Sachin in Bahrain for F1 night race
Sakhir (Bahrain): Cricket may not be a popular sport in Bahrain but the small Gulf nation is honoured to have batting legend Sachin Tendulkar for its first Formula One night race here this weekend. The government-backed Bahrain Circuit (BIC) has confirmed that motorsports enthusiast Tendulkar will watch the race on Sunday. It was earlier reported that he will be visiting Bahrain with his family on the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. “Sachin Tendulkar has been invited to the Kingdom of Bahrain by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. We are tremendously honoured to have him at our Grand Prix,” BIC National Press Officer Mohamed Shareeda said in an email response.
check corruption in IPl: Ministry
New Delhi: The Sports Ministry on Friday asked the BCCI to furnish details on a number of issues, including mechanisms put in place by the Cricket Board, to ensure that unethical practices like betting and match-fixing do not take place during the upcoming IPl. While the Ministry has made it clear that it has “no objection from sports angle” for conducting the IPl at “no cost to Government” subject to clearance from Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, in a letter to the Chief Administrative Officer of the BCCI, Ratnakar Shetty, it has demanded some informations from the Board by April 10. “What mechanisms BCCI have put in place to ensure that unethical practices like betting and match-fixing, etc. do not take place during IPl-2014,” the Sports Ministry asked the BCCI in a letter.
lee, KP, Murali for lord’s 200th
london: Retired Australian speedster Brett lee has become the latest player to be named in the Sachin Tendulkar-led Marylebone Cricket Club XI which will take on Rest of the World XI in a lord’s Bicentenary celebration match on July 5. English swashbuckler Kevin Pietersen and Sri lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan will also feature in the match for Rest of the World, which would be led by Australian great Shane Warne. The MCC XI will also feature, among others, India’s former batsman Rahul Dravid, besides England assistant coach Paul Collingwood. “I was very proud to have been given MCC Honorary life Membership last year and it will be a pleasure to help the Club celebrate the lord’s Bicentenary by playing in this match,” lee said. The Rest of the World XI will be managed by ex-South Africa all-rounder and MCC World Cricket committee member Shaun Pollock, while the MCC XI will be managed by MCC President Mike Gatting.
England eves cruise to WT20 final
Mirpur: Skipper Charlotte Edwards and young Sarah Taylor batted sensibly to chase down a paltry total and help England women beat South Africa by nine wickets to enter the final of the ICC Women’s World T20 here on Friday. The English eves will meet Australia in the final on Sunday. Put into bat, South African women could only manage 101 in 19.5 overs with nine of their batswomen failing to reach double figures. In reply, England scored the runs with as many as 19 deliveries to spare. Openers Edwards (36) and Sarah Taylor (44 not out) added 67 runs for the opening wicket to wrap up the match in their favour. Edwards hit five boundaries during her 37-ball knock, while Taylor and the other unbeaten batswoman Heather Knight (21 not out) hit three boundaries each. Spinner Sune luus was the only wicket-taker for South Africa. Brief Scores: South Africa: 101 in 19.5 overs (Chloe Tyron 40, Anya Shrubsole 2/12) lost to England: 102/1 in 16.5 overs (Sarah Taylor 44 no, Charlotte Edwards 36, Heather Knight 21 no) by 9 wickets.
SlC offers additional incentive
Colombo: Sri lanka Cricket has offered an incentive of $1500 to the national team players as a reward for reaching the final of the ICC World T20 that will be held in Mirpur on Sunday. SlC said that a further $1500 would be made available to them if they emerged winners. This will be in addition to the 1500 the players have already become eligible for winning the semifinal against West Indies. In the rain-hit semifinal last night, Sri lanka defeated the reigning champions West Indies by 27 runs under the Duckworth lewis method.
IPl kicks off with fantasy game
New Delhi: As the cricket fever is all set to grip the country with the seventh season of Indian Premier league (IPl) scheduled to kick-off from April 16, the T20 games’ fantasy version is back again. The second version of the IPl Fantasy league, which runs for the entire duration of the IPl league, is a digital version of T20 cricket that allows users to select their teams and play against others, earning points and winning prizes. The digital version of the T20 cricket that debuted last year saw participation from about 550,000 players from across the globe. “We have this time added several features, including greater emphasis on social platforms and better optimisation for mobile,” TenTenTen Digital Productions CEO and Managing Director Ramesh Srivats said.