Indian news round-up

BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar handed over to Margao police on Monday the guidelines set by the Board for the conduct of international matches by its affiliated units. Diwadkar arrived in Margao on behalf of BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele in connection with the bogus tickets scam during the final one-dayer between India and Australia on April 6. He later told Press Trust of India that the police questioned him over the 'technicalities' involved in organising cricket matches.

Diwadkar said the Board was still awaiting the report of match observer KP Kajaria which is expected within a couple of days. He indicated that action against the errant association would be taken on the basis of the report during the BCCI executive meeting to be held on April 24 at New Delhi.

Diwadkar denied any knowledge of the happenings in Margao on that fateful day. "I am not aware about what happened on the day of the match. That is left to the BCCI. My duty is to carry out the orders given by the board. I was not present on the day of the match. I have only read it in the newspapers".

Meanwhile police interrogated GCA president Dayanand Narvekar, former state Chief Minister, on Monday. Narvekar, who was issued a fresh notice after failing to appear in response to a previous summons, filed an application seeking anticipatory bail before a local court.

DIG police Karnail Singh told PTI that around 150 persons, including GCA secretary, Vinod Phadke, joint secretaries Vivek Pednekar and Sanjay Kanekar, and former treasurer Rama Shankardas have been questioned so far. Shankardas was among the six persons arrested by police following the investigations.

The launch of the Cricket Academy to be run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in the East Zone has been postponed from April 20 to May 1. The Academy will be launched at the SAI Centre in Kolkata. However, the names of the first 20 trainees to attend the Academy have been announced. Amongst them are eight from Bengal.

Meanwhile, former Test cricketer Arun Lal who will be heading the Academy in the East is excited at the entire project. "I am looking forward to it," he said today. "The Academy will be very beneficial for the budding cricketers of the state," said Lal. Even though, he is aware that the coaching facilities for cricket may not be upto the requisite standard, he is not worried about it. "We will take things as it comes," said the former Indian opener. However, he made it clear that a video player and a bowling machine were a must as far as the Academy was concerned.

The 20 that have been selected to the Academy are: Saurav Sarkar, Ritesh Jaiswal, Sujan Biswas, Gaurav Sharma, Mayukh Biswas, Ajay Garai, Avik Choudhury and Avishek Chakrabarty (all from Bengal), Bignesh Mohanti, Rakesh Mohanti, Sheikh Jahangir, Niranjan Behera, S.P Priyadarshan (all Orissa), N.J. Parekh, Arshad Iqbal and Ajit Singh (Bihar), Subhas Chakrabarty, Devbhakta Jamata, R. Banik and R. Bhowmik (all Tripura).