DDCA polls: Jaitley not to contest
New Delhi: Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) president Arun Jaitley has decided against contesting the upcoming state association elections scheduled on December 30 paving way for his confidant Sneh Bansal to take on legendary Bishan Singh Bedi in a prestigious fight. BJP heavyweight Jaitley, who is also the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, relinquished his post of BCCI vice-president earlier this year due to his busy political commitments. It is believed that the busy political calender led to Jaitley deciding against contesting the elections. Jaitley has however filed his nominations for an executive committee membership which won't require much of his time but will keep him associated with the game. But according to reliable sources in DDCA, Jaitley's "blessings and good wishes" are with Bansal, who enjoys the support of voters as Bedi might find it difficult to pull it off in his favour. Former India all-rounder Madan lal will be fighting for the sports secretary's post against current incumbent Sunil Dev while another former India wicketkeeper Surinder Khanna will take on current joint secretary Anil Khanna and Chetan Chauhan, who has also filed nominations for the vice-president's post.
PCB hints at pull-out from WT20
Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board's acting Chairman Najam Sethi has conceded that the national team may have to pull out of the forthcoming Asia Cup and World Twenty20 in Bangladesh owing to security concerns. Sethi told Geo News in Dubai, where he has gone to witness the Pakistan and Sri lanka matches, that if the foreign office advised the PCB not to send the team to Bangladesh, the board would have to comply. "We are keeping the foreign office informed about the situation and our correspondence with the International Cricket Council and Bangladesh board and there could be different scenarios in the near future for our team," he said. Sethi said one scenario could be Pakistan asking for special security for its players in Bangladesh for both the mega events. "The other could be not sending our team if we get such advice from the foreign office and ministry," Sethi said. The ICC executive board is due to meet in Dubai on January 25 and the ACC council will also meet next month to discuss the situation in Bangladesh where the trials of the 1971 war criminals have led to rising tensions between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
10 teams vie for 2 spots in ’15 WC
Dubai: With two spots up for grabs for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, 10 teams head into next month's Qualifiers in New Zealand knowing that the tournament represents the final chance to qualify for the ICC's flagship event that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand. The qualification process had started in each of the five regions in 2011, and features 10 leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The finalists from January's event will join the 10 Full Members as well as Ireland and Afghanistan in cricket's biggest event, which progressed after securing the top two positions at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket league Championship. The sides taking part in the January 13 to February 1 Qualifiers in New Zealand are Canada, Hong Kong, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Uganda and United Arab Emirates. The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five, with the top three progressing into the Super Sixes stage of the tournament. UAE, Scotland, Canada, Hong Kong and Nepal have been placed in Group A while Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia, PNG and Uganda have been clubbed in Griup B. The two groups have been drawn up on the basis of the teams' rankings going into the Qualifiers.
PNS/Agencies