Team India selection on May 30

Mumbai: The Indian squad for the Bangladesh tri-series as well as the Asia Cup in Pakistan, both scheduled in June, will be picked on May 30, the BCCI said on Thursday.
“The team for Bangladesh as well as the Asia Cup will be selected in Mumbai on May 30. It’s up to the selectors on how many touring squad members should be chosen,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

Shah said that the probables for the ICC Champions Trophy in September, with June 11 being the deadline, would be declared later.

PCB nod for Younis

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has given permission to senior batsman Younis Khan to play for Western Australia (WA) in the Sheffield Shield competition this season. Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said that Younis had been given the permission as he would benefit from this experience and it would be productive for the Pakistan team as well. The appearance of players from the sub-continent in the tough Sheffield Shield competition is rare with just a few players having got through as overseas signings.

Ian, Ricky join debate

Melbourne: The latest controversy in Australia cricket is about the Baggy Green cap as players of present and past debate how seriously it should be taken. Captain Ricky Ponting and former skipper Ian Chappell have opposite views on how much respect should be shown to the Baggy Green after the national team, currently touring the Caribbean, wore blue sponsor’s caps in a warm-up match and CA chief executive James Sutherland had to apologised for the “mistake”. While Ponting described it as a “precious” and “cherished and valued thing”, Chappell, felt the Baggy Green was being overly glorified since the days of Steve Waugh and termed it as just a “dollar five piece of cloth”.

Pak court move

Karachi: Pakistan’s Supreme Court wants Salim Malik’s appeal against his life ban from cricket to be heard again by a civil court. The Supreme Court said on Thursday it wanted a decision reached within two months.

The lower court had previously rejected the appeal. Former captain Malik received a life ban from the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2000 after being found guilty of involvement in a match-fixing scandal that rocked international cricket in the late 1990s.

Former Lanka chief cleared

Colombo: An appeal court on Thursday overturned a two-year prison term for breaking immigration law and dropped all charges against former cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala.

Sumathipala, 43, was found guilty in April 2007 of forging travel documents to take alleged underworld leader Dhammika Amarasinghe to England to watch the 1999 cricket World Cup.