Shoaib Malik & Sania Mirza going to marry

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza are going to tie the knot in April 2010.

As per reports, the two sports stars have been in an affair for the last six months which had led to Sania’s earlier engagement to break.

Sources said that the mother of Shoaib Malik went to Indian city of Hyderabad Deccan where she met with the family of Sania Mirza and finalized Shoaib and Sania’s marriage.

This may be recalled that earlier engagements of both Malik and Mirza had come to an end.

Malik was engaged with Ayesha Siddiqui also from Hyderabad Deccan on June 3, 2002 while Sania on the other side was engaged with Sohrab Khan which she ended recently.

The wedding ceremony of Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza will take place in April while the valima reception will be hosted by Malik on April 16 or 17 in Lahore.

Muhammad Yousuf announced retirement

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has announced his retirement from international cricket in protest at a ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The 35-year-old was banned following an inquiry into the tour of Australia earlier this year when the team lost all nine matches under his leadership.

"I always played for my country and if my playing is harmful for the team then I don't want to play," said Yousuf.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ordered the inquiry after the team lost all three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match in Australia.

“I am still baffled by the decision of the PCB and I have nothing more to say in my defence for what it is a seemingly illogical decision by the board.” said Yousuf.

“I always played for my country and if my playing is harmful for the team then I don't want to play,” he added.

He also won International Cricket Council (ICC) Test player of the year in 2007.

“If I get time, I would love to play first class cricket and private leagues,” he later added.

Pakistan Cricket Team coach Waqar Younis said Muhammed Yousuf could play cricket for about two years more. The retirement of Muhammed Yousuf is quite deplorable, said Pak team coach.

Daniel Vettori 100th Test celebration

Daniel Vettori is keen to put his 100th Test celebrations behind him early on Saturday and switch his focus to beating Australia.

Vettori will become the second New Zealander to reach the milestone after Stephen Fleming — he will do it at his home ground here — but finishing the home summer on a high is the captain’s No 1 priority.

“It’s exciting but it’s almost got to the stage where I just want to get it out of the way,” Vettori said. “It’s a big Test for us, the last Test of the summer, and fortunately it’s my 100th and it’s in front of family and friends. But the bigger issue is about us trying to win and it’s going to take a monumental effort from where we were at the Basin to turn it around here.”

ECB warns against free coverage of Ashes

Top players could desert the game if Ashes Test matches are shown for free on terrestrial television, the England and Wales Cricket Board has warned.

The sport is awaiting a government decision on whether to ring-fence the series for free-to-air broadcast.

But the ECB says independent advisors predict a loss of £137m in revenue should the Tests be listed.

An statement predicted a “collapse in the entire fabric of cricket...from the playground to the Test match arena.”

The statement added that the ECB has told the government, “it is not inconceivable that the funding shortfalls created by listing would precipitate a mass exodus of players from the international game, and their contracts with national cricket boards, to play instead in tournaments designed specifically to appeal to pay-TV broadcasters.”

The idea to make the Tests available for the nation to watch for free was put forward by an advisory panel led by former Football Association chief David Davies.

Live Test cricket has not been available on a free-to-air channel since the 2005 Ashes and Sky’s current deal lasts until 2013, meaning any decision now would not affect viewers until 2017.

The ECB has been canvassing independent advisors to assess the potential impact of any move to make the home Ashes Tests part of a crown jewels broadcasting event for the nation.

It has now submitted its findings to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is expected to announce its decision before the general election.

The ECB statement continued: “The independent economic impact assessment, based on a conservative assessment, demonstrates a probable loss of £137.4m for the 2014-2017 domestic broadcast contract.

“This represents a drop of 48 per cent in expected revenues from our domestic broadcast rights for the same period.”

John Howard to be the ICC vice-president

Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh reckons the selection of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard to be the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) vice-president for two years will be good for cricket.

Earlier, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket had submitted Howard’s nomination to the ICC post after a lengthy and comprehensive selection process. He was nominated ahead of past NZC chairman and prominent businessman Sir John Anderson.

“I think he is. He has a real passion for the game. I think his great skill is his diplomacy, which is vital in world cricket administration,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Waugh, as saying.

“It’s a difficult task, a bit of a balancing act, and he’s more than up to it. I’m sure if he can lead this country for more than a decade he can lead the ICC. He has all the skills that are necessary, but most importantly is he has a genuine passion for the game,” he added.

The nomination will now go to the ICC’s Executive Board meeting for approval in April and then proposed to the Full Membership at Annual Conference in June/July for acceptance.

Under the ICC’s rotational policy, an Australasian nominee will take over the ICC presidency from Sharad Pawar in 2012. That role will now fall to Howard, who will make his first strides into sporting administration.

Pune and Kochi join to IPL

Sahara Adventure Sports Group and Rendezvous Sports World Limited successfully bid for Pune and Kochi franchise teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.

The Sahara ASG, which had also bid for Ahmedabad and Nagpur, purchased Pune for $370 million while Rendezvous SWL forked out $333.3 million as against the minimum bid amount of $225 million.

The two new teams will join the existing eight in the 2011 IPL tournament. Under the present format (home and away, all-play-all), the number of matches from the next season will swell to 94 from the current 60.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said on unveiling the bids: “Sahara’s bid of $370 million is the highest amongst the five bidders and Rendezvous was the second highest having quoted $333.33 million. These two companies have bid for a period of 10 years.”

Cricket Fights clips

Afridi with Gambhir clash

Umer Gul Vs Morkal

Waseem Akram angry with Umpire

Inzamam beating up Indian fan

Zaheer Khan, Brad Haddin sledging fight

Michael Clarke vs Flintoff

Victorian cricketers under investigation

Around 10 Victorian cricketers are under investigation for allegedly racially abusing players of Indian descent during a match on Saturday, according to a media report.

The Geelong Cricket Association has launched a probe after receiving an official written complaint from the Waurn Ponds Cricket Club against opposition club Thomson, The Geelong Advertiser reported.

The complaint alleges six Waurn Ponds players of Indian decent were subjected to a series of racially motivated verbal attacks during Saturday’s fourth-grade qualifying final at Grinter Reserve No 2.

Witnesses claimed some of the players were reduced to tears and were even considering giving up the sport.

It is alleged the comments were made during Waurn Ponds’ batting innings, with requests to stop from both the umpire and several aggrieved players allegedly going unheeded.

Waurn Ponds, based at Deakin University, comprises a strong core of international students in its lower grades, with more than a dozen registered players of Indian descent.

While the complaint did not name any players accused of the taunts, it named Thomson player Paul Welsh.

Thomson on Monday denied the allegations and said it would support the GCA investigation.

GCA vice president Garry McPherson, who will chair the investigation, confirmed Waurn Ponds had lodged a complaint.

McPherson said Thomson had co-operated and would make players and officials available for the hearing. Thomson president Laurie McGovern categorically denied the accusations.

ICC rejects PCB’s appeal against IPL snub

The ICC has rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board’s complaint against the Indian Premier League for snubbing Pakistani players, saying that it cannot act against a domestic event.

Well-placed sources in the PCB said that Pakistan had written to the ICC complaining about the treatment meted out to the players.

“Unfortunately for the PCB the ICC response was not very positive and the PCB officials are not very happy at the response from the ICC,” a source disclosed.

The source said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has written to the PCB informing that the governing body could not interfere in what was primarily a domestic event. “The ICC told the PCB that since the IPL was primarily a domestic tournament of the Indian cricket board, it couldn’t do anything.

“The ICC also took the same stance as the IPL that the franchises which bid for the players were also private enterprises and the ICC had no control over them,” the source said.

He disclosed that after getting this response from the ICC the PCB decided to let the matter go and adopt a policy of not allowing its players to appear in the IPL or Champions League this year or next year.