Indian news round-up

Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia and Sri Lankan middle order batsman Arivanda De Silva are to replace the injured Pakistani skipper Moin Khan and fast bowler Shoaib Akthar in the Asian XI team for the charity match to be played at the Oval in London on July 29. Australian stumper Adam Gilchrict will replace teammate Micheal Slater after the latter had pulled out on health grounds.

The Asian XI which is being led by Sachin Tendulkar will play the Rest of the World XI, led by England wicketkeeper Alec Stewart in a one-day match organised by the former British Prime Minister and president of the Surrey County Cricket Club, John Major to collect funds for the construction of a new musuem at the Oval.

Asian XI: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Ajay Jadeja, Md Azharuddin, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia (wicketkeeper) and Javagal Srinath (India), Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan) and Aravinda D'Silva (Sri Lanka).

World XI: Alec Stewart (captain), Naseer Hussain, Alan Mullally and Graham Thorpe (England), Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle (New Zealand), Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist (wicketkeeper) and Mark Waugh (Australia), Heath Streak and Neil Johnson (Zimbabwe) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies).

The Australian Cricket Board in an official press release on Tuesday confirmed Indian based PentaSoft as the major sponsor for the forthcoming Super Challenge 2000, the three match one day series featuring Australia and South Africa at the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne in August.

Announcing the agreement, Malcolm Speed, the ACB Chief Executive Officer, said ``We are absolutely delighted that PentaSoft has agreed to sponsor the Super Challenge 2000.'' He added ``The three matches are of world-wide significance as they are the first one-day internationals to be played in a covered stadium and thanks to our television and radio agreements, the matches will be followed by more than 97 million cricket fans all over the world.''

On his part, the Chairman of PentaSoft, V Chandrashekaran said ``We are extremely excited about this agreement. With two of the leading sides in one-day international cricket involved, there is plenty of potential for action, and the fact that the matches will be played indoors is an added thrill.'' He said that with the phenomenal success of the Australian team and PentaSoft being a global company, the association was but natural.