Pakistan's national selection committee will meet here on Friday to name the probables for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England in June.
     "The chief selector, Iqbal Qasim, has been told by the Pakistan Cricket Board to hold a meeting of its selection committee to name the probables for the Champions Trophy. The participating nations will have to submit a preliminary list of 30 players by April 4 and then the final squad of 15 by May 4," a source told PTI.
     The selectors will also examine the reasons behind Pakistan's disappointing tour of South Africa, where they lost both the Test and ODI series.
     "The meeting which is to be held on Friday could also see serious discussions on the future of some senior players," the source added.
     "The selectors are ready to make wholesome changes for the Champions Trophy but some players Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul are likely to be retained for the tournament," he added.

Pak selectors to name Champions Trophy probables on Friday

PTI Automatic

India's Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands today crashed out of the Sony Open Miami Masters after losing their women's doubles quarter-final match against world No.1 pair of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in straight sets at Crandon Park, here.
     The seventh seeded Indo-American pair lost 1-6, 4-6 in just 66 minutes, losing serve three times in each set.
     Sania and Bethanie started the proceedings on an attacking note, breaking the serve of their opponents but the Italian pair of Errani and Vinci restored parity by breaking in the next game.
     The top seeds Italian pair did not give Sania and Bethanie any more leeway to make a comeback into the match as they produced a dominant show to race through the set in just 24 minutes.
     In the second set, the Indo-American duo took the first game at love but the top seeds put on display their vast repertoire of stroke-play to make a strong comeback.
     The third game saw Sania-Bethanie saving three break ..

Sania-Bethanie loses in quarters of Miami Masters

India today failed to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup after they were pipped by Bangladesh and Turkemenistan for a spot in the the continent's second tier tournament meant for emerging football nations.
	India, the 2008 champions, had finished second behind Myanmar in Group A qualifying round of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup earlier this month and their fate had remained hanging on the results of other groups.
	Wim Koevermans' men were edged out by Bangladesh and Turkemenistan on goal difference after all the three sides finished second in their respective groups.
	Turkemistan and Bangladesh had goal differences of plus nine and plus five respectively and they made it to the final round of 2014 AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives as two best second-placed teams.
	India could only manage a goal difference of plus four. They had beaten Chinese Taipei and Guam but had lost 0-1 to hosts Myanmar at Yangon earlier this month.
	The qualifying round of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup was divided ...

India fail to qualify for AFC Challenge Cup football

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation today signed an MoU with IPL Delhi Daredevil's team owner GMR to create awareness among travellers on safety and cleanliness issues.
	In its campaign, the Delhi Daredevils team players will make audio and video presentations on issues related to Delhi Metro, like usage of smart card, safety and security of passengers during metro train travel, and cleanliness of the trains among others.
	In view of the upcoming Indian Premier League, the DMRC will also provide five ticketing counters at Metro stations-- Barakhamba road, Netaji Subash Place, Kashmiri Gate, Pragati Maidan and Saket to sell tickets for matches being played by Delhi Daredevils from March 28 onward.
	A nearly six ft long painted bat will also be at display at the Rajiv Chowk Metro Station for travellers.

DMRC, GMR ink pact on safety, cleanliness campaign in metro

: Diabolical, trained by R Foley and ridden by jockey Rajendra Singh, won the Island Grounds Plate, the main event of the races here today.
    Trainer Foley saddled four winners while jockey N Rupa rode two winners.
   Only one favourite obliged in a card of nine events.

Diabolical wins Island Grounds Plate

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir has criticized the pitches prepared by Indian curators for the recently concluded Test series against Australia.
     "It is true that Test cricket is supposed to be a test of the batsmen and bowlers who must show the required skills to adapt themselves in different conditions and pitches but to ask any touring team to play on surfaces where the ball turns square on the first day is not justified," Qadir said on Tuesday.
     The master spinner said he was disappointed to see the quality of some of the pitches prepared in the series.
     "I think there needs to be some definite policy and guidelines from the ICC and it's member boards on preparation of pitches for tests in any country," Qadir said.
     "Even on Pakistan's recent tour to South Africa most of the pitches were not even and double paced," he pointed out.
	Qadir said India deserved to be 4-0 winners as they had played the better cricket than Australia.
	"But as a former player and .

Qadir critical of rank turners prepared by India for Oz Tests

Pakistan' Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that it was an alarming situation for Pakistan cricket the way the team had performed recently on the tour to South Africa.
     "The way we performed in the Test series and in the ODI series it was very disappointing and to me it is an alarming situation for Pakistan cricket," he told the media after the team returned home today morning.
     Misbah,39, said it was disappointing the way the team was whitewashed in the three-match Test series.
     "We had gone there expecting to put up a close fight but a final three nil result caused hurt to all the players. We did  better in the one-day internationals but that also we lost the final match," he said.
     A tired looking Misbah who has been Test captain since 2010 said it was obvious that improvement was needed in lot of departments.
    "It has been a tough tour and we will sit down and go through all the pros and  cons of the tour and we need to learn from our mistakes. I think we also 

Our performance was disappointing in South Africa: Misbah

Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland says national team management, including Mickey Arthur, John Inverarity and Pat Howard, retains the board's full support but agrees the 4-0 defeat in India is "not acceptable."
     According to Sydney Morning Herald, Arthur, in the job since November 2011, is under contract with CA until the end of the next World Cup, to be held in Australia in 2015, but is under pressure after presiding over the country's heaviest loss in a series in 34 years.
     Arthur's lead role in the suspension of four players - Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja - for the third Test in Mohali was also heavily criticised, although he explained it as a necessary move to correct a slipping team culture.
     High-performance manager Howard, a former Wallabies rugby international, was another under fire during the Indian tour, particularly when he questioned Watson's commitment to the team and alluded to "issues" in the relationship between ..

CA stands by national team management despite India debacle

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has ruled out Sri Lankan players joining IPL without the safety guarantees from the Indian government.
     Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had earlier sought government advise on the safety of players appearing in Chennai.
     Aluthgamage said Lankan players won't be allowed to go without safety guarantees.
     Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary said that they have sought the external affairs ministry advise. He said the players would be advised depending on the MEA instructions.
     There are 13 Sri Lankan players who have signed up to play for different franchises in the sixth edition of the IPL.
     The opening bowler Nuwan Kulasekera and the rookie off spinner Akila Dananjaya were billed to play for Chennai Super Kings.
     Sri Lankan nationals including Buddhist monks and some Sri Lanka linked property have come under attack in the recent weeks in Chennai leading upto the UN rights body resolution against Sri Lanka.
     The Tamil Nadu ..

SL players won't be in IPL without safety guarantee: Minister

Even as preparations are on at the Salt Lake stadium for the opening ceremony of the upcoming IPL T20 extravaganza, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders today began the countdown with the season's first practice session at the Eden Gardens.
     Captain Gautam Gambhir, who is down with jaundince, did not attend the session and assistant coach Vijay Dahiya was seen playing the role of the mentor to the likes of Rajat Bhatia, Pradeep Sangwan and Manvinder Bisla.
     "Being the defending champions, we all are motivated to repeat our performance. We all are keen and united to do well," Bisla told reporters after the practice.
     The 120,000 capacity stadium, also known as the Yubabharati Krirangan, will host the opening ceremony that will begin at 7.30 pm on April 2, the eve of the first match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Dare Devils, at the Eden Gardens.
     A huge podium is being erected, while the artificial turf is being covered with a rubber mat, where the artists 

KKR prepare for IPL opening ceremony

The National Tennis Association of Indonesia today named the squad for the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I relegation tie against India to be played at KSLTA Stadium here from April 5 to 7.
     The Indonesian squad will reach the city on March 31 and start training from April 1, while the Indian players will start arriving here from March 30.
     Both India and Indonesia square off after losing their previous ties.
     A depleted Indian team, hit by the absence of top players, lost to South Korea 1-4 in February, while Indonesia suffered a 0-5 whitewash at the hands of Japan.
     India, however, with the return of their key players Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri, besides double ace Leander Paes, firmly start as favourites against Indonesia, which had lost all five earlier ties against India.
     The two teams played last in 1992 when India won 5-0.
     Indonesia's best record in Davis Cup was in 1983 and 1989 when it qualified for the World Group.
     Hendri Susilo Pramono ...

Indonesia names squad for Davis Cup

Leading a top IPL franchise like Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League will be a "stepping stone" for the talented Virat Kohli to get ready for a bigger role with the Indian team, feels coach Ray Jennings.
     "Kohli needs to make sure he gets his captaincy right. Dhoni is not going to be around for a long time. He needs to be ready for India and captaining RCB is a stepping stone for Kohli to take over from Dhoni," Jenings said after a training session today.
     "Kohli has the ability to lead the Indian team and also is very fiery which is a good thing for RCB."
     Asked whether he supoported Micky Arthur dropping four Australia players for not completing a feedback review, Jennings said every coach has different ways of doing things.
     "You need to understand what players did and what relationship they had in the buildup to that (controversy). If you ask players 10 times to do something and they don't do it, you have a reaction. When you ask for the first .

Leading RCB will help Kohli to take over from Dhoni: Jennings

Niraj Patel struck a 32-ball 40 and shared a 65-run stand with Jesal Karia for the fifth wicket to help Gujarat beat Odisha by three wickets in a Super League (Group A) match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, here today.
     Electing to bat at the Emerald Heights ground, Odisha made a competitive 151 for six with Govind Poddar (40) and Subhrajit Sahoo (37) making significant contibutions with the bat.
     In reply, Gujarat knocked off the target in 19.4 overs as Patel and Karia (29 off 28 balls) combined well and restructed the innings after the failure of their top-order batting to give their team a winning start.
     Gujarat were left tottering at 71 for four in 8.5 overs but Patel and Karia steadied the sinking ship and took the team's total within reach of the target.
     For Odisha, Basant Mohanty shone with the ball, picking up three for 27.
     Meanwhile, in a Group B match played at the Holkar Stadium here, Karnataka defeated Punjab by two wickets.
     Put in to ...

Gujarat, Karnataka post wins in Mushtaq Ali T20

Bowing to intense political pressure, top Sri Lankan players were today withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the high-profile IPL after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them in view of the prevailing anti-Sinhalese sentiments in the state.
     Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making it clear that IPL matches would be permitted in the state only if there were no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff in these matches beginning April 3.
      A few hours later, the IPL Governing Council met to discuss the issue and decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in IPL League matches in Chennai.
     The Governing Council will advise the nine IPL franchises accordingly, putting an end to the intense speculation regarding the fate of the Sri Lankan players.
     Altogether 13 Sri Lankan players, two of whom are captains of their respective teams, are taking part in the sixth edition of the league which will ...

Lankan players not to participate in Chennai IPL matches

Kerala left-arm spinner P Prasanth today signed up for Sunrisers Hydrabad for the coming IPL season.
     Prasanth, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, has been a consistant performer for Kerala in the recent past in junior and senior categories and is a member of the current team playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in which kerala have qualified to play in the super league, a Kerala Cricket Association press release said.
     In the last match against Goa, he took four wickets and won the match for Kerala.
     Employed at Southern Railways, Prasanth was a member of Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Prasanth signs up for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla led from the front with a punishing knock as Bengal beat Baroda by four runs in a Super League (group B) match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20, here today.
     Put into bat at the Holkar Stadium, Bengal made a decent 149 for four as Shukla led the charge with a 23-ball-50 and then restricted Baroda to 145 for nine.
     The all-rounder hit five hige sixes apart from a couple of boundaries. Pint-sized left-hander made a 52-ball-48 which had five boundaries.
     Leg-spinner Hardik Pandya and left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt bore the brunt of Shukla's powerful innings as he repeatedly cleared the boundary ropes with ease.
     Bengal's openers Goswami and Subhomoy Das (28) put on 67 runs in 10 overs but they were not able to score at a fast clip. Goswami in particular wasted a lot of deliveries.
     In reply, India's ODI specialist Shami Ahmed (2/26) and young seamer Sayan Sekhar Mondal (3/19) kept tight leash on the Baroda batsmen as only Aditya Waghmode ...

Shukla, Mondal power Bengal to 4-run win over Baroda

Indian Premier League outfit Royal Challengers Bangalore today started their training camp ahead of the sixth edition of the upcoming cash-rich T20 tournament.
     RCB play their first match against Mumbai Indians on April 4, a day after the tournament's kick-off.
     As many as eight RCB players got down to bowling, batting and fielding practice at the National Cricket Academy under the watchful eyes of coach Ray Jennings.
     Pankaj Singh, Vijay Zol, Sheldon Jackson, Abhinav Mukund, Harshal Patel, Arun Karthik, Syed Mohammad and K P Appanna were see training at the camp.
     Zaheer Khan, who arrived in the city, did not take part in the camp and instead preferred to rest for the day.
     However, he is expected to join his team-mates for practice tomorrow.
     Other RCB players, including West Indies' Chris Gayle and Sri Lankan Tilakratne Dilshan, would start arriving from Thursday.
     Jennings have been in the city for over a week and visited Shimoga to witness Karnataka's .

RCB starts training for IPL-6

The presentation of the Reliance ICC Test Championship mace and a cheque of USD 450,000 will be made to South Africa captain Graeme Smith at The Wanderers on Thursday.
     The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Long Room Extension and the presentation will be made by Vince van der Bijl, former Natal, Transvaal and Middlesex fast bowler and currently ICC's Umpires and Referees Manager as well as Cricket South Africa (CSA) President and ICC Director Chris Nenzani.
     Smith will accept the mace and the cheque on behalf of CSA for leading his side to the top of the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on the 1 April cut-off date.
     There will be a photo opportunity, which will be followed by a brief question-and-answer session with Smith and other dignitaries.

Test mace to be presented to Graeme Smith

Ajit Pawar was today elected as the new president of the Maharashtra Olympic Association at its AGM held in Pune.
     Also elected along with the deputy chief minister of the state, who represents the Maharashtra Kho Kho Association, were Ashok Pandit, Pralhad Sawant, Suresh Kowli and Pradeep Gandhe as the association's vice presidents, a release from MOA's newly elected secretary general Balasaheb Landge said.
     The list of elected members and the sport they represent are as follows:
    	President: Ajit Pawar (kho kho).
    	Vice presidents: Ashok Pandit (shooting), Pralhad Sawant (athletics), Suresh Kowli (boxing) and Pradeep Gandhe (badminton).
    	Secretary general: Balasaheb Landge (wrestling).
    	Joint secretaries: Prakash Tulpule (table tennis), Shivadas Lohar (weightlifting).
    	Treasurer: Sakharama Bhonsale (judo).
    	Executive members: Ramratan Bhavsar (kabaddi), Prashant Deshpande (archery), Sundar Iyer (tennis), Pratap Jadhav (cycling), Ravindra Kambale ...

Ajit Pawar elected as new MOA president

The wheel has turned a full circle as Tiger Woods logged his eighth win at Arnold Palmer Invitational and climbed up the ladder to be World No. one in rankings.
     Woods, once the most dominant golfer on the planet, came back from the abyss -- a sex-scandal, drop to No. 58 in world rankings -- to return to the summit that was once almost his personal property. He dropped outside top-50 as he dealt with a crisis in his personal life and injuries to his left leg.
     Last week Woods announced he was dating Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn. And this week he is No. 1 in the world. Again.
     Yesterday, defending champion Woods shot 70 in a final round that was delayed after a freak storm hit Bay Hill to finish at 13-under par, two shots clear of England's Justin Rose. Woods was boosted by birdies at each of the par fives.
     It was apt that Woods should walk off the 18th green waving his putter over his head for that was his magic wand this week at Bay Hill.
     He won the Arnold .

Wheel turns a full circle, Tiger Woods is back on top

As the Asian Tour celebrates its 10th anniversary, a new wave of exciting and talented youngsters are taking their place on the centrestage.
     Anirban Lahiri set the trend with a win at the SAIL-SBI Open and that was immediately followed by Gaganjeet Bhullar coming in second at the Avantha Masters and then Thailand's Kiradech Aphinbarnrat grabbed the Maybank Malaysian open last week.
     There is a whole bunch of Indians in the field. Apart from Lahiri and Bhullar, there are other winners like S S P Chowrasia, Himmat Rai, Digvijay Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, C Muniyappa besides young Rashid Khan and Sujjan Singh.
     Lahiri, one of the numerous Indians in the field in Chaingmai this week, said, "It is a great field and it is nice to have some of these top guys playing with us. We had a few strong weeks. We are all up for it and looking forward to rubbing shoulders and beating these guys."
     On the course, he added, "It is a fantastic golf course. I didn't know what to ..

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