Global News Post: Cricket

Indian Cricketer Conferred Order of Australia Membership

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MUMBAI
(NNN-Bernama) -- Indian veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been conferred
the membership of the Order of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region></st1:place>
(AM) for service to India-Australia relations by promoting goodwill, friendship
and sportsmanship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Australian
Arts Minister Simon Crean conferred the award on the 39-year-old batsman in
Mumbai on Tuesday, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sachin
is the fourth non-Australian cricketer to be made an Order of Australia after
three West Indian legends -- Clive Lloyd, Sir Garfield Sobers and Brian Lara --
received their award in 1985, 2003 and 2009 respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sachin
was also the second Indian national to be honoured by the Order of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee Soli was made an Honorary Member for
service to Australia-India bilateral legal relations in 2006. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Indian cricketer is considered one of the greatest batsman the game has ever
produced with more than 30,000 international runs under his belt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
has scored 15,533 runs in 190 Tests and a mammoth 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs. --
NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

Indian Cricketer Conferred Order of Australia Membership

MUMBAI (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been conferred the membership of the Order of Australia (AM) for...

INDIA: SUN TV Network Buys New IPL Franchise

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MUMBAI
(NNN-PTI) -- Sun TV Network on Thursday won the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hyderabad</st1:place></st1:city> franchise of the Indian Premier
League for an amount of Rs 85.05 crores per year, marking an end to BCCI's hunt
for a new team in the wake of the controversial termination of cash-strapped
Deccan Chargers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
IPL Governing Council met here on Thursday to open the bids for the new IPL
franchise and Sun TV was found to have the highest bid amount.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"SUN
TV Network have won the Hyderabad Franchise for an amount of Rs 85.05 crores
per year. This Franchise fee represents a premium of over a 100 % above the
amount paid by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">DCHL
for the Hyderabad Franchise in 2008," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said
in a release.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"The
SUN TV Network bid was substantially higher than the second bid of PVP Ventures,
which was Rs 69.03 crores," Jagdale said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In
an effort to attract more bidders, the BCCI had kept the base price at a
reasonable Rs. 60 crores per year. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited had bought
the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hyderabad</st1:place></st1:city>
franchise for Rs 428 crores for a period of 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Chennai-based
Sun TV Networks Limited is one of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">India</st1:country>'s
biggest television networks with 32 TV channels and 45 FM radio stations
primarily catering to an audience in the four southern languages of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country>. Their
network includes channels covering news, entertainment, film, documentary and
music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
BCCI had floated the tenders for a new IPL franchise after terminating Deccan
Chargers' contract on Sept 15 but the team owners DCHL had challenged it at the
Bombay High Court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
High Court had ruled in favour of the BCCI after Deccan Chargers Holdings
Limited failed to furnish bank guarantee of Rs 100 crore before October 12, 5pm
deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Later,
an arbitrator had ordered for status quo but the High Court again ruled in
favour of the Board. -- NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>

INDIA: SUN TV Network Buys New IPL Franchise

MUMBAI (NNN-PTI) -- Sun TV Network on Thursday won the Hyderabad franchise of the Indian Premier League for an amount of Rs 85.05 cr...

Indian Cricket: Sports Minister Asks BCCI to Take Prompt Action

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI): Sports Minister Ajay Maken has said the onus lies with the BCCI as far as the IPL spot-fixing is concerned and has asked the Board to take prompt action in the interest of the millions of cricket fans in the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"I am sure and wish that BCCI acts fast, goes into the root cause of this problem and solves the problem in the interest of the millions of fans in cricket in our country," he said Tuesday. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">He also hoped that the BCCI would sort out the issue at the earliest. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"I have just seen part of what all of you have seen in the sting operation. I am very sure...you all know that in cricket, in other sports also and not only in India but elsewhere also we occasionally hear such things happening. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"But the challenge and the opportunity here lies with the BCCI as to how far they are able to go to the root cause, go to the bottom of the problem and sort it out," said Maken. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The channel, India TV, Monday claimed it had done a sting operation in which many players confessed on hidden camera they get much more than their prescribed auction under the table. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to the channel, its operation also revealed that spot-fixing is not only prevalent in IPL but also that first class matches are fixed and women played an important role in match-fixing. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Superstars of Indian cricket and even an international player, who is a captain of one of the teams, are involved in fixing the matches, the channel said in a statement. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: kashida; text-kashida: 0%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Kings XI Punjab player Shalabh Srivastava, Mohnish Mishra of Pune Warriors, T P Sudhindra of Deccan Chargers and Amit Yadav of Kings XI Punjab are shown in the sting operation. -NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Indian Cricket: Sports Minister Asks BCCI to Take Prompt Action

NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI): Sports Minister Ajay Maken has said the onus lies with the BCCI as far as the IPL spot-fixing is concerned and has...

Pakistan Jubilant Over Winning 2012 Cricket Asia Cup

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">By Jamil Bhatti </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ISLAMABAD (NNN-Bernama) -- Pakistani cricket fans were jubilant after country's national team won the Asia Cup by beating Bangladesh on Thursday night in Dhaka, China's Xinhua news agency reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thousands of young excited Pakistanis showed their joy on the streets after Pakistan won the thrilling and heart-wrenching competition that went to the last ball of the final match. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy cricket fans danced with the thumping beats of traditional drums and there were some occasions of aerial firing and fireworks. They also distributed sweets among each other to celebrate the national victory. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Young guys, riding on their motorbikes and cars with loud national songs, roamed around the capital Islamabad till late night to show their happiness and joy over the title that became theirs after 12 years. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Like in other parts of the country, dozens of large TV screens were installed in Islamabad where thousands of cricket fans congregated to view the play, applauding as their team was moving towards victory. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pakistani TV channels ran special programmes and transmissions after the national team grabbed the title and showed jubilant fans dancing, shouting in happiness and having parties across the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On Friday morning, national daily Urdu newspapers gave special coverage to the triumph, placing its news on the front-pages with super leads. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Pakistan becomes Asian cricket tiger" and "Pakistan clinches Asian cricket crown" were some of the headlines in various newspapers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani congratulated the team and nation over the historical victory. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pakistani cricket team captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the victory is a gift for the nation that is celebrating its national day "Pakistan Day" on March 23. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was the 12th event of the Asia Cup since its inauguration in 1984 in the United Arab Emirates. -- NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Pakistan Jubilant Over Winning 2012 Cricket Asia Cup

By Jamil Bhatti ISLAMABAD (NNN-Bernama) -- Pakistani cricket fans were jubilant after country's national team won the Asia Cup by beat...

Sachin Tendulkar Has Made India Proud: PM Manmohan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">   <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI</span></st1:city></st1:place><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-PTI) -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday joined the nation in congratulating Sachin Tendulkar for his historic feat of making the 100th international century, saying he had done the country proud and wished him many more innings to inspire the youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I join the nation in congratulating Sachin Tendulkar on his making history — a hundred centuries. He has made <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> proud,” Dr. Singh said in his message soon after Tendulkar hit the century of centuries against <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Hailing Tendulkar’s long career as a “triumph of class, character and courage”, the Prime Minister said, “I wish him many more innings and feats to continue inspiring the youth.” -- NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Sachin Tendulkar Has Made India Proud: PM Manmohan

NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI) -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday joined the nation in congratulating Sachin Tendulkar for his historic ...

Indian Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar Finally Hits 100th International Century

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI</span></st1:city><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-TNN) -- Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, treated like God by his fans, ended the long and tiring wait for his 100th international century on Friday at <st1:place w:st="on">Dhaka</st1:place>'s Shere Bangla National Stadium. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tendulkar, the leading run scorer in the history of both Test and one-day cricket, achieved the most-coveted ton by taking a single off Shakib Al Hasan against <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region> in Asia Cup. Tendulkar's century came off 138 balls and was studded with 10 fours and a six. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The master blaster's 99th century had come against <st1:country-region w:st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region> on March 12, 2011, at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nagpur</st1:place></st1:city> during the World Cup. Friday's century was Tendulkar's 49th in one-dayers; he has 51 Test centuries. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tendulkar, who was left stranded on 99 international hundreds for a year and four days, played Test series against <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>, the West Indies and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He also featured in the recently concluded triseries in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> but his bid to become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds remained unfulfilled, although he came close on a few occasions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tendulkar has defied age and injury at every stage of his career. Whenever injuries threatened to stall his career, he pushed his body to the limit, and sometimes even beyond. Even the most threatening of all his injuries - the painful tennis elbow (in 2004) - couldn't break him. He cried out in agony, waited with hope for almost a year, tackled it with determination and ultimately conquered it like only he can. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In February 2010, Tendulkar became the first in world cricket to score a double hundred in one-day international, while in December 2010 he became the first to score 50 Test tons, both landmarks achieved against the best pace attack in world cricket - <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Wisden, regarded as the bible of cricket, named Tendulkar as the leading cricketer in the world for the year 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In 2007, Wisden had identified Tendulkar as the player to have won such an award for 1998 - had it been instituted then. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tendulkar, who realised his long-cherished dream when <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> won the World Cup in April 2011, was also named in Wisden's 2009 Test XI, at his accustomed number four position. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">His passion for the game not only keeps him going, but also gives him the opportunity to reinvent himself. Each time he goes out on to the field he seems to be raising the bar for himself. -- NNN-TNN <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Indian Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar Finally Hits 100th International Century

NEW DELHI (NNN-TNN) -- Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, treated like God by his fans, ended the long and tiring wait for his 100th i...

Shahid Afridi to Speak Out Against Drug Abuse as UN Goodwill Ambassador

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierIUpF0KRxUuP9CVNK0Wpj46NKrdyrRbYjcnb6POe30DlRROgzxgJY2HHbvxLCNFyV__MuKM-taPyK3eAkCVUXZUi1sF7cLv5f9NZtc4bK2bFqzAO6sYFvPXeDFcu2u3QlIt0JpdAqSs/s1600/01-18-unodc-afridi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierIUpF0KRxUuP9CVNK0Wpj46NKrdyrRbYjcnb6POe30DlRROgzxgJY2HHbvxLCNFyV__MuKM-taPyK3eAkCVUXZUi1sF7cLv5f9NZtc4bK2bFqzAO6sYFvPXeDFcu2u3QlIt0JpdAqSs/s1600/01-18-unodc-afridi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Shahid Afridi, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador to<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Combat Drug Use Among the Youth. Photo: UNODC</span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi will speak out against drug abuse and promote healthy living through sports in his new role as National Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> Afridi, a batsman and bowler, was captain of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> national cricket team from 2009 to 2011. He became an overnight sensation in 1996 when, as a 16-year-old, he made history by scoring the fastest century in a one-day international in his very first innings.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I have never done anything by halves and I will give my all to my new role of National Goodwill Ambassador,” Afridi said on accepting his two-year assignment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I hate to see drugs ruin the lives of young people. If I can convince just one boy or girl to turn away from drugs I will be proud,” he added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> “He plays with heart,” Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Representative in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, stated in a news release. “Shahid Afridi is a role model who can speak powerfully against drug abuse. Young people see in him the courage to push away boundaries and the will to go on when things get tough.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In his new role, Afridi will promote healthy living through sports and emphasize positive values and attitudes during visits to schools and colleges. He will also witness the impact of the work of UNODC in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and highlight the need to curb drug abuse and associated crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Afridi, who has roots in <st1:placename w:st="on">Khyber</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Pakhtoonkhwa</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Province</st1:placetype> and lives in <st1:city w:st="on">Karachi</st1:city>, has been involved in humanitarian efforts in the past, including efforts supporting the emergency response after the catastrophic floods that hit <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> in 2010. ---</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">UN News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Shahid Afridi to Speak Out Against Drug Abuse as UN Goodwill Ambassador

Shahid Afridi, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Drug Use Among the Youth. Photo: UNODC Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi will s...

Former Test Skipper Mahela Reached the 10,000 th Run In Test Cricket

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">By <a href="http://www.groundreport.com/emanthim"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Emanthi Marambe</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><a href="http://www.groundreport.com/World/Former-Test-Skipper-Mahela-Reached-The-10-000-th-R/2943322"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Ground Report</span></a><b> - </b>Former Sri Lankan Skipper Mahela Jayawardena (26) became the first Sri Lankan Cricketer to score 10,000 Runs in Test Match Cricket as he reached the milestone during the first day's play in second Test Match against South Africa currently been played in Durban, South Africa. Mahela is the 9th Cricketer of the world who has reached this milestone.He was out after scoring 31 runs today as his Test Cricket Runs stands as 10,030.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">He has already surpassed the 10,000 run mark in One Day Internationals (ODI)</span></div>

Former Test Skipper Mahela Reached the 10,000 th Run In Test Cricket

By Emanthi Marambe Ground Report - Former Sri Lankan Skipper Mahela Jayawardena (26) became the first Sri Lankan Cricketer to score 10,...

Pakistan Court Asks Authorities to Register Case against Cricketers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">LAHORE</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> (NNN-PTI): A Pakistani court ordered authorities to register a criminal case against former captain Salman Butt and two other cricketers who were convicted of corruption and spot-fixing by a court in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The additional district and sessions court in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lahore</st1:place></st1:city> issued the order in response to an application filed by lawyer Muhammad Zubair Bulqan, who had asked the judge to direct authorities to register a case against the Pakistani cricketers involved in spot-fixing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Bulqan said the players had tarnished <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s image in the world of cricket by indulging in spot-fixing. He said the offence the players had committed was not a tolerable one for the entire country.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The petitioner said he earlier submitted an application to Islamapura police station for registering a case against the cricketers but officials had refused to act on his request.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">He asked the court to order the police station chief to register a case against the players.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The judge, while disposing of Bulqan's petition, ordered the police station chief to act on the petitioner's application in accordance with the law and to register a case on any cognizable offences committed by the players.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Earlier in the day, the British court handed down prison sentences to the three suspended Pakistani cricketers - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer - after finding them guilty of corruption.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Butt and Asif were jailed for 30 months and one year respectively. Aamer, who pleaded guilty before the trial of his two teammates, was sentenced to six months in prison.-NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Pakistan Court Asks Authorities to Register Case against Cricketers

LAHORE (NNN-PTI): A Pakistani court ordered authorities to register a criminal case against former captain Salman Butt and two other crick...

Dravid faces 30000 Test deliveries

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><br />
<div id="link" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">By <a href="http://www.groundreport.com/kingrahulkhan30">Kingrahulkhan30</a>    </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
<div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw92B9cv2Q6TA6DqifS8B3vgcYcgGjva0o1HvfmjfZuHJRmX8fH03QhxWWu4KmrbGXKwuZM8U1jU0COAtJgBkub9r4IYvIBaCPAQ4frcLzIm2Vcpz6-dFKEcTmoYOR1fHg-HcQhJKgqXM/s1600/rahuldravidgroundreportcc.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw92B9cv2Q6TA6DqifS8B3vgcYcgGjva0o1HvfmjfZuHJRmX8fH03QhxWWu4KmrbGXKwuZM8U1jU0COAtJgBkub9r4IYvIBaCPAQ4frcLzIm2Vcpz6-dFKEcTmoYOR1fHg-HcQhJKgqXM/s1600/rahuldravidgroundreportcc.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.groundreport.com/World/Dravid-faces-30000-Test-deliveries/2941120">GroundReport</a>:</span> Indian veteran batsman Rahul Dravid becomes the 1st batsman in Test Cricket ever to face 30000 Test Deliveries.He reach the fate during the last Test match against England.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Apart from that he is also the 2nd highest run getter from his fellow team mate Sachin Tendulkar.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">He also holds the record for the maximum number of Test catches beating Australian Mark Waugh.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;">Published under a<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.</span></a></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/16pt arial; margin-bottom: 4px; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=%20Rahul%20Dravid" target="_blank">Search Amazon.com  for  Rahul Dravid </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></span></div>

Dravid faces 30000 Test deliveries

By Kingrahulkhan30 GroundReport : Indian veteran batsman Rahul Dravid becomes the 1st batsman in Test Cricket ever to face 30000 Te...

In US, Cricket Stages a Comeback

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span> </span>By Matthew Hilburn</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">from Washington, DC<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ozefox-Runmaker-Cricket-Bat-Set/dp/B003S9LNP6?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ozefox Runmaker Cricket Bat Set" height="320" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B003S9LNP6&tag=glob036-20" width="266" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003S9LNP6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003S9LNP6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />At first glance, the grass playing field at Mountain View Alternative High School in Centreville, Virginia, looks like any playing field at any high school in the country. But for a Sunday in August when most schools are usually still, there was a lot of activity, and the stifling air rang with a mix of Hindi and the occasional English cries of “Six!” “Awesome shot!” “Good running, man!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only they weren’t playing football, basketball or track and field. They were playing cricket, a sport which was last popular in the U.S. more than 150 years ago, but is seeing a dramatic resurgence as immigrant groups, particularly from India and Pakistan, grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Cricket-PS3-Playstation-3/dp/5293009893?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ashes Cricket (2009) PS3" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=5293009893&tag=glob036-20" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This particular match was between Ashford Cricket Club (ACC) and<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=5293009893" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> the Willow Cricket Club, two teams out of 32 that comprise the</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span>Washington Metro Cricket League</span> <span style="background: white;">(WMCL), one of several leagues in the DC area and one of 45 leagues nationwide officially recognized by the</span> <span>USA Cricket Association</span> <span style="background: white;">(USACA).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“There’s not enough room for all the people who want to play,” said Hitesh Panchal, the captain of ACC and one of the founders of the WMCL. “There are just not enough places to play.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-For-Dummies-ebook/dp/B004OC0140?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Cricket For Dummies" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004OC0140&tag=glob036-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004OC0140" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />The players in the WMCL are largely from the Indian subcontinent. Some are residents, some citizens and some here on temporary</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span>H1B visas</span><span style="background: white;">. Many work in the computer field, said Panchal. They’re of all ages, some are married and others are bachelors, but they all share a deep love of the sport.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to John L. Aaron, the Executive Secretary of USACA, there are 20,000 league players in the U.S. and likely 200,000 recreational players.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He thinks cricket has huge growth potential as well, saying there are millions of people living in the U.S. from countries where cricket is popular, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crickets-Strangest-Matches-Andrew-Ward/dp/1861052936?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cricket's Strangest Matches" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1861052936&tag=glob036-20" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It’s growing in two important areas,” Aaron said. “You are<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1861052936" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> seeing people from countries where cricket is not played starting to play, and more importantly, it’s being handed down to the children of immigrants from countries where cricket is played.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While there are no cricket version of</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span>Little League</span> <span style="background: white;">yet, Aaron didn’t rule out the possibility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aaron said that during the 2007 Cricket World Cup, which was held in the West Indies, more people in the U.S. watched than any country other than India, where cricket is a religion unto itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Despite the increase in popularity, the United States is a long way from competing at a world-class level with countries such as India, England, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa, the full members of the</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span>International Cricket Council</span><span style="background: white;">(ICC) that vie for the World Cup every four years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The U.S., for now at least, remains a second-tier, associate member of the ICC. However, with the recent growth in popularity, some of the world’s top teams have started coming to the U.S. to play exhibition matches, said Aaron.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For example, in May of 2010, the New Zealand and Sri Lankan teams played two, one-day matches at the only ICC sanctioned cricket stadium in the U.S., which is located at the Central Broward Regional Park in Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“There was good attendance,” said Aaron. “There were quite a few Americans who were not familiar with the sport, and they were asking a ton of questions.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="right" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableMediumShading2" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; width: 259px;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 16.8pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">   <td style="background: black; border-bottom: solid windowtext 2.25pt; border-left: none; border-right: none; border-top: solid windowtext 2.25pt; height: 16.8pt; mso-background-themecolor: text1; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;" valign="top">   <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 1.8pt; mso-element-left: right; mso-element-top: 8.45pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-yfti-cnfc: 517; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;">Cricket in   the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 1.8pt; mso-element-left: right; mso-element-top: 8.45pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-yfti-cnfc: 517; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;"><i>It has been a long time   since there was this much interest in cricket in the United States.<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 1.8pt; mso-element-left: right; mso-element-top: 8.45pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-yfti-cnfc: 517; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;"><i>It was popular in the   18th and 19th centuries, and in 1844, the U.S. was the first country ever to   host an international cricket match, which was against Canada. In fact, it’s   said to have been the first international sporting event ever.<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 1.8pt; mso-element-left: right; mso-element-top: 8.45pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-yfti-cnfc: 517; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;"><i>But after a brief heyday   in the mid-19th century, cricket began to be pushed off the American sports   radar by baseball, a derivative of Cricket often called “America’s pastime.”   Baseball was seen to lack the aristocratic air of cricket and could be played   anywhere by anyone.<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: margin; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 1.8pt; mso-element-left: right; mso-element-top: 8.45pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly; mso-yfti-cnfc: 517; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: background1;"><i>It remains largely   baffling to most Americans, but it’s fairly easy to understand if you know a   little about baseball and have someone explain the rules. You’ll quickly   learn that six is an all-important number—sort of the cricket version of the   homerun in baseball, but worth six points instead of just one.</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td>  </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While there were no spectators at the WMCL </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">match, the league is serious enough to have come up with $10,000 to invest in the pitch, a specially prepared turf strip in the middle of the field where most of the action takes place. The league also maintains a very thorough website, complete with team and individual statistics as well as player profiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WMCL matches aren’t played with a regular cricket ball, but instead with a modified tennis ball. Panchal said this was to avoid potential liability as well as to make the game playable without the protective gear required when using the very hard, leather ball. Some leagues do play with a regulation ball, Panchal said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The WMCL matches are highly competitive and taken very seriously by the players. As in baseball, when one team is batting, the other takes to the WMCL version of a</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">baseball dugout</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, in this case, a couple of picnic tables in the shade by the field, and from there, they shout encouragement to their batsmen. On the field, there’s more than a little trash talk, said Panchal.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Players are also not afraid to verbally clash when they feel a call doesn’t go their way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two controversial calls by the umpires cleared the benches, and while it never got close to trading blows, heated words were exchanged.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cricket is not taken lightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-For-Dummies-ebook/dp/B004OC0140?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Cricket For Dummies" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004OC0140&tag=glob036-20" /></a><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004OC0140" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />“It’s fun, competitive and also a good workout,” said Ganesh Gopal, whose DC Yorkers team took to the field in the next match. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Why else would why I spend almost five hours on a weekend for the game?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the end the Willow Cricket Club edged out ACC 143/8 (Overs: 20.0) to 102/10 (Overs: 16.5). ACC was closing the gap, but one of their batsman was called out on a controversial call. Panchal, like any competitor, blamed the loss at least partially on the poor quality of the umpire.(VOA News)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>

In US, Cricket Stages a Comeback

By Matthew Hilburn from Washington, DC At first glance, the grass playing field at Mountain View Alternative High School in Centrevil...

Video of day 5: England beat India by 196 runs in first Test at Lord's

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpzCo86mzTCr11ZX4cCx2wgoOIgfY10Gi1akH4WJId04o_UIGQmgJ9y3lK89mT-2ayOADkXmc6C0hRARD3XLMgq_5dS1p6He8x3rxUgFkwe4RXBjMhp44u6RhUjCwopOUDbdpEo5WwBQ/s1600/Sports.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpzCo86mzTCr11ZX4cCx2wgoOIgfY10Gi1akH4WJId04o_UIGQmgJ9y3lK89mT-2ayOADkXmc6C0hRARD3XLMgq_5dS1p6He8x3rxUgFkwe4RXBjMhp44u6RhUjCwopOUDbdpEo5WwBQ/s320/Sports.png" width="299" /></a></div><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QWqQlNbAnrQ" width="560"></iframe></div></div><br />
India lost the first cricket Test against England at the Cricket’s historic destination, Lord's stadium in London.<br />
The host team took a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series against India after defeating by 196 runs on Monday, led by James Anderson’s five-wicket haul and three from Stuart Broad.<br />
<br />
</div>

Video of day 5: England beat India by 196 runs in first Test at Lord's

India lost the first cricket Test against England at the Cricket’s historic destination, Lord's stadium in London. The host team took...

India beat West Indies by 16 runs in Twenty20 International

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cfFP17XmDUwnHmceFTvgRqu5dzyfvE4Fcf-l-VzL-InjdKByqE0KiFAMiuvwWf6UNabt12Qu8-cFeWS6fXPClzLG4xZpAUa1809Icu7u5_O5Wn_skerge7wsJh0DST4atISX-LWPS5w/s1600/westindies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cfFP17XmDUwnHmceFTvgRqu5dzyfvE4Fcf-l-VzL-InjdKByqE0KiFAMiuvwWf6UNabt12Qu8-cFeWS6fXPClzLG4xZpAUa1809Icu7u5_O5Wn_skerge7wsJh0DST4atISX-LWPS5w/s320/westindies.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Putting up a splendid all round show, India scored a comfortable 16-run victory over the West Indies in the one-off Twenty20 International to begin their Caribbean tour on a resounding note on Saturday.</b></div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><b>It is India's first win over the West Indies in T20 format as they had lost the previous two encounters at Lord's and Kensington Oval. </b></div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">After being invited to bat on a tricky Sabina Park Oval strip India recovered from a top-order collapse to post a competitive 159 for six and then restricted the hosts to 143 for five. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Host skipper Darren Sammy had asked second-string India to bat under helpful conditions for the pacers and he himself did all the damage with four wickets as the visiting batsmen struggled to adjust to the bounce of the pitch. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">India owed their recovery to top-scorer S Badrinath (43) and Rohit Sharma (26) as they combined for a 71-run stand for the fifth wicket after the visitors were reeling at 56 for four inside nine overs. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Yusuf Pathan (15 not out off 6) and Harbhajan Singh (15 not out off 7) hit some lusty shots towards the end to help India cross the 150-run mark. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Indian bowlers then complimented the good batting effort from the middle-order with a disciplined performance. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Harbhajan Singh (2-25) took two wickets while Praveen Kumar (1-27), R Ashwin (1-30) and Munaf Patel (1-35) contributed in the win with a wicket apiece. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">For the West Indies, Darren Bravo hit a-run-a-ball 41 and Christopher Barnwell sparkled with a 16-ball unbeaten 34 but that only reduced the defeat margin for the hosts. </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Teams: </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">India: Suresh Raina (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramaniam Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Andre Fletcher (wk), Danza Hyatt, Ashley Nurse, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Umpires: Norman Malcolm (WIS), Peter Nero (WIS) </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">TV umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS) </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL) </div><div class="mxb" style="text-align: justify;">Reserve umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WIS) (DDNews)</div><div><br />
</div></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="text-align: justify; width: 416px;"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="416"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>

India beat West Indies by 16 runs in Twenty20 International

Putting up a splendid all round show, India scored a comfortable 16-run victory over the West Indies in the one-off Twenty20 International ...

Indian cricket team arrives in West Indies

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMcNNPmZirNImK8Cras4sUkK4ZUC_7eUr_eiFIH2ZV4f7oGjFNiu93rzO3spr_yMbgf_Zem2Mnw3wTP60lu8oyepPxC1ZNpYfe0vpKlSdVUEhLHZEz8iuprKinrHOx7RbEQThu-8lZ-w/s1600/Indian+cricket+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMcNNPmZirNImK8Cras4sUkK4ZUC_7eUr_eiFIH2ZV4f7oGjFNiu93rzO3spr_yMbgf_Zem2Mnw3wTP60lu8oyepPxC1ZNpYfe0vpKlSdVUEhLHZEz8iuprKinrHOx7RbEQThu-8lZ-w/s1600/Indian+cricket+team.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Photo © DD News</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">A depleted Indian cricket team, sans senior players Sachin Tendulkar and regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, arrived in Port Of Spain, Trinidad for a limited overs series against the West Indies, starting Saturday.</span></i></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Smartly dressed in a tee and trousers, the Indian players landed at around 20.30 Hrs (local time) on Wednesday at the Piarco International Airport in Port Of Spain, Trinidad and were received by officials of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) and sponsors Digicel.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Suresh Raina-led Indian side looked tired and exhausted after their long flight from Mumbai via London and Barbados.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Stand-in skipper Raina's eyes were blood-shot for lack of sleep and a few team members looked dishevelled from the exertions of a long, trans-Atlantic flight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though he looked tired and sleepless, Raina exuded confidence that his young team will do whatever it takes to win the lone Twenty game and the five-match ODI series against the Caribbeans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"It's a young side. The players want to do well for the country and themselves. They are extremely motivated," said Raina after arriving Port Of Spain, Trinidad last evening.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Vice-captain Harbhajan Singh too opined that the starless Indian team would not be short of motivation in the upcoming series, irrespective of their relentless cricket schedule.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"These are young boys who are looking to build a career for itself. I don't think tiredness or fatigue would be a factor," said the off-spinner.</span><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">(DDNews)</span></b></div>

Indian cricket team arrives in West Indies

Photo © DD News A depleted Indian cricket team, sans senior players Sachin Tendulkar and regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, arrived i...

India Wins Semi-Final World Cup Cricket Match Against Pakistan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;"><div align="center" style="border-bottom: .5pt solid windowtext; border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-between: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-border-bottom-alt: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; mso-padding-between: 1.0pt; mso-padding-bottom-alt: 1.0pt; padding-bottom: 1.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Life for more than a billion people across India and Pakistan came to a standstill during the semi-final match Wednesday.  India beat Pakistan by 29 runs, 260 to 231.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">India has won bragging rights over Pakistan after beating its arch-rival on the cricket field and advancing to the World Cup final match against Sri Lanka set for Saturday.<br /><br />Life for more than a billion people across India and Pakistan came to a standstill during the semi-final match Wednesday.  India beat Pakistan by 29 runs, 260 to 231.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Tickets for the semi-final match had been sold out for days, and most businesses and offices in both countries were closed during the play.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, showed a rare unified front, as they watched most of the match together from a private box at the stadium in the northern Indian city of Mohali.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The show of friendly competition follows two days of peace talks between the two countries. Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and Pakistan's Interior Secretary Chaudhary Qamar Zaman met in New Delhi this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was the first formal dialogue since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, during which Pakistan-based militants killed 166 people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In a joint statement Tuesday, Islamabad agreed "in principle" to allow a team from India to investigate the attacks, while New Delhi said a Pakistani delegation would travel to India to probe the attacks. The two sides also agreed to establish a hotline to share real-time information on terrorist threats.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their 1947 independence from Britain.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border: none; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So-called "cricket diplomacy" has been used as a platform to ease India-Pakistan tension in the past. In 1987 and 2005, Pakistani leaders traveled to India to watch cricket matches.</span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">VOA News</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 53.25pt;">                  </div></div>

India Wins Semi-Final World Cup Cricket Match Against Pakistan

Life for more than a billion people across India and Pakistan came to a standstill during the semi-final match Wednesday. India beat Pakist...