India, WIndies arrive for 1st ODI
Kochi: India and West Indies cricket teams arrived here on Tuesday afternoon for the first ODI of the three-match series to be played on Thursday. The teams were accorded a traditional welcome at the airport with Mohiniattam and Kathakali dancers greeting the players. The two sides will begin their practice sessions on Wednesday. A pavilion in the name of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar will be inaugurated at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here tomorrow by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The unveiling of the Star Trophy for the winners will also be held tomorrow. The opening match of the series will be a day-night affair.
Ishant in Delhi Ranji squad
New Delhi: Out-of-form India pacer Ishant Sharma was on Tuesday named in the Delhi squad for their Ranji Trophy match against Haryana to be played at Roshanara Ground here from November 21-24. After struggling for form in the ODI series against Australia, Ishant was dropped from the Indian squad for the limited-over series against the visiting West Indies which begins on Thursday. Squad: Gautam Gambhir (c), Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Rajat Bhatia, Puneet Bisht, Unmukt Chand, Manan Sharma, Mithun Manhas, Milind Kumar, Sumit Narwal, Ashish Nehra, Vaibhav Rawal, Pawan Suyal, Varun Sood.
Chappell slams ICC, Boards
New Delhi: Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has slammed the ICC and the cricket Boards for their “weak leadership” while dealing with corruption in the game and said they need to do more to stamp out the menace. Delivering a keynote address at the ESPNcricinfo at 20 event in Brisbane, Chappell said so far only “soft targets” have got the punishment for corruption from cricket administrators. “I would like cricket administrators to get back to where priority number one is ... I think now the most important issue for cricket administration is corruption. I can’t think of anything other than corruption that can bring this game down,” Chappell said.
chance for Eng to displace India
Dubai: England have a chance of displacing India from their current second position in the ICC Test Team Rankings table if they can win the upcoming Ashes series against Australia 4-0 or better. The Ashes series will offer England an opportunity to reclaim the number two spot that they held till India moved ahead of them last week following a 2-0 series win over the West Indies. While India have 119 rating points, England are three points behind on 116. Australia are currently ranked fifth with 101 ratings points, 15 points behind third-placed England. Australia can return to the top four by leapfrogging Pakistan if they manage to draw or win the series. PNS/Agencies