BCCI sends e-mail to DDCA
new delhi: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has shot off an e-mail to the faction-ridden Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), enquiring whether they can host the second T20 International between India and Sri lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on February 12. The situation arose after Manjit Singh (a DDCA patron) who is also a member of the Tours and Fixtures Committee wrongly told Thakur and Game Development Manager Ratnakar Shetty during a meeting in Mumbai that they have all the required compliance certificates in order. However Thakur got to learn that DDCA had no clearances in hand when he met senior DDCA officials last Saturday. It has been learnt that Ranchi has been kept on stand-by in case DDCA fails to organise the match.
lancers crush up Wizards
lucknow: Kalinga lancers thrashed Uttar Pradesh Wizards 10-2 in a high-scoring contest to register their second consecutive win and jump to the top of the fourth Hockey India league, here on Monday. Australian Glenn Turner (43rd, 47th minutes) scored two while Aran Zalewski (20th), lalit Upadhyay (45th) and Dharamvir Singh (60th) were the other goal getters for the lancers. However, it was UP Wizards who took the lead in the 14th minute when Gonzalo Peillat scored from a penalty stroke. But Zalewski drew parity for lancers through a field strike four minutes into the second quarter. Dharamvir then added salt to UP Wizards wounds when he scored from a field effort in the final minute of the match to pocket the encounter convincingly for lancers.
Gurbaj in men’s team for SAG
new delhi: Controversial midfielder Gurbaj Singh on Monday returned to the Indian men’s hockey team to be led by Mandeep Antil, while the experienced Ritu Rani was handed reins of the women’s squad for the 12th South Asian Games from Feb 5 to 16 in Guwahati and Shillong. The South Asian Games will see the Indian eves play against Sri lanka and Nepal while the men’s team will be competing with Bangladesh, Sri lanka and Pakistan. The hockey matches will be hosted at Moullana MD. Tayabullah Hockey Stadium, Bhetapara in Guwahati from February 7 to 14. The men’s team, which is not full-strength, will be under coach BJ Kariappa with Antil as the captain. The 18-member Indian eves will player under the guidance of chief coach Neil Hawgood and Rani, Hockey India said in a release.