Apr 30, 2013

NBA star Jason Collins revealed he's gay

Basketball center Jason Collins on Monday became the first active player in a major American professional team sport to reveal he is gay - a groundbreaking disclosure greeted with broad support. Collins, a 34-year-old free agent who has played for six NBA teams over the past 12 seasons, went public with his sexuality in an essay published on Sports Illustrated magazine's website.

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation," Collins said."I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different.' If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand."
Jason Collins
Among those backing Collins was US President Barack Obama. A White House aide told AFP: "The President called Jason Collins to express his support and said he was impressed by his courage."The revelation will focus attention on Collins and has drawn comparisons to the way the spotlight shone on Jackie Robinson in 1947 when he Major League Baseball's first black player.
Collins can expect homophobic taunts from NBA game hecklers the way Robinson endured racial insults without fighting back."I don't mind if they heckle me. I've been booed before," Collins said."Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."

Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts, the highest-ranked NBA executive who is openly gay, said he was confident Collins would not have trouble landing a new contract because of his admission.

Collins, a 7-footer who helped New Jersey reach the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals, has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds over 713 NBA games for New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston and Washington.But he has mainly played in reserve roles over the past six seasons.
Collins wore jersey number 98 this past season to honor Matthew Shepard, who died in 1998 after being the victim of an anti-gay hate crime, while averaging 1.1 points and 1.6 rebounds over a combined 38 games for Boston and Washington.
"When I put on my jersey I was making a statement," he said."I still love the game and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that," Collins said. "At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful."Collins said years of keeping his sexuality secret took a toll.

"It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret," Collins said. "I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew.

"Each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly."

ICC Champions Trophy 2013:Afridi, Umar dropped from Pakistan squad


Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi and batsman Umar Akmal were the prominent names to be axed from the 15-member Pakistan cricket squad announced for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England.Chief selector Iqbal Qasim announced the squad yesterday in Lahore after lengthy deliberations although the selectors had finalised it last week and submitted it to the board Chairman for approval. At the end of the day, it transpired that the selectors made two changes to their submitted squad replacing injured middle-order batsman Haris Sohail with Umar Amin and preferring to pick left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz over Aizaz Cheema.

The rest of the squad remained the same and Qasim said that Afridi was dropped because of his recent poor bowling form."Afridi's bowling has not been up to the mark in recent matches. He has not taken wickets and his primary role in the team is that of a bowler," Qasim told a press conference.
The same sets of players with the addition of a few more are expected to get the central contracts for the year 2013.The Pakistan Cricket Board also announced that Australian Trent Woodhill would be the batting coach of the team for the Champions Trophy and would join them in England.Woodhill is presently on the coaching staff of the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
Yesterday, the two major exclusions remained Afridi and Umar, who went to South Africa for the recent one-day series, and the inclusion of uncapped pacer Asad Ali.Asad has toured with Pakistan on recent tours to India and South Africa without getting a chance to play any match.The source said selectors relied on experience after consulting the captain and coach.
Qasim said Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil and Wahab are the five pacers selected in the squad while the spin department will be handled by Abdul Rehman and Saeed Ajmal.
"The selectors have also given a final warning to senior pros Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal to gear up and perform or consider the Champions Trophy their last tour with the national team," he said. Interestingly Afridi was also given a similar warning when the squad was announced for the one-day series in South Africa but he went wicketless.
Pakistan will play one-day series in Scotland and Ireland in May before going to England for the Champions Trophy.This will be their first visit to England since the 2010 spot-fixing scandal and they are placed with South Africa, India and West Indies in their group.
Pakistan squad: Nasir Jamshed, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (Capt), Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil and Wahab Riaz.

Virat Kohli nominated for Arjuna Award


The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has nominated middle-order batsman Virat Kohli for the Arjuna Award for 2012.Former legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar's name has also been proposed for Dhyanchand Award for his lifetime achievement.
Virat Kohli
None of India's top international cricketers was nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award for their performance during the last season, apparently due to a major communication gap between the sports ministry and the BCCI. BCCI did not send any names despite the fact that in 2011 the senior cricket team won the World Cup and Virat Kohli was one of the top run-getters in ODI cricket.

.ICC World Cricket League Division III: Nepal lose against Uganda after Nepalese batting collapse


Dear readers the Hope of Nepal to qualify for the ICC World cup Qualifier that is scheduled in New Zealand in 2014 is almost finished after huge lose against Uganda in the second match after strong batting line up collapse. Nepal managed to score just 116 runs in 45 Over losing all 10 wickets while Uganda Manage to score the target in 27.0 Over with losing just 4 wicket.

 Nepal won the toss and elected to field hoping that they can put lots of run in scorecard in Tiny Ground of Sommerset but Nepal loss the wicket in continuous interval after Subash was out at 33 runs in seventh over making just 5 runs and there after Nepal keep on losing wicket in regular Intervals.The highest score of Nepalese player was just 24 runs by Pradeep Aire.
Later Nepal manage to take early wicket against Bermuda but the target was so small that Uganda never came under pressure and met the target After Musaka score 47 for his team. Basant regmi took two wicket while amrit and Chandra Saud both took one wicket. From here Nepal qualification hope is under trouble as Nepal is in last of the points table.


Apr 29, 2013

ICC world cricket League Div III: Live score update of Nepal Vs Uganda

The leading two sides from WCL Division 3 will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in New Zealand in 2014 and feature 10 of the leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The top two sides from the qualifying event will then advance to the 14-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, where they will compete against the ten Full Members on a global stage. 
Nepal Vs Uganda Live score update 

    However after the First day of the tournament, Nepal will be facing winner of another match Uganda at the same ground where they played and lose against USA. Uganda is confidence with the huge win against Bermuda and having secured top position in point table with better run rate than other winners USA and Oman but Nepal will be under pressure as the loss against Uganda may shattered their dreams to play ICC world cup qualifier 2014.As usual yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will be bringing you the live score update of the Match between Nepal and Uganda. 
Click here to get the Points table of ICC WCL Division III

Match Details:
ICC World cricket league division III 
League Match: Nepal Vs Uganda 
Date: 29th April 2013 
Time: 19:15 NST (13:30 GMT), 10:30 Local time 
Venue: Somerset cricket Ground, Bermuda

ICC world cricket League Div III; USA defeated Nepal with huge Margin


USA not only shattered the hope of Nepalese players in Bermuda who were hoping to start the tournament with winning note but also thrashed the hope and dreams of Nepalese fans in Nepal who were waiting for match and stayed supporting the team whole night with out sleeping.
  Nepal won the toss and elected to field first in the tinny Cricket ground of somerset cricket Club Ground  Bermuda and the decision seems completely wrong when American batsman completely dominated Nepalese bowling attack. The Opening payer of USA has puts lots of run before Basant regmi was able to break the partnership after taking the wicket of Baker when he was in 37 from 56 balls. But Steven Taylor also considered as Gyale of American team scored 162 runs of 102 Balls with twelve fours and equal number of sixes and before he was back to pavilion USA had already scored 234 in 35th Over. 
    However Nepalese bowler restrict the run rate then after but another batsman TP Allen again dominated to score 67 of 34 balls with four fours and six sixes. When the American innings was over Nepalese player may already had given up.

 Unlike fans expectations in Nepal who were waiting for Nepalese innings hoping that Nepal can chase the total as the cricket ground is small and Pitch is heaven for batsman.Nepal looks under pressure as Anil mandal was out with without. Nepal started losing wicket but Captain Paras(73), Sharad veswakar (72) ,Shakti  gauchan (39)  and Subash (23) shows some resistance and Nepal was able to score 272 in 49.5 Over. Nepal loss the match with 94 runs and Taylor of USA was declared man of the match for his innings. Get the Final scorecard and commentary clicking here.


 Here is my Ananlyis why Nepal loss against USA besides Nepal deserve to win
Nepal was over confidence as they had Defetaed USA in their last two visit of ICC world Cricket League div IV and Nepal has not any game plan against USA.
Nepal  winning the toss shouldn’t have called USA for batting besides the fact Nepal had strong spin attack and the Field is small.
Rahul B.K. who was successful against USA was not in playing set though he was in Team.
Nepali bowling attack was completely dominated by American batsman specially by Taylor and Allen
Neplai batsman give up before they came for batting and were playing completely under pressure whoever Shard and Paras played good innings.
However above mentions reason may have some thing to do but the main reason was that Day was not ours. Hope there are still four match to come and Nepal can do well.

Apr 28, 2013

Amir Khan beats Diaz in welterweight

Amir Khan came back from a knockdown to unanimously outpoint fast-finishing Julio Diaz on Saturday night in a welterweight fight at Motorpoint Arena.Khan, trying to rebound after consecutive losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia in the last 16 months, was cruising early against Diaz, the aging former two-time world lightweight champ.
Then Diaz exposed Khan's weakness by dumping him with a left hook in the fourth round, and staggered the former world light-welter champ with hooks in the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds.
Khan (28-3, 19 KO) received winning scores of 115-113, 115-112, 114-113. Diaz dropped to 40-8-1.
Amir Khan Vs Julio Diaz


On the undercard, undefeated American heavyweight Deontay Wilder stopped former Olympic champion Audley Harrison in the first round.
Harrison fell in a neutral corner from the first meaningful punch of the bout, and Wilder kept flailing at him before referee Terry O'Connor stepped in and called it off after 1 minute, 10 seconds.Wilder, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, improved to 28-0, all by knockout.

Harrison, who briefly held a minor world title nine years ago, fell to 31-7. The British fighter admitted it was likely the end of his career. "I've got to be realistic, I'm 41. It's going to be hard to get opportunities like this on the big stage again," Harrison said.

ICC world cricket league division III: What all captains have to say

The six captains participating in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 spoke of their excitement and anticipation at a press conference today, ahead of the start of the event in Bermuda tomorrow.
Bermuda, Italy, Nepal, Oman, Uganda and the USA will lock horns for a chance to finish in the top two and progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in New Zealand in 2014 and feature 10 of the leading Associate and Affiliate teams.The top two sides from the New Zealand event will then advance to the ICC's flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they will compete against the ten Full Members on a global stage. 



Bermuda captain Stephen Outerbridge says the opportunity for qualification to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 puts some pressure on the host team. "In 2007, Bermuda did play in the World Cup in the West Indies, so we do have that pressure coming into this event. But at the end of the day we have to play good cricket no matter what division we are in. So we just look forward to the next few days and hopefully it all comes in our favour."


  Having recently finished second at the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship, the left hander feels his side is well prepared for the event on home soil. "I think the Board has given us ample opportunity to prepare for this tournament. We did also go to Barbados in February and then we did play in the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship and then a few games against the US, so I think we've shaped up well for this tournament."

Uganda captain Davis Arinaitwe, whose side is facing the host in its first match, is strongly motivated to win immediate promotion from Division 3, having been relegated from Division 2 in 2011. "As a team we feel we're here because of one game we lost in Division 2. As a unit we feel, because we are young and the kind of cricket we play, we're good enough to go out there and be competitive just like in any other game."

The 26-year old off-spinner says his side is focusing on playing good cricket rather than the possibility of advancing to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: "The brand of cricket we play is kind of 'entertainment' cricket. We want to keep things simple as well, but ideally we want to go out and win every kind of game that we play. We're not looking to put pressure on ourselves with the fact that it is a qualifying event or that there is relegation at stake. Just to go out there - this is Bermuda, it is a beautiful country - so let's go out and enjoy it."

Alessandro Bonora, the skipper of the only European side in the tournament, Italy, is looking forward to a tough week of cricket against familiar teams: "It's quite nice in a way to return to Division 3 because we see quite a lot of familiar faces - Nepal, Oman, USA - we've played against each other quite a lot recently, and Bermuda in Dubai in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012." 

Returning to Division 3 after finishing fourth at the last event, the 34-year-old top-order batsman is confident that his squad has the experience to do well, despite the extra pressure of playing for an opportunity to advance to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: "We definitely think about the qualification opportunity, as I am sure all the teams do. But we have been together for a long time. We know our games plans and we know that this group of players can implement them consistently."

Vaibhav Wategaonkar, captain of Oman, is confident that his side is prepared for a challenging week on the pitch. "It's a good opportunity for us to play well in the tournament, and we'll play match by match and see how it goes in the tournament."

The left-hander says his side is well equipped to do one better than last time, when it finished third in Division 3 and narrowly missed out on promotion: "We have a good team, and we have done well at the last Division 3 tournament, so I'm hoping for the best this year."

"We have been working hard for the last three to four months, and we came here early - 10 days prior to the tournament. The boys are doing well and I am happy with their performance," he continued.

For Nepal captain Paras Khadka, there is no extra pressure despite the opportunities to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: "Playing for your country is always an opportunity as well as pressure. You should be ready to handle that. We've been playing well, and if we play to our potential, things should take care of themselves."

The all-rounder, who was named Player of the Tournament at the recent ACC Twenty20 Cup 2013, believes his side is well prepared for the tournament in which every match counts: "As a team, we've been playing pretty well. But it's the start of a new tournament and you can't take anyone lightly. The higher we move up the WCL Division ladder, it's more competitive, so as a team, we've been playing well, but it's cricket - you have to go and perform from ball one. In the World Cricket League, what we've seen is that you have to play every match with the same intensity. A match here, a match there, you never know the results. So, we'll take it one game at a time."

USA captain Steve Massiah acknowledged that the tough week ahead won't be made any easier by the thoughts of qualifying for the ICC's flagship 50-over event in 2015. "Absolutely, the team thinks about what is at stake, and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the five other competing nations all the best. I think there's a lot at stake and also a lot of motivation for each team competing here."

The 33-year old middle-order batsman was delighted to be playing alongside regional rival, Bermuda, who the USA recently defeated to win the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship. "I'd like to take this opportunity to wish Bermuda the very best - being that they, like us, are hoping to represent the Americas, I think that is great for the Americas region that we have two representatives here at Division 3."

Massiah believes that the USA squad contains a good mixture of youth and experience. "We've been blooding the young players for a while and hoping that they will come through. I think it's a good mixture of experience and a lot of exciting young players who look forward to the opportunity and obviously the opportunity is here for each and every one to fulfill our dreams which is to play in an ICC Cricket World Cup." 

On Sunday 28 April, Uganda will lock horns with host Bermuda at the National Sports Stadium, Italy will face Oman at St. David's, and Nepal will face USA at Somerset CC. All matches start at 1030 local time.
(Source ICC)

ICC world Cricket league Division III: Live score update of Bermuda Vs Uganda

Dear readers Six countries are now in Bermuda to play ICC world cricket league division III. Italy, Oman, Bermuda, Nepal, Uganda and USA are competing in League format to secure the position in ICC World cup Qualifier 2014 to be held in Newzlands. The Match will begin in 28 April 2013 and the Match will start at 13:30 GMT (19:15 NST) and 10:30 Local time. Uganda and host Bermuda, teams that relegated from division II will compete with each other in the First day of the Tournament. Yours favorite sport portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com in association with cricinfo.com will bring you the live ball to ball update with commentary for its readers. So Stay with us to get exclusive update, Live streaming (if available) and other interesting facts of the tournament.


Match Details:
ICC world cricket league Division III league Match
Uganda vs Bermuda
Date: 28 April 2013
Time: 19:15 NST, 13:30 GMT, 10:30 Local Time
Venue:Hamilton cricket ground, Bermuda

ICC World Cricket League Division III: Live core update of Oman Vs Italy

Dear readers Six countries are now in Bermuda to play ICC world cricket league division III. Italy, Oman, Bermuda, Nepal, Uganda and USA are competing in League format to secure the position in ICC World cup Qualifier 2014 to be held in Newz Land. The Match will begin in 28 April 2013 and the Match will start at 13:30 GMT (19:15 NST) and 10:30 Local time. The Oman and Italy teams that were in Divison III after securing third and fourth position are facing each Other in First Match. Yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will bring live update of the Match to its readers from all Over the world with the help of cricinfo.com . So stay with us
Italy Vs Oman Live score 
Match Details: 
ICC World cricket league div III League match 
Oman Vs Italy 
Date: 28 April 2013 
Time: 19:15 NST (13:30 GMT, 10:30 Local time) 
Venue: St David's cricket Ground, Bermuda

Apr 27, 2013

ICC World Cricket League Division III: Points Table of ICC WCL Division III

Dear readers six countries including Nepal are now in Bermuda where all six countries are looking to secure their position in upcoming ICC World Cup qualifier scheduled in 2014 in Newzland. Nepal and Oman for Asia, Italy from Europe, Uganda from Africa and USA and Bermuda from America are competing with each others. Among all six countries USA and Nepal had secured their position by getting promotion from Division IV while Oman and Italy had secured their Position by remaining third and Fourth in Div III while Bermuda and Uganda relegated from Division II. As usual yours favorite sports portal from Nepal anantasports will be bringing exclusive updates, Ball to Ball update, Live streaming (If Available) , Points table and Inside analysis of all the Matches. Here we are presenting you all the Points Table of ICC World Cricket League div III. Points Table will be updated as soon as the Match will be Over.

Points Table

TeamsMatWonLostTiedN/RPtsNet RR
Uganda541008+1.091
Nepal532006+0.715
U.S.A.532006+0.456
Bermuda532006-0.683
Oman523004+0.048
Italy505000-1.675

Red Bull A division League:A division Club of Nepal NRT not to play A division League

Dear readers remaining in A division and playing A division league football is dream of all Nepali football Clubs but being remaining in A division one of the most prominent club of New Road Team (NRT)'s general assembly has decided not to play this year's Red Bull A Division league citing budget problem. 36 voting members voted against the idea of participating in the league while just six members voted for playing the league on Saturday. N.R.T. was established in 1991 BS (1934 AD).Besides sports, the club was also active in mobilizing youth against the autocratic Rana regime. N.R.T. is the oldest existing club in the Nepal.NRT general secretary Binaya Pradhan confirmed that NRT had decided not to play A Division league. 
New Road Team(NRT logo)


"Since we have not registered in ANFA for this year's league, we won't face any action from ANFA. We will play B Division league next year". He also said that don’t blame us for this blame ANFA for this as ANFA is responsible for it. Anyway Ganesh thapa ANFA president must be serious about this matter and had to rethink why Nepalese football is degrading these days

ICC World Cricket League Division III: Live score update of Nepal vs USA

Dear readers Nepal is facing arch rival USA in their first match of ICC world cricket League Div III that is going to begin from Sunday April 28 2013 in Bermuda. Nepal had defeated USA in their previous two matches played in ICC world cricket league Div IV one in League match and other in Final. Nepal had recently played tough cricket matches against some of the strongest associate and affiliated cricket teams like UAE, Hong Kong , Afghanistan and Nepal was able to defeat Hong Kong and UAE in T20 and One day format. So Nepal has gone Bermuda with high hope to qualify for ICC World Cup qualifier by securing top two positions in Div III. Nepal is highly inspired by their Captain Paras and Coach Pubudu. USA on other hand had already played ICC world cup but are not that strong these days and they will be missing some important players. 
Nepal Vs USA Live score


As usual yours favorite sports portal www.anantasports.com will be bringing the Live score update and deep analysis of the Match to its readers. We request all the cricket fans to stay with us for Live score update and Live streaming of the Match (If available we will bring for you).



 Click here to get the Points Table of ICC World Cricket League Div III
Match Details:
ICC World Cricket League Division III
League Match, Nepal Vs USA
Date: April 28 2013
Time: 7:15 PM NST (01:30 GMT)
Venue: (Somerset CC),Bermuda

Apr 26, 2013

AFC U-16 Qualifications draw: Nepal to host Group C qualifier

Nepal is placed in Group C along with Iraq, Bahrain and Turkmenistan of AFC U-16 Qualifier while defending champions Uzbekistan will face Yemen, Palestine and the Maldives in Group B of the AFC U-16 Championship 2014 qualifiers as the pathway to next year’s finals was revealed to the 43 participating nations at the tournament draw held at AFC House on Friday. 

     The Group winners of the 10 groups and the best five runners-up will join host Thailand in the finals of the next year’s competition. The AFC U-16 Championship started back in 1985 and the finals in Bangkok would be the 16th edition of the competition. Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Jordan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan will host the matches of the West Zone while Laos the hosts of East Zone, apart from Laos hosting Group H, will be confirmed later. 
     The sides finishing at the top four positions will qualify to represent Asia in the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Chile in 2015. 


Here is the complete Grouping of AFC U-16 Qualifier and Host are given in Bold letter
Group A: Kuwait, India, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Bhutan
Group B: Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine, Maldives
Group C: Iraq ,Bahrain, Nepal, Turkmenistan
Group D: Syria,Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan, Jordan
 Group E: Iran ,UAE, Pakistan , Srilanka
Group F: Oman, Qatar, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan 
Group G: Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Macau
Group H: Korea Rep, Laos, Malaysia, Guam, Brunei
Group I: China,DPR Korea, Myanmar, Northen Mariana
Group J: Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines 

AFC U-19 qualifications' Draw : Nepal is relatively in hard Group A

Nepal is placed in Group A along with host Qatar, India, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Record 12-time champions Korea Republic are pitted alongside with hosts Indonesia, Laos, Guam and the Philippines in the qualifiers for the AFC U-19 Championship 2014 to be held in Myanmar. 
     Korea Republic, who edged Iraq in the final of the competition in 2012, have won the competition 12 times since it started in 1959. The finals, to be held in Myanmar for the very first time, are the 38th edition of the competition. 

The Group winners of the nine groups; five from West Zone and four from East will book a ticket to the October 2014 finals alongside with six best-placed sides and hosts Myanmar. 
Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and China are hosting the qualifiers involving 40 countries across the continent. 
The AFC U-19 Championship also serve as the qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the top-four sides of the 2014 edition booking a place each in the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in New Zealand in 2015.
Here is the complete Grouping and Host iof Each Group are indicated by bold Letter.
Group A: Uzbekistan, Qatar, India, Turkmenistan. Nepal
Group B: Jordan , UAE, Yemen, Maldives, Afghanistan
Group C:Iraq ,Kuwait ,Pakistan ,Bangladesh
Group D: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Tajikistan
Group E: Syria, Oman, Bahrain, Palestine
Group F: Australia, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, Hong Kong
Group G: Korea Rep, Indonesia, Laos, Guam, Philippines
Group H:  DPR Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei
Group I: Japan, China, Malaysia,  Macau

AFC President Cup 2013:AFC President Cup Group A qualifiers to start from May

The 2013 AFC President's Cup will be the 9th edition of the AFC President's Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "emerging countries" in Asia. The twelve teams were drawn into three groups of four. Each group is played on a single round-robin basis at a centralized venue, with Cambodia,Nepal, and the Philippines selected by the AFC to host the groups. The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the final stage. 

The qualifiers of Group A are kicking off from May 7 in Kathmandu. Laxmi Bank Three Star Club (Nepal), Abahani Limited (Bangladesh), Taiwan Power Company (Taiwan) and Erchim FC (Mongolia) are participating in the qualifiers. The winner from the group will progress to the final round.
Schedule of Group A to be played in kathmandu:

7 May 2013Three Star Club NepalvBangladesh Dhaka Abahani



7 May 2013Taiwan Power Company Chinese TaipeivMongolia Erchim




9 May 2013Dhaka Abahani BangladeshvChinese Taipei Taiwan Power Company



9 May 2013Erchim MongoliavNepal Three Star Club




11 May 2013Three Star Club NepalvChinese Taipei Taiwan Power Company




  11 May 2013        Erchim                     v             Dhaka Abahani





The final stage is played at a centralized venue, to be chosen from one of the final stage qualifiers. The six teams which qualified for the final stage will be drawn into two groups of three. Each group is played on a single round-robin basis, with the same ranking rules The winners of each group advance to the final. The final is played as a single match, with extra time and penalty shootout used to decide the winner if necessary.

Final stage will be played from September 23 to September 29 2013. Stay with us for exclusive updates of AFC President Cup 2013.



Mohammedan Sporting qualify for I-League 2013-14

Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting qualified for the next edition of the I-League (2013-14) after a goalless draw Thursday against Bhawanipore FC in their penultimate league match of the final phase of the 2nd Division League being held here.After playing nine matches and bagging 18 points, Mohammedan Sporting, who sit pretty at the top of the table, are back in the top tier after a gap of four years. 


The centenary club last played in India's premier club competition in the 2008/09 season. Bhawanipore - 14 points from 9 matches - stay third behind Rangdajied United who are on 16 points having played the same number of matches.Bhawanipore, also from Kolkata, will now have to win their match against Mumbai Tigers and hope that Mohammedan beat Rangdajied. A draw for the Meghalaya side will mean that the side who finishes with superior goal difference goes through, as the two cannot be separated on head-to-head count.

Apr 25, 2013

ICC World Cricket League Division III: Nepal to play practice Match against Bermuda XI


Dear readers as we all know that Senior Cricket team is now in Bermuda to play ICC world cricket League Division III that is schedule from April 28 to May 5.After many speculations and uncertainty finally whole Nepalese team has now gathered in Bermuda. Nepal will play the practice match against Bermuda XI today. Bermuda cricket board finalized following player for the warm up match against Nepal in April 25.


Bermuda Squad:
Irving Romaine
Christopher Foggo
Christopher Douglas
OJ Pitchr
Dennico Hollis
Allan Douglas Jnr
Sammy Robinson
Kwasi James
Jordan De Silva
Lateef Trott
Christion Gibbons
Tre Manders
Treadwell Gibbons
Jason Anderson

Nepal Cricket team in bermuda (source BCB)

According to the facebook page of Bermuda Cricket Board match will delay due to rain and match will start after 2 hours from 5: 30 PM Nepal Standard Time. You can get Live update here in the site or you can get update by liking  this facebook page or following Cricket Bermuda or anantasports in twitter.


Update:
 Nepal's only practice match before all important ICC division 3 tournament is being called off due to wet conditions. Nepal has no scheduled practice matches after this till now, now they will play against USA on 28th of April that is first match of ICC world cricket league Div III. Match was scheduled to start at 10:30 local time at Ranger Cricket Club Ground . Due to overnight rain outfield as well as wicket became wet.and did not improve as expected.

Apr 24, 2013

ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2013: CAN announce final Squad for ACC U-19 Elite Cup 2013


Dear readers while Nepal Senior Cricket team are now in Bermuda to play ICC World cricket league Division 3 , Nepal U-19 Crcket team are now preparing for ACC U-19 Elite cup and it is also the qualifier for ICC U-19 World Cup 2014 that is going to be held in UAE. Nepal is placed in Group B along with Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia and Bahrain. The Match is scheduled from   3rd - 11th May 2013 in Malaysia. 


CAN announce Nepali Squad for ACC U-19 Elite 2013 Malaysia and The squad is as follows. Bhuwan Karki has been named as captain as Previous Under-19 captain Prithu is with Senior team in Bermuda while Abhinash karna will assist him
1. Bhuwan Karki ( Captain ) 
2. Abhinash Karn(VC), 
3. Ram Naresh Giri, 
4. Nischal Pandey, 
5. Rahul Pratap Singh, 
6. Irshad Ahmed, 
7. Amit Shrestha, 
8. Sushan Bhari, 
9. Bibhastu Shrestha, 
10. Pawan Shrestha, 
11. Nirmal Thapa, 
12. Yagyaman Kumal, 
13. Prem Tamang 
14. Hari Shaknker Shah. 

Reservred Players :- 
1. Amit Dahal, 2. Suraj Kumar Kurmi, 3. Abhishek Jha , 4. Sharad Khadka 
Yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com will bring live update of the match for all the cricket lovers.

ICC World Cricket League Div III: Cricket Team of Nepal off to Bermuda

After a day of uncertainty, the national cricket team finally flew for Bermuda, the venue for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3, as scheduled on Tuesday. The 19-member team, consisting of 15 players, Coach Pubudu Dassanayake, manager TB Shah, team analyst Raman Shiwakokti and physiotherapist, left for Delhi from where they leave for Bermuda via London. 
With the team scheduled to leave on Tuesday, Nepal’s participation in Division 3 which runs through April 28- May 5 was mired in uncertainty after the British High Commission in Delhi had delayed the visa process. Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) turned to the British Embassy for assistance in the eleventh hour and with their cooperation managed to obtain the visa for all the players except vice-captain Gyanendra Malla. 

“The Embassy here cooperated with us and with their help we were able to send our team as planned,” CAN General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakurel told The Post. The British Embassy in Kathmandu had consulted the High Commission in Delhi about the visa problem. Likewise, CAN sent its member Basata Satyal to Delhi on Tuesday morning to sort the matter, who later handed the players their passports with visa in Delhi.

Pyakurel informed that Malla too has travelled with the team as the high commission in Delhi has summoned him for an interview on Wednesday. “He will join the team once he obtains visa,” Pyakurel informed.In the meantime, Naresh Budhayer has travelled with team in place of Malla.

The top two teams in the Divison-3 will take part in the 10-team Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The two finalists of the qualifier will play the Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand. Nepal is scheduled to play the Friendly against Bermuda XI in April 25. Stay with us as we will bring exclusive updates, live score with ball to ball commentary and Live streaming Video of the Match.

ICC world Cricket League Division III 2013: Team Profiles, Squad and Analysis

For six Associate and Affiliate sides, the latest step on the road to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand is about to commence in Bermuda. It is in Bermuda that Italy, Nepal, Oman, Uganda, USA and the host will come together this weekend (28 April) to compete in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3.
For the six teams competing, the tournament offers more than the chance to lift the trophy of a global event – it also offers the opportunity to advance to the ICC's flagship global event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.The top two sides will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in New Zealand in 2014 and feature 10 of the leading Associate and Affiliate teams. The top two sides from the qualifying event will then advance to the 14-team ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, where they will compete against the 10 Full Members on a global stage in Australia and New Zealand. Nepal along with host Bermuda, Uganda, Italy, USA and Oman are playing League Matches from April 28 to May 5 in Bermuda. Here yours favorite sports portal from Nepal www.anantasports.com is bringing you the Team profile, Analysis and Squad for all the Cricket Lovers. 

Team Nepal: 

Team Nepal is the onlyTeam of the Tournament where all the players are of Pure Nepalese Origin. Nepal Looks strong and toughest opponent to all the Teams who are expecting to secure the Top two Positions. Nepal’s recent form in Cricket is amazing as Nepal won ACC Elite Trophy 2012 along with UAE, secured second position in recently held ACC T20 Cup 2013 after losing against Afghanistan and became Champion of Division IV 2012. On the Leadership of inspiring captain Paras Khadka and Coach Pubudu Nepal is able to beat any team. The major problem of Nepalese team is their consistency along with poor fast Bowling attack. Nepal’s strongest point is their spin attack and batting Line up where every batsman are able to score. Nepal has been new to Bermuda and hope they can perform better there. We will like to convey our best wishes to Team Nepal
Squad:Paras Khadka (captain), Pradeep Airee, Prithu Baskota, Binod Bhandari, Amrit Bhattarai, Shakti Prasad Gauchan, Subash Prasa Khakurel, Gyanendra Malla, Anil Kumar Mandal, Basant Regmi, Sanjam Regmi, Chandra Sawad, Sharad Vesawkar and Rahul Kumar Vishwakarma 
Team USA: 

Team USA had already played ICC World cup However, this team has been in decline since they played ICC world Cup. A team always known for its attacking batsman, US has made a surprising decision to leave out their Mr. Consistant Aditya Thagyarajan and a premier bowler Usman Shuja. Regional rival USA is arriving in Bermuda on the back of its successful campaign at the ICC Americas Division 1 2013, where it won all of its matches to finish the event undefeated. USA won promotion to WCL Division 3 after finishing second in WCL Division 4 in September 2012.
   USA captain Steve Massiah says his team is focused on finishing in the top two for a number of reasons. "WCL Division 3 is something that many players in US cricket have had as an ambition to participate in for some time now. It is important to win promotion to ensure that the future of cricket in our country is strong and moving forward. I will do my very best to achieve the ultimate goal of progressing to the next stage of qualification." The 33-year-old, who was born in Guyana, believes that his side is well prepared for the event. "Our preparation for the tournament has been thorough and the team is looking forward to improving our professionalism on and off the ground."

Squad: Steve Massiah (captain), Danial Ahmed, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Barrington Bartley, Akeem Dodson, Muhammad Asad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Naseer Jamali, Rashard Marshall, Neil Mcgarrell, Sushil Nadkarni, Japen Patel and Steven Taylor

Team Italy:

Italy is the Combination of the different Nationals by the Origin as there is only one pure Italian player in the Team.Italy can be the toughest opponent of Nepal but it is single performer than the Team. Given the maverick nature of US, experts think Italy as favorites to qualify for next stage. A team of good fielders and all-rounders, Italy have a better head to head against USA. Squad: Alessandro Bonora (captain), Damian Graham Crowley, Gayashan De Silva Munasinghe, Luis Di Giglio, Dilan Fernando Arsakulasuriya, Fida Hussain, Dinidu Marage, Damian Muthunamagonnage Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Hayden Patrizi Dell'agnello, Vincenzo Pennazza, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso and Carl Sandri

Team Bermuda -
Bermuda is not what it used to be. The relentless decline since the hey days of 2007 could see a new low for them - a relegation to div 4. Noted player like Hemp, Jones & Leverock have all not fired in recent years. The strongest part of the team is that they are playing at home ground and are known to the condition there. Stephen Outerbridge, captain of the host team, says his team is firmly focused on a top two finish. "The team recognizes the importance of finishing in the top two of WCL Division 3 if they have aspiration of playing in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup," he said.The 29-year-old is looking forward to the opportunity to display the great game as well as his side's skills on home soil. "As recently appointed captain of Bermuda I think this is a great opportunity for my team to showcase its talents on home soil with the support of family, friends and supporters. I am grateful for the trust that has been bestowed in me. I hope to deliver success for my team and country at this tournament."

In 2012, Bermuda finished 13th at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE, and, more recently, it finished second in the ICC Americas Division 1 2013. The right-hander believes his team can continue building on these results. "I hope that everyone has learned from our previous disappointments, which should help us put together a string of positive team performances going forward."
Squad: Stephen Outerbridge (captain), Jason Anderson, Lionel Cann, Jekon Edness, Treadwell Gibbons, David Hemp, Malachi Jones, Greg Maybury, Tre Manders, Delray Rawlins, Jacobi Robinson, Curt Stovell, Rodney Trott and Janeiro Tucker
Team Uganda -
A very new team for Nepal and they have finished second to Kenya in recently held ICC T20 World cup Regional Qualifier from Africa. A consistant performer in Africa region, Uganda, inspite of not being as good as few yrs back, can still pose few problems to major teams. Not worthy of a king but can be a king maker or even breaker. So Every team should be cautious against Africanteam Uganda.
Squad: Davis Arinaitwe (captain), Benjamin Musoke, Roger Mukasa, Laurence Sematimba, Frank Nsubuga, Brian Masaba, Arthur Kyobe, Charles Waiswa, Michael Ndiko, Deusdedit Muhumuza, Henry Senyondo, Arthur Ziraba, Jonathan Sebanja and Richard Okia


Team Oman - 
Arguably the least likely team to clinch the qualification. Still getting fruits from the good tress planted in mid 2000s. Zeeshan Siddique, the top-order batsman cum leg spinner is a definite watch out. Oman, which is returning to WCL Division 3 after finishing third in the event in 2011, has also arrived in Bermuda and captain Vaibhav Wategaonkar is looking forward to the event. He said: "This tournament means a lot to me, as I'm captaining the national side for the first time, and also it means a lot for the whole team.
"It's a big and very important opportunity for us. If we qualify for the WCL Qualifier 2014, then we will get the chance to play against WCL Championship teams, and playing against them is an enriching experience and also it helps us to show our talent on a bigger cricketing platform," Wategaonkar continued.The left-hander says his side has the skill to do well at WCL Division 3. "We are a good side, a very talented side."
Squad: Vaibhav WATEGAONKAR (c), Sultan AHMED, Syed Amir ALI, Munis ANSARI, Ghazanfar IQBAL, Syed Aamir KALEEM, Ajay LALCHETA, Sufyan MAHMOOD, Hemal MEHTA, Nileshkumar PARMAR, Abishek RAMESH, Rajesh RANPURA, Zeeshan SIDDIQUI, Jatinder SINGH