Akhtar set to join IPL
Under-fire Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar is set to play for a recognised Indian league next year, saying he has sought permission from Pakistan’s cricket authorities.
“I have been approached by the IPL and I have applied for permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board to sign the contract. I always liked the Indian crowd and loved to play in India.”
Karnataka eves go down
Women’s Hockey Academy thrashed Karnataka 11-0 in the 37th Junior national women’s hockey championship on Saturday, reports PTI from Gwalior.
Meanwhile, Orissa continued on their winning ways defeating Mumbai 8-0 with four goals coming in each half.
In other matches, Uttar Pradesh produced a powerful second half performance to beat Chhattisgarh 5-1 after the teams were locked 1-1 at the break.
Andhra Pradesh overpowered Manipur 6-1 , while Assam got the better of Rajasthan 3-0 with Nitumoni Jagra getting two goals.
Inzamam not to testify
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq made it clear that he would not testify in Australian umpire Darrell Hair’s racial discrimination suit against the ICC in London, reports PTI from Karachi. “At the moment I have no plans to go to London as I am busy with Pakistan (for the ongoing Test series against South Africa). Later on I will see what to do after consulting my lawyers and the board,” he said.
ITF Futures tournaments
Bellary and Gulbarga under the auspices of Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, will host two weeks of ITF men‘s Futures US$15,000 tennis tournaments — Bellary Open and Gulbara Open — on October 15 to 20 and Oct 22 to 28 respectively, reports DHNS from Bangalore.
The sign in for qualifying would be held on October 12. The main draw would comprise 18 direct entries, eight qualifiers and four wild cards.
Aditya Madkekar, Sunil Kumar, Divij Sharan, Vivek Shokeen, and the recently crowned National Champion Ashutosh Singh would be some of the Indian interest in both the events.
The Bellary Open, which had attracted entries from 14 nations, will be held in the Police Gymkhana courts, while in Gulbarga the matches are being conducted at the Chandrasekhar Patil Stadium. Entries close on Tuesday October 9.
