The civil court, which granted an injunction against the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA's) decision banning BCCI's game development officer Ratnakar Shetty for five years, observed that a person cannot be expelled for raising a serious issue.
	"In my view decision to expel a person for raising an issue of serious nature cannot be in any manner said to be a rational decision", observed Judge S B Agarwal while granting temporary injunction against the MCA's decision to debar Shetty on Saturday.
	Shetty, who has served the association in various capacities over the last three decades, was banned by MCA for five years, for raising the possibility of black marketing of tickets of a T20 international between India and Pakistan at Ahmedabad on December 28 last by some of its office bearers.
	Further in the order, which was made available to the media today, the court observed that under the rules of MCA, its managing committee cannot expel Shetty.
     "I am prima-facie of the view that ..

Shetty cannot be expelled for raising serious issue: Court

PTI Automatic

Ashok Menaria returned with a five-wicket haul before Unmukt Chand and Mandeep Singh cracked individual half-centuries to guide India A to a convincing six-wicket win over New Zealand A in the second one-dayer of their unofficial ODI series here today.
     Menaria weaved his magic at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy stadium to return with figures of 10-0-38-5 to help India A dismiss New Zealand A for 216 in 47.2 overs after skipper Chand had won the toss and elected to field.
     Dhawal Kulkarni scalped two wickets, while Basant Mohanty and Sandeep Sharma also took one wicket each.
     The hosts then returned to overhaul the target with 11.1 overs to spare, riding on individual fifties by Chand (59) and Mandeep (59) and their 89-run third wicket partnership off 103 balls in the middle.
     Kedar Jadhav (30) and Ashok Maneria (37) then finished the job for India A, stitching an unbeaten 53-run stand in 45 balls as the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 in the three match series.
     ...

India A notch up six-wicket win over NZ A, clinch series

Indian football coach Wim Koevermans today made his displeasure obvious as he shot back at his team's critics in the ongoing SAFF Championship here, saying it's not lip-service but "performance on the ground" that matters.
     From Maldives to Afghanistan, the defending champions' opponents in tomorrow's final, Koevermans' boys have been criticised and dubbed "inferior" by the opposing teams.
     "It's up to them to think about us like this. But the only place where the judgement is made is on the ground. That's where the real fight is," Koevermans said.
     The Dutchman's comment was in reply to Afghanistan's assistant coach Ali Jawad Attaii's assessment that they are "technically and physically" far more superior than the Indians.
     "Obviously, these comments (from opposition) will help me motivate the boys and they can produce some extra energy on the field. Hopefully, we will be able to show them that India is a strong side," the former teammate of the legendary Ruud Gullit .

Teams should only be judged on the ground: Koevermans

The sporting ties between India and Pakistan may have been hit by border tensions but come November, retired cricket greats from both the countries will be seen in action in a World Masters Series in the West Indies.
     A T20 World Masters of Cricket tournament has been scheduled in Barbados from November 1 to 10 with teams from Pakistan, India, West Indies and England scheduled to take part in the glittering event.
     "It is going to be something different and cricket fans from around the globe will get a chance to see former greats resume rivalries in the Twenty20 format," a local organiser told PTI.
     He said the organisers have already spoken to players from all four countries and got necessary permissions for the event.
     "We are close to finalising deals with cricket legends like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Shoaib Akhtar, Courtney Walsh, Graeme Hick and others," the organiser, who declined to be named, said.
     He said the tournament rules are such that 

Greats from India, Pakistan could be play in Windies event

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has hit out at few former cricketers for criticising the selection of the national team for the ongoing series in Zimbabwe.
     Misbah rubbed many former greats the wrong way when, after Pakistan's victory in the first Test, he said that there were some "dirty" people in Pakistan cricket who should think before talking about having more youngsters in the side.
     "Even in the first test it was the seniors who performed or we could have been in trouble," he said.
     Misbah told a Pakistani channel yesterday that while he didn't want to take names but some experts must think twice before criticising anybody.
     "Those who say we need to replace our seniors with juniors, should first look at their performances in international cricket," he said.
     Misbah also insisted that experts should not try to compare Pakistani youngsters with Indian youngsters.
     He pointed out that India was playing much more cricket compared to Pakistan and that is why .

Misbah hits out at former Pakistan cricketers

The Indian cricket team will open its tour of New Zealand with an ODI in Napier, while Auckland and Wellington have been awarded the two Test matches in the list of venues announced for next year's series here today.
     The series, comprising five one-dayers and two Test matches, will start January 19 next year.
     The Indian tour will see Test cricket return to Eden Park after the success of this year's England Test attended by 39,000 fans.
     The second Test will be held at the country's premier Test venue, the Hawkins Basin Reserve, which sold out on the Saturday of the England Test.
     "Hamilton's Seddon Park will host two One-Day Internationals, while Aucklanders and Wellingtonians will get to enjoy both a Test and an ODI when the Indians tour this summer," the NZC said in a statement.
     The series against the current ICC World Cup champions will also feature a two-day warm-up game in Whangarei before the Test series.
     The Indian tour follows three Tests, five ODIs 

NZC announces venues for India tour

Having notched up a morale-boosting semifinal victory against Maldives, defending champions Indian team will try to maintain their supremacy in the SAFF Football Championship when they take on a tough Afghanistan in the summit clash here tomorrow.
     On paper, Afghans are a superior side with a FIFA ranking of 139 to India's 145 as well as seven of their first XI footballers plying their trade in the lower tier leagues of the United States and Germany.
     Medio Mustafa Azadzoy and defender Mustafa Hadid play in German league while forward Mohammed Yusuf has played in the US.
     For Sunil Chhetri and his team, winning the SAFF Championship would be a thankless affair. India have won the trophy six times in the first nine editions having failed to reach the semis only once.
     However, they have a solid Afghanistan team as an opposition, who were thrashed 0-4 in the final of the last edition held in New Delhi.
     "We definitely want to take revenge on this India team as we ...

Determined India take on formidable Afghanistan in SAFF final

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is all set to implement the Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) with an aim to develop sports infrastructure in the country.
     Under this scheme, sanction is accorded for laying of synthetic playing surface for football, hockey and athletics and for the construction of multipurpose indoor hall.
     The Ministry has approved the construction of multi-purpose halls at Agricultural College, Bapatla (Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh), District Sports Association, (Silchar, Assam), Pathananmthitta (Kerala), at Pilakkal (Payyanand, Malappuram District, Kerala), Thoubal District (Manipur), Dimapur (Nagaland), Global Open University, (Sodzulhou Village, Nagaland) and Sports Complex Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, (Udaipur, Rajasthan).
     It has also decided to lay astro turf hockey field at YSR Sports School, (Putlampalli, District Kadapa), besides laying synthetic turf football ground at Jalukier Town (Perun District, Nagaland) and Lhaden ...

Projects sanctioned under Urban Sports Infrastructure scheme

India's leading squash players -- Saurav Ghosal, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa -- would look to make a mark in the star-studded field when the main round of the USD 50,000 CIMB Malaysian Open kicks off in the city of Petaling Jaya, here tomorrow.
     The Malaysian Open, first established in 1975, is one of the premier squash events in Asia. Popular among fans and players alike, the tournament attracts top-10 players from across the globe.
     "The KL Open is one of our big events and I want to play some good squash there. I want to do well in the championship. My target is to break into the top 20 by this year," Chinappa told PTI.
     Chinappa said she is feeling fitter than ever before.
     "I did have an injury a year and a half back when I tore my ligament but I am all good now and stronger physically than before my injury," she added.
     This year's Malaysian Open line-up is headed by former World No.1 Karim Darwish and Canary Wharf Classic finalist Peter Barker.
     .

Ghosal, Dipika look to make a mark in Malaysian Open

Batsman Hashim Amla was the star of Cricket South Africa's annual awards as he walked away with four top honours, including the coveted 'Cricketer of the Year' trophy for the second time in his career.
     Amla was beaten in just one of the top categories by teammate AB de Villiers, who won the ODI Player of the Year award.
     Amla's other awards were 'Test Cricketer of the Year' and 'SA Fans' Cricketer of the Year' by popular vote while his historic treble century in The Oval Test against England won him the KFC 'So Good' award.
     Amla's previous 'Cricketer of the Year' trophy came in 2010. Amla is only the third Protea to win the honour twice in his career, the others being Makhaya Ntini (2005 and 2006) and Jacques Kallis (2004 and 2011).
     De Villiers picked up a second award as the SA Players' Player of the Year while Dale Steyn was named KFC T20 International Player of the Year.
     Kallis won the RAM SLAM delivery of the year award for dismissing his old rival, Ricky ..

CSA awards: Hashim Amla named Cricketer of the Year

The Crime Branch CID of Tamil Nadu Police, investigating the IPL betting scandal, is likely to file a charge sheet in the case by the end of this month, a top official said today.

IPL betting case: CBCID to file charge sheet by month end

Press Trust of India

World number one Novak Djokovic suffered his third loss in four consecutive trips to the US Open final, but vowed his latest disappointment will be inspiration to prove his best is yet to come.
     Spain's Rafael Nadal defeated the 26-year-old Serbian 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 ysetreday to collect his 13th Grand Slam crown and second title on the New York hardcourts, having also beaten Djokovic in the 2010 final to complete a career Slam.
     Djokovic bounced back from that US Open near-miss to have a 2011 season that was among the greatest in tennis history, winning the US and Australian Opens and Wimbledon.
     He began the year with a 41-match win streak that was snapped by Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals on the way to a 10-title season.
     So Djokovic knows that the heartache of losing to the world number two again in a US Open final could be what motivates him to an incredible 2014 campaign.
     "I have to (use it as motivation). It's part of my life," Djokovic said.  

Djokovic vows Open frustration to create motivation

Rafael Nadal ruled out an assault on a calendar year Grand Slam, a mission so intimidating that only two men have ever achieved it in the sport's history.
     The 27-year-old Spaniard clinched his second US Open, and his 13th career major, with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Novak Djokovic.
     Nadal completed a career Grand Slam in New York in 2010, but winning all four majors in the same year has only been achieved by Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969).
     "To win all four Grand Slams in one year I think today is impossible for anyone. That's my feeling," said Nadal, who now has eight French Opens, two Wimbledon, two US Open and an Australian title amongst his 60 career crowns.
     "Today the best players are there all the time, so to win a tournament like this you have to win against Roger (Federer), against David (Ferrer), against Andy (Murray), against Novak.
     "These players are not losing in the early rounds, so that makes it  impossible be 100% in every ...

Emotional Nadal rules out calendar Grand Slam

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir will re-join Essex cricket team tomorrow to play the remainder of his maiden English county season after he returned home for a brief period due to family issues.
     Gambhir, who is trying to make a comeback into the Indian squad, had to go back to India on September 1 because of some family reasons but he will be in Canterbury tomorrow, where Essex play a Championship game against Kent from Wednesday.
     "Essex County Cricket Club can announce that Gautam Gambhir will be returning to the club following a sudden bereavement in his family. Gautam returned home to India on 1 September but will now rejoin the Essex squad ahead of the trip to Kent on Wednesday (11 September) in the LV County Championship at Canterbury," a statement in the club website said.
     The left-handed batsman from Delhi had hit a 31 against Northamptonshire in a championship match but failed to score a fifty in two Yorkshire Bank 40-over matches. He was out for a duck in the ...

Gambhir to rejoin Essex tomorrow

Being signed by a premiership club was a dream come true for 19-year-old striker Emal Mangal, even if top-level football in Afghanistan means being paid USD 9 a day and living in the same house as 143 other players.
	Mangal is a key member of De Abasin Sape, one of eight teams in the highly-competitive second season of the Afghan Premier League (APL) in Kabul.
	Matches are played over seven weeks in a new stadium, and players from regional teams across the country are provided with free accommodation and food at a sprawling mansion in the suburbs.
	Such communal living is a far cry from the lifestyle of professional footballers in Europe, where 24-year-old Gareth Bale from Wales last week signed with Real Madrid for a pay packet reported to be worth more than USD 60,000 a day.
	"We are here all together, eating and living and sleeping in the same place. It is great fun," said Mangal, a third-year medical student standing outside his dormitory after morning training.
	"Everyone is ...

Bunk beds and dreams of glory: life in Afghan Premier League

Army Red defeated a second string side of I-League club Pune FC 2-0 on the opening match of the quarterfinal league stage of the 126th Durand Cup Football Tournament here today.
     T V Vipin and C Lallidianmawaya scored in the 37th and 87th minutes of the Group IV match under floodlights at the Ambedkar Stadium here.
     The match followed an opening ceremony graced by Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne while the guest of honour was Lieutenant General Philip Campose, GOC-in-C Western Command.
     Tomorrow, Mumbai Tigers play Assam Regimental Centre in a Group I match while Kalighat Milan Sangh take on Army Green in Group III.

Army Red beat Pune FC in Durand Cup

Indian football team's chief coach Wim Koevermans was a visibly satisfied man as he termed his team "deserving winners" of the semi-final match against Maldives while a furious and frustrated Maldives coach Urbanyi Istavan Bela made a contradictory statement that "India never deserved to win."
     While India's Dutch coach can take heart from the fact that his strategy of shutting out Ali Ashfaq worked wonderfully.
     "I am very proud of the boys as we showed how good we can be. We started defensively and showed patience. The best part was that we didn't allow to get bogged down under any kind of pressure. The combination worked fine for us and we deserved to win," Koevermans said at the post-match press conference.
     Maldives' Hungarian coach was, however, livid about a penalty, which he felt was denied to Ashfaq by Jordanian referee Idham Mohammed.
     "You don't have to get killed in order to get a penalty," Bela said sarcastically.
     "I am sorry but India never deserved .

This is how good we can be, says Koevermans

National record holder Sudha Singh of Railways bettered her own meet mark while winning gold in women's 3000m steeplechase on the third and penultimate day of the 53rd National Open Athletics Championships here today.
     Sudha, Asian Championships silver medallist, clocked 10 minutes 9.04 secs to better her own old meet record of 10:09.56 set in 2010. Her Railways team-mate Lalita Babar was second 10:33.40 while Kiran Tiwari of Haryana was third in 10:52.75 at Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium.
     Tamil Nadu hurdler Gayathry Govindaraj reassured her position at the national scene as she clocked the second fastest time in her career (13.70 secs) to win the women's 100m hurdles. Hemasree Jayabal (LIC) finished second in 14.19 secs.
     Top quartermiler M R Povamma of ONGC bagged the gold in women's 400m in 53.96 while sprint legend P T Usha's ward Tintu Luka got the silver in 53.98 in a tight race.
     M A Prajusha captured her second gold of the meet as she won the women's triple ...

Sudha betters her own meet mark in National Open Athletics

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh feels even though IOC has decided to include wrestling in the 2020 Olympics, Indian wrestlers might suffer as their participation in international events is still uncertain following IOA's reluctance to remove their tainted leaders as par the world body's directive.
     Hooda, who was speaking in the House during the second day of the Vidhan Sabha session here today, said that there were some leaders who put their interests above the interests of the country.
     The Chief Minister questioned what is the fault of these talented players of Haryana who have brought laurels to the country at the Commonwealth and Asian Games and were preparing for the Olympics.
     Hooda regretted that all these players would suffer as they would remain deprived of participating in this international event because of some tainted leaders whereas, the State Government has announced huge cash prizes for the players, who bring laurels in the sport.

'Indian wrestler will suffer due to few tainted IOA officials'

Young stopper Arnab Mondal scored his maiden international goal as defending champions India beat Maldives 1-0 to enter the final of the SAFF Football Championship for the ninth time here today.
     The win, which Wim Koevermans' boys achieved without their skipper Sunil Chhetri, meant that India made it to their fifth successive final in the tournament and will meet Afghanistan in the final on Wednesday.
     Mondal, the lad from Kolkata's Behala region, was a bundle of nerves throughout the match but turned out to be an unlikely hero in the end with a delightful strike.
     The winner came in the 85th minute when Mehtab Hossain's corner from the right flank was neatly headed down by Syed Rahim Nabi and Mondal, who had joined the attack, struck a powerful angular right-footer that crashed into the net.
     The final whistle saw some ugly scenes as Maldives substitute Ali Umar attacked referee Idham Mohammed and was red-carded after the match. But it did not stop there as a group ..

India enter SAFF final with 1-0 win

Top seeds Ram Aravind and Priyanka Nutakki maintained their sole lead in the open and girls section respectively and moved closer towards the titles with one round to go at the ongoing National Under-11 Chess Championship, here today.
     In the penultimate round, playing white side of closed variation of Ruy Lopez game, Tamil Nadu's Ram missed the opportunity to extend his lead to full point as he miscalculated the end position to settle for a draw against team mate Praggnandhaa R in 59 moves.
     Rahul Srivatshav of Andhra Pradesh was closely following the leader with a drift of half point as he defeated Bhavik Bharambe of Maharashtra in the tenth round encounter at the Ludlow Castle Sports Complex.
     Barath M of Goa defeated Odisha's Rudrakash Parida to occupy third spot along with Bhavik with eight points.
     Meanwhile in the girl's section, top seed Andhra Pradesh's Priyanka defeated Anwesha Mishra of Odisha to take her point tally to nine from possible ten to maintain ...

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