Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath might have been named in the Kandurata Maroons team for the Champions League Twenty20 but he is yet to get clearance to play in the tournament, the Sri Lanka Cricket said today.
     CL technical committee is yet to take a call on Herath's participation as his entry could be tantamount to flouting of the rules of player participation.
     Herath was rested by the SLC during the Super 4 domestic T20 competition despite he was billed to play for North Yellows, one of the four teams.
     "We are awaiting CL approval for Herath," SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said.
     Herath is currently in India with the Maroons team after he was named as replacement for injured fast bowler Dhammika Prasad overlooking the reserves of the Maroons.
     The SLC was keen to include its top spinner in the Maroons squad to bolster their chances in the CLT20 after the Sri Lankan representative teams in the previous editions had been knocked out in the preliminary rounds, sources ..

Herath awaiting clearance for CLT20

PTI Automatic

Yuki Bhambri maintained his clean record against Amir Weintraub as he beat the Israeli in straight sets to move to the second round of the ATP Challenger tournament, here.
     Yuki, who reached singles main draw via qualfiers, recorded a 7-6 (8) 6-1 win over his opponent, who is placed 287 spots above the Indian at 190.
     It took Yuki one hour and 23 minutes to down the Israeli, whom he had beaten last year in Uzbekistan.
     The 21-year-old Indian next faces Japanese seventh seed Yuichi Sugita and it will be tough encounter for the Delhi youngster as he lost both his previous matches to Sugita.
     Yuki is the lone Indian competing in the singles event of of the USD 125,000 hard court tournament as Karunuday Singh had failed to qualify after losing his final qualifying round.
     Yuki also has stakes in the doubles event as he and his partner Chieh-Fu Wang stormed into the quarterfinals with an upset win over second seeded Thai pair of Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana in the ...

Yuki progresses in Taiwan Challenger

Divij Sharan and Purav Raja suffered their second successive first round defeat as they bowed out of the St. Petersburg Open after a 6-7(6) 4-6 defeat against Russians Victor Baluda and Konstantin Kravchuk.
     The Indian pair had also bowed out of the Luxembourg Challenger after the first round defeat. Before that they had a superb US Open campaign, where they reached round of 16.
     The Indians had two set points in the first tie break but lost four straight points to hand lead to the local pair.
     The two teams played solid serve games as no break featured in the first set. However, in the second set Divij and Raja dropped serve in the fifth on deuce.
     Both teams went on to hold serves thereafter and the Russians walked away with the match.
      In all, Divij and Raja saved seven of the eight break points they faced whereas the Russians saved both.

Divij, Raja ousted from St. Petersburg Open

After working on his fitness in France, Indian pacer Zaheer Khan is now honing his skills with South African provincial team Knights in an attempt to regain his place in the Indian national squad.
	 Khan told the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld' that he had asked the Knights fitness expert Adrian le Roux to help him with his pre-season conditioning during the IPL in May.
     Le Roux assisted the Kolkota Knight Riders, for whom Khan was playing at the time. Le Roux has also been part of the fitness team for both the Proteas and the Indian national team and has become a close friend of Khan.
	 Khan has been hard at work in Bloemfontein, the home base of the Knights, for several days now, participating in training sessions ahead of a training camp in Port Elizabeth next week with the Warriors.
	 "I earlier started working on my fitness for the coming season in France. I have to return on September 27 to play for India A against the West Indies," Khan told the daily.
	Khan last played for India ..

Zaheer Khan honing skills in South Africa

Rising Indian shuttler P V Sindhu entered the second round without much ado but it was Anand Pawar and K Srikanth who created a flutter at the Japan Open as they notched up stunning victories over their higher-ranked opponents in the men's singles competition here.
     Sindhu, seeded eighth, brushed aside local shuttler Yukino Nakai 21-12 21-13 in less than half an hour to set up a clash with another Japanese qualifier Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles second round tomorrow.
     However, it was Pawar who first hogged the limelight when he scripted a 21-17 7-21 21-18 victory over world number 12 Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro, also a 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist.
     The 59-minute battle saw World No 37 Pawar riding on his clear winners to tackle Kuncoro, who had won the silver and bronze medals at the World Championship in 2007 and 2009 respectively.
     Thailand Grand Prix Gold winner Srikanth, who had been in rollicking form at the Indian Badminton league, also ...

Sindhu, Pawar, Ajay reach second round of Japan Open

Smarting from their 55-run defeat in the second one-dayer, India 'A' will look to get back to winning ways and seal the three-match unofficial ODI series against West Indies 'A' when the two sides clash in the final 50-over game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here tomorrow.
     The hosts started the series with a thumping 77-run win over the Caribbean side, mainly orchestrated by captain Yuvraj Singh's brutal 89-ball 123, but in the second game, the visitors bounced back with a morale-boosting 55-run victory to level the series 1-1.
     The 25-year-old Jonathan Carter's impressive 132-ball 133 defused India's bowling attack and helped Windies A post a challenging 279 for six, before bundling out the hosts for 224. The Indian batsmen failed to fire collectively as there wasn't a single half-century in the innings.
     But going into tomorrow's game, India would again depend on their batting unit with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Mandeep Singh, Unmukt Chand, Yusuf Pathan and Kedar Jadhav .

India 'A' look to wrap series against West Indies 'A'

Suspended internationally for almost a year, the Indian Boxing Federation is all set for a massive churning with a majority of its state units deciding to meet here on October 6 to form an ad-hoc body to approve a new constitution and finalise the date of a Special General Meeting.
     Out of the 35 IBF units, comprising 31 states and four Boards, 24 are expected to attend the meeting which will try to find a way forward.
     "The state units after much though have decided to meet on October 6. The idea is to adopt whatever has been suggested by AIBA because that is the only way forward from the current situation. A majority of the state units will attend this meeting," IBF vice-President Brig. P K Muralidharan Raja, who was the Secretary General in the previous set-up, told PTI.
     "A majority of the state units want a clear picture as to what is happening. They want the directives given by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to be followed as it is" he said.
     The ...

Fed up with impasse, IBF state units set to meet on Oct 6

Indian men's hockey team is set to get a new foreign coach within two weeks time as the national federation has shortlisted four candidates for the top job.
     Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narinder Batra has confirmed that they have received six applications from across the globe to fill the foreign coach's post, which is lying vacant after Australian Michael Nobbs' sudden ouster in July this year.
     "We have received six applications for the foreign coach's post. After going through all the applicants' CVs we have shortlisted four individuals," Batra told PTI, completely rubbishing reports that HI has recommended its High Performance Director, Roelant Oltmans' name for the national team coach's position on permanent basis.
     "In a day or two we will send the names to Sports Authority of India for their approval. The SAI will take a final decision on this issue after consulting us. We expect the new coach to be named within two weeks time," he said.
     A newspaper ...

New foreign coach in 2 weeks, Oltmans to continue in his role

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided not to comment on India's scheduled tour to South Africa until BCCI's Annual General Meeting takes place on September 29.
     The announcement was made after a meeting place between CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat and Indian Cricket Board secretary Sanjay Patel in Dubai last night.
     "I am happy to say that we had a constructive meeting and I would like to thank Sanjay for his friendliness and support in trying to find a way forward," Lorgat said in a statement today.
     "After listening to Sanjay, it is clear that we will now have to wait for the BCCI's AGM to be completed before any tour schedule can be confirmed," he added.
     The meeting was arranged between the two Board officials following concerns raised by the BCCI over the upcoming tour in November.
     Lorgat insisted that it was important for both the Boards to maintain a good relationship.
     "It is key for all of us to make sure that the good relationship between our ...

No comment from CSA over India's SA tour till BCCI AGM

Bajrang, who won India's second medal at the ongoing World Wrestling Championships, today dedicated his bronze medal to fellow grappler and mentor Yogeshwar Dutt for playing a key role in shaping his career.
     For Bajrang, who won a bronze in the 60kg category in Budapest, Hungary last night, Olympic medallist Yogeshwar has always been a big influence throughout his career.
     "Yogeshwar and I always share the room in camps. He has been a great guiding force for me besides my coaches. He is always there to point out my shortcomings to make me a better wrestler. He deserves a lot of credit for this medal. His presence at the mat side also helped. I consider him my family and he also treats me like his younger brother," Bajrang, who competes in the same weight category as Yogeshwar, told PTI from Budapest.
     Asian Champion Amit Kumar won a silver in the 55kg category after going down 1-2 against Iran's Hassan Farman Rahimi on the opening day of World Wrestling Championships on ..

Bajrang dedicates medal to mentor Yogeshwar

Bayern Munich opened the defence of its Champions League title with a comfortable 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick as Real Madrid thrashed Galatasaray 6-1.
     David Alaba gave Bayern a perfect start in the fourth minute yesterday, with further goals from Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben ensuring a winning start.
     "I could hear from fans today, 'Finale, Finale,' but let's keep our feet on the ground. We need to go step by step," Robben said. "It's early in the season. The most important thing is to concentrate on ourselves, improve as we go on. It was a good start."
     Bayern's Group D rivals Manchester City beat Viktoria Plzen by the same scoreline.
     Ronaldo stole the attention for Madrid, while two-time Italian champion Juventus came from behind to draw 1-1 at Copenhagen in the other Group B match.
     Wayne Rooney proved he is back to his best following a summer of upheaval as he scored twice to help Manchester United to a 4-2 victory 

Bayern, Real and United win in Champs League

Speculations were rife that the two-Test series against the West Indies could be the Swan song for Sachin Tendulkar, but chief selector Sandeep Patil today said he has not discussed with the senior cricketer about his future plans for close to a year.
     "It's always a pleasure to meet Sachin, but I have not met him for the last 10 months. I have not called him, neither has he called me. We have not discussed anything, It's all non-sense," Patil told PTI when queried about a media report quoting an unnamed selector that he (Patil) had recently met and discussed about Tendulkar's future.
     The report have said that Patil met Tendulkar after the Cricket Board (BCCI) penciled in an unscheduled tour against the West Indies at home in November comprising a two-Test series and a three-game ODI rubber.
     The report also hinted that Patil had told Tendulkar that the selectors will decide the batsman's future after his much-awaited 200th Test appearance, which is expected to happen in .

Have not dicussed with Sachin about his future: Sandeep Patil

Former captain Zaheer Abbas feels restoration of bilateral cricket ties with India would prove to be beneficial for Pakistan as presently India is in a stronger position in world cricket.
     "I have always said that regular Indo-Pak cricket relations and ties also lead to improved relations at people to people and government levels," Abbas told PTI in an interview.
     The former batting great, who has held key positions in Pakistan cricket, said he was happy to see Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif taking steps to encourage regular cricketing and sporting ties between the two nations.
     "At the moment the Indian team is better than us and there is no doubt about it. If we play against India regularly it will benefit our players," he observed.
     Abbas said that the situation had changed over the years in international cricket and in Indo-Pak relations.
     "What is sad is that there have been instances in the past when India and Pakistan have not played each other for years after .

Frequent cricket with India will only help Pak players: Abbas

Pakistan's head coach Dav Whatmore and cricketers faced the heat for the first time for the national team's disappointing performance in Zimbabwe when they returned home on Monday night.
     In an unusual happening a few hundred angry cricket fans gathered outside the Lahore airport terminal and as soon as the players and coach came out they were booed.
     Some of the angry cricket fans were also carrying banners demanding the captain and coach to step down for the team's defeats in the ODI and Test match in Zimbabwe.
     Not surprisingly the players and coach hastened out of the terminal and were whisked away in waiting cars by Pakistan Cricket Board officials without any interaction with the waiting media.
     "We wanted to express our disappointment because even after losing a Test to a weak team like Zimbabwe we see no remorse from the captain, coach, manager or players," one of the protesters told a television channel.
     Whatmore, whose tenure with the Pakistan team also .

Angry fans greet Pakistani cricketers on return from Zimbabwe

Senior all-rounder Shahid Afridi has once again expressed his interest in captaining the Pakistan cricket team.
     Afridi said that after having played 17 years for the country he always considered it as a big honour to captain the national team.
     "If the Cricket Board (PCB) deems it fit and offers me the captaincy again I will accept it as a challenge," Afridi said.
     "I think the position we are facing right now is that all the senior players need to contribute more and play a more decisive role in the South Africa series," he said.
     The all-rounder was removed as captain of the Twenty20 and ODI teams in 2011 after differences with PCB and has since then not been given a chance to lead the national side again.
     Afridi, who led Pakistan in the last World Cup, is said to be a top candidate to get the captaincy again of the ODI side for the forthcoming series against South Africa in the UAE after insiders hinted that the PCB had decided to relieve Misbah-ul-Haq of the .

Afridi keen to captain Pakistan cricket team again

The interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi has said that he will be meeting with his Indian counterpart next month to discuss a host of issues, including the resumption of bilateral cricket ties and Pakistani players participation in IPL.
     "The Indian Board (BCCI) chief, Srinivisan has agreed in principle to have the meeting and I am hopeful we can move forward in our relations with India. The participation of the Faisalabad Wolves team in the Champions League is a positive move," Sethi said yesterday.
     He said the breakthrough came after the chief operating officer of PCB Subhan Ahmad met with BCCI officials in Chennai and discussed Indo-Pak bilateral ties.
     Earlier, Sethi told reporters in Lahore that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had told him to take steps to improve cricket relations with India.
     "After the support of the PM I am keen to travel to India soon and meet the BCCI officials to try to convince them how important it is for both the 

PCB interim chief to meet Srinivasan next month

His batting was flawless as he led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a convincing eight-wicket win over Kandurata Maroons today but Shikhar Dhawan says it will take him time to learn captaincy skills.
     Dhawan, who scored a 71 in Hyderabad's chase of 169, led the IPL side for the first time.
     "This was a totally a new experience for me as a captain. It was my first day as captain so I have a lot to learn. I will make a lot of mistakes, and have to learn from them. It is part and parcel of the captaincy," the left-handed batsman said.
     Dhawan said he went with his reading of the game but admitted that he could have used spinner Amit Mishra more as he gave him just one over to bowl.
     "I thought this wicket didn't support turn but I should have used him more (Mishra). Plus they had a lot of left-handers so we didn't think the spinners would do much. I felt the fast bowlers had more to offer on this track," he said.
     Dhawan said he was not worried at all despite a stiff target at .

I have a lot to learn about captaincy: Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan led from front with a sparkling half-century as Sunrisers Hyderabad trounced Kandurata Maroons by eight wickets in their opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 Qualifiers, here today.
     Hyderabad were set a stiff target of 169 by the Sri Lankan side but Dhawan (71) and Parthiv Patel (52) made it a no contest with their scintillating batting.
     Maroons had scored a challenging 168 for three on the back of superb batting by Kumar Sangakkara (61 not out) and skipper Lahiru Thirimanne (54) but the Indian openers reduced the match to a lop-sided affair.
     The two left-handed batsmen raised a match-winning 121-run stand as they treated the Lankan bowlers with utter disdain, scoring boundaries at will.
     It was a dominating show of batting by Dhawan, who continued with his rich vein of form, and Patel as Hyderabad raced to 50 in 5.3 overs and hundred in 10.4 overs.
     None of the Sri Lankan bowler could make an impact and the first chance that came their .

Dhawan's blistering 71 shapes easy win for Hyderabad

India's impressive show at the World Wrestling Championships continued as Bajrang bagged a bronze medal in the 60kg freestyle category with an overwhelming 9-2 win over Mangolia's Nyam-Ochir Enkhsaikhan, here today.
     Amit Kumar had won a silver yesterday and it is first time that India have won two medals in the men's events at the World Championships level.
     It was Nyam-Ochir who got a good start with a take down but 20-year-old Bajrang came back in the final seconds of the first period, pushing his his opponent out the mat to level the scores 2-2.
     From then on it was no looking back as Bajrang showed his technical prowess over the Mongolian and made several attacking moves including single leg take down and back hold to seal the tie in his favour.
     Early in the day, Bajrang had lost 0-7 to Vladimir Dubov of Bulgaria but he luck smiled on him and he jumped back to contention when Dubov reached the final.
     He did exceedingly well in the repechage round, defeating .

Bajrang wins bronze at World Wrestling championships

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kandurata Maroons by eight wickets in the Champions League Twenty20 qualifying match, here today.
     Brief Scores:
     Kandurata Maroons: 168 for 3 in 20 overs (	Kumar Sangakkara 61 not out; Ishant Sharma 2/20).
     Sunrisers Hyderabad: 174 for 2 in 18.3 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 71; Shehan Jayawardene 1/25).

Sunrisers beat Maroons by 8 wickets

Only five points separate Sahara Force India and McLaren in the constructors championship and as Singapore Grand Prix approaching, the Indian F1 outfit is targetting a good qualifying to catch the British team.
     Force India have been struggling to find a balance with new tyres, introduced by Pirelli, and Team Principal Vijay Mallya says they are hopeful of finding a solution soon.
     "It is going to be a close fight, but the good news is that McLaren still aren't that far ahead. They only scored one point in Monza, so they are definitely catchable," Mallya said.
     "We need to perform better ourselves, that's very clear. We're working hard to find more performance, but at the same time we've made it quite clear that we will not compromise next year's programme. It's always a balancing act, but we know what we need to do," the liquor baron added.
     Adrian Sutil said a good qualifying was key for them to continue to fight for the fifth position.
     "We've got to qualify ...

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