Briefly Cricket

The BCCI on Monday opened its global bidding process by inviting bids from companies to sponsor four national teams,including the premier mens outfit.

BCCI calls for bids

Mumbai: The BCCI on Monday opened its global bidding process by inviting bids from companies to sponsor four national teams,including the premier mens outfit. The BCCI has invited bids for sponsoring the senior mens,India A,mens Under 19 and womens teams. The BCCI has started selling the bid documents at Rs 5 lakh a copy which is non-refundable and non-adjustable,as per the tender notice put out by Board secretary N Srinivasan.

MPL scheduled for April

Mumbai: Cashing in on the increasing popularity of Twenty20 games,Mumbai Cricket Association has decided to organise the Mumbai Premier League among eight teams in the later part of April next year. It would be run on the lines of the Indian Premier League and would involve eight teams. Each team would play once against all other teams,making it seven matches for each side. There are no home and away games as in IPL, former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar said on Monday.

ICC largesse to Pak board

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board will receive an ancillary amount of 7-8 million apart from the 10.5 million guaranteed as hosting fees for shifting of 2011 World Cup matches out of the country due to security concerns. Official PCB documents confirmed that the board,after discussions with ICC president David Morgan,sold the rights of the 14 World Cup matches it was to host at home to the commercial arm of the games world governing body ICC Development International IDI.

PCB invites govt officials

Karachi: At a time when the PCB is facing financial crunch,it has sent out invitations to top government dignitaries to watch the one-dayers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai against Australia,which is likely to incur a huge cost to the PCB. The invitees,board sources said,include the Governors of Punjab and Sindh. The PCB has reserved hospitality suites in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with a total seating capacity of 48 in Abu Dhabi and 44 in Dubai for the government dignitaries, a PCB source said.

Arafat,Bopara to play in NZ

Wellington: Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat and England Test discard Ravi Bopara will be playing for New Zealand sides Otago and Auckland respectively in their domestic 50-over and Twenty20 competitions this season. Arafat is part of the Pakistan squad which will play three Tests in New Zealand starting later this month.

Bopara,a veteran of 10 Tests and 50 ODIs,lost his place in the England Test team during the Ashes series against Australia.

No immediate ties with Pak

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Mohali: The BCCI has ruled out immediate resumption of bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan but promised to take up the issue next year,provided they get the go-ahead from the government. PCB chairman Ejaz Butt met his Indian counterpart Shashank Manohar here but was told that not only does the BCCI have to seek government go-ahead,the Indian calendar was cramped for the next 7-8 months and any talks can take place only after that.