Darren Bravo eyeing ICC Emerging Player honour

London: Young West Indies batsman Darren Bravo has admitted to being surprised over his short-listing for the International Cricket Council`s (ICC) Emerging Player-of-the-Year award, but is now backing his chances of walking away with the honour.

The 22-year-old, a stylish left-hander, will compete with fellow Windies teammate, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and the Pakistan duo of Azhar Ali and Wahab Riaz, for the award at the Sep 12 ceremony here.

"It is a great feeling to be nominated. I was a bit surprised. It has been my first full year in international cricket and I am being listed in that sort of category, so it is special to me. I am thanking the lord for this and hopefully I get the award," says Bravo.

"I think it will be very tough because all the others have performed pretty well. It is about their hard work as well and congratulation to them as well for being nominated.

"Someone like Devendra Bishoo has put in a tremendous amount of hard work since he has come in. So may the best man win."

During the period under scrutiny, Bravo made his Test debut and has since played eight matches, averaging just over 39 with six half-centuries.

Bishoo, meanwhile, has taken 21 wickets in five Tests at 35 runs apiece since making his debut against Pakistan in May and has snared 19 scalps in 11 One-Day Internationals at an average of 21.

IANS

First Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 18:08

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Ex-NBA player Crittenton still wanted for murder (AP)

ATLANTA – Javaris Crittenton was wanted on a murder charge as police searched on Saturday for the former NBA player in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Crittenton has been charged in the fatal shooting of 22-year Jullian Jones, a mother of four who was gunned down Aug. 19 on an Atlanta street.

A spokesman with the Atlanta police said Crittenton was not in custody. Calls to the FBI and U.S. Marshal's office weren't immediately returned.

Three of Crittenton's neighbors in Fayetteville said SWAT members executed a search warrant last week on his residence.

The neighbors declined to give their names to The Associated Press during interviews near Crittenton's home in an affluent cul-de-sac 17 miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

No one answered the door at Crittenton's residence, a three-story brick home with a manicured lawn and a small backyard.

Crittenton, who spent the 2006-07 season at Georgia Tech and played in 113 NBA games, allegedly killed Jones with shots fired from a dark-colored SUV, police said.

According to Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos, investigators don't believe Jones was the intended target. His motive, Campos said, appeared to be retaliation for an April robbery in which Crittenton was a victim.

Messages left for an agent who has represented Crittenton weren't immediately returned Friday or Saturday.

Crittenton, who averaged 5.3 points and 1.8 assists in his career, last played in the NBA during 2008-09. He was sidelined by an ankle injury the following season, during which he and teammate Gilbert Arenas were suspended for a gun-related incident in the Wizards' locker room.

Two days after a dispute stemming from a card game on a team flight, Arenas brought four guns to the locker room and set them in front of Crittenton's locker with a sign telling him to "PICK 1." Crittenton then took out his own gun.

Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge on Jan. 25, 2010, and received probation.

After the Wizards declined to re-sign him, he signed a non-guaranteed contract with Charlotte before last season. The Bobcats waived him Oct. 15, and he then played five games in China for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, averaging 25.8 points. He also played 20 games for the NBDL's Dakota Wizards, averaging 14.3 points.

Crittenton was drafted 19th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007. He played little with Los Angeles and was traded to Memphis in his rookie year, then to Washington in December 2008.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank wrote in an e-mail to the AP that Crittenton is no longer under contract with Dakota.

"Beyond that I have nothing to add," Frank said.

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Associated Press writer Ray Henry and AP sports writer Jim O'Connell contributed to this report.

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Report: Eto'o to become highest paid soccer player

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan has reportedly reached a deal with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for the transfer of striker Samuel Eto'o, a deal that should make the Cameroon international the highest paid soccer player in the world.

After several days of negotiations, Italian media report Sunday that the two clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of $38.9 million and that the deal will be formalized Monday.

Anzhi is expected to give Eto'o a three-year contract worth $28.8 million per season, surpassing the estimated $17.3 million that Cristiano Ronaldo earns at Real Madrid and the $15.1 million that Lionel Messi is paid by Barcelona.

Anzhi, from the southern Russian province of Dagestan, is owned by billionaire oil tycoon Suleiman Kerimov.

The 30-year-old Eto is considered still in his prime. He has already won three Champions League titles — two with Barcelona and one with Inter — and is apparently excited about playing in the developing Russian league.

In Forbes magazine's latest list of the world's richest people, Kerimov's net worth was estimated at $7.8 billion, tying him for 118th place with Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and family.

Anzhi's captain is 38-year-old Roberto Carlos, once the standout left back for Brazil.

The transfer fee for Eto'o also makes it one of the most expensive deals this season, close to the $42 million Barcelona paid Arsenal on Monday to bring Cesc Fabregas back to his childhood club.

The biggest deal during the current transfer window was the $62 million Manchester City paid Atletico Madrid for Sergio Aguero last month. Also, Paris Saint-Germain paid $60 million to Palermo for Javier Pastore.

Eto'o led Inter with 37 goals in all competitions last season, having replaced Milito as the club's biggest scoring threat. He was a key member of the Inter side that won the Champions League in 2010, often accepting an attacking midfield or defensive role for then-Inter coach Jose Mourinho.

Before joining Inter in 2009, Eto'o played five seasons with Barcelona.

Makhachkala is plagued by violence from insurgency that has spread across the North Caucasus after two separatist wars in Dagestan's neighboring region of Chechnya.

Anzhi players live and train at a training camp outside Moscow and travel to Makhachkala for home games, flying about 1,250 miles 15 times a season.

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