The Indian board has sold the ground and title naming rights for 55 Tests and ODIs to be played in India over the next 31 months from September 1 to the World Sports Group (WSG) for Rs 1.73 billion (US $42,262,694).WSG, part of the Global Cricket Corporation, outbid two other Indian firms – Percept and Nimbus – to secure the rights till March 2010, BCCI vice-president and marketing committee chief Lalit Modi said. Nimbus, however, own the telecast rights for the international and domestic matches organised by the BCCI during this period.”The WSG consortium has won the rights from among four bidders including 21st Century Media which was disqualified as they had not submitted all the necessary documents,” Modi said. “There will be 55 matches covered by the bid. The winning bid is three times over the last contracted bid which was Rs 10 million per match.”Venu Nair, the chief executive of WSG, told the that the value of the deal would work out to $50 million over the three-year period between 2007 and 2010. “That is the kind of exposure we are expecting from this deal,” he said. “We have three-four advertisers on board, and the contracts are in the process of being signed.”There is a significant difference between the ground rights of the BCCI and the ICC. The former guarantees India’s presence in every single match and this in turn helps consistently deliver returns on investment.”The deadline for submitting the bid ended at noon today after which they were opened in front of the bidders and the members of the BCCI’s marketing committee. Modi also said that the bids for the other rights, including Twenty20 internationals to be played in India and domestic cricket, were still “being negotiated”.

Andrew Symonds was apparently the target of racist abuse during the fifth ODI against India in Vadodara on Thursday after being subjected to monkey chants while fielding on the boundary. According to a report in the , the incident occurred during the second half of India’s innings at the IPCL Sports Complex, but the police and the state cricket administration denied the allegation.Sources within the Australian squad confirmed to the paper the abuse took place, but have referred the matter to the local authorities, who may face an inquest from the International Cricket Council. “Like any cricketing centre in India, we would never tolerate this kind of behaviour,” Makarand Waingankar, the chief executive of the local Baroda Cricket Association,” said. “Racism should not exist in India at all.”We are a cosmopolitan country, with many religions and dialects living peacefully together. This is the cultural city of Gujarat, and it would be a shame if that was to be spoilt by a few people.” The fifth ODI was also marred during Australia’s surge to victory when a section of the crowd pelted the playing area with bottles.The local police had another explanation, though. “The crowd was chanting ‘Ganapatibappa Moriya’ [a chant to Lord Ganesha] after Indian wickets kept falling. They did not expect their team to lose and did not spare some of the Indian players either. But none uttered a single word against any Australian player,” Vadodara Police Commissioner PC Thakur told . The secretary of the Baroda Cricket Association repeated that line, saying, “The crowd chanted hoping for some divine intervention and none of them passed any racial remark against any Australian.”The ICC took measures to stamp out racism last year after the South Africa team complained of crowd abuse during their tour of Australia. Under the new code, spectators who are found guilty of racial abuse could face life bans and the venues are subject to fines and the loss of international status.

John Bracewell believes the Twenty20 format could revolutionise cricket in the same way one-day internationals have changed the game over the past few decades. Bracewell returned to Christchurch on Tuesday after New Zealand’s semi-final exit at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa and he expressed his satisfaction with the shortest form of the game.”I think it’s got an enormous financial future and I think it has some really good benefits for the game in general in terms of the broad base of the game,” Bracewell told the . “It must have a positive spin-off on kids with the style in which it’s played. There is a great opportunity to revolutionise the whole game of cricket.”Bracewell said 50-over cricket had changed the way Test matches were played and there would be a similar flow-on from Twenty20.”I think this will help the entertainment factor of cricket,” he said. “Test cricket we value greatly, 50-over cricket is the financial driver of the game and now we have Twenty20 which has proved immensely popular.”

More than a month after wrongly adjudging Sachin Tendulkar out caught behind in the final one-day international against England at Lord’s, umpire Aleem Dar has apologised, saying that it occurred due to a sudden lapse in concentration.Tendulkar, batting on 30, was beaten while trying to drive a full-length delivery from Andrew Flintoff outside the off stump. However, replays showed that the bat had clipped the pad instead and Tendulkar stood long enough to register his bewilderment before slowly heading off. His wicket was a big blow for India as they were bowled out for a modest 188, losing by seven wickets and the series 4-3.”Immediately after I gave Tendulkar caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior off Andrew Flintoff I realised from his reaction that I had given a wrong decision,” Dar told . “On that ball, Flintoff was very close to bowling a no-ball and as I was looking at his foot, my concentration was disturbed.”Though he regretted the decision, Dar said he didn’t consider recalling Tendulkar as it was something he had never done before in his international career.”Since I had never called any batsman after giving a decision I did not call him back,” he said. “So, if I were to call Tendulkar I would also call the last man if given wrongly out. I knew that match was the decider. And I was upset after giving that decision. It was a tough match.”Dar said he had apologised to Tendulkar after the match. “After the game when players shake hands with the umpires, Tendulkar also shook my hands on the field. As he did that I said to him ‘hard luck’.”

Clea Smith’s five wickets, including a hat-trick, helped Victoria sink Western Australia in the opening match in Perth on Saturday and victory for them on Sunday too helped them to the double. In the opener, Mel Jones and Rachael Haynes boosted Victoria to 4 for 239, each reaching fifties in an opening stand of 139, before Smith came in to knock the Fury over for 142. She took the first two wickets, then Angele Gray was run out, to leave them in trouble at 3 for 11. Nicole Bolton and Jenny Wallace gave them some hope with a stand of 85 but Smith had the final say with her hat-trick of Renee Chappell, Charlotte Horton and Joanne Wilson as they won by 97 runs. She ended with 5 for 10 from eight overs.Victoria batted first in the second time again on Sunday – this time by choice – and on this occasion they reached 191, an innings built around Kelly Applebee’s 54. They then bowled out Western Australia for 149 at the WACA, to win by 42 runs. Again Smith’s bowling was important, her 2 for 15 from 9.5 overs completing a solid weekend of bowling, returning 7 for 25 from 17.5 overs. Julie Hunter and Jane Franklin backed her up with two wickets each.

Scorecard

Marvan Atapattu hit an unbeaten 75 from 56 balls to lead Delhi Jets to a five-wicket victory over Kolkata Tigers in their third-place playoff in Panchkula. Atapattu’s decision to field first was vindicated with his bowlers doing a tidy job to keep Tigers to 141 – five of six bowlers used picked up a wicket – and the former Sri Lankan batsman capped a good tournament with a cool half-century in a tense match that went into the final over.While Monish Mishra and Niall O’Brien, another overseas import, fell early Atapattu began carefully, just picking up singles with the odd boundary. With the score on 41, Atapattu was given a reprieve when the umpire didn’t refer a run-out appeal. Atapattu was airborne, with neither the bat nor his feet grounded behind the crease, as a direct hit came in from cover. Craig McMillan, the Kolkata captain, was clearly miffed at proceedings but Atapattu continued to tick along.Into the twenties, he picked up the tempo with aggressive pulls and sweeps. In the 15th over Syed Abbas Ali, his partner in a 57-run third-wicket association, was run out for 22 and shortly afterwards Jai P Yadav hit a full toss to mid-off, but Atapattu was continued without a worry. He kept the run rate under control, judged the singles well, and took 12 runs from the penultimate over to effectively seal the deal. First ball of the 20th over, Atapattu rocked back and slapped a four to finish it off.Having chosen to field, Atapattu’s bowlers rocked Tigers early. Deep Dasgupta (28 from 25 balls) offered the only resistance but when he departed at 45 for 4 in the eighth over it looked tough for Tigers. Shibsagar Singh, with an unbeaten 30 from 20 balls, and McMillan, with a robust 27 from No. 8, did well but ultimately a risk-free, calculated effort from Atapattu proved the most profitable.

Scorecard

The Chennai duo of R Sathish and V Saravanan blasted 44 runs in 4.4 overs to boost the Superstars before Shabbir Ahmed and Ian Harvey, two international imports, sealed the six-run win against Kolkata Tigers. The second Twenty20 game of the ICL followed a similar pattern to the first and it came down to a tight final-over finish.Craig McMillan’s decision to field was backed up by Eklak Ahmid’s two early wickets but a steadying partnership between Stuart Law and Russel Arnold set up the total. The Superstars were in trouble when both fell in quick succession, followed by Hemang Badani falling to a lame chip shot, but Sathish and Saravanan showed their value at the death. Both cracked a couple of sixes apiece to boost the total to 140 in the last four overs.The Kolkata Tigers’ chase suffered some early hiccups, with Shabbir striking two early blows, but the Subhomoy Das and McMillan led the recovery. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, with a fiery 21-ball 30, showed why he’s rated so highly in domestic circles but the Tigers were constantly behind the run-rate. D Tamilkumaran, the medium-pacer, extracted good bounce from the surface – his two important wickets pegged the Tigers back further – and the Superstars could then rely on Harvey’s slower balls to wrap up the match.Just like yesterday, the fielding standards were outstanding. Jhunjhunwala risked a serious injury when he dived on the rough patch at short fine leg, latching on to a chip from Arnold, and Lance Klusener timed his jump perfectly to complete a one-handed take off Badani. Hemanth Kumar’s superbly-judged take at long-off, when he held on to one heading for six, ended Das’ innings and Sathish made several stunning stops at point.Expectedly, the turnout wasn’t as impressive as last night. Barely 1000 landed up to watch the game, one which also saw film star Yana Gupta perform during the break. Spectators may flock in for the second game, though, one where Brian Lara’s Mumbai Champs take on Inzamam-ul-Haq’s Hyderabad Heroes.

Yuvraj Singh has been charged with dissent for standing his ground after his dismissal on the second day of the Melbourne Test. Match referee Mike Proctor has set the hearing for this evening, half an hour after stumps, and will decide the extent of punishment.Yuvraj, still to get off the mark, drove at a ball from Stuart Clark and was given out caught behind. He stood his ground for a few moments, suggesting that he wasn’t happy with Billy Bowden’s decision. Replays didn’t reveal much but the snickometer showed that there was indeed a fine edge.Yuvraj, coming off a sensational hundred against Pakistan in Bangalore, was brought in at No.6 for this Test. It meant Rahul Dravid, who normally bats at No.3, was moved up the order with India playing only one specialist opener alongside him. The tactic was a talking point before the game and will continue to prompt more debate, now that both Yuvraj and Dravid struggled in the first innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Pakistan wrapped up the Mobilink Cup with a comfortable 37-run victory over Zimbabwe in what was, ultimately a dour, lifeless encounter in Multan. The only spark was provided, inevitably, by Shahid Afridi, who lit up the affair with a 52-ball 85, in the process rescuing Pakistan from a perilous 78 for 5. Zimbabwe battled away in their chase of 273, in particular Sean Williams and Brendan Taylor, but as has been the case at various points on this tour, they let healthy advantages slip.In Hyderabad, they frittered away a promising position going in to the final ten overs and then dropped catches to make matters worse. Here, they had Pakistan reeling halfway through their innings, but somehow managed to concede nearly 200 runs in the second half to, essentially, the lower-order.Until then, they had been disciplined, which was the doing mostly of Tawanda Mupariwa and fine opening spells from Elton Chigumbura and Gary Brent. The tone was set from the very first over of the innings, Chigumbura probing outside Salman Butt’s off stump. It was a maiden and many more followed as Brent, at Mark Ealham’s pace, found some lovely away-going curve against a left-handed opening pair.Brent finally found reward for an outstanding spell when Butt cut to point in the 15th over. Thereafter, as Chigumbura finished his quota, Mupariwa took charge with a career-best spell. His first ball, a delicious, tempting in-dipper trapped Younis Khan in front. In his very next over, Nasir Jamshed pulled straight to short midwicket.Zimbabwe were ecstatic when Shoaib Malik was run out, and they went beyond as Mupariwa reeled in the big one, Mohammad Yousuf. In truth, they didn’t so much lose grip as have it snatched away from them by Afridi. He came in to this series the subject of debate: selectors wanted him to play, the team management were not keen. And yet, he has been indispensable thus far, taking wickets in Karachi, taking Pakistan over the line in Hyderabad and saving some blushes here.Afridi’s methods were no surprise; he equalled Sanath Jayasuriya as the leading ODI six-hitter, blasting six of them here and he was busy through the innings, running hard, but forever with an eye on the big heave. Ray Price was lofted for the first six and by the time Chamu Chibhabha was struck for two more a little later, a 34-ball 50 had been brought up.

Misbah-ul-Haq provided typically Misbhah-esque support, running hard, improvising and finding the occasional boundary, but this was Afridi’s show. Keith Dabengwa was lofted and bludgeoned as a century stand came up, but just when a first hundred in nearly three years loomed, he miscued Mupariwa to point. A few overs later Misbah fell in typically Misbah-esque fashion, reverse-sweeping, but Pakistan pushed on to a daunting total.Zimbabwe still had a chance, as Pakistan’s bowling hadn’t made an impression through the series and the wicket was flat. Sohail Tanvir, the one bowler who has made a mark, stymied early, fanciful notions sending back both openers. When Tatenda Taibu was run out in the 15th with just 50 on the board, it seemed over.But Williams and Taylor then revived the innings with a partnership which put Zimbabwe in control of another portion of the game. They went about it intelligently, picking up the few boundaries they could, but hustling every run on offer. Williams hit three boundaries in his 50 and Taylor only two, yet the two put on 105 at just under five an over.But just when it seemed Zimbabwe would launch a final surge, they again let slip the initiative. Taylor was stumped in the 36th over, with 118 still needed, and as so often happens, the partner went soon after. With Williams went the match. Pakistan will be concerned at an inability to bowl out Zimbabwe a third game running, but the visitors will rue yet another game where they were in it at various stages, only to lose it at critical moments.

Good morning, Mr Patel
Munaf Patel, with his shaggy hair, day-long stubble and ambling run-up, always seems like he’s doing his least-favourite household chore. That seemed to be the case as he prepared for his first comeback over. He didn’t take into account the fact that the game wasn’t even five overs old and Sreesanth had already been badly bruised by Adam Gilchrist. Matthew Hayden had been kept silent by Ishant Sharma and was raring to break the shackles. Patel bowled an innocuous short-of-a-length delivery, and Hayden latched on to it, advanced two steps out and smacked it straight into the Sir Edwin Smith Stand. A good wake-up call.Hit and miss
It have been a run-out. Hopes set off as soon as he tapped one off Munaf to Rohit Sharma, who charged at the ball. By then Michael Clarke was midway through the run and both batsmen were stranded in the middle. Sharma should have hit the stumps direct at the bowler’s end but missed the mark. To add to the Indian misery neither Harbhajan Singh nor Yuvraj Singh, standing at midwicket and mid-on, backed up at the stumps.Hope(s)less
James Hopes was clueless. Trying to work a Harbhajan behind square, he stepped out, but failed to connect and even dropped the bat in the process. Dhoni brushed the bails off with a flourish. Harbhajan had already taken off on his celebratory run towards the point.Splash for cash
While Adelaidians were melting in the searing heat, taking refuge in the nearby swimming pool or fountain, tomorrow’s entrepreneurs were getting in on the act. Spraying spectators with refreshing water for a dollar a squirt, two smiling young boys – Timothy and Allen – had made A$18 in the first hour alone. They ended with a cool $40 each.Slip in the slips
Matthew Hayden’s recent return to the slips was supposed to have boosted Australia but he was the guilty man when Sachin Tendulkar edged hard off Nathan Bracken on 1 and the ball raced flew past him as he barely moved.Stand and deliver … a stare
Three balls later Tendulkar was nearly guilty of some rare dissent as he stood in his crease, unable to believe he had been given out lbw to a possibly high ball off Bracken.Hopes soars
The pressure was on Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Hopes had already bagged two wickets in his first two overs. Normally a medium-pace bowler, Hopes pitched one on length and it spat and surprised Dhoni who had already made up his mind to pull, but decided at the last second to get out of the way of the 134-kph ball, avoiding getting hit on the face.