Pak cricket team allowed to travel to India for World T20::

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan´s Interior Ministry has cleared the national cricket team to travel to India for the World Twenty20 after getting the full security assurances from Indian authorities following concerns about player safety, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.

Pakistan had earlier said its men´s and women´s teams would travel to India only after New Delhi gave a public guarantee on the safety of its players.

"The interior minister has given permission to send the Pakistan cricket team to play the World T20 on the basis of solid assurances received from chief minister of West Bengal and the union home secretary and the home minister (in India)," PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi told reporters.

"The team is completely ready and hopefully they will fly to Dubai tonight and then from there will leave straight for India," Sethi added.

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan informed media that the interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan officially permitted the PCB to send the cricket team to India for participating in the World Twenty20 tournament.

Earlier, Najam Sethi, head PCB executive committee told media that the board had received Thursday night assurances from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) for give the Pakistan team a full security.

Later on Friday, Pakistan high commissioner in India was assured by Indian home secretary Rajnath Singh to provide a foolproof security to Pakistan cricket team.

Chief minister West Bengal Mamata Banerjee also assured Pakistan ambassador to give full security to the team.

Subsequently, Najam Sethi called on federal interior minister and briefed him about the whole situation and also showed him correspondence between the PCB and the BCCI after which the minister decided to allowed to send the team to India.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters in Lahore that the players were given the pullout option if they felt any security threat but all 15 squad members wanted to play in the tournament.

"We want cricketing ties to remain active.Our hope is that our cricketing relations (between India and Pakistan) remain intact," Khan said.

Netherlands ousted after T20 against Oman washed out::

DHARAMSALA: The first international match between Oman and Netherlands was washed out, without a ball being bowled, after persistent rain left large puddles on the field in Dharamsala.

The result meant that Netherlands, who had launched themselves to the tournament proper in the previous World Twenty20 with a stirring run-chase, were knocked out, just two matches into their campaign this year.

Oman, coming off a proper high, having scalped Associate favourites Ireland on Wednesday, however, remained in the hunt for the Super 10s, with three points from two games.

The two sides shared points, after the match was abandoned at 4.48pm local time, an hour before the cut-off time.

It had rained during the morning and overnight as well, leaving the ground staff with an uphill task. Rain, however, had relented at 2.45pm, which was just enough for the coin to go up.

Oman captain Sultan Ahmed, the oldest captain in the tournament, opted to bowl, explaining that his decision was motivated by overhead conditions.

Minutes after the toss, when the players were preparing to line up for the national anthems, rain returned, forcing the covers back on. The ground staff, in fact, covered the entire playing area. Rain, though, only got heavier, and had the final say.

The forecast for the second match of the day, between Bangladesh and Ireland, also looks bleak.

Ireland knocked out in washout against Bangladesh::

DHARAMSALA: The persistent rain abandoned the match between Bangladesh and Ireland in the first round group A of the World Twenty20 here at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.

Thus, Ireland were knocked out of the World T20, when play was called off at 10:20pm local time, after rain had stopped the game after eight overs in the Bangladesh innings.

Now, the Bangladesh-Oman encounter will decide who goes through from Group A, with both teams on three points each while the Netherlands and Ireland are on one point each.

The match was always at the mercy of the weather after rain forced the Oman-Netherlands game earlier in the afternoon to be abandoned. Rain had stopped at around 7:30pm and allowed the match to start at 9:45pm, but it relented for just over an hour.

The rain first delayed the match and was later restricted to 12-overs-a-side before Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss and sent Bangladesh into bat first.

However, Bangladesh batted at nearly 12 runs per over and when they reached 94 for two in just eight overs, rain again stopped the play and later the match was abandoned. Both teams were allotted one point each in the no-result match.

Opener Tamim Iqbal made 47 off 26 balls, hitting four sixes and three boundaries.

Sharapova slams media coverage of doping case ::

Five-times grand slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova hit out at some media accounts of her doping case that she termed "wrong" in an open letter to her fans on Facebook on Friday.

Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January, is facing a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and has already lost numerous sponsorships in the aftermath.

The former world number one thanked her fans for their "tremendous outpouring of support" before launching into a critique of what she believed were some inaccurate reports.

"A report said that I had been warned five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine I was taking. That is not true and it never happened," Sharapova wrote.

The 28-year-old Russian said she was making no excuses for not knowing about the ban that went into effect on Jan. 1, but said that after the first announcement, other notices were "buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts."

"Again, no excuses, but it’s wrong to say I was warned five times," said Sharapova, who has said she took the drug for 10 years due to a family history of heart issues and diabetes.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added meldonium to their banned substance list after concluding that it improves blood flow and boosts exercise capacity.

"I’m proud of how I have played the game. I have been honest and upfront," Sharapova said.

"I look forward to the ITF hearing at which time they will receive my detailed medical records.

"I hope I will be allowed to play again."

India favoured to keep Asia on top in WC T20::  

MUMBAI: The World Twenty20 has provided a stage for Asian sides to flourish in its short history and host India's scintillating form leading up to the tournament will only fuel local hopes that the trend will continue.

India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won three out of the five stagings of the biennial tournament, while the 2010 final was the only one that did not feature a team from South Asia.

Former players and pundits have been united in endorsing India, who won the 50-over World Cup at home in 2011, as favourites to add a second World Twenty20 title to their cabinet and given the side's run of form, it is hardly surprising.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have won 10 of the 11 Twenty20 contests they have played this year, including a 3-0 win in Australia, and have looked supremely balanced with their often-soft bowling attack also showing plenty of bite.

The only worry for India's fanatical cricket following will be that the team have peaked too early and they will be desperately hoping that the law of averages catches up with them after the final at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on April 3.

While India have enjoyed a relatively trouble-free build up to the tournament, it has been far from smooth sailing for fellow Asian contenders Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, arguably have the most potent pace attack with left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir seamlessly integrating into the side after a five-year spot-fixing ban.

But Shahid Afridi's men have had troubles with their top-order, prompting the selectors to twice tinker with the squad and a row over security leading to a venue change for the highly charged India match will not have helped matters.

Defending champions Sri Lanka have failed to adequately replace retired batting stalwarts Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene after their 2014 World Twenty20 triumph and were forced to install Angelo Mathews as their new captain this week.

The island nation have lost recent series against New Zealand, India and a woeful Asia Cup display led to the sacking of the entire selection panel.

The team and their supporters will keep their fingers crossed on the fitness of pace spearhead Lasith Malinga, who relinquished the captaincy due to the slow recovery of his injured knee but insists he can still play a part.

AUSTRALIA'S T20 CONUNDRUM

Australia will look to end their lack of success in the format and add the T20 title to their 50-over World Cup triumph on home soil last year, banking on their explosive batting line-up to make up for the lack of a potent spinner.

They have not left anything to chance though, replacing Aaron Finch with test and one-day international skipper Steve Smith to lead the side, who have had a number of players plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years.

Another side hoping the experience of playing in the IPL will come in handy for their players will be South Africa, who once again will be determined to shed their 'chokers' tag at another global championship.

AB de Villiers, believed by most to be the most destructive batsman in world cricket, has often entertained crowds in India during the IPL with his 360 degree batting and South Africa will hope the 32-year-old can end their wait for a World Cup title.

FEARLESS ENGLAND

Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan will believe they can be match de Villiers' pyrotechnics for England but the 2010 champions' bowling attack appears short of experience.

They also have a powerful striker in Ben Stokes and the dependable Joe Root with the willow but it is to be seen if the batting can gloss over their bowling shortcomings.

Fellow contenders New Zealand may have a few psychological issues to resolve if they are to overcome their tendency to come up short on the big stage.

Their preparations have been overshadowed by the recent death of former captain Martin Crowe while the retirement of Brendon McCullum has robbed them of an exceptional reader of the game with unbridled batting firepower.

Darren Sammy will also have to inspire an understrength West Indies team, who just weeks ago were planning to boycott the tournament over a contractual dispute, if the 2012 champions are to stand any chance of winning a second title.

Pakistan T20 squad leaves for India after security assurance::

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team on Friday night left for India via Abu Dhabi to participate in World Cup Twenty20 after getting full security assurances from Indian authorities.

The 15-men squad led by skipper Shahid Khan Afridi left for Abu Dhabi from where the green shirts will travel to Kolkata on Saturday evening.

Head coach Waqar Younus and Manager Intikhab Alam are among the 12 officials of from Pakistan.

On Friday, Pakistan´s Interior Ministry cleared the national cricket team to travel to India for the World Twenty20 after getting the full security assurances from Indian authorities following concerns about player safety, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

Pakistan had earlier said its men´s and women´s teams would travel to India only after New Delhi gave a public guarantee on the safety of its players.

After a solid guarantee from New Delhi, Pakistan’s men’s and women’s cricket teams had been given a go ahead to travel to India.

Both teams were scheduled to depart for India earlier this week, but the departure was put on hold due to the controversy over security assurances.

The ICC moved Pakistan-India clash from Dharamsala to Kolkata, after the report of a three-member delegation from Pakistan that visited India to assess security arrangements in Dharamshala.