SHANKAR HELPS INDIA A TO 4-WKT WIN VERSUS NZ A

NEW DELHI: Riding on half-centuries from Vijay Shankar and Shreyas Iyer, India A beat New Zealand A by four wickets in the first unofficial ODI at Mount Maunganui on Friday. Asked to bat, New Zealand A posted 308/6 courtesy half-centuries from Jimmy Neesham (79*), Hamish Rutherford (70) and Tim Seifert’s 59. For India A, seamer Siddarth Kaul took two wickets. In reply, India A batsmen scored at a good rate and overhauled the target with six balls to spare. Shankar remained unbeaten on 87 while Iyer hit 54. Brief scores: New Zealand A 308/6 in 50 overs (Jimmy Neesham 79*, Hamish Rutherford 70; Siddarth Kaul 2/74) lost to India A 311/6 in 49 overs (Vijay Shankar 87*, Shreyas Iyer 54; Hamish Bennett 2/65) by four wickets.

Joe Root commits future to Yorkshire

LONDON: England Test captain Joe Root has signed a contract extension with Yorkshire that will keep him at the county of his birth until 2022. Root, who made his Yorkshire debut in 2009, said he is intent on remaining an integral part of the club’s development. “I love playing for Yorkshire. I don’t really see myself playing anywhere else,” Root said.