latest cricket news(IPL will cooperate in tax issues:modi)

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Thursday said he will fully cooperate with the income tax officials inquiring into the details of the competing teams.

“There is an inquiry, it is not a raid. The income tax officials are possibly looking for the details of the tender (for Kochi team). We will extend all possible cooperation to them,” IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said.

Immediately after the income tax officials visited the offices of BCCI-IPL at Wankhede stadium, Modi rushed to the headquarters to meet them. There were reports, earlier this week, that income tax and Enforcement Directorate could seek the details of the IPL franchise, particularly Kochi in the face of a major controversy involving some of the promoters.

Modi had divulged names of the Kochi franchise while alleging that Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor had asked him not to reveal the names of the promoters which included Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend of his.

Earlier on Thursday morning, a special team of the Income Tax Department visited the headquarters of the cash-rich T20 Indian Premiere League (IPL) in connection with an inquiry into financial details and share holding patterns of all the IPL franchisees.

Sources maintained that the visit cannot be termed as a “survey or a search” and that it was undertaken under Section 133 (6) of the Income Tax Act which pertains to the power to call for information. The team also sought some documents.

The income tax department has created a special cell in Mumbai to keep a tab on all income generated by the IPL, the sources said. It said the probe has been initiated to find out if there is any illegal flow of funds or whether any black money in being pumped into the sporting extravaganza including from foreign shores.—Agencies

latest cricket news(surrey trying to sign lara)

English county Surrey are reportedly trying to tempt West Indies great Brian Lara out of retirement in a bid to have the legendary batsman play Twenty20 cricket for the Oval-based side this season.

The former West Indies captain retired from international duty after the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and has not played competitively for two years.
However, the BBC website quoted a Surrey statement as saying: “We have been in discussion with Brian regarding his possible involvement with the club.
“However we have no further comment to make at this stage.”Bringing left-hander Lara, 41 next month, to the Oval would represent a major coup for Surrey, although whether he could be a force in a format that was in its infancy when he retired remains an open question.

His tally of 11,953 Test runs, at an average of just under 53 with 34 hundreds, is second only to that of India star Sachin Tendulkar.But it is Lara who still holds the world record for the highest individual Test score with 400 not out against England in Antigua in 2004.

Lara also averaged 40.48 in 299 one-day internationals.

Immediately recognisable at the crease thanks to a distinctively high back-lift, few batsmen in history have been blessed with the ability to make huge scores as often as Lara at his best.

In the space of two months in 1994, Lara’s 375 and 501 not out (for Warwickshire against Durham in the English County Championship) broke world records for the highest Test and first-class scores respectively.

He also enjoyed a stellar home series against the 1999 Australian tourists, who boasted a formidable bowling unit featuring two greats in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, with a run of 213, eight, 153 not out and 100.

But it was Lara’s misfortune to play the bulk of his international cricket in a generally weak West Indies team and his spells as captain, although marked by occasional triumphs, were largely unsuccessful.

Surrey have already recruited controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to play Twenty20.

India’s junior foreign minister accused of recieving hidden stake in IPL

India’s junior foreign minister has denied wrongdoing in a brewing Indian Premier League cricket scandal.




Shashi Tharoor said in a statement in the Indian Parliament on Friday that he had not benefited from his association with the winning bidders for a new club to be based in the southern city of Kochi in next year’s edition of the lucrative Twenty20 IPL.

Tharoor has been accused of receiving a hidden stake in the team. Meanwhile, IPL chief Lalit Modi has been accused of trying to derail the Kochi group so another group of bidders can take its place.

“I have not benefited, and do not intend to benefit, in any way financial from my association with the team now or at a later stage,” Tharoor said his statement in the Parliament.

Kochi was one of two successful bidders to expand the immensely successful IPL to 10 city-based teams from next year. Kochi’s franchise was the second highest among bid tenders invited by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which sanctions the IPL, last month.

Tharoor was dragged into a public spat when Modi revealed details of the Kochi franchise ownership via his Twitter account, saying a friend of Tharoor had been given equity without paying for it.

“The notion that somebody is some sort of ‘proxy’ for me is frankly insulting to me and to the professionalism and business ethics of the investors and their associates, particularly since I could not have any role in influencing the final outcome of a sealed bidding process,” Tharoor said.
In the background of the public debate, income tax officials on Thursday began probing the accounts of the BCCI and the IPL.
Four income tax investigators visited the cricket board and IPL offices at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
“It is only an inquiry, not a raid,” said Modi, promising cooperation to the tax officials.
The Indian cricket board is the richest cricket organization in the world. It enjoys exemption from paying income tax, like other sports bodies in India. In recent years the tax department has sought to take away the exemption.

latest cricket news(schedule for india tour to zimbabwe)

India will tour Zimbabwe in May-June for a triangular one-day series with Sri Lanka as the third team, the Indian cricket board said Friday.




Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will also play two Twenty20 internationals against the home side during the tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a press release.



Schedule:

May 28 - India vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo

May 30 - India vs Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 1 - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 3 - Zimbabwe vs India, Harare

June 5 - India vs Sri Lanka, Harare

June 7 - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, Harare

June 9 - Final, Harare

June 12 - 1st Twenty20, India vs Zimbabwe, Harare

June 13 - 2nd Twenty20, India vs Zimbabwe, Harare

latest cricket news(mohsin wants fir Umar gul for T-20 WOrldcup)

Pakistan cricket chief selector Mohsin Khan has said he loves to have fast bowler Umar Gul in the squad for the World Twenty20, only if he is completely fit.




“I will send Gul to the West Indies only when he is 100 per cent fit,” Mohsin said.



He maintained that Gul was a world-class bowler and they would give him full chance to prove his fitness.



Doctors had advised the PCB to drop the fast bowler but Gul told the media the other day that he was doing his best to recover within time to join the squad on the Caribbean tour.



Final decision about Gul’s inclusion will be taken by Tuesday