‘Top PCB officials have no knowledge about sports management’

October 9th, 2009 BANGALORE - Eminent sports journalist Natarajan Balasubramaniam, more popularly known in the sports fraternity as Rajan Bala, died this morning in a Bangalore hospital. He was 63. One of the finest and a much revered cricket writer in this country, Rajan was the former Sports Editor of Deccan Herald and served in a similar position in the Statesman and several other publications across the country.

October 6th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan's parliamentary committee on sports has accused the cricket team of throwing away its Pool A match against Australia to knock old rivals India out of the eight-nation event. The accusation came from Jamshed Dasti, the chief of National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Khel Ratna awardees - boxer M.C. Mary Kom and wrestler Sushil Kumar - have been signed by the sports management company Infinity Optimal Solutions Pvt.

August 25th, 2009 LAHORE - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as the first choice venue for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to host the One-day International series against New Zealand scheduled to be held in November-December. Sources said the PCB is likely to host the series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

August 19th, 2009 DUBAI - International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has received a report from the Australian team management on a man, suspected of links to illegal bookmaking, approaching one of their players. "There is no evidence of any illegal activity as a result of this approach, which took place following the second Test at Lord's in July, and the ICC would like to place on record its praise for the player approached and the Australia team management for reporting the issue," ICC said in a statement.

August 19th, 2009 DUBAI - The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday confirmed that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) had received a report from the Australia team management concerning an approach to one of its players by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking. "There is no evidence of any illegal activity as a result of this approach, which took place following the second Test at Lord's in July, and the ICC would like to place on record its praise for the player approached and the Australia team management for reporting the issue," an ICC press release said.

August 19th, 2009 KARACHI - An influential member of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Governing Board, Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, has criticized the board for its unprofessional attitude terming it as 'ad-hocism'. Shah lambasted the PCB for not implementing its own constitution and said it was being run like a one-man show.

August 8th, 2009 KARACHI - Following the Pakistan cricket team's dismal Sri Lankan tour, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to overhaul the team management. The News quoted PCB sources, as saying that the team's manager and assistant manager are likely to be sacked, while the coach and captain will be asked for an explanation once the team returns home on August 13.

August 6th, 2009 KARACHI - The dismal and pathetic performance of the Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka has confused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and team management so much that cricketers played the first two one-day internationals without the logo of their official sponsor. Pepsi Cola International is the official sponsor of the Pakistan cricket team and its logo is displayed on the shirts of players.

July 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has been asked to 'set his house in order' or step down by the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports Dissatisfied by the team's lackluster performance in the ongoing Sri Lanka series, Commission chairman Jamshed Dasti asked Butt to step down if he is unable to manage things in the board. "You can step down if you can't run your affairs properly," Dasti said.

July 4th, 2009 KARACHI - Former Pakistan chief selector Abdul Qadir is preparing ammunition for his July 14 meeting with a parliamentary committee and says he will candidly inform the Members of the National Assembly (MNA) about the irregularities in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Qadir, a former Pakistan Test leg-spinner, said that he would also try to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the chief patron of the PCB, as he wants to inform him about all the problems in the board.

July 2nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Sports is being pressurized by some influential leaders to the stop the criminal proceedings against security officials who have been accused of negligence and are charged with dereliction of duty during the brazen terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore, it has been revealed. According to sources, a sitting minister has asked the committee to 'go-slow' in the case.

May 31st, 2009 LONDON - The architect of Australia's thumping 5-0 victory in the last Ashes series Down Under in 2006/07, former coach John Buchanan, was in England last week for meetings with England officials and members of the team coaching staff about their Ashes strategy and planning. n a revelation bound to shock Australian cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board invited Buchanan after recently losing his advisory contract with Cricket Australia and having worked briefly with the England Lions squad in New Zealand last winter, The Telegraph reported.

May 31st, 2009 LONDON - John Buchanan, architect of Australia's 5-0 win in the 2006 Ashes, can switch loyalties this year. Buchanan, who recently lost his advisory contract with Cricket Australia (CA) was in England last week for meetings with England officials and members of the team coaching staff about their Ashes strategy and planning.

May 25th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to restrict the number of its staffers to less than 300 in a bid to cut down burgeoning costs. According to a report in the Jang -- Pakistan's mainstream Urdu daily, the board has decided to sack 250 of its employees by the end of this month.