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Clinton Perren was Man of the Match for his double of 74 and 168 not out © Getty Images

Michael Kasprowicz produced a timely performance ahead of the South Africa tour as Queensland jumped to a four-point Pura Cup lead with a 294-run victory over South Australia. With Glenn McGrath expected to be ruled out of next month’s Test series, Kasprowicz went head-to-head with Jason Gillespie in the match and today he combined with Andy Bichel for eight wickets as the Redbacks were dismissed for 209.Clinton Perren’s brilliant 168 from 202 balls allowed Jimmy Maher to declare from the comfort of 6 for 365, setting South Australia a massive target of 504. The chase began poorly when both openers departed by the time they reached 2, Kasprowicz collecting Ben Cameron and Bichel taking caring of Greg Blewett. Mark Cosgrove and Cameron Borgas fell with the score on 72 before Kasprowicz struck twice in three balls to end a 97-run partnership between Darren Lehmann and Callum Ferguson.Ferguson left with 38 after being bowled by a Kasprowicz off-cutter, and he quickly found Graham Manou’s edge, which went to Martin Love at first slip. Bichel stepped in with the important wicket of Lehmann, who blasted 13 fours in his 64-ball 74, and finished with 4 for 77 while Kasprowicz ended the match with Shaun Tait’s dismissal to claim figures of 4 for 63. Perren, who scored 74 in the first innings, was named Man of the Match for his impressive dual efforts.The victory gives Queensland a useful buffer as they attempt to win hosting rights for the final from March 24. South Australia suffered their second loss in a row and are third with New South Wales and Western Australia on 20 points, four behind Victoria.

The conditions were stifling at Kochi, but Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag handled the heat and the Pakistani bowlers superbly, and their 201-run stand was the cornerstone of India’s comprehensive win. If conditions like those, you’d expect batsmen to hit plenty of boundaries and save themselves the bother of running between the wickets, but Dravid, especially, batted exactly as he would normally, running hard and striking only the occasional hits to the fence. His innings contained 58 singles and 11 twos – that’s 77% of his runs which came the hard way. Add the singles and two he ran for his partners, and the numbers burgeon to 121 singles, 15 twos and a three. No wonder he was quite exhausted by the end of it all. Sehwag, on the other hand, hit 50% of his runs in boundaries.India’s trump card in the field was Sachin Tendulkar, who renewed his love affair with the Nehru Stadium in Kochi. His overall figures were impressive enough – 10-1-50-5 – but they were even better when he bowled from round the wicket, cramping the batsmen for room. He bowled 53 such deliveries, and conceded just 32 runs, a rate of 3.6 per over, and took all wickets. And when he pitched it outside leg, Pakistan’s batsmen were floundering, managing just three per over.

A report from the Reuters news agency claims that the International Cricket Council will announce a decision to freeze payments totalling millions of dollars owed to countries following the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.The ICC, which is meeting in Barbados this week, has apparently taken the decision because Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), the ICC’s commercial partner for the tournament, is demanding almost US$50 million as compensation for loss of earnings during the World Cup. “All the World Cup countries currently have money withheld,” an anonymous source told the agency.It is possible that money will be released, but only if countries give a guarantee to the ICC that it would be repaid should the claim by GCC be upheld – and the outcome of that might not be known for up to two years.”If the auditors believe the ICC should give some money back, they may be able to access it, but only if the ICC get the bank guarantee they want,” the source said. “The ICC are deciding – should they release any money, and if they should release any money, exactly how much.”India have led the calls for the ICC to pay the outstanding monies now, but the source said their demands are likely to be rebuked. “They are saying strict conditions need to be met before any money would be returned to the World Cup countries,” he told Reuters. “India have come to the table banging their fist saying they want their money back. India are making the most noise and the ICC have said no.”The situation is further complicated by the fact that the ICC is already withholding money from New Zealand and England after their refusal to play group matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar and the Pakistan CricketBoard (PCB) got a sigh of relief when the InternationalCricket Council (ICC) named New Zealand’s Brian Hastings asmatch referee for next month’s Test series between Pakistanand Bangladesh.The ICC also appointed Englishman John Hampshire andZimbabwean Russel Tiffin as umpires for the Dhaka andChittagong Tests.Pakistan leave for Dhaka on Jan 2 for two Tests and threeone-day internationals. It will be Pakistan’s maiden Testtour against the newest Test nation who got into the ICCfold last year.The three ICC officials are some of the few who have notraised any suspicion against the bowling action of Shoaib,rated as one of the quickest in the world.Shoaib, who has been reported twice this year, faces a oneyear suspension if reported again after the PCB decided notto utilize the services of Michael Holding as bowlingadvisor in accordance with Stage 2.However, Inzamam-ul-Haq doesn’t have happy memories ofHastings who fined him 50 per cent of his match fee duringthe home series against Sri Lanka in March 2000 for accusingthe opponents of sledging.

Gavin Hamilton turned in a tremendous all round performance to bring Yorkshire Phoenix a sensational 49-run victory over Sussex Sharks at Scarborough yesterday which took them six points clear at the top of Division One of the Norwich Union National League.It was Yorkshire’s fifth consecutive win in the competition and the only side who can rob them of the title if they beat Kent Spitfires at Canterbury on Tuesday are Gloucestershire Gladiators who play the two matches they have in hand over the next two days.Hamilton blasted a career-best 57 not out off 58 balls with six fours and two sixes as Yorkshire reached 192 for eight off their 45 overs, the biggest contribution coming from Darren Lehmann who held the first half of the batting together while hammering 80 from only 99 deliveries with seven boundaries.But it was an incredible second spell with the ball by Hamilton which dramatically turned the tables on Sussex who seemed to be cruising it until their last eight wickets crashed for a mere 28 runs in seven overs.Hamilton began the rout by bowling Michael Bevan for a faultless 67 off 69 balls with seven fours and a six and he compiled his runs during a superb third wicket stand of 113 in 26 overs with Chris Adams. Adams was run out going for a second when he could not beat substitute fielder Vic Craven’s throw to the wicketkeeper and Hamilton rapidly mopped up to end with splendid figures of five for 34.There were five ducks in the Sussex innings and Yorkshire openers David Byas and Simon Widdup also failed to get off the mark but Lehmann and then Hamilton came to the rescue.

West Ham travel to Anfield this evening in the hope of pulling off an impressive double over Liverpool, having beaten the Carabao Cup winners 3-2 at the London Stadium earlier this season.

However, David Moyes is without four players – Angelo Ogbonna (knee), Arthur Masuaku (knee), Vladimir Coufal (hernia) and Andriy Yarmolenko (compassionate leave) – while Ryan Fredericks (groin) is also a doubt.

Tomas Soucek suffered a deep cut above his left eye against Southampton and was initially considered a doubt, but after seemingly making himself available for selection via social media, it is expected that he will be in the squad later.

With all that in mind, here is our predicted West Ham line-up for this evening:

We expect Moyes to deploy the same 3-4-1-2 formation he has used in the last two games, particularly to counter the threat of Liverpool’s full-backs and front three in an effort to contain them and hit them on the break.

The 58-year-old is likely to make just two changes from the team which lost at Southampton in the FA Cup in midweek, with Alphonse Areola dropping out of the team in place of Lukasz Fabianski, and Aaron Cresswell coming in for Issa Diop.

On-loan Areola – who was once described by his former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel as “exceptional” – had a night to forget on Wednesday, conceding three goals and making just one save, with SofaScore giving him a match rating of 5.9, while Cresswell missed out through injury.

He and Fabianski return, with Diop and Areola dropping to the bench, while Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson retain their places in the team.

Ben Johnson and Pablo Fornals continue as makeshift wing-backs, with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek marshalling the midfield, and Manuel Lanzini just behind Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.

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The likes of Nikola Vlasic and Said Benrahma will likely be called upon to provide a spark off the bench, while the leadership and experience of Mark Noble could prove crucial should he come on as a substitute to help the Hammers protect a lead or gain a draw.

In other news: West Ham handed huge injury boost pre-Liverpool as exciting Rush Green image emerges

	‘What was really pleasing to me was the fact that the senior players all supported me during the tour’ – Bravo © Getty Images

Dwayne Bravo, West Indies’ stand-in captain, has blamed injuries to key players for the team’s disappointing showing on the tour of South Africa recently. West Indies conceded the three-Test series 2-1 after winning the first in Port Elizabeth, squared the Twenty20 internationals 1-1 and lost all five one-dayers.West Indies missed the services of regular captain Chris Gayle after he suffered a broken thumb during the second Test in Cape Town and was sent home after the first one-dayer. Bravo himself had injury worries after picking up a side strain during the Test series while Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor also suffered setbacks.”We were unfortunate in that there were injuries to many of our key players and this really hampered us down there,” Bravo told . “We have no control of this, so we just had to do what we could have in the situation. I think the players who competed there did well and one must recognise this.”Bravo, who was the given the vice-captaincy despite his inexperience as a captain with his native Trinidad, appreciated the constant support and advice from his team-mates.”I thought that I did well with the captaincy,” he said. “What was really pleasing to me was the fact that the senior players all supported me during the tour. Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin came to me over and over with advice and this was really good.”West Indies’ next assignment is a short home series against Sri Lanka in March-April, which includes three one-dayers and two Tests, followed by Australia’s visit. The Australians play three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international, and Bravo was confident the players would be well-prepared for those challenges.”Currently there is a lot of cricket being played in the West Indies and the players have no excuses, as far as not having ideal preparations is concerned. Sri Lanka and Australia are obviously up there at the top of the rankings but once we play to our potential, we can give them a real fight.”

Shane Bond has been the best fast bowler in the world for the last few months, according to Kumar Sangakkara © Getty Images

If there had been a pre-tournament poll of matches to whet the appetite, it’s a safe bet that New Zealand against Sri Lanka – two nations overshadowed to the point of parody by brasher neighbours – would not have set many pulses racing. Suddenly, however, their clash in Grenada on Thursday is being viewed in a very different light. It’s not inconceivable that this match could be a dress rehearsal for the semi-finals or even beyond. Such is the skill and variety on display in both squads that either team would make a worthy, and popular, World Cup winner.Sri Lanka, for their part, are determined to approach this contest with the same joie de vivre that they have shown throughout the tournament. Four months ago, they travelled to the greentops of New Zealand and drew 1-1 and 2-2 in the Test and ODI series respectively, carrying the fight to the Kiwis in a manner that few subcontinental sides have managed in such alien conditions. Nothing fazed them then, and it’s not about to now.”We’re going to compete every step of the way and play our Sri Lankan brand of cricket,” said Kumar Sangakkara, who was unafraid to hark back to his country’s legendary 1996 World Cup-winning squad for inspiration. “We have an attitude where we’ve managed to balance our aggression with a professional approach. Even leaving the ball with positive intent is a show of aggression to the opposition.”Most of the times we’ve gone wrong, we’ve tried to change our game, but we’ve realised that’s a bit foolish. When we won the World Cup we played a unique brand of cricket and that’s how we play now against any side – but particularly a side like New Zealand who, if we can put pressure on their bowlers at the start, then a formidable total can be built up.”So far it is New Zealand who have enjoyed the smoother of the two campaigns. They have never been less than in control of their six matches to date, although having seen off both Ireland and Bangladesh, as well as the below-par England and West Indies, they are acutely aware that the challenge is about to get rather more intense.”Our toughest test is these three games coming up,” said Daniel Vettori, whose team still has two other semi-final candidates, South Africa and Australia, waiting in the pipeline. “We can control our own destiny if we win tomorrow. If we want to go on and win [the World Cup] we know that we’re going to have to beat one of these three teams, either in a final or a semi-final, so it’s a good wake-up call and a realisation that we’ve got to play well.”New Zealand’s task, however, has been made all the less arduous by the news that Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka’s sling-shotting spearhead, will not be playing. He has sustained a grade two tear of his ankle ligament, and could well be forced to miss the remainder of the Super Eights campaign. “He is very keen to play, but we have told him ‘No’,” Michael Tissera, the team manager, said. “He suffered the injury the day before yesterday, and we sent him to Jamaica for a scan. We hope he will be fit for the games against Australia and Ireland [next week].”

New Zealand will be relieved they will not have to face the injured Lasith Malinga © Getty Images

Vettori’s grin spoke volumes when asked how much of a relief his absence would be to New Zealand, although Sangakkara was keen to impress the depth and variety of the bowling attack Sri Lanka still has at its disposal. “I think we are going in with a very balanced attack. In the past we’ve been very spin-heavy, but we have a squad of five fast bowlers, each ready to step up when opportunities present themselves,” he said. “Malinga is important but each has equal importance in our side. If he’s fit or not fit, whoever comes in must do the job and that’s how we approach it.”All the same, Malinga’s absence means that there is only one genuine paceman left in the contest. “He’s been far and away the best fast bowler in the past six or seven months,” Sangakkara said of Shane Bond, the bowler of the tournament to date. “He is one person that you have to respect. You can talk the whole day about Bondy and his outswingers, but the real important thing for us is to be mentally prepared to face that on the day, and overcome the challenge.”Form and fortune favours New Zealand, who are expected to welcome back Ross Taylor in the middle order. However – like their fellow pacemakers, Australia – they have yet to be challenged in their unbeaten run to date. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have already been involved in two of the tightest contests in World Cup history – their one-wicket loss against South Africa, and their two-run win over England.”We didn’t want England to get that close,” Sangakkara said of their thriller in Antigua last week, “but the positive thing from that was that we showed character as a team and individually to step up in that final over. Maybe we have a more rounded perspective for the coming games. But one-day cricket is all about being on the money every single minute. We just have to be as professional as we can.”New Zealand (probable) 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Shane Bond, 10 James Franklin, 11 Mark Gillespie.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Russel Arnold, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Farveez Maharoof, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.

Alok Kapali earns a recall to the squad to face Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Bangladesh have named their 20-member squad for the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka starting next month. The selectors recalled Alok Kapali, the allrounder and dropped pacers Anwar Hossain Munir and Talha Jubair, according to a statement released by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.Sri Lanka’s tour begins on February 19 and are scheduled to play two tests and three ODIs. The training camp for the selected players will be conducted by Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, from next Sunday at Mirpur, outside Dhaka, the statement said.Bangladesh squad Habibul Bashar (capt), Khaled Mashud (wk), Shahriar Nafees, Javed Omar, Nafees Iqbal, Rajin Saleh, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Tushar Imran, Mohammad Rafique, Manjarul Islam Rana, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque, Khaled Mahmud, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tapash Baishya, Syed Rasel, Nazmul Hossain and Shahadat Hossain.

Carrying the drinks might not be an issue for Brett Lee© Getty Images

Brett Lee might miss out on a place for the second Test which starts on Friday, but there are suggestions he might rush home in time to appear for New South Wales against Queensland in the Pura Cup final which starts at Brisbane on the same day.John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, said that consideration was being given to allowing Lee – or Michael Kasprowicz, in the unlikley event that he were to miss out – to fly back for the game. He added that the idea would only be given serious thought were the player’s state to make a formal request.The time difference between Wellington and Brisbane is two-and-a-half hours, but the lack of available flights and problems with connections would mean that the player would miss most of the first day at The Gabba.”In our planning at this stage, we want Brett and Brad [Hodge] to be ready to play the second Test, get the team selected and get the game started, and then let’s have a look at it after that,” Buchanan told reporters. “Queensland and NSW have to make those decisions first of all but our first consideration is the Test match obviously and having the players ready.”If Lee did fly back, it would be to play his first first-class match in almost four months, but New South Wales were less than impressed that the ball had been left in their court. “Why do we have to apply? We’ve made several requests during the year when Brett has been carrying the drinks,” state selector Brian Taber said. “Why should we keep asking when all we get is a brick wall? Let’s get fair dinkum and let common-sense prevail.”Queensland have already said they have no objection to Lee arriving late, but competition rules mean that, unless he was on the ground by the halfway point on the first day, he would not be able to bowl until the second morning.Graham Dixon, Queensland’s chief executive, said that “the underlying thing is we want players to play cricket and we should do our best to enable them to. Having a Brett Lee or a Michael Kasprowicz playing only adds to the Pura Cup final.”Cricket Australia remained tight-lipped, refusing to comment on what it said was a “hypothetical” situation.