Sardar Singh suspended for one game

New Delhi
Delhi Waveriders captain Sardar Singh was on Saturday handed a one-match suspension for "inappropriate physical contact with the opponent player" during a Hockey India League (HIL) match. "The incident involved Sardar Singh's inappropriate physical contact with the opponent player which clearly breached the HIL Code of Conduct. The incident was proved by the video footage as well as Sardar Singh accepting the breach on the field," said an HIL statement. "HIL disciplinary committee has suspended Sardar Singh for one match. He will not play the match against Dabang Mumbai scheduled to be played Feb 1 in New Delhi."

Karachi
PCB, players reach verbal agreement over contracts
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reached a verbal agreement with the players, who are currently touring New Zealand, that they do not need to sign the three-month central contract. "Instead of a three-month central contract, the board has verbally assured the players that when they return home, they will be issued a fresh 12-month contracts backdated from January 1, 2015," a source said. The source also said that since PCB had to ensure that the players in New Zealand and Australia were contracted to them to cover issues of payments, discipline and other commercial stakes, it would probably issue special tour contracts now.   

Sydney
Clarke returns, scores fifty  
Michael Clarke has registered a half-century in his comeback match in Sydney Grade cricket. Playing for Western Suburbs, he was dismissed for 51 off 128 balls, caught at mid-on off .  "So far so good," said Clarke.  "It's obviously great to be back out there playing. There's certainly a bit of rust in the system, as you would have seen, so it's nice to be back out there in the middle." — Agencies