Indiamake semis despite upset defeat against Afghanistan
Singapore: India suffered a shock 28-run defeat against Afghanistan but still qualified for the semifinals of the ACC Emerging Teams Cup tournament for the under-23 cricket teams, here on Thursday. Chasing a modest 185 to win, Indian team, packed with a lot of talented youngsters, managed just 156 for nine as losing wickets at regular intervals cost them dear in their last group A match. Opener lokesh Rahul (51) and Ankit Bawne (39) were the only batsmen who resisted the rival bowlers confidently. Unmukt Chand (10), Ashok Menaria (5) and Baba Aparajith (2) fell cheaply as the Indian middle order crumbled in the face of some disciplined bowling by Afghanistan. Having won the first two matches, India topped Group A and will take on UAE, in the semifinal tomorrow. UAE too recorded a surprise win over Bangladesh. Despite their upset win over India, Afghanistan were eliminated as India and Pakistan advanced to the knockout stage on the virtue of their better Net Run Rate. India (+0.440), Pakistan (+0.425) and Afghanistan (+0.177) all finished with four points each. Pakistan will take on Sri lanka, winner of Group B. In the Group A match, India invited Afghanistan to bat and the bowlers did a good job by restricting them to 184 for seven. left-arm spinner Akshar Patel (2/33) and Baba Aparajith (2/16) claimed two wickets apiece while Sandeep Sharma (1/45) and Ashok Menaria (1/29) took one wicket each. Samiullah Shenwari top scored for Afghanistan with his well made 43 off 44 balls. He struck five fours and a six in his crucial knock. Before Shenwari's knock lifted his side to a decent total, opener Mohammed Shahzad scored a patient 38 off 87 balls. Brief Scores: Afghanistan: 184 for 7 (Samiullah Shenwari 43 not out, Mohammad Shahzad 38; B Aparajith 2/16, A Patel 2/33) beat India: 156 for 9. (l Rahil 51, A Bawne 39; Mohammed Nabi 3/32, R Shah 2/40) by 28 runs.
Zimbabwemove on from crisis to cricket
Harare: Zimbabwe go into tomorrow's first Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club with captain Brendan Taylor confident that the players have put their most recent scuffle with the board behind them. The month-long tour will see the two sides face off in two Twenty20 matches, three one-day internationals and two Tests, but Zimbabwe's preparations were thrown into disarray last week when the players refused to train after negotiations over unpaid salaries and future contracts broke down. Although the players came to an agreement with Zimbabwe Cricket last Friday and returned to training, fast bowler Kyle Jarvis announced on Sunday that he was quitting international cricket in favour of a county contract. Nevertheless Taylor expects his side to move on mentally as they look to present a challenge to Pakistan. "I think we've all been around long enough to put that aside now," Taylor said in a telephone conversation. "ZC have met us in the middle and there's nothing more to harp on about it. "We've discussed this as players and it's time to move forward and try and represent our country as well as we can." Taylor admitted that Jarvis' decision had come as a surprise to his teammates and hoped that the 24-year-old will return to play for Zimbabwe in the future. "I just felt he was a little bit premature to leave Zimbabwe cricket, but he's old enough to make his own decisions and see what's right for him," Taylor said.
BCCI clocks Rs 350-crore net income in FY13
Mumbai: The Cricket Board posted net income of Rs 350 crore, while its gross revenue stood at Rs 950 crore during the fiscal 2012-13.The BCCI, considered the world's richest cricket body, has earned a surplus of Rs 382.36 crore in 2011-12. Informing this today after the BCCI's Finance Committee meeting in Delhi, Board Treasurer Ravi Savant said that the net income figure has been arrived at "provided there is no tax (levied on the amount)." "The Finance Committee passed the accounts and they will be placed before the Board's Working Committee that should be meeting in the first week of September," he said. The Working Committee would also finalise the dates of the Board's AGM, also to be held next monthSavant said that the net income from the cash-rich Indian Premier league worked out to Rs 237 crore. "The coming year will see a dip in revenue (from broadcast rights) as we are not hosting many international games apart from the ODI and T20 matches against Australia (in October-November)," Savant said. India are to host seven ODIs and one T20 game against Australia from October 10 to November 2. later, they are scheduled to tour South Africa and New Zealand followed by Asia Cup and World T20 Bangladesh.
New Zealand appeal for more Tests
Wellington: New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill joined calls for more international matches for the Black Caps as they struggle to lift their profile. Guptill, who has been in impressive form in the Caribbean Premier league (CPl), on Wednesday said New Zealand would struggle to improve on its eighth-placed Test ranking without a steady diet of matches against quality opponents. legendary all-rounder Richard Hadlee recently said New Zealand needed more Tests but the perception in other countries was that the team was not box-office material. "It appears our value to other countries is not significant enough to keep us long enough in their country to make decent money. I think there should be some commitment to honour future tour programmes," Hadlee said. His comments came as officials continue to thrash out India's itinerary for their New Zealand tour next February. India, ranked number two in the world, want to reduce the scheduled three-Test programme to two. Guptill, who will miss the rest of the Caribbean tournament with a broken bone in his right hand, said it was time other countries took note of the quality of New Zealand cricketers. Guptill scored 198 runs at an average of 33 for the Warriors, who topped the group stage of the CPl, while team-mate James Franklin tops the averages with 170 runs at 42.50 and Ross Taylor has scored 141 runs for Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel. "It puts us out there and hopefully people will take notice," Guptill said in a statement. "From what I read, Sir Richard's comments were more to do with Test cricket than anything else and we are struggling a little in the Test game at the moment. "The only way we can get better is by playing more Tests and if that can come in the next few years and we can keep developing as a team then who knows where we can go from there." Guptill had been filling a dual role in the CPl — opening the batting for the Warriors while gathering information on West Indies players ahead of their tour of New Zealand starting in November. This has included trying to decipher the skills of spinner Sunil Narine, his Warriors team-mate, although Guptill admitted that was not easy. "I have been trying to see when he bowls how he does what he does but it is pretty hard to pick it up." Agencies