Pakistan's cricket authorities are making strong attempts to invite a Commonwealth XI side this year in a bid to revive international cricket in the country.
     Najam Sethi, who headed the successful conduct of inaugural Pakistan Super League, told reporters in Dubai that the cricket board was trying to get a Commonwealth side to tour Pakistan.
     "We are in touch with Giles Clarke, President of the England and Wales Cricket Board, because we feel if we can have the Commonwealth side play in Pakistan than we can also have some matches of the second edition of PSL in Pakistan as well," Sethi said.
     The PCB was forced to launch the PSL in Dubai and Sharjah since no top Test team had toured Pakistan since March 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
     Since then only Afghanistan has sent its team to Pakistan while Zimbabwe came for a short one-day series last May.
     Sethi said that they had been in talks with Clarke and other officials as well to ...

Pakistan's cricket authorities mull inviting Commonwealth XI

PTI Automatic

NBA champion and former head coach Brian Shaw will visit India to tip off NBA's premier events - ACG-NBA Jump National Finals in Noida, Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA City Finals in Jaipur and NBA Jam powered by Jabong in Mumbai.
     Shaw will make his first stop in Noida on February 24. He will share personal drills and training techniques with participants of the national finals of ACG-NBA Jump, India's first national basketball talent search program, at Jaypee Greens.
     The national finals, from February 22-25, marks the culmination of the five-month program that took place across six regions including Delhi, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
     From Noida, Shaw will travel to Jaipur on February 26, where he will share tips with students at the St. Edmunds School, as part of the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program, a comprehensive youth basketball initiative that applies the values of basketball to positively impact the lives of Indian boys and girls.
     Shaw ..

NBA legend Brian Shaw to visit India

Pakistan's selectors may opt for last-minute changes in the national squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup and World T20 with opener Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Mohammad Sami in line to get surprise call-ups after impressive performances in PSL.
     Sharjeel, a left-handed opener from Hyderabad whose last appearance for Pakistan was in August 2014, has got the selectors thinking with a blistering 117 runs off 62 balls in the Pakistan Super League eliminator against favourites Peshawar Zalmi.
     Sharjeel, who has played 11 ODIs and three T20I internationals, savaged the Peshawar attack led by national T20 captain Shahid Afridi to guide Islamabad United to a surprise spot in the final.
     Afridi, clearly impressed by Sharjeel's knock, said at the post-match ceremony that the match belonged to the batsman.
     "The day belongs to Sharjeel and he will get his reward," Afridi said.
     Fast bowler Sami has also been in top form for Islamabad, taking 5/8 in the playoffs against ...

Sharjeel, Sami in line for call-ups as selectors mull changes

DDCA will hold matches of the upcoming T2O world cup under the supervision of Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal whose intervention has helped resolving several contentious issues between the cricket body and others, Delhi High Court said today.
	The high court, however, made it clear that South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will grant occupancy certificate to DDCA for conducting the T20 matches only if the cricketing body gets all requisite clearances from concerned authorities.
	A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vibhu Bakhru said, "We will continue with the same arrangement under Justice Mudgal. Without Justice Mudgal, nothing would have been done and you all would have kept fighting with each other."
	"Considering that there will be at least seven matches as part of the world T20 which will be held at Ferozshah Kotla stadium, we request Justice Mudgal to oversee the matches in terms of the court's order dated November 18 and December 18 last year," the bench added.
	It also asked .

Justice Mukul Mudgal to oversee DDCA's World T 20 matches: HC

Beau Ideal (4-year-old) ably ridden by P.Trevor, won The A.P.Race Horse Owners Association Trophy (Division-I), the main event of Hyderabad Winter Races held here today.
	Winner was trained by L.D'Silva.
	Trainer D.Netto and Jockey P.Trevor scored a double each.
	Five favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

'Beau Ideal' wins the main race

Axar Patel put up a fine exhibition of his all-round talent to pilot Reliance One to a  38-run win over ONGC in the final round of league matches in the 12th IDBI Federal Life Insurance DY Patil T20 cricket tournament, here today.
     The left-handed batsman smashed an unbeaten 82 off 43 balls with six sixes and five fours and then picked up 2 for 28 with his left-arm spin to help Reliance One post a comfortable victory.
     State Bank of Hyderabad got the better of Indian Oil by eight runs, while State Bank of Travancore beat CAG by 27 runs.
	In another match DY Patil 'A' defeated Tata Spots Club by 24 runs.
	Tomorrow's quarter-final line-up:
	Reliance One v DY Patil 'B'; Central Railway v Mumbai Customs; BPCL v State Bank of Hyderabad; DY Patil 'A' v CAG.
	Brief scores: State Bank of Travancore 171-7 in 20 overs (Tejas CM 58, Abhishek Mohan 48; Imtiyaz Ahmed 3-43) beat CAG 144-9 in 20 overs (Ankit Sharma 36, Bravesh Shetty 34; Fabid Farook 3-23, Abhishek Mohan 2-33, Vinod Kumar ...

All round show by Axar guides Reliance One into quarters

Vishwadev Muraleedharan of Sparks Racing was declared champion rider of Group D (165cc, Novice) class in the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which ended following the disqualification of Kannan Karnan (Motor-Rev Yamaha) for a technical infringement.
     Kannan was the provisional winner of both the races last weekend which put him in line for the championship, but he was subsequently stripped of the 50 points he had earned after post-race scrutiny of his machine.
     Consequently, Muraleedharan and Aravind Balakrishnan (United Tech Torque Racing) were tied on points, both having 130. However, Muraleedharan clinched the title on the basis of more number of wins.

Muraleedharan declared Group D champion

FIFA's disciplinary committee today banned the former head of Thai football Worawi Makudi for three months and fined him 3,000 Swiss francs (USD 3,000, 2,700 euros) for violating the terms of a previous suspension.
     Worawi was replaced as head of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) in a vote this month after a long scandal-filled tenure.
     FIFA initially banned him for 90 days in October over ethics violations and extended that suspension by 45 days last month.
     A FIFA disciplinary on Monday found that Worawi "was still involved in FAT affairs" during his initial three month suspension, breaching the terms of the ban.
     Worawi, a FIFA executive committee member for 18 years until May, has faced multiple allegations of wrongdoing.
     He was found guilty in July by a Thai court of forgery in his reelection as head of FAT.
     He has denied all wrongdoing and frequently responded to his critics and rivals with public bravado.
     Worawi was for years a staunch ...

FIFA panel suspends, fines Thailand's Worawi

A leading candidate in Friday's election to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA's president said this week is the "most signficant" in the 112-year history of world football's governing body.
     Gianni Infantino, the acting head of European football, made the comments in a statement on Monday, five days before the vote that experts say could determine whether FIFA emerges from months of unprecedented scandal to restore its battered reputation.
     "This coming week is the most significant in FIFA's 112-year history," said Infantino, the secretary general of the European confederation UEFA.
     "The 209 (FIFA) Member Associations have the ability to define not just their own destiny, but also that of FIFA and global football," the Swiss-Italian national further said.
     While the race remains unpredictable, Infantino is widely seen as a front-runner after winning the endorsements from the executive committees of UEFA and the South American confederation (CONMEBOL).
     Some odds makers 

FIFA facing its most crucial week ever - Infantino

High on confident after consecutive victories in the last two events, Neha Tripathi will look to keep the momentum going and will aim for her third title on the trot in the fifth Leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour, to be held from February from 23 to 25.
     The Rs. 6,00,000 event to be played at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club will see 18 professionals vying for the top honours.
     Neha is currently placed third in the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs. 2,78,500 in four appearances and will be eager to continue the winning run.
     However, the professional from Kolkata will be up against a strong field and will face a stiff challenge from the likes of Smriti Mehra, Kiran Matharu, Sharmila Nicollet and Gursimar Badwal.
     Overseas player Matharu currently leads the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs. 3,16,000 with two runner-up finishes in four appearances. She is yet to win a title this season and will be keen to break the jinx at this ...

Neha eyes hat-trick of titles

AIFF U-18 Academy moved a step closer to book a semifinal slot of the IFA Shield when then routed Mohun Bagan U-19 4-0 in a Group B match at the Barasat Stadium today.
     This was the second win for the Academy boys and they next face a strong Frenz United, Malaysia in their next match on Wednesday.
     The Academy boys scored two goals in each half to emerge winners in what was a one-sided match. Goals from Amal Das and Edmund Lalrindika in the first half and Prosenjit Chakraborty and Jerry Lalrinzuala in the second half settled the issue for the U-18 I-League Champions.
     It was all AIFF in the first half. They attacked with authority right from the start and earned dividends soon. The multi faceted Prosenjit Chakraborty, who made merry throughout, initiated one in the 11th minute which paved the way for the corner from which the colts surged into the lead.
     Off the corner, Anirudh Thapa swung in a delightful ball from the left hand side which fell invitingly for central ..

AIFF Colts beat Mohun Bagan 4-0

Indian grapplers finished their campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championship in Bangkok, Thailand with nine medals, including a gold, in the five-day event.
     India ended seventh overall in the medal's table with both men's and women's freestyle teams finishing on fourth place, while the Greco-Roman team occupied the sixth position.
     In Men's Freestyle category, Sandeep Tomar won the yellow metal in 57kg and Om Prakash Vinod Kumar clinched the silver medal in 70kg.
     Indian women accounted for three medals with rising grappler Priyanka Phogat (55kg) winning the silver, while Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Anita Tomar (63kg) settled for a bronze each.
     Interestingly, in Greco-Roman category, which is not India's forte, the wrestlers managed to win four medals.
     In Men's 57kg Freestyle, Sandeep Tomar got the better of Jong Hak-jin of North Korea in the final bout to give India its lone gold of the tournament that concluded last night.
     Vinod Kumar, however, lost his ...

Indian grapplers bag nine medals at Asian Wrestling C'ship

Delhi-based footballer Pranav Kotra has received an offer to represent Australian club, Cove FC, which plays in the South Australian State League.
     19-year-old Pranav, who is a goalkeeper, represent Hindustan FC, one of the capital's well-known football clubs, in the Delhi League.
     "Football Federation Australia kindly request an International Transfer certificate (ITC) with respect to following amateur player (Kotra) in accordance with the FIFA regulations," Football Federation Australia said in a letter addressed to Hindustan FC.
     Pranav was a playing member of the team that participated in U-19 I League played at Delhi and qualified for the final round at Pune in 2015.
     "It gives me pleasure to inform you that Pranav Kotra, Goalkeeper of Hindustan FC Under-19 team has been selected to play for Cove FC, Australia. Pranav is the first player from Delhi at this age group to be selected for a foreign club. Hindustan FC is proud to be a part of it. Two other players of ..

Delhi-based footballer gets offer to play in Australia

India's Kumaravel Prem Kumar bagged a silver in long jump on the final day of Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here.
     Prem Kumar cleared a creditable 7.92m in his final attempt to win the silver. Zhang Yaoguang of China won the gold with a best effort of 7.99m.
     Another Indian, Ankit Sharma could manage only 7.66m with four fouls which marred his chance to win a medal.
     Om Prakash Singh Karhana added a bronze in shot put by clearing a distance of 18.77m. Four of his attempts turned out to be foul.
     With this, the Indians signed off their campaign in Doha with 1 Gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals.
     Meanwhile Jharkhand capital Ranchi has been confirmed by the continental body as host city of 2017 Asian Athletics (Outdoor) Championships.

Long jumper Prem Kumar wins silver in Asian Indoor Athletics

Anuja Patil produced a cameo with the bat to lift the team to 130 and then took three wickets to guide India Women to a 34-run win over Sri Lanka Women in the first Twenty20 International here today.
     With this victory, India Women have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20 series.
     Opting to bat, India Women posted 130 for six and then managed to restrict Sri Lanka to 96 for seven in 20 overs.
     Indian eves did not have an ideal start as they lost skipper Mithali Raj (3) and V R Vanitha (12) early to be reeling at 15 for 2 in four overs.
     But responsible batting by Smriti Mandhana (35) and Harmanpreet Kaur (36) put India back on track. Anuja provided the final flourish after coming in to bat at No.6. She hit three fours during her 22 that came off 17 balls.
     Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. She accounted for the top three and ended with figures of three for 28.
     Chasing a modest target, Sri Lanka lost opener Yasoda .

Anuja shines as India Women post 34-run win over SL

A first-round exit at the Delhi Open, where he was defending a lot of points, cost Yuki Bhambri eight positions as he dropped out of top-100 to be placed 107 in the latest rankings issued today.
     The 23-year-old Yuki, who lost to Belgium's Joris de Loore, was a finalist at the USD 50,000 ATP Challenger event last year.
     Saketh Myneni, though, made good progress as he gained eight places to rise to a career-best rank of 158 after ending runner-up at the just-concluded tournament at DLTA Complex.
     Both Yuki and Saketh were sanctioned a financial assistance of Rs 37 lakh and Rs 36 lakh respectively last week by the government from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).
     It came as a big boost for the players, who are striving hard to make the cut for the Rio Olympic Games.
     Also moving up was comeback man Mahesh Bhupathi, who won the doubles title with Bhambri. The 41-year-old Bhupathi moved to 226 after making a jump of 61 places.
     Bhambri also benefitted ..

Yuki drops out of top-100 but Saketh moves up after Delhi Open

Former captain Kapil Dev today doffed his hat at the rise of cricket as a career option for youngsters, saying that parents now encourage their children to take up the game to earn a living.
     "Now a cricketer can earn Rs 10 crore for playing 40 days only (in the IPL). It is just fantastic. Cricket is a career option now," Kapil said during his address at the 7th Global Sports Summit organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here.
     "Times have changed and the thought process has changed. Now parents say to their children 'if you do not want to study you can at least play cricket and become a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid'," the 1983 cricket World Cup-winning captain said.
     Kapil asked the government to provide the required sports infrastructure, including play fields, and reduce tax on sports goods and equipments.
     "The corporate has done their part by way of sponsorship and media have done their part by making sports, especially ..

Cricket is now a career option for youngsters: Kapil

Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh's maiden professional title bout was today tentatively scheduled for June 11 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium here with the event's sanctioning authority -- the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) -- promising a "historic and epic" contest.
     Vijender, who is three fights old in the pro circuit having won all of them via knockouts, will be gunning for either the WBO middleweight or the super-middleweight title. His opponent will be worked out in the next few weeks.
    "It is the right time for him to fight for his first title. In fact it is definitely the right time commercially because we think, it would be huge for him to fight in India. Before the June event, he has three fights in the UK. First is on March 12 in Liverpool, then he will fight on April 2 and April 30. After a bit of break, he will be fighting for either the WBO middleweight or the super middleweight title," Vijender's UK-based promoters -- Queensberry Promotions' Francis Warren ...

Vijender's maiden title bout set for June 11 tentatively

Brendon McCullum drew the curtain on his illustrious batting career as a typically pugnacious but short-lived innings Monday was unable to loosen Australia's firm grip on the second Test in Christchurch.
     On an emotional day when players and fans marked the fifth anniversary of the devastating Christchurch earthquake, the captain's departure in his 101st and final Test left New Zealand staring down the barrel.
     At the end of the third day New Zealand were 121-4, needing a further 14 to make Australia bat again and with hopes receding of a series-levelling victory.
     McCullum arrived for his farewell innings at 72-3 but after 25 off 27 deliveries, the man who hit the fastest ever Test century in the first innings was out.
     His second-to-last whack sent Josh Hazlewood for a record-extending 107th six over square leg. But when he danced down the wicket for a repeat performance off the next ball he was caught by David Warner.
     After Australian captain Steve Smith ran ...

McCullum gone for good as Aussies scent victory

Scoreboard at stumps on day
three of the second Test between New Zealand and Australia in Christchurch on Monday:
     New Zealand first innings 370
     Australia 1st innings (overnight 363-4)
     D. Warner c Guptill b Boult        12
     J. Burns c Guptill b Wagner       170
     U. Khawaja c McCullum b Boult      24
     S. Smith c Guptill b Wagner       138
     A. Voges c Latham b Wagner         60
     N. Lyon c McCullum b Williamson    33
     M. Marsh c Nicholls b Wagner       18
     P. Nevill c Watling b Wagner       13
     J. Pattinson c Boult b Anderson     1
     J. Hazlewood c McCullum b Wagner   13
     J. Bird not out                     4
     Extras (b9, lb10)                  19
     Total (10 wickets, 153.1 overs)    505
     Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Warner), 2-67 (Khawaja), 3-356 (Burns), 4-357 (Smith), 5-438 (Lyon) 6-464 (Voges), 7-483 (Marsh), 8-484 (Pattinson), 9-496 (Nevill), 10-505 (Hazlewood)
     Bowling: Southee 25-4-85-0, Boult 31-5-108-2, Henry ...

Christchurch, Feb 22 (AFP) Scoreboard at stumps on day

Gurjit Kaur and Deep Grace Kaur strcuk in space of two minutes as Indian women hockey team settled for a 2-2 draw against South Africa in their second match, here.
     It was the host team that nosed ahead South Africa when Marizen Marais scored a field goal in the third minute of the match. The first quarter ended with the hosts leading 1-0.
     India got the equaliser in the 24th minute through a penalty corner conversion by Gurjit. Two minutes later, Deep Grace converted another penalty corner to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. The scoreline remained the same at the end of the first half.
     The third quarter saw some aggression from the hosts which finally paid off in the 34th minute with Dirkie Chamberlain levelling scores for South Africa.
     The remaining period of the match saw both teams producing a few scoring opportunities but the scoreboard was not disturbed.

Page 3237 -