Randhawa, Kapur miss cut at Alfred Dunhill Links

STAFF WRITER 16:4 HRS IST

St Andrews (Scotland), Oct 5 (PTI) Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur missed the cut after returning over-par cards in the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Golf Championship here.

While Randhawa carded a two-over 74, Kapur was even worse at four-over 76 in the penultimate round, finishing the rain-hit event outside the top-60 and ties.

At the top, Luke Donald turned in the lowest round of his European Tour career, carding an eight-under 64 to take the lead at the 14-under.

Concessional CL T20 tickets for students

STAFF WRITER 15:36 HRS IST

Mumbai, Oct 5 (PTI) In a bid to lure students to watch watch the Champions League Twenty20 matches, the organisers have announced concessional tickets for the October 8-23 tournament in three Indian cities.

Besides, the organisers have also promised to take the international stars to select schools and colleges for interacting with the students, a media release said.

The initiative, termed "Champions in Schools Programme", would see all three host venues - Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi - having specially demarcated student stands located in good viewing positions, the release said.

The students would be offered 25 per cent concession on the rate of tickets for block bookings of 500 or more or a 20 per cent rebate for individual bookings upon production of bonafide I-cards.

NZ win toss, elect to bat against Australia in CT

STAFF WRITER 17:40 HRS IST

Centurion, Oct 5 (PTI) New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the final of the Champions Trophy here today.

The Kiwis were dealt a big blow just before the match as skipper Daniel Vettori pulled out of the game due to a hamstring injury.

Vettori has been replaced by Jeetan Patel in the playing eleven and in his absence Brendon McCullum will lead the side.

Apart from Vettori, there are no other changes in the Kiwi squad, while Australia preferred to stick to the same playing eleven.

Squad:

Australia: Ricky Ponting (C), Shane Watson, Tim Paine, Mike Hussey, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle.

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (C), Aaron Redmond, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Ian Butler, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel.

Post-2012 FTP to be discussed in ICC Board meeting next week

STAFF WRITER 11:17 HRS IST

Johannesburg, Oct 3 (PTI) The working draft of the ICC's post-2012 Future Tours Programme will be discussed at its Board meeting on October 7 and 8 after member nations gave their inputs to the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) in a meeting here.

The CEC, chaired by ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat, met in Johannesburg this week.

"With the current FTP due to conclude in May 2012, CEC continued to engage in developing a further draft of the FTP post-2012. This followed feedback received by ICC management from Members. This process is ongoing and includes a working draft to be presented to the next Board meeting," the ICC said in a statement.

The post-2012 FTP has been hit controversies with Pakistan alleging that it has not been given its due in the schedule.

Manavjit wins trap gold, India bag team silver

STAFF WRITER 16:26 HRS IST
New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) Reigning world champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu won the individual gold in trap and then joined hands with Mansher Singh and Anwer Sultan to bag the silver medal in team event of the Asian Clay Shooting Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Mansher also finished with two medals after winning the bronze in the individual event.

The day, however, belonged to Manavjit who shot 121/125 in the Qualification Round and 19/25 in the final to win the trap gold.

Mansher shot 113 and 21 to finish with the bronze.

In the team event, Manavjit (121), Mansher (113) and Anwer Sultan (109) totalled 343/375 to win the silver, while the gold went to Kuwait (346).

In women section, Shagun Chowdhary finished fourth with a score of 82/100.

This Championship concluded today and India finished with four gold, two Silver and one bronze medals.

India defeat Denmark in World team Squash C'ship

STAFF WRITER 18:43 HRS IST
New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) Ritwik Bhattacharya showed remarkable grit and determination after being two games down as India stunned host Denmark in the mens's world Team Squash Championship today.

The win has taken India to the 17th position play-off match against Asian rivals Hong Kong tomorrow at the Squash Centre in city of Odense.

The first match witnessed heroics from Ritwik, who in a nerve-wrecking clash defeated the Danish top seed Rusmus Nielsen 4-11, 12-10, 1-9, 11-9, 11-8 in 52min.

After losing the first game easily, Ritwik failed to capitalise his 10-6 lead in the second game. But the world number 65 then stepped on the gas and kept his opponent behind with excellent volleying and consistency.

Ponting, Watson smash centuries to lead Aus to final

Ashish Shukla

Centurion, Oct 2 (PTI) Skipper Ricky Ponting (111) and Shane Watson (136) smashed elegant centuries as Australia trampled England by nine wickets to storm into the final of the Champions Trophy at the SuperSport Park here today.

Their sublime unbeaten knocks produced a stunning record 252-run second-wicket partnership for Australia as the defending champions continued to torment England.

Chasing 258 to win the first semifinal and earn their second shot at the title, Australia crushed the target with 8.1 overs to spare.

En route to his 28th one-day hundred, Ponting became the first Australian batsman to touch the 12,000 run-mark when he pulled Graham Onions for a four in the 29th over.

Ponting and Watson, who outscored his skipper with his third ODI hundred, put on an amazing batting display to outwit their rivals yet again.

Indians win three medals in Canoe Championship

STAFF WRITER 14:24 HRS IST

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Indian Kayaking and Canoeing team have clinched three medals, including two silvers, in the 13th Senior and seventh Junior Canoe Championships in Tehran, Iran.

Indian duo of Amarjit Singh and Lakha Singh bagged the silver medal in C-2 Senior Marathon category, while compatriot Jamesboy Singh fetched silver in C-1 500m section in the tournament that was held from September 26-29 at Azadi Lake.

Bhakta Singh and Vivek Kumar won the bronze medal in the C-2 Junior Marathon category, a release said.

The team returned this morning.

India can't be ruled out as potential CT winners: Rameez

KARACHI
KARACHI: Lackluster India may have very little chance of qualifying to the semifinals but former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja feels the team still cannot be ruled out as a potential winner of the Champions Trophy.

"I would not rule out the Indian team at this stage even though they have now let the issue of whether they will qualify for the semi-finals out of their hand. Meaning their qualification now depends on the outcome of the Pakistan and Australia match," Rameez said on a television talk show.

The former captain, who is now a commentator, said India have the ability to come out fighting if they got into the knockout stage.

"So far they have not looked sharp or focussed at all in this tournament. I don't know the reasons but they have looked tired and jaded on the field. Then Mahendra Singh Dhoni is also not exuding the same confidence which has been his hallmark in recent times," he said.

The former opener felt that India were desperately missing the services of middle-order mainstay Yuvraj Singh.

"He has been a key player for them in One-dayers. Without taking away anything from other players the fact is Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj have been their key One-day performers. They have the ability to dictate to the bowler under pressure."

Rameez also felt that Rahul Dravid does not look the part of a One-day player.

"He is a top batsman and he got runs against Pakistan but I still feel he is lacking that ability to score runs quickly and push the rate when it matters the most. He looks a bit out of place in the Indian one-day side right now," Rameez said.

The former captain, however, said the Champions Trophy was still wide open and any team could win the event. "Which is very good for One-day cricket. This is exactly the dose it requires to survive in the long run against the rising popularity of Twenty20 cricket."

Another former captain Aamer Sohail also felt that India could not be ruled out as potential winners of the trophy at this stage.

"Their biggest problem is they don't have a sharp and penetrative bowling line-up. Their bowlers have struggled and conceded too many runs. This is their weakest link and they need to work on it," he said.

Sohail, however, agreed that India could comeback strongly if they make the semi-finals.

"They have the ability to click as a team when it matters the most. So don't rule them out at this stage."

Even if Pakistan beats Australia, India has to score a big margin victory over the West Indies in their last group match to qualify for the semi finals on better net run-rate.

TOI

Vijender becomes world number one

NEW DELHI: Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh has achieved yet another first for Indian boxing by becoming the

world's top-ranked pugilist in the middle weight (75kg) category.

The 23-year-old Bhiwani boxer, who won India's maiden World Championships medal in Milan earlier this month, has 200 points and is ranked higher than the reigning champion Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan.

Atoev, to whom Vijender lost in the World Championship semifinals, is third in the list with 2100 points and Olympic silver medallist Emilio Correa Bayeux (2500) of Cuba occupies the second spot in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) list updated after the Milan event.

"I am obviously elated at being ranked the highest in the world. It's a fantastic feeling and would motivate me to do better in future events," Vijender, who broke India's Olympic jinx with his bronze in the Beijing Olympics, said.

Among the other Indians, former world youth champion Thokchom Nanao Singh has slipped three places to eighth with 1400 points in the light fly weight (48kg) category.

Nanao, a silver medallist in this year's Asian Championships in China, lost in the second round of the World Championships.

Olympian Akhil Kumar, whose World Championships campaign was cut short in the first round itself due to a wrist injury, has gone down a rung to 10th in feather weight (57kg) category with 1050 points.

Fellow Olympian Jitender Kumar (54kg) also lost some ground because of his first-round exit in Milan as he dropped a place to 14th with 838 points.

Suranjoy Singh was 17th in the fly weight (51kg) category rankings.

World Championship quarterfinalist Dinesh Kumar held on to his sixth spot with 1550 points in the light weight (81kg) category.

TOI

ICL players to play for KKR in practice matches

Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar
In a bid to earn a contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders, former Indian Cricket League players Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar and G Vignesh will play for the IPL side in their practice matches against visiting Champions League Twenty20 teams in Gurgaon from October 1-7.

Former Bengal captain Dasgupta said he would turn out for the Kolkata IPL side in the three practice games, provided he gets the Cricket Association of Bengal permission.

"My availability for the matches will depend on CAB. I am in talks with Knight Riders and it's still in early stage. I am yet to sign a contract," Dasgupta told PTI.

The wicketkeeper-batsman said he was looking forward to playing under Ganguly, who is likely to return as KKR captain.

"It will be a good exposure in Knight Riders and I am looking forward to play under 'Dada' (Ganguly) once again. I hope to contribute for the team," Dasgupta said.

KKR, which is expected to announce its coach's name soon after John Buchanan's ouster, will play Sussex, New South Wales and Orange Free States in the practice matches.

Apart from the trio, who are among the ICL players to return to the official fold after BCCI's amnesty offer, it is learnt that the Kolkata franchise is in talks with Bengal pacer Eklakh Ahmed.

Former India captain Ganguly had earlier said the ICL players were on the team's radar.

KKR has already signed up Tamil Nadu pacer Vignesh, who represented Chennai Superstars in the ICL.

© PTI

Younus ready to bear pain to play India

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan
Pakistan skipper Younus Khan is prepared to play with a fractured finger and acute pain in order to inflict a rare defeat on India in an ICC event here tomorrow.

Younus has a fracture in his right little finger which would take at least a month to heal but the right-handed batsman said he doesn't want to let go the opportunity of taking on arch-rivals India.

"May be if it was another game, I would have sat on the bench. But you don't get to play India everyday. Who knows the next time you play against India would be two years from now," said a remarkably composed Younus.

Younus last played against India in July 2008 during the Asia Cup where he had smashed an unbeaten 123 at National Stadium, Karachi and he is looking for an encore tomorrow.

"Sure there are chances that I would feel the pain while batting or if a ball comes my way in the field.

"It is also easy for me to run away from the encounter, after all I have a genuine injury. But I look at the bigger picture. If I score big tomorrow, hit a hundred and am a man of match, then people would remember that knock forever. Much like they do when they talk of Sachin (Tendulkar) at Centurion in 2003 World Cup at this venue," he said.

Younus injured his finger during a warm-up game before the start of the Champions Trophy and missed his team's opener against West Indies on Wednesday.

Asked if Pakistan suffered from a fear psychosis against Tendulkar, whose name was repeatedly cropping up in the press conference, Younus said, "More than us, Sachin would be under enormous pressure since now so much rests on him to deliver the goods."

"He is no ghost or super-natural entity. He is a great player and I feel happy when I play against him. There is so much to learn when you watch him or (Brian) Lara bat.

"I watched his innings against Sri Lanka in the finals recently and it was a great knock. You watch that and learn a lot.

"In that respect, we would also miss Yuvraj and Sehwag's presence. They have been great performers for their nation and you want to play against them," he said.

However, Younus said Yuvraj's absence won't bring any good luck for Pakistan.

"It's not good luck for us. It may be bad luck for India.

"What matters is your performance on the day. May be an Umar Akmal can win a game while somebody like Tendulkar fails."

Younus also lavished praise on his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"When I first saw him in 2006 he looked a man with tremendous energy and not quite in control of his reactions. But now he has improved a great deal and looks a gentleman. His conduct and captaincy is both good. His performance is also improving every day," he said.

Pakistan is blessed with the arrival of two young players in Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, one a fast bowler and the other a promising young bat. Akmal drew a great deal of praise from his skipper.

"The thing is these youngsters know no pressure. When you are young you don't have any pressure. I didn't have any myself at the start. But now I know I have just 4-5 years left and I want to make them count.

"Akmal is very mature for his age. Against West Indies initially, he made only 2-3 runs from his first 15 deliveries. He then changed gears and won us the match.

"The good things he quickly adapts to any given situation and conditions."

Pakistan skipper wasn't quite sure if he would bat first on winning the toss in Centurion on Sunday.

"When I saw the wicket today, it was very soft. You don't play first on such wickets. But then there is more than a day left and who knows a bit of sunshine would firm up the wicket," said Younus, mentioning that it's the same track on which Sri Lanka took on hosts South Africa in the trophy opener on Tuesday.

© PTI

England elect to field against Sri Lanka

England captain Andrew Strauss
England captain Andrew Strauss elected to field after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy here on Friday.

Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 55 runs in their opening match of the four-team group, while England are playing their first game. New Zealand are the other side in the group.

The top two sides advance to the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Thilina Kandamby

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Billy Bowden (NZL)

TV umpire: Tony Hill (NZL)

Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

© AFP

Weary Federer withdraws from Japan, Shanghai events

LONDON: World number one Roger Federer has withdrawn from next month's Japan Open and Shanghai Masters in order to get some rest, the Swiss

confirmed on Friday.

"I am disappointed that I have to withdraw from Tokyo and Shanghai as they are two of my favourite cities in the world and the fans have been great to me over the years," Federer said.

"After consultation with my team and doctors, I decided to take the difficult decision to withdraw from both tournaments so that I can give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and fully recover from a physically challenging year."

Federer reclaimed his world number one spot from Rafael Nadal this year, winning the French Open for the first time and Wimbledon, but failed to win a sixth consecutive US Open title when he lost to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the final at Flushing Meadows earlier this month.

Nadal is also struggling ahead of the Asian stop on the ATP Tour, pulling out of next week's Thailand Open with an abdominal injury. Both Federer and Nadal have already qualified for the end-of-season Masters Cup in London.

TOI

England face Mendis riddle in opening match

OHANNESBURG: Andrew Strauss's England face a stiff spin test when they take on a confident Sri Lanka in their opening match of the Champions

Trophy on Friday.

Sri Lanka have two excellent spinners in Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, capable of making life difficult for batsmen with their subtle variations.

Unorthodox spinner Mendis played a key role in his team's stunning 55-run victory over South Africa in a rain-hit match at Centurion on Tuesday, grabbing three wickets for 30 runs.

"We have not played Mendis and some of their seam bowlers before," said Strauss, whose team were beaten 6-1 in a recent home One-day series against defending champions Australia.

"Everyone will have his own game-plan against him (Mendis). You can look at a lot of footage of him, but it is only in the middle that you can be really sure of how he bowls and what his variations are.

"It requires us to think pretty quick on our feet. There are some fundamentals you have to keep in mind against someone like him, but it is a new challenge."

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world's leading wicket-taker in both Tests and One-dayers, and paceman Lasith Malinga, with his slinging action, are the other bowlers who could keep pressure on England.

"They ask different questions of you. It's only by facing them you can be sure of your game-plan. We have played against Murali and Malinga, but Mendis is new.

"The way he (Mendis) bowls makes life difficult for batsmen, but to an extent the pace he bowls at provides opportunities for batsmen as well once you get used to his variations.

"Sri Lanka are a good side with a lot of confidence. It will be quite exciting to play against them."

Strauss conceded that England's One-day form had been a cause of concern for many years.

"The One-dayers have been an ongoing concern for a number of years. The players are really excited about moving forward as a group. It will take a bit of time to happen," said Strauss.

"In the meantime, I maintain we are capable of beating anyone but we haven't had the consistency over the years. A change in environment can make a big difference. We have to start looking forward.

"There is something quite exciting about world events. It's quite exciting to know if you play well in three games you're in the semi-final."

England are without match-winners Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who are recovering from injuries.

"Freddie and KP are two of our best One-day cricketers. But Freddie has been out quite a lot recently and we are used to that and we've got to move on," said Strauss.

"It's also a chance for other guys to step up and make a name for themselves."

South Africa and New Zealand are the other teams in Group B, with the top two sides advancing to the semi-finals.

Squads:

England: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedara, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Lasith Malinga, Thilina Kandamby.

Umpires: Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden
Match Name: ICC Champions Trophy
Teams: England vs Sri Lanka
Venue: New Wanderers, Johannesburg
Time: 1800 IST
Channel: Star Cricket

South Africa back in Champions Trophy contention

Scorecard

CENTURION: South Africa bounced back into contention for 2009 ICC Champions Trophy glory with a five-wicket triumph over New Zealand at SuperSport Park on Thursday.

Upset by Sri Lanka in the opening match of the ODI tournament two days ago, the Proteas had to win and did so with relative ease before a large, holiday crowd.

New Zealand were all out for 214 in 47.5 overs and South Africa cruised to 217/5 in 41.1 overs and another win Sunday over England would virtually assure the hosts of a place in the knockout phase.

The 'Black Caps', who may have erred in excluding Jeetan Patel for a match on a spin-friendly pitch, face Sri Lanka and England at the Wanderers stadium and a couple of victories would bring them back into the frame.

AB de Villiers was a fitting match winner, sealing success with a four having top scored for the Proteas with an unbeaten 70 in 76 balls, including nine boundaries.

"This was a big day for us and we stood up to deliver a much improved performance. Our bowlers set the tone in the first 15 overs with good intensity and they hit the right areas hard," said South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.

"It was a clinical job well started and well finished and the result will improve our run rate. Now we are going to prepare well for our match against England."

Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori said: "Our batsmen got bogged down as we sought a competitive score of about 250 runs. Ross (Taylor) and Grant (Elliott) handled the spinners well but the partnership did not last long enough."

Once again Smith won the toss and once again he opted to field on a dry, slow, uneven early season track that gave the spinners assistance in warm, partly cloudy conditions.

Vettori stressed the need to build partnerships, but his plea fell largely on deaf ears with the 71-run stand between Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott a notable exception.

The stubborn 95-ball stand ended when South Africa-born Elliott chose the wrong line and his middle stump was pushed back by a deceptive delivery from spinner Roelof van der Merwe.

Taylor was the top Kiwi scorer with 72 off 106 balls before missing a low full toss and being trapped leg before by revitalised Wayne Parnell, who was voted man of the match.

Opener Brendon McCullum was the only other New Zealand batsman to make an impact, scoring 44 before trying a sweep off Johan Botha and getting a top edge to JP Duminy at short fine leg.

Parnell, rebounding from a nightmare outing against Sri Lanka, finished with five wickets, impressive Van der Merwe and speedster Dale Steyn claimed two apiece and Botha one.

Set a 4.30-runs-an-over target, Smith managed just seven before departing because he played a Daryl Tuffey too early and Vettori took a simple catch at mid-on.

Jacques Kallis was next to go, adding 52 runs for the second wicket with Hisham Amla before an attempted drive off Shane Bond was snapped up by wicketkeeper McCullum.

Although ahead on run rate, South Africa were also struggling to build big partnerships and much-improved Amla returned to the pavilion having made 38 after being trapped leg before by Vettori.

Duminy did not last long, scoring just 11 off 13 balls before becoming the victim of a spectacular McCullum catch after trying a cut that took a bottom edge.

TOI

Ramesh Kumar creates history, bags bronze in World Wrestling

World Wrestling Championship in Herning,

NEW DELHI: India's Ramesh Kumar created history by winning the bronze medal in the freestyle 74kg category at the World Wrestling Championship in Herning, Denmark.

The Uttar Pradesh wrestler did what Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar failed to achieve, clinching India's first medal in the prestigious event after a gap of 32 years.

Kumar defeated Alexandr Burca of Moldova on technical points after the repechage round ended with both the wrestlers tied at the score of 7-7.

Kumar, however, started the bout on a disappointing note, trailing 0-3 after the first period.

He then came back strongly in the second session to score two points and then finished off the final period picking up five points as against his opponent's four to finally come out victorious on technical points.

Kumar had earlier defeated Dustin Schlatter of the US 3-2 in the opening round. His next casualty was Great Britain's Michael Grundy, whom he beat 4-2 and then prevailed over Kiril Terziev of Bulgaria 7-4 in the quarterfinal.

Kumar, however, lost out on the gold medal opportunity, going down 0-5 to Chamsulvara Chamsulvarayev of Azerbaijan in the last-four stage to set up a repechage encounter against Burca.

The gold in this category was won by Denis Tsargush of Russia.

Earlier, Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar failed to replicate boxer Vijender Singh's feat and lost out on a medal opportunity in the elite event after losing the bronze medal play-off match in the 66kg freestyle category on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in the female style, India's Nirmala Devi lost in the opening round of the 48kg category to Great Britain's Yana Stadnik, while Babita Kumari bowed out in the quarterfinal against Natalia Budu of Moldova in 51kg division.

Soruce:TOI

KKR Coach picked, to be announced soon

Indian Premier League

Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders has picked its coach and his identity would be revealed soon by the team management, senior batsman Sourav Ganguly said today.

Tipped to return as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL III, Ganguly said, "The coach has been decided. But I cannot announce it. The team management (owners Shah Rukh Khan and Jay Mehta) will do it shortly."

The ace cricketer, who had a morning practice session in the indoor facility of Eden Gardens, said the Knight Riders will play three practice matches with the visiting Champions League Twenty20 teams in the first week of October.

It is learnt that the announcement will be done before the practice matches.

The Kolakta Knight Riders screened a mix of foreign and India coaches in a series of interviews held at Shah Rukh's residence last month.

The foreigners included Pakistani great Wasim Akram, former India coach John Wright, former England allrounder Dermot Reeve, former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus, former England coach Duncan Fletcher and former Australian batsman Michael Bevan.

The Indians list had former India and Kenya national coach Sandeep Patil, Mumbai Ranji coach Praveen Amre and former Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman among others.

The Kolkata IPL side is also expected to reinstate Ganguly in the capatain's seat, that was taken up by New Zealander Brendon McCullum last season.

The Kiwi wicketkeeper batsman will not be available for most of the IPL III (March 12-April 25) as he will be busy playing for the national side against Australia in the home series scheduled in March.

The high-profile side sacked Australia's World Cup winning coach John Buchanan after they finished sixth in the inaugural IPL and slipped to last place last season.

Buchanan's tenure was marred by controversy after the former Australian coach unveiled his multi-captaincy theory that generated a lot of debate worldwide and then replaced Ganguly, the local star, as captain.

When contacted, Knight Riders CEO Joy Bhattacharya also said the announcement would be made shortly.

"It will be communicated shortly -- ahead of the three practice matches," Bhattacharya said refusing to elaborate further.


© PTI

BCCI-IMG dispute solved

BCCI

The BCCI has resolved the vexing IMG issue and will announce a fresh contract for the sports management firm that will pay them between Rs.25 crore - Rs.27 crore per year, according to a report in Cricinfo.

The Indian board had recently terminated the contract with IMG for the Indian Premier League, citing payments that were not commensurate with services rendered. When this prompted seven of the eight franchisees to shoot off letters to the BCCI and when ex-BCCI chief Sharad Pawar also expressed his concern, the current president Shashank Manohar was appointed to resolve the dispute.

The issue seems to have been resolved amicably, with the new deal being that IMG would be paid a fixed amount, as opposed to a percentage of the IPL earnings. The earlier deal meant that the Board had to fork out Rs.33 crore for IPL-2, which didn't sit well with some Board members.

"There is no issue anymore, tomorrow it will be announced," a top-ranking BCCI official was quoted as saying by the website yesterday.

Another key issue that is likely to be looked at is the reimbursement to the eight franchisees for losses incurred due to the shifting of the IPL to South Africa.

"We have already been told that it would only happen post Champions League but I'm sure if they would discuss the IPL accounts, the compensation to the franchisees would also be discusssed," a top official at one of the franchises was quoted as saying.

The other controversy brewing in the background is the situation in the Rajasthan Cricket Association, where two factions - one led by Sanjay Dixit and the other backed by Lalit Modi - are locked in a bitter struggle. Both factions are expected to send their representatives to the AGM, though which one would be or should be allowed is anybody's guess.


© Cricbuzz

Bracken ruled out of Champions Trophy

Australia's

Australia's preparations for the defence of the Champions Trophy received a major setback as fast bowler Nathan Bracken was ruled out of the tournament with a chronic knee injury.

According to reports in Australian papers, The decision to send Bracken home was made overnight in South Africa. The decision wasn't made because of any specific problem, but because of the long-term nature of the injury which had aggravated.

The seriousness of the injury is not yet known but it is also likely to place him in doubt for next month's Champions League Twenty20 tournament, in which he was due to represent his home state of New South Wales.

Bracken's loss is a serious blow for Australia, since he is currently their highest ranked ODI bowler. He has been an outstanding limited-overs bowler with his nagging accuracy, changes of pace and ability to move the ball.

Cricket Australia has not yet confirmed the decision, or who will replace Bracken in the 15-man squad.


© Cricbuzz