Yuvraj supports cap on T20 ties
Swashbuckling middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh backed the International Cricket Council decision to cap the number of Twenty20 internationals played by a country in a calendar year. “It feels great to be part of the Twenty20 winning team, but it’s more of an entertainment for the crowd and the batsmen,” cautioned the vice-captain of the World Cup team.

Pakistan to play in SAFF tourney
Pakistan will take part in the eight-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship along with arch-rival India next year.

Maldives and Sri Lanka will jointly host the championship in the last week of May and first week of June. Both the nations will host one semifinal each while the final will be hosted by Colombo. The group matches that involve Maldives will be played in National Stadium, Male and group matches involving Sri Lanka will be played in Sugathadha Stadium, Colombo.

Tara bows out        of Traralgon
After making the first round singles exit, Tara Iyer has also bowed out of doubles event of US$ 25000 ITF competition at Traralgon in Australia as she along with her partner Montinee Tangphong presented their opponents a walkover, reports PTI from New Delhi.

Tara and Montinee of Thailand were to face second seeded pair of Monique Adamczak and Jade Curtis but opted out of the tournament. Earlier, Tara was ousted from the singles event as she lost 4-6, 5-7 against Nudnida Luangnam in the first round.

Mahela signs up with Derbyshire
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will play English County cricket for Derbyshire next year, the County’s official website said on Wednesday, reports AFP from Colombo.

Jayawardene, 30, will turn out for Derby from the end of April to mid-July before returning home for Sri Lanka’s Test commitments, the website said.

Anand receives    cash award
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Wednesday presented a cash award of Rs 25 lakh to World chess champion Viswanathan Anand for winning the title for second time at the recent world championship in Mexico, reports PTI from Chennai.

Congratulating him for bringing laurels to the country and state, the Chief Minister presented the cheque to Anand, who was accompanied by his wife Aruna,at the Secretariat.

An official press release said the state Government presented him a high-income group (HIG) flat at SAF Games Village in Chennai when Anand won the world championship title for first time in 2000.

Youth football programme
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday launched KICK OFF — an innovative talent identification and development programme in Goa, reports PTI from New Delhi.

This programme, backed by Airtel, has been designed using the expertise of Manchester United Soccer Schools’ (MUSS) world famous coaching programmes.

“It’s clear to see that with such a huge population in India the potential for football to grow is enormous, and we are delighted to be involved in the further development of the game here. Hopefully we can play a part in the vision of accelerating this development of young players in India,” Sir Alex Ferguson, manager Manchester United football club said.

Poddar stars in RPD triumph
A quickfire 85 by Ravi Poddar helped RPD College from Belgaum defeat Gogte College of Commerce `A' by 25 runs in the final of the Union Gymkhana inter-college cricket tournament on Tuesday, reports DHNS from Belgaum.
Batting first, RPD made 168 for nine in 25 overs, man of the match Poddar hitting six sixes and four fours. In reply, GCC were dismissed for 143 in 23 overs. Wasim Dhamnekar top-scored with 54 (4x4, 2x6), while Sarfraz Khatib took four for 25 for RPD.

Brief scores: RPD College: 168/9 in 25 overs (Ravi Poddar 85; Vaibhav Kamte 3-42, Kishore Mangsuli 2-29) bt GCC ‘A': 143 all out in 23 overs (Wasim Dhamnekar 54, Vabhav Kamte 25; Sarfraz Khatib 4-25, Pawan Patil 2-22).

Kolkata races cancelled
The Kolkata races scheduled for Thursday have been cancelled, according to a Bangalore Turf Club release. The Stewards of the RCTC have decided to cancel the races, it said. In view of the above, there will be no inter venue betting on Thursday.

Akhtar, Asif being observed
Pakistan selectors are keenly observing pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif ahead of their cricket tour of India from next month, reports PTI from Karachi.

Chief Selector Salahuddin Ahmed said Asif and Shoaib, if 100 per cent fit, would be Pakistan’s main bowlers in India and could carry the attack through. “They are proven performers and match winners so having them spearheading the attack is very important for us particularly against India,” he said.