No proof against Gurunath, Kundra, says BCCI probe panel

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Exactly 58 days after he "stepped aside" as BCCI president, the decks have been cleared for N Srinivasan's return to the helm of the richest cricket body in the world.

A report submitted by a two-member panel that probed allegations of betting and spot-fixing against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements Ltd (owner of Chennai Super Kings) and Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd (owner of Rajasthan Royals), found no direct evidence of wrongdoing on the part of any party. The panel consisted of two former judges of the Tamil Nadu high court, Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian.

Narine and Bravo brothers level series

West Indies were unusually generous in the field but their batting showed signs of returning to form and Sunil Narine roared back to his best as they overcame Pakistan in Providence to level the series at one-each. West Indies themselves had been helped by a sloppy effort from Pakistan's bowlers, who conceded a whopping 38 extras in a low-scoring game.

Darren Bravo provided the stability at the top of the order and, though Pakistan's naggingly accurate trio of spinners choked the scoring in the middle overs, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard played some big shots towards the end of the innings to lift West Indies to a competitive 232 on a slow surface.

Efficient Pakistan ease to facile win

Pakistan 207 for 4 (Farhat 56, Hafeez 54 retired) beat South Africa 202 for 9 (McLaren 55, Duminy 43, Wahab 3-30, Asad 3-30) by six wickets.

There were enough Pakistan supporters at The Oval to give the impression that this warm-up ahead of the Champions Trophy mattered, but in essence it was pointless, not just in terms of the group stages but also in the general scheme of things.

Pakistan will claim a psychological advantage after breezing to a six-wicket victory against South Africa with more than four overs to spare, they were vastly superior throughout and their supporters celebrated a well-drilled victory with their usual enthusiasm, but it will not much matter in the morning.

Raina replaces injured Shikhar Dhawan for final Test

Suresh Raina has been brought back into the Indian squad for the fourth and final Test against Australia, starting at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Friday.

The 26-year-old Uttar Pradesh left-hander replaces the Man of the Match from the third Test, Delhi lad Shikhar Dhawan , who jammed his left hand into the ground while fielding in Mohali and has been ruled out due to a fracture.