Indian news round-up

Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi on Thursday dismissed the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) proposed Code of Conduct for the players as illogical. The BCCI had drawn up the code for its captain and the team in general in the wake of the match-fixing and betting scandals.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Bedi said ``There is no logic in these restrictions. Whoever thought of these restrictions has got to be woefully short of common sense,'' said Bedi in his own indomitable style, adding ``This is a clear-cut case of trying to put up a holierthan-thou image before the Sports Ministry. But who are they trying to impress and what exactly are they trying to convey?''

Dwelling more on the subject of the restrictions placed on the captain's interaction with the media, Bedi went on to say ``Are we dealing with a bunch of school kids? Even schoolboys require a fair amount of freedom.'' The code of conduct was drawn up last week by the BCCI and is expected to be finalised in Mumbai on July 24 before its submission to the Sports Ministry on August 1.

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday declined to grant a stay order against former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar while also rejecting the petition filed by Prabhakar on the FIR that was filed against him by the police. The Division Bench, comprising Justice JC Gupta and US Tripathi, refused the grant for a stay on Prabhakar's arrest, when the case came up for hearing on Thursday.

The Nainital police had filed a FIR at the Haldwani police station against the all rounder on August 9 last year after complaints of alleged duping of citizens by Lalit Chand Badsalia who had invested money with a Nainital based finance company, Apace Saving and Mutual Benefit Limited, of which Prabhakar is alleged to be one of the partners.

Indian television channel, Sony Set-Max is to telecast live the Asian XI v Rest of the World XI match to be played at the Oval in London on July 29. The telecast will start at 3.00 pm (IST). The charity match has been organised to raise funds for a new museum at the Oval by former England Prime Minister John Major, who is the president of the Surrey County Cricket Club.

Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar will lead the Asian XI while the Rest of the World XI is led by Alec Stewart. The Asian XI will not be able to avail the services of the Sri Lankans while the Rest of the World XI would miss the South Africans because of the on-going Test series between the two countries.

Asian XI: Sachin Tendulkar (capt), Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Robin Singh and Javagal Srinath (all India), Moin Khan (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Saeed Anwar (all Pakistan).

World XI: Alec Stewart (capt), Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe and Allan Mullaly (all England), Michael Slater and Shane Warne (both Australia), Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns (both New Zealand), Neil Johnson and Heath Streak (both Zimbabwe) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies).

Indian middle order batsman Rahul Dravid in a fine display of attacking batsmanship thwarted Hampshire's and especially Shane Warne's plans and pulled Kent out of troubled waters in the PPP Healthcare County Championship Division One match at Portsmouth on Thursday.

Resuming at 31 for two, Kent were all out for 252, thanks to Dravid's strokefilled 137 even as Warne displayed his artistry against the other batsman by picking up 4 for 81 in his 37 overs. Dravid hit 16 boundaries during his 295 ball stay in the middle to give respectability to the Kent scorecard. Hampshire had earlier made 320 in their first innings.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly hit 65 with the help of six fours and a six and added a useful 108 runs for the fourth wicket to give Lancashire the upper hand against Durham at Manchester on Thursday. The Lancashire innings revolved around two partnerships - the first between former England captain Michael Atherton and John Crawley who added 135 for the first wicket and then the fourth wicket stand between Crawley and Ganguly. At close, Lancashire were 299 for four in reply to Durham's first innings total of 370.

Meanwhile leg spinner Anil Kumble picked up three wickets for 68 to help Leicestershire take a slender lead of 30 runs against Surrey at Guildford.