Pataudi was a dashing and daring captain: PM

New York: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday condoled the death of former captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi calling him an iconic figure who had brought a new confidence to the Indian cricket scene.

"I am distressed to have learnt of the demise of legendary cricketer Mansur Ali Khan. He was a dashing and daring captain, who brought a new confidence to the Indian cricket scene," he said in a condolence message.

India would have reached final despite loss

New Delhi: Had India lost the World Cup semi-final match to Pakistan at Mohali on Wednesday, the Indian government would have been under pressure to demand a repeal of the result.

If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not stepped in to prevent a controversy that had the potential to snowball into an international crisis, India could have come close to invoking a rarely-cited section of the International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct to annul a Pakistani victory.

Cricket: B'desh clinches 1st ever gold medal

Guangzhou: Bangladesh have ended Afghanistan's unlikely run with a five-wicket victory in the Twenty20 cricket final to clinch their first ever Asian Games gold medal.

Middle-order batsman Mohammad Shabbir (33 not out) hit successive straight sixes off Karim Khan Sadeq's 19th over as Bangladesh raced to 119 with only a few balls to spare.

Asiad cricket: Pak men maul China, reach semis

Guangzou: Pakistan captain Khalid Latif hit the first century in the Asian Games Twenty20 cricket tournament to guide the gold-medal favorites to a massive 128-run victory over China in Monday's quarterfinals.

Latif scored an unbeaten 103 off 69 balls in Pakistan's total of 183-1 after he won the toss and elected to bat first.

Asiad cricket: India's absence a boon for others

Guangzhou: Rashid Khan's uphill battle to help China win a medal in cricket in the sport's Asian Games debut got considerably more achievable when India decided not to send teams to Guangzhou.

Still, the ex-Pakistan Test cricketer told the Associated Press he wants to keep his ambitions in check for the Chinese men's and women's teams he is coaching.

Cricket set for low-key debut at Asian Games

New Delhi: India's decision to stay away and the absence of the region's top players has robbed cricket of its star value when it is played for the first time at the Asian Games.

Cricket, a non-Olympic sport, was confirmed for Guangzhou three years ago following the seemingly enthusiastic support from the continent's big four - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But the countdown to what the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said was "the dawn of a new age for the sport" has been marred by a surprisingly lackadaisical approach by the powers that matter.

Pak eye Asiad cricket gold in India's absence

Karachi: Pakistan is aiming to clinch the cricket title at next month's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where the sport makes its debut.

With India not sending its cricket team, Pakistan believes its second-string team can win the Asian Games gold. Khalid Latif, Pakistan's young captain, stressed that his team will do their best for a medal finish.

Sachin saves life of former teammate

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar has saved India when in dire straits several times on the cricket field, but now he has saved the life of a former cricketer as well.

The little master has reportedly paid the bill for the operation of a former team mate, Dalbir Singh Gill. Gill and Sachin were teammates in the india Under-17 team once.

IPL team may sue Modi; Tharoor in a spot

New Delhi: IPL commissioner Lalit Modi's controversial tweets over the ownership structure of new IPL entrant Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) on Monday led to a virtual showdown with the Kochi franchise threatening to sue the IPL Commissioner for breaking the confidentiality terms.

Modi disclosed the names of the free equity holders in the little known RSW which coughed up approximately Rs 1533 crore to bag the Kochi franchise, a move which put Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor in a spot of bother as Sunanda Pushkar, the lady whom he is reportedly planning to marry, figured in the list.

Siddiqui releases Shoaib's 'marriage certificate'

Karachi: The Shoaib Malik-Ayesha Siddiqui controversy took another turn on Friday when the Siddiqui family released, what they claimed, the marriage certificate of the Pakistani cricketer's 2002 'wedding' with the Hyderabad girl.

The marriage certificate (Nikahnama) was shown by several Pakistani television channels and apparently contained the signatures of Shoaib Malik on the column for the groom and the name of Maha Siddiqui on the column for the bride.