Indian news round-up

CR Pattabhiraman, former president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 94.

A great patron of the sport, Pattabhiraman was president of the Tamil Nadu (then Madras) Cricket Association from 1948 to 1956. Earlier he served as MCA vice president from 1936 to 1948. A good cricketer, Pattabhiraman represented the state in inter-association matches. A well known politician, Pattabhiraman was a Union Minister in the fifties and sixties.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India and the TNCA expressed sorrow and grief over the passing away of Pattabhiraman. In a joint statement, BCCI president AC Muthiah and TNCA secretary Ashok Kumbhat described Pattabhiraman as a keen lover of sports and said the cricketing fraternity had lost 'a good friend, philosopher and a doyen who has left an indelible mark on the sands of time.' His loss was irreplaceable, they said.

The International Cricket Council has re appointed former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar as Chairman of its Cricket Committee - Playing for another term, ICC president Malcolm Gray said on Tuesday.

The Executive Board of the ICC, at its three-day meeting which concluded in London on Tuesday, also decided to give the next presidency of the world body to Pakistan. Pakistan is likely to put forward the nomination of Ehsan Mani, Chairman of the ICC's finance committee since 1997, as its candidate.

The Cricket Committee - Playing, headed by Gavaskar, considered the growing use of technology in the game and opined against utilising television replays to aid umpires in deciding no-balls and catches at least for another year.

The National selectors, on a request from the Indian team management in Zimbabwe, have retained Delhi medium pacer Ashish Nehra in the Indian cricket team for the triangular one-day series starting on June 23.

"Nehra was asked to stay back in Zimbabwe as Indian team manager Chetan Chauhan had requested for him to stay back," selection committee chairman Chandu Borde told PTI over phone from Pune. "The BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele contacted me last night from London and told me about Chauhan's request," Borde said and added that Lele, in turn contacted BCCI president AC Muthiah who gave his consent. "Meanwhile, I contacted my colleagues and took their consent as well," Borde said.

Nehra will be the 15th member of the team which will play a triangular series with hosts Zimbabwe and West Indies being the other two teams. The Indians, who squared the Test series 1-1, will play their first match against Zimbabwe on June 24 at Harare.

Former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar on Monday said he had been "successful" in his mission to cleanse the game. "The Indian cricketers are now clean," claimed Prabhakar who was one of the first to blow the lid on match-fixing, accusing former Indian captain Kapil Dev of offering him money to under-perform. Ironically, he became one of those to be suspended for five years for alleged nexus with illegal bookmakers.

The cricketer, however, said he had no ill-will against any one and that he had great respect for Kapil Dev. "I have only tried to cleanse Indian cricket," he said.

Prabhakar, who was untraceable after non-bailable arrest warrants were issued in connection with siphoning off crores of rupees of investors through a chit-fund company, was in Lucknow to address a press conference to claim his innocence in the scandal. He did not rule out joining politics once again in the near future but refused to elaborate. Prabhakar had earlier contested unsuccessfully in 1998 from a South Delhi constituency.