Pak fans arrested for racial abuse

Four Pakistani fans were arrested for racially abusing South African cricket team members at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, reports AP from Islamabad.

South African security official Faisul Nagel, assistant coach Vincent Barnes and paceman Vernon Philander were walking toward practice nets on the sidelines when they were racially abused from the stands.

MEG clinch basketball title

MEG (Bangalore) and Southern Railways (Chennai) claimed the men’s and women’s titles respectively in the Geojit Ever Rolling Cup all-India invitational basketball tournament on Friday, reports PTI from Kochi.

In the men’s final, MEG defeated Central Excise and Customs (Kochi) 73-63, while Southern Railways women got past Central Railways (Mumbai) 78-62.

Afridi back in Pakistan squad

All-rounder Shahid Afridi will return to Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the five-match one-day series against South Africa starting later this month, selectors said on Friday, reports AFP from Lahore.

Squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Yasir Hameed, Abdul Rehman, Sohail Tanveer.

Police, BCA deny Symonds’ abuse

Both police and the Baroda Cricket Association have vehemently denied Australian all-rounder Andrew Symo-nds was racially abused during the fifth one-day international against India, reports PTI from Vadodara.

Vadodara Police Commissioner PC Thakur said the crowd occasionally chanted “Ganapatibappa Moriya”, which might have led to the confusion. Australian newspapers said Symonds was subjected to monkey chants while fielding on the boundary. BCA secretary Rakesh Parikh also dismissed the charges.

PCB clears seven players for IPL

Pakistan Cricket Board today cleared seven of their leading players including Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul Haq to sign contracts with the Indian Premier League, reports PTI from Karachi. A Board official said it had recommended Mohammad Yousuf, former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and pacer Mohammad Asif to the IPL organisers for contracts.

“Shoaib Akhtar has also been approached while Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have also shown interest and we have no issue with them going to play in the league,” Shafqat Naghmi, chief executive of the Board said. He said Yousuf and Inzamam, who had joined the rebel Indian Cricket League, had agreed not to participate in the unofficial tournament.

‘T20 win my best experience’

Ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has said India’s Twenty20 World Cup victory is the best cricketing experience of his career so far. “I could not ask to be part of anything better,” Harbhajan said. “The game is going to be a big hit in India now. The reception we got in Mumbai was unbelievable. That was probably the best day in my cricketing life.”