To rein in corruption, ECB asks players, teams to avoid cash transactions

Karachi

Determined to deliver a corruption-free World Cup, the ECB has issued special debit cards to all the players, officials, umpires, match referees and advised them to avoid cash transactions during the tournament. According to a media report, the cards have been issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which has deposited all payments/allowances in the special debit cards instead of paying the players and officials by cash or cheque. “The ECB has deposited all the payments to the players, team officials and match officials until 6 June when the group stage matches end. The card is valid till August and can be used for shopping, payments and at restaurants,” the report said. Until now, the hosts would pay the team manager directly to distribute daily allowances or other payments to the players and team officials. The ICC has said it had put into place some special measures in the World Cup in cooperation with law enforcing agencies to keep the event corruption-free and protect the players from unwanted offers. — Agencies

New Delhi
Akash header earns India U-19 draw against Bulgaria  

Akash Mishra’s perfectly-placed header earned India a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in the last match of the group phase in the Granatkin Memorial Tournament in St. Petersburg today. India finished with one point from three matches. They will now play two play-off matches to decide the final standings.  

New Delhi
Indian junior women’s hockey team loses to Belarus

The India’s junior women’s hockey team kicked off its tour of Belarus with a 4-1 loss to the Belarus senior women’s team in Baranovichi. Gagandeep Kaur scored the only goal for India.

Montreal
Vettel grabs dramatic pole ahead of Hamilton in Canada

Sebastian Vettel ended Mercedes’ run of early-season qualifying supremacy on Saturday when he claimed a dramatic late pole position for Ferrari in a crash-hit showdown at the Canadian Grand Prix. “I feel so very, very happy for the team,” Vettel said. The four-time champion repeated his 2018 success, when he won from pole, by outpacing championship leader Lewis Hamilton by two-tenths of a second. — Agencies