Bangladesh says extra security for Pakistan in Asia Cup

January 10, 2014

Bangladesh-CricketDubai, Jan 10: Bangladesh on Friday promised enhanced security for the Pakistan cricket team during next month`s Asia Cup, after political unrest in Dhaka endangered their participation in the regional event.

The Asian Cricket Council last week decided to host the event in Dhaka from February 25-March 8 despite violence and protests in the wake of January 5 national elections, which opposition parties boycotted.

Anti-Pakistan sentiments were also sparked after Islamabad`s protest over the execution of Islamic leader Abdul Quader Mollah in December last year.

Protesters burnt Pakistani flags and staged demonstrations at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

Officials from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting yesterday.

"The BCB has assured the PCB of enhanced security measures for their national cricket team during the Asia Cup and security aspects surrounding the Pakistan team`s participation was discussed among representatives of Asian nations on the sidelines of the ICC meeting," said a BCB release.

BCB acting chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said the PCB had requested additional security.

"We have had a positive discussion. The PCB has requested additional security measures for the Pakistan team which will be incorporated in our security plan. We have assured the PCB that their requirements will be fulfilled," said Nizam.

PCB interim chairman Najam Sethi said BCB had accepted the request for additional security.

"BCB has given a formal statement saying the Pakistan team will be provided whatever additional or special security it asked for over and above those for other teams," Sethi told AFP.

"We are sending our top security official to Bangladesh to attend an ICC security meeting in January and to review security plan," said Sethi.

The hosting of Asia Cup will also help Bangladesh send a positive signal ahead of its staging of the ICC World Twenty20 from March 16 to April 6 this year.

Bangladesh media reported ICC security official Sean Morris would assess the situation in the country from next week before holding a security meeting on January 20.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
August 3,2020

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not end its partnership with Chinese companies. Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker, is the main sponsor of the new IPL season as well. Apart from Vivo, PayTM and Dream 11 will also be at the helm of the 13th edition of the IPL. The IPL governing council meeting on Sunday decided to retain the old sponsors.

As soon as the IPL GC announced the decision of retaining the sponsors, a huge number of fans took to Twitter to slam the board for the same. #BoycottIPL started trending as the users urged others to boycott the tournament for the Chinese connection.

Earlier, the demand for exclusion of Chinese companies from the IPL was strong in the wake of the India-China border dispute. But the BCCI cannot abruptly end its collaboration with them. Because of the signed contract itself. And in this age of declining economy, it is difficult to find new sponsors quickly.

The current BCCI contract with Vivo is for five years. Vivo has invested Rs 2,199 crore to become the main sponsor of the IPL. The contract was signed in 2017. However, the BCCI’s move is paving the way for new discussions as calls are mounting across the country to boycott Chinese companies.

The BCCI announced other important decisions besides retaining sponsors. The IPL will be held from September 19 to November 10. The Indian government has given permission to the BCCI to hold the IPL in the UAE. With this, all obstacles in the way of organizing the tournament were removed.

The IPL matches will be played at 7.30 pm Indian time (6 pm UAE time). Most matches are about one match a day. There are a total of ten ‘double headers’ (two matches a day) in the tournament. Franchisees are allowed to appoint as many replacements as they want in the new season in view of the new health situation. At the same time, the maximum number of players a franchise can accommodate is 24. The BCCI is also planning to host a women’s IPL tournament.

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News Network
January 17,2020

Jan 17: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza cruised into the women's doubles final of the Hobart International with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok here on Friday.

Sania and Kichenok sailed past the Slovenian-Czech pair of Tamara Zidansek and Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (3) 6-2 in the semifinal contest that lasted one hour and 24 minutes.

The fifth-seeded Indo-Ukrainian combination will lock horns with second seeds Shuai Peng and Shuai Zhang of China. The Chinese pair got a walkover after Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens and Alison Van Uytvanck conceded the other semifinal match because of injury.

While Sania and Kichenok had to fight hard in the opening set, the second set was a cakewalk for the combination.

The first set was a tough contest between the two pairs, bringing the tie-breaker into the equation after it was level at 6-6.

In the tie-breaker, Sania and Kichenok upped their game by a few notches to outsmart their opponents and take the lead.

The second set was a no-contest as Saina and Kichenok broke their opponents thrice -- in the second, sixth and eighth game -- to easily pocket the set and a place in the summit clash.

Saina and Kichenok got 11 break chances out of which they converted four, while their opponents utilised two out of the five break chances that came their way.

The 33-year-old Sania is returning to the WTA circuit after two years. During her time away from the game, she battled injury breakdowns before taking a formal break in April 2018 to give birth to her son Izhaan. She is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Before the ongoing event, Sania last played at China Open in October 2017.

A trailblazer in Indian tennis, Sania is a former world No.1 in doubles and has six Grand Slam titles to her credit.

She retired from the singles competition in 2013 after becoming the most successful Indian woman tennis player.

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Agencies
January 14,2020

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