Selectors, team management on same page: MSK

Hyderabad: Chief selector MSK Prasad on Thursday said his panel and the Indian team management are on the “same page”. The selection committee found itself in the line of fire after two players — senior opener Murali Vijay and youngster Karun Nair — claimed that there had been no communication from the selectors and the team management regarding their exclusion from the Test side. “Team management and selection committee are always on the same page. We are very, very clear on our selection policy and I stand by that,” said Prasad.  The Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai met the selection panel on Wednesday and the team management to enquire about the communication process. It has been learnt that from now on every selection meeting will be followed by a press conference to ensure more transparency.

Chennai
Vijay Hazare Trophy: J&K beat Assam by 79 runs

Jammu and Kashmir beat Assam by 79 runs, while Gujarat beat Bengal by 49 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group C League matches. Haryana finished second behind Jharkhand and qualified for the knockout phase.  Brief scores: J&K: 272/7 in 50 overs (Ahmad Omar Banday 79, Shubham Khajuria 72; R Sharma 1/6); Assam: 193 in 48.2 overs (Amit Sinha 81; Irfan Pathan 3/38, Umar Nazir 3/54) 

Chennai
Patna Pirates pull off thrilling win over UP Yoddha     

Defending champions Patna Pirates edged out UP Yoddha 43-41 in a thrilling match in the Pro Kabaddi League here today. Pardeep Narwal produced a strong performance, scoring 16 points in Patna’s victory. 

Kuala Lumpur
China crash to 26 all out vs Nepal in WT20 qualifier

China may have the world’s largest population and the second largest economy, but they are yet to impress in one area: the cricket field, where they have been humbled by minnows Nepal. China’s latest foray on the international stage ended in a huge defeat on Wednesday as they scored only 26 all out in a World Twenty20 qualifier, a total which Nepal surpassed in just 11 balls. China were 26 all out in their loss to Singapore as well, and they had scores of 35/9, 45, and 48 in defeats to Thailand, Bhutan and Myanmar. 

Kolkata
Norde back at Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan’s I-League winning playmaker Sony Norde is all set to return for the fifth consecutive season. Ending speculation over the availability of Norde, Mohun Bagan’s general secretary Swapan Sadhan Bose announced that they have “completed the signing”. — Agencies