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Virat Kohli Opts for County Stint Before India's Tour of England

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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>V</b></span>irat Kohli has decided to go the extra yard to prepare for the upcoming England tour after the IPL. The Indian captain has opted for a short county stint after the IPL to help prepare for the Test series which begins on August 1, the Times of India have reported. 
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Kohli, who will turn out for Surrey in June and play his home games at the historic Kia Oval in London will be the first Indian to join their roster. Surrey are listed to play three four day games in June against the likes of Hampshire, Somerset and Yorkshire, all of which Kohli is expected to play. </div>
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"Virat Kohli will be playing for the top English County side Surrey in the month of June. The BCCI has allowed him to fully focus on the England Test series along with Cheteshwar Pujara (Yorkshire), Ravichandran Ashwin (Warwickshire) and Ishant Sharma (Sussex). Virat will miss the Test match against Afghanistan in Bangalore from June 14-18," COA chief Vinod Rai told PTI during an interaction.
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"The decision has been taken in consultation with the players as we felt after the South Africa series, our Test team needs more time to acclimatise before the England Test series. </div>
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The BCCI were in talks with the various counties as we wanted our main players to get county exposure," </div>
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India’s tour to England which begins on August 1st will see the sides take on each other in five Test matches, followed by three ODIs and three T20</div>
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Virat Kohli Opts for County Stint Before India's Tour of England

V irat Kohli has decided to go the extra yard to prepare for the upcoming England tour after the IPL. The Indian captain has opted for...

March 24, 2018

PSG coach 'optimistic' injured Neymar will recover to face Real

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<b>Paris, Feb 25 (AFP) </b>Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery remains optimistic that superstar Neymar will be fit to face Real Madrid in their do-or-die Champions League clash despite suffering an ankle injury in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Marseille.</div>
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Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer, was stretchered off 10 minutes from time at the Parc des Princes as PSG opened up a 14-point lead in Ligue 1.
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The 26-year-old was on his own when he innocuously rolled his ankle and flopped to the ground in pain.
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"The first examination in the locker room revealed that it was a twist to the ankle. Now we will do a medical examination to find out what this twist is," said Emery, whose team face Real at home on March 6 in the Champions League last 16 where they need to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
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"We will wait for the examination, we will be optimistic. If I had to say today (whether or not he will face Real) I would rather say yes to being optimistic."
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PSG skipper Thiago Silva told Canal: "Neymar already had a swollen ankle. I am not a doctor, but I don't think he'll be available on Wednesday (when PSG face Marseille again in the French Cup). He has to rest."
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It was an otherwise easy night for the big-spending Parisians as teenager Kylian Mbappe became the youngest scorer in the French 'Classique'.
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Uruguayan goal-machine Edinson Cavani was also on the scoresheet while Neymar had a hand in PSG's other goal.
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With Monaco drawing 3-3 at Toulouse on Saturday and Lyon held 1-1 at home to local rivals Saint-Etienne earlier on Sunday, it meant none of PSG's three nearest challengers managed to win.
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Monaco remain second with Marseille third, two points behind, and Lyon a further five adrift.
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This result was never in doubt and Emery even had the luxury of bringing off Mbappe, 19, after an hour to give Argentine international Angel Di Maria a half-hour run out.
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PSG were off to a flying start through Mbappe but Marseille were in part the architects of their own downfall.
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France midfielder Adrien Rabiot tried to thread a through ball on 10 minutes to Mbappe, cutting in from the right.
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Former Aston Villa full-back Jordan Amavi was in place to intercept the ball but he slipped and succeeded only helping it onto teenage star Mbappe, who jinked inside onto his left foot and dragged a low shot inside Yohann Pele's near post.
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As expected, the hosts were dictating the tempo and dominating the ball, but Neymar was off target with a header from a Dani Alves cross.
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The second came before the half hour mark, though, and again it owed much to poor Marseille defending.
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Layvin Kurzawa slipped Rabiot into the inside left channel in the visitors' box and he picked out Brazilian Neymar with a cut-back.
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The forward's poked finish was heading off target until his compatriot and Marseille centre-back Rolando thrust out a boot and inadvertently directed the ball into the goal.
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<b>- Showboating - </b></div>
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The match was as good as over and PSG had barely needed to break sweat. Ten minutes before half time and the men in blue were already breaking out the showboating tricks and flicks, with Rabiot's backheel setting up Neymar to curl a long-range strike just past the post.
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Marseille barely had a sniff and when midfielder Andre Anguissa got up to meet a header in the box, it looped up harmlessly and landed in goalkeeper Alphonse Areola's arms.
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It took just 10 more minutes after the break for PSG to extend their advantage as Neymar was allowed time and space to reach the byline on the left.
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His cross picked out Cavani, whose first touch with his left was sublime to turn marker Rolando, while his right-footed finish was unstoppable.
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Marseille were barely putting up a fight, but substitute Clinton N'Jie managed to get himself booked for needlessly lashing out at Marquinhos and then clashing with Dani Alves, who also saw yellow.
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After Neymar was stretchered off, the pacey N'Jie almost gave Marseille hope but having rounded Areola, his goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by sliding PSG captain Thiago Silva.
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Areola also made smart saves to deny Florian
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PSG coach 'optimistic' injured Neymar will recover to face Real

Paris, Feb 25 (AFP) Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery remains optimistic that superstar Neymar will be fit to face Real Madrid in the...

February 25, 2018

Indian football team coach, accepts contract extension.

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<b>New Delhi (PTI):</b> Englishman Stephen Constantine on Tuesday said he has accepted the contract extension offered to him by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which will make him the longest serving national coach in the history of the sport here. </div>
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Under Constantine's tutelage, India qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after crushing Macau 4-1 last October, which stretched their unbeaten record to 12 matches. It became 13 when they played out a 2-2 draw with Myanmar the following month.

"After accepting my second contract extension with the All India Football Federation, I will have the longest tenure of any foreign coach in Indian history, with a total of seven years (2002 - 2005; 2015 - 2019)," </div>
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Constantine said.

Constantine, however, did not state whether he has been given the salary hike that he had demanded.

India were struggling at 173 in the FIFA rankings when Constantine took charge. What followed was a dream run as India broke into the top 100 for the first time in 21 years.

"I am of course immensely proud of that, and of our accomplishments in both stints. </div>
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This time round, qualifying for the Asian Cup in 2019, winning the SAFF, and taking India to its highest ranking in modern history, 96 are all great achievements.

"I really could not have done this without the support of the AIFF, my staff and, of course, the players."

Constantine's contract is due to expire next month. The 55-year-old Briton spoke about the challenging fixtures lined up for the team in the upcoming year. </div>
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"We have — as usual — a very hectic and busy schedule, starting with our last qualifier of the Asian Cup, away to Kyrgyzstan on March 27th. We have the Asian Cup Finals from January 5th to February 1st 2019. National team camps will be as per the FIFA guidelines where applicable,” he added.</div>

Indian football team coach, accepts contract extension.

New Delhi (PTI): Englishman Stephen Constantine on Tuesday said he has accepted the contract extension offered to him by the All India F...

February 20, 2018

Wigan end city's quadruple bid.

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<b>Wigan, united Kingdom(AFP): </b>Pep Guardiola's quest to win an unprecedented quadruple with Manchester City came to a stunning and controversial end when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at third-tier Wigan in the fifth round of the FA Cup here.

In an uncanny repeat of the 2013 FA Cup final, in which City had a player sent off before losing to a late Wigan winner, Guardiola's side had Fabian Delph dismissed amid stormy scenes before Will Grigg's 79th-minute goal decided the game last night. </div>
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A famous night was marred, however, by a post-match pitch invasion by Wigan supporters which saw a number of them confront City players, with striker Sergio Aguero required to defend himself.

Earlier the drama had been provided by Northern Ireland international Grigg who capitalised on an error by Kyle Walker -- who allowed a pass to run through to the Wigan man -- and kept ahead of John Stones before finishing clinically from just inside the area. </div>
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It was only City's second defeat to English opposition since losing an FA Cup semi-final to Arsenal last April while their opponents can now look forward to a quarter-final home tie with Southampton.

The pivotal sending-off arrived in first half injury-time when Fabian Delph made a rash challenge on Wigan's Max Power, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to pull a yellow card out of his pocket before changing his mind and producing red.

That infuriated City players, who surrounded the referee, and the dispute spilled into the rival technical areas with Sergio Aguero having to be dragged away by Guardiola as he argued furiously with Wigan coaches. </div>
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The scene turned even uglier, with television cameras in the tunnel capturing footage of Guardiola and Wigan manager Paul Cook in a major verbal confrontation and being kept apart by staff.

- Wasteful Aguero City might have enjoyed a far more comfortable evening had their record goalscorer Aguero not missed a golden opportunity after just two minutes, heading over Bernardo Silva's pinpoint cross from just six yards.

And home keeper Christian Walton needed to be alert a few moments later, diving smartly to parry away a fierce strike from Ilkay Gundogan. </div>
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Guardiola had made six changes for the tie, while still fielding a strong line-up, but two of his fringe players -- full-back Danilo and back-up goalkeeper Claudio Bravo -- were guilty of errors which offered the hosts a glimmer of hope.

First Bravo and Danilo dithered in dealing with the ball, almost presenting Gareth Roberts with a chance on the six-yard line.

And then Danilo was robbed of the ball by Roberts, the ball breaking for Grigg who raced half the length of the field before shooting into the side-netting.

City were enjoying the bulk of possession but, without the rested Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, were struggling to create clear chances. 
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They came close, from Leroy Sane's 26th-minute corner which Gundogan flicked across the six-yard area, but defender Aymeric Laporte failed to connect with the ball at his feet.

When City next threatened, after Stones headed down Delph's cross, Fernandinho's shot rose over by some distance when he looked certain to score.

Gundogan and Danilo, twice, also threatened the Wigan goal and Walton saved superbly from an Aguero drive, moments before the explosive dismissal of Delph.

Guardiola brought on England right-back Walker as a half-time substitute, moving Danilo over to Delph's vacant left-back spot.

Despite their disadvantage, City still enjoyed the majority of possession although, apart from Chey Dunkley blocking a Danilo shot, there was little to concern Walton as the tie approached the 65-minute mark and Guardiola opted to bring De Bruyne into the fray. </div>
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 The Belgian's introduction brought a far greater threat from City, particularly from set-pieces.

On 73 minutes, De Bruyne found Aguero at the near-post but his shot was blocked and Danilo maintained the pressure with a low centre across the goalline before Grigg's dramatic intervention.

Aguero in clash with Wigan fan

Sergio Aguero was involved in a confrontation with a Wigan fan as ugly scenes marred the end of the third-division side's shock FA Cup win over Manchester City on Monday.

Fans spilled on to the pitch at DW Stadium as the hosts celebrated their 1-0 fifth-round win against the runaway English Premier League leader. </div>
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Supporters from both clubs were involved in disturbances, while television pictures appeared to show a home supporter and striker Aguero involved in a physical exchange.

Aguero appeared to hit the supporter after the fan said something to the player, and Aguero had to be held back by his City teammates.

Advertising hoardings were also ripped out and thrown as a pitch invasion by Wigan fans got out of hand while the defeated City players were being escorted off the pitch.

Footage also appeared to show objects, including an advertising board, being thrown at police officers by fans in the City end.

City manager Pep Guardiola said he was in the changing room and did not see the Aguero incident.</div>
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"It's safer when the fans are not there, but sometimes it happens," he said.

Wigan counterpart Paul Cook was also in his changing room at the time. "It's not correct (pitch invasions), but I haven't seen these incidents so I'd rather not give an opinion, but players' safety is paramount for everyone."</div>

Wigan end city's quadruple bid.

Wigan, united Kingdom(AFP): Pep Guardiola's quest to win an unprecedented quadruple with Manchester City came to a stunning and contr...

February 20, 2018

Virat Kohli is the flag bearer of Indian cricket, reckons Sourav Ganguly

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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "roboto slab" , serif; font-size: 12px;">Virat Kohli in action against South Africa in the 3rd ODI match in Cape Town   </span><span class="ng-binding ng-scope" ng-if="articleResults.photocredit != '' && articleResults.photocredit != undefined" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "roboto slab" , serif; font-size: 12px;">| Photo Credit: AP</span></div>
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<b>New Delhi: </b>If there has been one thing consistent throughout India's Tour of South Africa, then it has surely been Virat Kohli's prowess with the bat. The attitude in him, inspiring as a captain, bucking his team up. That aggressiveness on his face each time the wicket falls. And then with the bat, he has stepped up with all the intent, scoring runs, scoring boundaries, taking singles. </div>
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There is no one particular word to describe this force. Even coach Ravi Shastri advised the reporters at Centurion to find a new word in the latest Oxford dictionary to praise Kohli, after the skipper had notched up his 35th ODI ton. And now former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has lauded the present incumbent as ' the flag bearer of Indian cricket'.

"Kohli is a flag bearer of Indian cricket. I have seen a lot of purple patches including mine, Dravid's and Sachin Tendulkar's. I genuinely believe that this is not just a purple patch for Kohli, this is genuine greatness," said Ganguly in an interview. </div>
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Virat Kohli is the flag bearer of Indian cricket, reckons Sourav Ganguly

Virat Kohli in action against South Africa in the 3rd ODI match in Cape Town | Photo Credit: AP New Delhi: If there has been one t...

February 19, 2018

Winter Olympics 2018: Pyeongchang Games set to get underway with North-South Korean relations at centrestage

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<b>Pyeongchang (AFP):</b> The 23rd Winter Olympics open on Friday to a sudden thaw in ties between North and South Korea, while athletes shiver in sub-zero temperatures and Russia's doping scandal causes confusion and irritation on all sides. </div>
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Barely a month after rumblings of war on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-Un threatening to rain nuclear destruction on the United States, North Korean athletes will march into the opening ceremony alongside South Koreans for what is touted as the "Peace Olympics."

North Korean athletes take part in a welcoming ceremony for the team at the Olympic Village in Gangneung on February 8, 2018, ahead of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je
North Korean athletes take part in a welcoming ceremony for the team at the Olympic Village. </div>
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AFP
When the Olympic flame is lit in Pyeongchang, a previously little-known corner of South Korea, around 3,000 athletes from all over the world will compete for a record 102 gold medals in 15 sports until 25 February.

Expectations are sky-high for an array of stars including American skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, while the big question in figure skating centres on whether Japan's "Ice Prince" Yuzuru Hanyu can recover from injury to retain his crown.

Behind the scenes, Olympic officials are still scrambling to deal with the endless ramifications of Russia's state-sponsored doping scandal, which has already blighted two Olympic Games. </div>
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After banning the entire team over the doping conspiracy, the IOC opened a loophole to allow more than 160 'clean' athletes back in — and now more Russians are trying to force their way in through legal appeals.

But the welcome mat has been laid out for the North Koreans. In a gold-medal diplomatic performance, after months of silence on the issue, Pyongyang said it would be happy to send a delegation to the Games.

North and South have been divided by the Cold War's last frontier since the 1950-1953 Korean war. Hostilities have never officially ceased, and occasional cross-border incidents punctuate a 70-year ceasefire. </div>
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'Pyongyang Olympics'

However, a North Korean Olympic charm offensive is underway, spearheaded by its "army of beauties" all-female cheering squad, glamorous young women who stole Southern hearts when they first came over the border for the Busan Asian Games in 1992.

Since then, North Korea has gone nuclear, and sentiment among some South Koreans has hardened against the Pyongyang propaganda drive.

For the Olympics in Pyeongchang, 229 cheerleaders and other North Korean delegates crossed the border Wednesday and are registered to stay at a remote luxury hotel about two hours' drive from the Olympic Stadium.

Many South Koreans support the thaw with the North, but protesters insist that the South has been too generous, saying North Korea's Kim has been allowed to hijack the Games. </div>
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Demonstrators call them the "Pyongyang Olympics", in a derisive reference to North Korea's capital.

"We are at a state of war and we are inviting the prostitutes of our enemy," one demonstrator at an anti-North Korean rally told AFP.

While Olympic officials are happy to see the North Koreans, they must surely wish the Russian doping controversy would simply vanish.

One of the International Olympic Committee's senior members, former world anti-doping chief Dick Pound, rounded on his colleagues this week, saying the handling of the Russia crisis had seriously hit the credibility of the Olympic movement. </div>
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He said the IOC "has not only failed to protect clean athletes but has made it possible for cheating athletes to prevail against the clean athletes".

Athletes, meanwhile are wrapping up against the brutal cold with temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees centigrade in recent days.

Sub-zero conditions are expected for opening ceremony held in the open air stadium late on Friday, and many athletes say they may decide to stay away for health reasons.
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Winter Olympics 2018: Pyeongchang Games set to get underway with North-South Korean relations at centrestage

Pyeongchang (AFP): The 23rd Winter Olympics open on Friday to a sudden thaw in ties between North and South Korea, while athletes shiv...

February 08, 2018

PCB will not ask BCCI for bilateral series again: Shaharyar

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<img alt="Shaharyar Khan" src="http://english.manoramaonline.com/content/dam/mm/en/news/sports/cricket/image/shaharyar-khan.jpg.image.784.410.jpg" /><b>Karachi (SAT):</b> The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Shaharyar Khan has said that the PCB would no longer ask India to play the bilateral series planned in the UAE in December.</div>
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"I think we have said enough about the series and we are not going to ask them anymore. The ball is in their court now and they now have to decide and inform us about the fate of the series," Khan told reporters.</div>
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The former diplomat, in his most strong statement on the coming series and relations with India, said the PCB had done enough on its part to show its keenness to play the series and revive bilateral ties.</div>
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"I don't want to say anything more on the series. But what is causing us concern is that from what we know the letter we sent to the Indian board about the series has not gone to their government as yet," he said.</div>
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The PCB chief said if the Indian board backed out of the series which Pakistan is supposed to host it would approach the ICC and other member boards.</div>
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"The series is part of a proper MOU signed between the two boards and we will pursue this matter if required," he added.</div>
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Khan said that Pakistan's stance remained clear that cricket and politics shouldn't be mixed.</div>
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"Relations between the two countries have been tense in the past as well but we still played cricket. But since 2007 India has not played a test against us. We will not run after them now it is their turn to decide and realise the importance of reviving bilateral cricket ties."</div>
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Khan said that Pakistan had already started work on a Plan B but had not met with success as yet since they were only two teams free in December.</div>
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"One is Zimbabwe whom we have already played twice this year and the other is Bangladesh who will be busy in their (domestic) Premier League. But we are looking at other options as well," Khan said.</div>
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Pakistan's enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also weighed in with his take on Indo-Pak cricket when he said it was not just Pakistan which needed to play India but also India which needed to play Pakistan.</div>
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"It is not just about us wanting to play them. I think it is also important for India to play us. And the fact is the financial rewards from a Indo-Pak series is immense for both boards and the positive is that money will eventually trickle down to the players and in helping the grass roots cricket," he said on Geo Super channel.</div>
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"India might be a financial powerhouse but even they know they can earn a lot more from playing Pakistan. There are benefits for both boards."</div>
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Akhtar also said that his statement that Pakistan should not play India until the conditions improve was misquoted.</div>
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"I just said that Pakistan and India should avoid giving too many statements including cricketers, officials and politicians as doesn't help the relations and there is a need to have Indo-Pak cricket matches."</div>
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Akhtar said regardless of what anyone might say, to him Pakistan and India matches remained the pinnacle of international cricket and regular matches would only help in the development of players as well.</div>
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(with agency inputs)</div>

PCB will not ask BCCI for bilateral series again: Shaharyar

Karachi (SAT): The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Shaharyar Khan has said that the PCB would no longer ask India to play the bilateral...

September 23, 2015

Shahid Afridi: Hope to reclaim world record for fastest ODI hundred

<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbblYXUvQBAPJraaGex4S9fzNdlpxl2JeFdkfSG7sV97Yms5oo" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbblYXUvQBAPJraaGex4S9fzNdlpxl2JeFdkfSG7sV97Yms5oo" width="320" /></a>
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Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has said that he would like to reclaim the tag of being the fastest to score a ton in One-Day International (ODI) cricket. The 34-year-old’s record for the fastest ODI hundred was overtaken by Corey Anderson last January when the New Zealand left-hander smashed a 36-ball century against the West Indies in Queenstown. That record was once again beaten by a breathtaking display by AB de Villiers last Sunday when the Proteas captain blasted a hundred off 31 balls versus the same opposition at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.</div>
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Afridi, who is set to retire from the 50-over format of the game after World Cup, further said that one can't plan too much while setting these records and if it's your day, they will happen. He also praised de Villiers for his spectacular knock on Sunday.</div>
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“He played like a champion to get the record and it was his special day,” Afridi said in an interview.</div>
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"You never plan out to set such records. It just happens when you have a very special day and your confidence is sky high. If everything works out for me and it is my special day then I will try to improve the record set by Ab de Villiers in New Zealand or in the World Cup,” he added.</div>
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It was my day at Nairobi: Afridi</div>
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Talking about his own hundred against Kenya in Nairobi in 1996, Afridi said that everything he did on the day came off spectacularly and that he hopes to play a similar kind of innings despite batting at No.6 in the batting order before he retires.</div>
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"It just happened that day it was my special day and everything clicked. I hope I get another special day in the coming World Cup if it can happen I will try to get back the record of which I was always proud.</div>
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"But realistically speaking I know that at the number I come to bat at these days one can score a half century but it is really difficult to get a hundred but you never know it could my special day," he said.</div>
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ODI rules heavily loaded in the favour of batsmen: Afridi</div>
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The Pakistani also felt that with the rules in the limited-overs format being heavily loaded in favour of the batsmen, the day isn’t far when totals in the range of 350-400 will be chased down by the team batting second.</div>
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"After the rule changes in 50 overs cricket and with the popularity of T20 cricket things are now tilted in the favor of batsmen and in coming days we could see even totals of 400 go down easily,” he said.</div>
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"Limited overs cricket has really changed dramatically in the last couple of years."</div>
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Originally published on Sportskeeda.com here</div>

Shahid Afridi: Hope to reclaim world record for fastest ODI hundred

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has said that he would like to reclaim the tag of being the fastest to score a ton in One-Day Internat...

January 23, 2015

Why I support the pakistani cricket team

<img alt="Pakistan-Cricket" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-7088" height="400" src="http://vertigoaround.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/pakistan-cricket2.jpg?w=173&h=288" style="display: inline; float: left; font-size: 14px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-right: 11px; margin-top: 7px; max-width: 100%; width: auto;" width="240" />
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Many of my readers have raised eyebrows after I have ‘<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sourav894/posts/10200846199298939" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">liked</a>‘ the <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pakistani Cricket team</strong> on Facebook. I do not feel the need to justify myself, since it is but obvious that cricket is a display of skills and temperament and has <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">nothing to do with one’s patriotic feelings</strong>. I have ceased to remain a cricket fan, after they started covering half of the TV screen with ads, and cheerleaders took over dada’s enthusiasm. However, I do find it an interesting idea for an article; why someone – who has the least interest in cricket, would go all the way and like the cricket team of a ‘rival’ country?</div>
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Well, Pakistan is not just a country like any other. It is a cohesion of multiple forces living together. The Pakistani establishment can be broadly divided into three forces – the jihadi groups, the military establishment and the people. While the other establishments may have different interests, and we may have our reasons to hate and accuse them, a major part of Pakistan is people. Hardworking and simple people like you and me – who struggle for the daily bread and butter on their tables, who don’t care for hatred or wars. All they want is to live in peace.</div>
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While India and Pakistan, at a political level are at on-and-off-war since partition, rarely think of how wonderful life would have been, had the partition not happened! Within decades, we have become so unrecognizable, so aloof of each other’s concerns. What makes the Indo-Pakistani conflict even more dangerous is that both sides contain nuclear weapons. With the possibility that Pakistan might become a failed state, there is a good chance of a major genocide erupting in the twenty-first century. The ‘people of Pakistan’ is our only hope of establishing peace within and outside the country.</div>
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Very much like India, Pakistan’s religion is also cricket. Their cricket has suffered badly in recent times due to the political unrest. Pakistani people seriously need a moral boost to keep the country rolling. I was thinking about this for long and arrived to a conclusion – that a big win of Pakistan in the next world cup will get the people on their front foot. It will give them the moral boost to stand up and run. I know the thought might be stupid and naive. But rarely do we think that India has gone way ahead, at-least in cricket, with billions of rupees being spent on infrastructural and talent hunt. Where does Pakistani cricket stand? Even if we keep the political reasons aside, won’t a strong Pakistani cricket team bring back the age old thrill of watching an Indo-Pak cricket match?</div>
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<a href="http://vertigoaround.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/sourav_roy.jpg?w=173" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://vertigoaround.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/sourav_roy.jpg?w=173" /></a><b style="font-size: medium;"></b></div>
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<b style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-size: medium;">By : <span about="/drupal/users/souravroy" class="username" property="foaf:name" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "baskerville" , "palatino" , "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: normal;" typeof="sioc:UserAccount" xml:lang="">sourav roy</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "baskerville" , "palatino" , "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: normal;"> </span></b></b></div>
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<b style="font-size: medium;"><em style="border: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, I am a poet and a dreamer, but also a realist and an optimist. I value simple living and high thinking. I try to give my best I can, in everything I do. I am an idealist but circumstances have always tried to convince that life doesn’t work out the way I wish for or predict. But for me it’s too early to give up. And its’ never too late!</em></b></div>
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<b style="font-size: medium;"><em style="border: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">My ultimate passion lies in writing poems in Hindi, and I have authored <a href="http://souravroy.com/books/" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Books">three books</a>  - ’<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://souravroy.com/books/%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%ad%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%bf-%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%80-%e0%a4%85%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%be/" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">अनभ्र रात्रि की अनुपमा</a></strong>‘, ‘<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://souravroy.com/books/%e0%a4%89%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a5%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%b7%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a0-%e0%a4%ad%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a4-arise-india/" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">उत्थिष्ठ भारत</a></strong>‘ and <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">‘<a href="http://souravroy.com/books/%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0/" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">यायावर</a>‘.</strong></em></em></b></div>
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Why I support the pakistani cricket team

Many of my readers have raised eyebrows after I have ‘ liked ‘ the Pakistani Cricket team on Facebook. I do not feel the need to justi...