MCA interviews 28 candidates
Mumbai: Twenty-eight aspirants, some of them former Test players, were interviewed today for the job of coaches in different age groups representing Mumbai including the senior team by the local cricket association. The names of selected candidates for a total of six coaching posts, including two for the women’s teams, will be announced on April 25, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said. Among the prospective candidates for the senior team who appeared for the interview were former Test and first class cricketers Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Pravin Amre, Paras Mhambrey, Sairaj Bahutule, Sandeep Dahad and Rahul Mankad, said MCA Treasurer Vinod Deshpande. “We had a hectic day interviewing so many people. Two of them — Ajit Agarkar (for senior team) and Vinayak Mane (for junior) — are overseas and could not come today. They would be available after two days, so we decided to interview them too before announcing the chosen ones on April 25,” he said. With the domestic cricket season ending on Monday, MCA officials have a lot of time in hand to finalise coaching staff for next season.
PCB keen to bring back Waqar
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board is keen to bring back former skipper Waqar Younis as the chief coach of the national team as current coach Moin Khan is tipped to take over as the head of the national selection committee. According to a report published in The Dawn’, the legendary fast bowler is in talks with the Najam Sethi-led board to succeed Moin, who was only appointed for the Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 following the end of Dav Whatmore’s two-year contract with the national side. Waqar, who has coached Pakistan in 2010 and 2011 before resigning on health and personal grounds, has again expressed his willingness for the post after his previous application was rejected in early February by a PCB panel entrusted with the responsibility of finding the national coach. The committee — that also included Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and Intikhab Alam — zeroed in on Moin, who was then serving as the Pakistan team manager since the tour of Zimbabwe last August.
Baroda win domestic t20 title
Mumbai: Baroda pipped Uttar Pradesh by three runs to regain the National T20 title for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in a thrilling last ball finish at the Wankhede stadium here on Monday. Chasing a challenging target of 145, the Venkatesh Prasad-coached Uttar Pradesh team needed 11 runs off 7 balls but lost the plot as the batsmen at the crease, Praveen Kumar and Upendra Yadav, couldn't manage to overhaul the target and UP finished at 141 for six. Yadav smashed a six off the penultimate ball after Kumar just scored a single in the four balls he faced. With a boundary needed to win, Baroda's left-hand medium pacer Rishi Arothe kept his cool to dismiss Yadav with a low full toss. Baroda had previously won the title at the Brabourne Stadium here in 2012. Earlier, put in to bat, Baroda posted 144 for seven. They were led by left handed skipper Aditya Waghmode's quickfire 31-ball 42 (8x4).
Brief Scores: Baroda: 144/7 (A Waghmode 42, K Devdhar 26; P Kumar 2 for 24, A Murtaza 2 for 22) beat Uttar Pradesh: 141/6 (P Gupta 68, E Dwivedi 56; l Meriwala 3 for 31) by 3 runs.