Date:30/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083057171800.htm

Sport - Cricket

Sajith to lead Central Zone

KOCHI: Palakkad’s Sajith Muralidharan will lead Central Zone in the forthcoming Kerala State under-22 inter-zone cricket championship at Perinthalmanna.

Idukki’s Sachin Baby will be the vice-captain.

Ernakulam won the Central Zone championship, a four-district affair, on Friday but the champion’s star, 17-year-old leg-spinner M.S. Akhil, who took 11 wickets in the final on Friday, figures just among the reserves in the zonal team.

“Akhil will be playing the under-19 inter-district championship and since the dates clash with the under-22 inter-zone event, he will not be playing in Perinthalmanna,” said the Ernakulam District Cricket Association Secretary, Jayesh George.

Central plays South in its first under-22 three-dayer on September 4 and North from September 8.

The team: Sajith Muralidharan (Capt.), Sachin Baby, Rajilal, Sanal Nazar, Laxman, Pious K. Joseph, Praveen Achuthan, Manu Krishnan, Ajay Jayakumar, Anthaf, C.V. Vinod Kumar, K.R. Sreejith, M. Surjith, Vysakh Chandran. Reserves: Davis Manavalan, Nithesh Kumar, M.S. Akhil, C. Ramesh. Managers: T. Vinod and G. Dinesh. — Principal Correspondent