|
|
|
|
|
Srinivasan should resign, says Scindia
Farooq says Srini’s guilt has not been proved
KKR-RCB match under scanner
|
|
|
Dhoni gagged on fixing issue
JSW Group gets entry into I-League
Stosur wins, several matches postponed
|
|
Srinivasan should resign, says Scindia
Chandigarh, May 28 Jyotiraditya Scindia, president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association today said that Srinivasan should resign for the sake of “propriety”. Scindia, who is the chairman of BCCI’s finance committee and, more pertinently, a member of its disciplinary committee, said that Srinivasan must step down. He said it was the thing to do after the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, formerly promoted as the Chennai Super Kings CEO/Team Principal, but later called just an “enthusiastic official of the team” by Srinivasan. Scindia, Union Minister of State Ministry of Power, said that if Srinivasan resigns, it should not be perceived as an admission of guilt, and that he could come back to his post if Gurunath is absolved of any wrongdoing. “Let me say this that I am not assuming or saying that anyone is guilty,” Scindia said. “But considering the environment that is around cricket today, considering the fact that we do need to cleanse the sport in every single meaning of the word, I do believe that it would be in the fitness of things if Mr. Srinivasan did step aside until this matter reached a conclusive end in terms of an inquiry.” “If he and his family members, or rather his son-in-law, is absolved then surely he can come back,” Scindia added. “But considering the environment that cricket is in today, I do think that if you combine the fact of a conflict of interest and his own family member being involved in an ongoing investigation, it is in the fitness of things and more from a spirit point of view and propriety point of view, I do believe that he should step aside.” “There’s a committee that’s going to be set up that’s going to look into this, I don’t believe that the nitty-gritty is important at this point of time,” he added. “I believe propriety is important and, in the sense of propriety, I do believe that he should step down. I do believe he should step down, not only for himself but also for Chennai Super Kings and for the spirit of cricket per se.” He also said that he would have resigned if he had found himself in a similar position. He also said that the BCCI officials must examine the situation and weigh their options. “I think it is time now for BCCI as a collective to see what the future course of action should be,” Scindia said. “In the fitness of things one should step aside, whether or not we believe we are guilty or not. If we are not guilty, then we will surely be reinstated. That example has to come from the top.” He also said that “a fair share” of the responsibility to clean up cricket is with the BCCI. “I believe we must take the assistance of other stakeholders on board to ensure that such incidents don’t recur, and there is a very strict - and strictly enforced - due process,” he said. Cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad also took Srinivasan and his supporters to task. Making a veiled attack on senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, he said that it was BCCI’s vote bank politics which was preventing the officials from doing the right thing. “They (BCCI) do not want to take on Srinivasan because somebody wants to be next BCCI president. They think, if they go against him, they will not get 10-15 votes from his loyalists in the next AGM,” Azad, who has been a vocal member of the anti-Jaitley camp in the DDCA, said. “They are acting like Gandhiji’s three monkeys. They all are involved. You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Such is the current scenario,” Azad told a TV news channel. Jaitley, who heads the Delhi & District Cricket Association, is in contention to become the next BCCI chief when Srinivasan’s term ends next year, as a North Zone representative is entitled for the post, going by the rotation policy. “Why should I say Srinivasan should resign or not? I would first like to know what people in BCCI, who talk of high morality and probity in public life, think. What they think about Srinivasan?” Azad said. Earlier, Bindra had demanded Srinivasan’s resignation in very strong words, said: “I demand that he should step down from the BCCI President’s position forthwith and not cause anymore damage to Indian cricket. His statement in Mumbai is shocking. It shows that he has not learnt anything from this episode. He continues to remain defiant as if nothing has happened.” The beleaguered President however brushed aside Scindia's call for his resignation, saying that "it was his view". Srinivasan said, "It's his view. I don't want to reply beyond that." (With agency inputs)
|
|
Farooq says Srini’s guilt has not been proved
Ganderbal, May 28 He said it made no sense in to demand his resignation as his guilt has not yet been proved. “Why should he resign?,” Abdulla, said. “If my son-in-law is involved, it does not mean I have to step down,” he added. “Let the investigation get over. If it comes out in investigation that Srinivasan is responsible, he will go, he is an honourable man.” Abdullah also said that betting on sports should be legalised in the country. “Betting must be made legal, otherwise it would continue,” he said. “Worldwide it is there. You are betting in Dubai, you are betting in England, in America, why not in India.” Asked if he would bet on sports if it is legalised, Abdullah said: “I dont know how to bet, I will never win if I bet.” He also said that he is not “fit to be president of BCCI”. Abdullah added that sports and politicians are inseparable. “The day you take politics out of sport, there will be no sport,” he said. Which is not what his son, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, believes. “I am personally of the view that sports bodies should be administered by sportspersons — that is the great favour we can do to sports people,” Omar had said recently. — TNS/PTI
|
|
New Delhi, May 28 However, Delhi Police said as such they have no evidence to corroborate the claims of Chandila and others made during questioning in the IPL spot-fixing scandal or to come to a conclusion that the match was fixed. The match in question is the one played between the two teams in Ranchi on May 12 which KKR won by four wickets. Police sources came out with these details a day after the arrest of Bhupender Nagar, a security manager of two night clubs in Delhi. They said Nagar was in touch with Chandila for the past seven-eight months as the player was a regular in the night club located in a prominent hotel in Nehru Place. Nagar's friend Vicky, also a bouncer in a night club of a prominent hotel in New Delhi, wanted to get in touch with some cricketers in the first week of May. Within two days, Nagar took Chandila, who came from Bangalore, to a night club in Vasant Kunj where Vicky met him. Later, Nagar, Vicky and two bookies went to Jaipur to meet Chandila to get some information on a particular match. "Chandila was asked by the bookies about who will win the match between KKR and RCB on May 12. The spinner told the bookies that KKR will win and actually KKR won the match," a senior police official said. The bookies had agreed to pay Rs 30 lakh to Chandila but refused to pay him later as they had claimed to have incurred loss due to a low-scoring match. — PTI
|
|
|
Mumbai, May 28 On expected lines, BCCI issued a diktat that the journalists attending the Champions Trophy press conference won’t be allowed to ask questions on the spot-fixing scandal, which rocked the cash-rich league leading after the arrest of three cricketers including S. Sreesanth. When Dhoni was asked why has he not responded as the leader of the Indian cricket team, the media manager R.N. Baba stopped the scribe from probing the skipper further, asking him to stick to questions pertaining to Champions Trophy. The team is leaving for England later on Tuesday night for the tournament. Dr. Baba is an official of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Another question that was put forward to Dhoni was how difficult it will be for him and the team to instil faith in the cricket-loving people that everything would be “fair” during the Champions Trophy. All Dhoni could manage was a chuckle as Baba again sprung into action stopping the journalist from probing further. As far as cricketing queries were concerned, one got the routine predictable answers from the India captain. Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday said that his Team India has got the "right mix" in the fast bowling department that could exploit the seamer-friendly conditions during the Champions Trophy in England. Bhuvaneshvar Kumar has impressed in a few opportunities he has got to play for the country. Umesh Yadav has regained fitness and Ishant Sharma did well for his side Sunrisers Hyderabad during the just-concluded IPL. The trio will have a crucial role to play in the favourable conditions in England. "When it comes to the fast bowling department, there are people who can exploit the conditions. Someone like Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) can swing the ball, there is Umesh (Yadav) who has pace. It's a good department," Dhoni told reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday. The team is leaving for England later tonight (Tuesday night) for the June 6-23 tournament. "They need to adjust to the new (ODI) rules. it's important how quickly they adjust to the length and bowl in the right areas. We have got the right mix," he added. The skipper indicated that the team was free of injuries. "There is no official report from the physio so it's a good sign." India are clubbed with Pakistan, SAfrica and the West Indies in group B, but it is the match against the arch-rival on June 15 that is most eagerly awaited. —PTI
|
|
JSW Group gets entry into I-League
New Delhi, May 18 The JSW Group will have Bangalore as their home base and will play their home matches there. JSW’s entry will be their first move to get a firm foothold in Indian football, as plans are also afoot in setting up a football academy, by the Jindal group, which owns JSW. The AIFF had invited fresh tender notice inviting bids for new clubs to be part of the I-League on May 21 and three business groups had applied---JSW, Mumbai Tigers and a Kochi-based consortium. While Mumbai Tigers had been given affiliation earlier, JSW also made the cut of the very high stipulations set by the AIFF’s Bid Evaluation Committee. The Kochi group’s application has got stuck in financial matters, and awaits clearance. JSW can compete from 2013 season. — TNS
|
|
Stosur wins, several matches postponed
Paris, May 28 The 2010 runner-up swept the first nine games Tuesday and drubbed 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-2. Play was delayed at the start on a 55-degree afternoon, and when the rain stopped, Stosur was ready. Playing on cozy Court 1, nicknamed the bullring, Stosur dominated with her strong serve and pinpoint groundstrokes, repeatedly skipping shots just inside the lines. Shortly after Stosur finished, rain returned, prompting another delay. I was happy to get out there and start," she said. "It was spitting a little bit when we went out there. You think, `Oh, are we going to start or are we not?' Lucky for me I was able to finish the match before this last downpour came," she said. The resulting schedule backlog meant at least a handful of players won't begin first-round matches until at least Wednesday, three days after some opening matches were completed. Among those hoping to take the court were the champions from the Australian Open in January, No. 1-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Victoria Azarenka. Stosur, seeded No. 9, enjoyed a career breakthrough three years ago when she reached the Roland Garros final before losing to Francesca Schiavone. She won the U.S. Open in 2011, but this year has been hampered by a right calf injury and has yet to reach a semifinal. Stosur said she's now feeling 100 percent and hoping for a good run in Paris. Date-Krumm, who won the Strasbourg doubles title last week, is the third-oldest woman to play in the French Open. When she made her Roland Garros debut in 1989, nearly half the players in this year's women's draw had not yet been born. In other matches that could be completed Tommy Haas beat Guillaume Rufin of France 7-6, 6-1, 6-3. Jelena Jankovic defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-4,7-6. Leander Paes and Jurgen beat Melzer Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Renavand 6-3,6-3 in the first round of men’s doubles match. — Reuters
|
|
|
England thrash Kiwis by 247 runs, sweep series
Leeds, May 28 After a second break for rain, the English picked up the last two wickets to dismiss the Kiwis for 220 in mid afternoon. Spinner Graeme Swann took two of the last four wickets on the final day to take 6-90 and achieve a match haul of 10-132, the third 10-for of his career and first in England. He came to Headingley without having taken a Test wicket at the ground. England had New Zealand on its knees throughout a match which was shortened to four days of play after the first day was washed out. Even so, the hosts could have delivered the coup de grace on Sunday but didn't enforce the follow on. Instead, they batted past lunch on Monday and posted an untouchable chase score of 468, 19 more than New Zealand had scored in their first three innings of the series combined. The Kiwis clung on to stumps on Monday and hoped rain would save them on Tuesday, but despite two delays for rain, there were enough breaks for England to mop up in 21.5 overs. It was New Zealand's ninth defeat in its last 10 Tests away from home in the last 10 months. New Zealand cricket team has been are struggling off late. — Reuters Scorecard Eng 1st innings 354 NZ 1st innings 174 Eng 2nd innings 287/7 NZ 2nd innings Fulton c Bell b Broad 5 Rutherford c Root b Swann 42 Williamson lbw b Swann 3 Taylor b Swann 70 Brownlie c Bell b Finn 25 Guptill c Trott b Swann 3 McCullum c&b Broad 1 Southee c Trott b Swann 38 Bracewell c Bell b Swann 19 Wagner not out 0 Boult c Prior b Anderson 0 Extras: (b 2, lb 11, w 1) 14 Total (all out; 76.3 overs) 220 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-40, 3-65, 4-144, 5-153, 6-154, 7-162, 8-218, 9-220 Bowling Anderson 11.3-4-28-1 Broad 11-3-26-2 Swann 32-12-90-6 Finn 19-5-62-1 Root 3-2-1-0
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
IS Bindra, the president of the Punjab Cricket Assocition and the first BCCI official to insist N Srinivasan — riven by conflict of interests situations — must resign, has found an ally in the cricket Board.
Having avoided the media before and after the final of the Indian Premier League, Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday maintained silence on the spot-fixing scandal that has, among others, also led to the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI chief N.
Srinivasan.
Sam Stosur waited 2 1/2 hours to play because of rain, then quickly won her opening match at the French Open.
The 2010 runner-up swept the first nine games Tuesday and drubbed 42-year-old Kimiko
Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-2. Play was delayed at the start on a 55-degree afternoon, and when the rain stopped, Stosur was ready. 
