to comment.

After the Bombay High Court verdict on Tuesday, Verma flew in to Delhi to file a caveat in the Supreme Court. He is scheduled to address a press conference today at 3pm.

Verma, a former junior cricketer and ex-Tata Steel employee, is the secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar, one of the three bodies vying to gain BCCI's recognition.

Bihar has not been able to play in the Ranji Trophy for 13 years owing to the multiple cricket associations which claim to represent the state.

SC dismissed PIL into the IPL spot fixing scam

8:47 AM
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the IPL spot fixing scam involving bookies, players and others.

SC dismissed PIL into the IPL spot fixing scam

A Bench of Justices B.S. Chauhan and S.A. Bobde dismissed the PIL plea filed by Sharmila Ghuge, a professor of law from Mumbai and asked her to approach the High Court concerned seeking similar relief.

‘CROSSED ALL LIMITS’

The petitioner said as far as the Sixth Version of Indian Premier League (2013) was concerned, it had crossed all limits in relation to the controversies and the greed of the players.

She said that though the allegations related to betting, spot fixing and match fixing, which would attract only the provisions of the Gambling Act, the repercussions of the crime were gigantic for society at large.

She said both the Mumbai and Delhi Police had registered different cases of spot fixing, match fixing and betting in relation to the recently concluded IPL.

‘PROPER SECTIONS NOT APPLIED’

“Although the allegations are very serious in nature, from newspaper reports it seems the investigating agencies have not booked the accused by applying proper sections/provisions of law.

“Nor do they appear to be following proper legal steps to ensure that the culprits are suitably punished. Further, there appears to be no co-ordination among the investigating agencies, which is bound to benefit the wrong-doers.”

‘HIGH INFLUENCE’

She alleged that the Mumbai and Delhi police, along with some politicians and other influential persons, were colluding to save the real culpri

Sri Lanka wins South Africa by 180 runs Kumar Sangakkara's career-best 169

11:13 PM
It was not exactly 624 but Kumar Sangakkara's career-best had a similar effect as the 2006 record stand he put on with Mahela Jawaywardene against the same opposition seven years ago. Sangakkara's 169 was his 16th ODI century, the highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman at home, which sent him past Ian Bell as the second highest run-scorer in ODIs this year and took his 2013 average to 75.55. It was also the difference between the two sides at the Premadasa Stadium.

Kumar Sangakkara's career-best 169 proved to be too costly for South Africa
Sangakkara dominated the South African attack with unusual aggression. He built his innings to a crescendo, scoring 66 runs off the first 91 balls and 103 from the next 46 and bulleted the leg side with boundaries. Almost 78% of his runs - 131 - came on the on side.

He made all South African bowlers - from their seamers who persisted with the short ball to their sitting duck trio of spinners - appear ineffectual and set their batsmen a target that would require them to complete the highest successful chase at the ground. That set Sri Lanka up to subject South Africa to their second-biggest loss and begin Russell Domingo's tenure on a difficult note.

South Africa went into the fixture understaffed, with Lonwabo Tsotsobe unfit for selection and Hashim Amla missing out because of an overnight neck problem. But they also seemed underprepared despite a week of training on the island.

Morne Morkel and Chris Morris bowled 19 deliveries between them in the first two overs because of the seven wides they sent down. To add insult to that ill-discipline, Morkel had Upul Tharanga dropped on nought by Alviro Petersen in the first over after the quick changed angles to round the wicket as he tried to find his line.

Morris discovered his soon after and bowled Tillakaratne Dilshan for 10 but Tharanga was there to remind South Africa what an error can cost. He took advantage of any width and put on 70 with Sangakkara before inside edging onto his stumps off Morkel.

Sangakkara and Jayawardene evoked even more memories of 2006 in their stint at the crease together. In their 74-run stand, Jayawardene dispatched the short ball at will while Sangakkara dealt with the spinners. Jayawardene succumbed to the pull but left Sangakkara to inflict the bulk of the damage.

Sangakkara imposed his authority in the latter third of the innings. Lahiru Thirimanne scored just 17 runs in a 123-run stand with Sangakkara, who hit audacious shots like the scoop and had some fortune with his edges. Already on a magical run this year, Sangakkara took that to new heights against an attack that ran out of ideas.

Thisara Perera's cameo at the end allowed Sri Lanka to take 103 runs off the last 10 overs and saw Sri Lanka post a total South Africa were never in with a chance of chasing.

Colin Ingram, opening in place of Amla, was out for a golden duck as his defences were absent against a perfect, inswinging Lasith Malinga yorker. Duminy, who was in a new role at No. 3 and playing his 100th ODI, dealt with Malinga better and hit him for two fours in the fifth over. Just as he looked good, he outside edged off Shaminda Eranga and Sangakkara reacted outstandingly to take a one-handed catch, low down.

Petersen showed why he should be considered in the openers' role more permanently with a watchful knock. Along with AB de Villiers, who was dropped by Eranga off his own bowling on 4, he made a South African challenge seem possible. De Villiers drove well and looked comfortable until Rangana Herath was brought on.

Sri Lanka's go-to man produced a delivery that angled into de VIlliers and bowled him as he played inside the line. Petersen, who was joint top-scorer on 29, was caught behind in the next over and at 75 for 4, it was only a matter of time.

South Africa's last six wickets fell for 58 runs as the middle order lacked temperament and application. That only served to worsen their record: South Africa have not won an ODI against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka since 1993 and have won only one of the 11 completed matches against the hosts they have played there. They will question their flawed strategy, especially in the spin department as they played two left-arm spinners against a top five with three left-handed batsmen and two sublime players of spin, who made them pay today.

Shane Warne received ICC Hall of Fame

10:31 AM
Australia great Shane Warne was inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame at Lord's on Friday.

Shane Warne received ICC Hall of Fame
The leg-spin legend received the honour during the tea interval of the second day of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia.

Warne, credited with reviving interest in leg-spin outside Asia, was the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets and represented Australia in 145 Tests between 1992 and 2007. In all he took 708 Test wickets at an average of 25.41.

Warne also took 293 wickets in 194 one-day internationals at an average of 25.73 and was a member of the Australia side that beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup final at Lord's where his team-mates included fellow Hall of Famers Glenn McGrath and Steve Waugh.

His return in the final of four wickets for 33 runs in nine overs saw Warne named man-of-the-match.

"I'm very honoured and proud to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame today and I thank the voting academy very much for even considering me," Warne said Friday.

"Many of the Hall of Fame members were my heroes when I was growing up, including the likes of Ian Chappell and Dennis Lillee.

"I am delighted that I am celebrating my induction with my friends and family in front of the crowd at Lord's during the second Ashes Test.

"I was very lucky to play in a wonderful era of Australian cricket and make so many friends along my 20 year journey. I hope I kept everyone entertained and on the edge of their seat when they watched the Australian cricket team play."

Seeing Warne was a reminder of happier times for many Australian fans in a capacity Lord's crowd of over 28,000 as they watched Michael Clarke's men collapse to 128 all out, a first innings deficit of 233.

Warne is the 69th male member of the Hall of Fame and the 18th from Australia.

Dawood Ibrahim involved in the IPL spot-fixing

10:11 AM
Zee Media Bureau, New Delhi: In a significant development in the IPL spot-fixing and betting case, the Delhi Police on Tuesday played out telephonic conversations between underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and an alleged bookie involved in the scandal. 
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim

According to a leading daily the taped conversation, between one Javed Chotani and Dawood, is being used by the investigators as evidence to establish a link between spot-fixing scam and the underworld.

As per another report, the police claim that Chotani was in contact with tainted Rajasthan Royals cricketer Ajit Chandila.

Chandila is one of the three Rajasthan Royals cricketers arrested by the Delhi Police in May this year on charges of spot-fixing.

The other two – S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan – have been granted bail. 

England wins 1st Ashes Test

12:08 AM
James Anderson took five wickets for the second time in the match as England just held their nerve to win the first Ashes Test against Australia by 14 runs at Trent Bridge on Sunday.
When Australia lost their ninth wicket on the fifth and final day, they were 80 runs adrift of their victory target of 311 and all but out of the match.
England win 1st Ashes Test
England win 1st Ashes Test

But by lunch they were 291 for nine, just 20 runs away from a stunning upset with Brad Haddin 69 not out and James Pattinson unbeaten on 22.
However, the third over after lunch saw Haddin, on 71, eventually given out caught behind by opposing wicketkeeper Matt Prior off man-of-the-match Anderson's full-length delivery
England, in a Test full of controversial umpiring decisions, had though first to challenge Pakistani on-field umpire Aleem Dar's original not out verdict.
But third umpire Marais Erasmus, using Hot Spot technology, overturned the call and that meant Ashes-holders England had gone 1-0 up in this five-match series ahead of the second Test at Lord's on Thursday.
Pattinson finished on 25 not out after a last-wicket stand of 65.
It was the second remarkable last-wicket Australia stand of the match after their first innings 163, a tenth wicket Test record featuring teenage debutant Ashton Agar's 98 -- the highest score by a Test No 11.
England spearhead seamer Anderson, who took four wickets for 12 runs Sunday, finished with an innings return of five for 73 and a match haul of 10 for 158.
All was going well for England earlier Sunday when a sensational new ball saw Anderson take three wickets for six runs as Agar (14), Mitchell Starc (one) and Peter Siddle (11) were all caught by England captain Alastair Cook at first slip to leave Australia nine down.
But when Pattinson swept off-spinner Graeme Swann for six, Australia needed just 31 more runs for victory.
Jonny Bairstow then had a chance to run out Haddin but his throw from cover-point missed the stumps.
Haddin, with 26 needed to win, was dropped on 64 by a diving Steven Finn, running round in the deep, off Swann.
Australia resumed Sunday on 174 for six still needing a further 137 runs to win after they lost three wickets for three runs late in Saturday's play.
But the fact 19-year-old Agar, promoted to No 8, was still there was a warning to England not to under-estimate Australia's tail.
Haddin, 11 not out overnight, continued to mix aggression with defence, and took Australia to 200 when he cover-drove fast-medium bowler Anderson for four.
Anderson, one of only four England bowlers to take more than 200 Test wickets, eventually had had left-hander Agar edging to Cook.
And Australia's 207 for seven soon became 211 for eight when Starc, who has a Test-best score of 99, managed just a single before he too fell to the Anderson-Cook combination.
The pair almost had their third wicket when Siddle on 10 got an edge only for Cook to drop the chance.
However, Siddle added just one more run to his total before he edged a full-blooded drive off Anderson and Cook, going high to his right, held a sensational catch.
England had put themselves into a strong position thanks to a seventh-wicket second innings stand of 138 between Ian Bell (109) and Stuart Broad (65).
But Broad was controversially given not out on 37 despite edging the ball to slip -- one of several contentious decisions in this enthralling match.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best finisher in the game

1:24 PM
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
The accolades are flowing in torrents for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Indian skipper has been showered with the best of cricketing adjectives after his 52-ball 45 not out helped India clinch a nail-biting win against Sri Lanka in the final of the tri-nation series in Port of Spain in the wee hours of Friday (Indian time).

The latest to join the Dhoni admirers list is Sunil Gavaskar, who says it is impossible to decipher the captain's real character and intentions. Almost everyone is making an opinion on the Indian captain, who smashed his way past hapless Sri Lanka pacer Shaminda Eranga to score 16 runs off three deliveries as India won a humdinger with two balls to spare.

Dhoni is winning the debate of "who is the best finisher in the game" hands down as the Indian captain keeps providing his muscular touch to many a coveted Indian win. Dhoni's nearest competitor is former Australian batting all-rounder Michael Bevan, but with a far superior strike rate (89.63 to Bevan's 66.42) in successful chases in ODIs, the Indian captain seems to be only competing against himself.

After suffering a hamstring injury, Dhoni was a doubtful starter in the final against the Lankans. But India's 2011 World Cup-winning skipper surprised many when he walked in to toss with Angelo Mathews. "MS Dhoni was not even supposed to be fit for the final. There is no cricketer who has got India back from impossible situations so many times," wrote Gavaskar in his newspaper column on Saturday.

Gavaskar says it is impossible to understand the real Dhoni. "Perhaps even his closest buddies don't know him as well as they think they do," said Gavaskar, who then goes on to pay a rare tribute to a professional sportsperson. "If tomorrow he has to say goodbye to all the trappings of fame, Dhoni will calmly get on his motorbike and go away. He is that rarity who treats both those impostors - wins and losses - in the same way. He simply plays the game," wrote Gavaskar.

On Friday, Dilip Vengsakar paid rich tribute to Dhoni, saying his composure under pressure is simply unique. As for the man himself, Dhoni will be on a richly-deserving holiday with wife Sakshi, probably somewhere in the Americas.

NDTV

India retain its top position in the ICC

7:27 PM
India's back-to-back title triumphs has helped the world champion team retain its top position in the ICC ODI rankings following the annual update of the list announced on Friday.

After a successful ICC Champions Trophy campaign in England, India also emerged victorious in the

just-concluded tri-series in the West Indies.
The annual update was released after the conclusion of the tri-series, featuring the hosts, India and Sri Lanka. India won the tri-series after beating Sri Lanka by one wicket in a thrilling finale last night at Port of Spain.

India, which recently won the ICC Champions Trophy, has been in the number one position since February 2013, when it beat England 3-2 at home to regain the top place.

At the June ICC Board meeting, the ICC Board agreed to change the ODI rankings period from three years to four years to ensure that all ODIs played over the four-year cycle between ICC Cricket World Cups count towards a team's ranking at the next event.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will be a 10-team event, and only the top eight sides on the Rankings Table will gain automatic qualification.

The other teams will have to battle for a place via the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in 2018.

The ICC Board also decided that the annual update to the Test, ODI and T20I rankings should now take place on May 1 each year, rather than August 1, to better align with the current international calendar. This change has been incorporated in the latest update, and has been backdated to May 1, 2013, a statement from the world body said.

The updated table now reflects all ODI matches completed after August 1, 2010. All ODI matches played until the start of May 2014 will be added to this table, so that by May 2014, the ratings will be based on just under four years of results.

As a result, Australia and England have swapped places after the annual update.

India are atop the table with 122 rating points, ahead of Australia (114) and third placed of England (112)
 
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