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	Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh celebrate Mahela Jayawardene’s dismissal © Getty Images

Majestic
When Yuvraj Singh is in form, his placement is up there with best and when his confidence is high, it’s a crime to pitch it up to him. Farveez Maharoof did just that and paid the price. Yuvraj waited for the ball to arrive, went down on his knees, and unleashed a cover drive that sent the ball racing to the fence, completing the shot with a classy follow through. Everything was perfect about the stroke.Spot on
And just when one thought that Yuvraj would ensure Kumar Sangakkara’s century went in vain – as it eventually did – Chaminda Vaas, a smart assessor of a batsman’s strengths and weaknesses, sent one straight through the huge gap that is created by Yuvraj’s high backlift. Vaas landed the yorker at the right spot, knocking back Yuvraj’s middle stump to end a glorious innings.Old man not at sea
Robin Uthappa hit the ball to the mid-off and set off for a single thinking, perhaps, that taking on the 38-year-old Sanath Jayasuriya wouldn’t be much of a risk. Little did he know that the Sri Lankan warhorse still retains a youthful agility as Jayasuriya demonstrated with his sprint, pick-up and direct hit which found Uthappa marginally short of the crease.Good ol’ basics
Munaf Patel has faced a lot of criticism for his casual attitude while fielding, but he got his own back in the third over of the morning. Sangakkara punched a fullish delivery straight back; Munaf tried to field it in his follow through and the ball deflected off his fingers onto the stumps. It’s arguable that a more agile player might have fielded the ball cleanly, but here Munaf’s effort was just what India needed: Jayasuriya, who was holding the bat in the wrong hand, was well short of his crease and the batsman who had pummelled the Indian new-ball attack in their previous encounter was back in the hutch after facing just three deliveries.Too high, mate
Praveen thought he got the breakthrough that had eluded the Indians for close to 30 overs. Coming round the wicket, his high full-toss startled Sangakkara, whose attempted pull landed in the hands of Uthappa at midwicket. Just as Praveen was about to celebrate his first ODI wicket, umpire Peter Parker rightly ruled the delivery a no-ball, deeming it to have been above waist high.Too straight, mate
Sangakkara might rethink playing his straight drives. Earlier in the innings, his punch down the ground had accounted for Jayasuriya for a duck. Then just as Sri Lanka had taken the upper hand, Sangakkara’s drive deflected off Praveen, the bowler, to the stumps and Jayawardene, who was stranded out of his crease, became the second batsman to perish to Sangakkara’s accuracy.Running wild
As if two run-outs were not enough, Sri Lanka suffered another blow when a misunderstanding between Sangakkara and Chamara Kapugedera resulted in a third one. Rohit Sharma dived to his right at point, picked up the ball and threw in one motion towards the bowler’s end and knocked off the bails. Sri Lanka were running themselves out and India were back in the game.

Unlike their last match the Sri Lankans would want their top-order to fire © Getty Images

The last time these two teams met, the match lasted only slightly longerthan . It may have been aninconsequential qualifying game, with both sides assured of a place in theChampions Trophy, but West Indies were utterly humiliated on a livelyBrabourne Stadium pitch. Farveez Maharoof was the bowling star that daywith 6 for 14, and Sri Lanka waltzed past the target of 81 in just 13.2overs.Tom Moody, who oversaw that demolition job as coach, certainly isn’treading too much into the result. “We will take nothing out of that match,considering these are completely different conditions and situations,” hesaid. “The only advantage we will take is a psychological one.”His wards will also be helped by the fact that West Indies’ campaign hasgone from brimful-of-promise to laced-with-intrigue in the space of aweek. Demoralising defeats to Australia and New Zealand have left them ina situation where defeat on Sunday could conceivably mean the end of theroad.”I’m not sure what the morale is like in the West Indies camp but if it isdown, we’ll try to take advantage of it,” said Moody. “They have come offtwo losses, so this is a big game for them. But it’s equally as big forus. We’re going in there all guns blazing, hoping to play our A game toget two points on the board in this stage of the competition.There’s certainly a healthy respect for a team that Sri Lanka have beatenonly once in five World Cup matches dating back to 1975. “The West Indiesare a very good side with lots of proven match-winners,” said Moody.”They’ve shown that they’re a side that can win competitions and beat bigteams in tournaments. Given that they’re under pressure, this is the timethey will probably come up and play their best games. So, we’ve got tomake sure we’re on our guard.”On a pitch that was expected to favour them, Sri Lanka were largelyoutplayed by South Africa, and Moody admitted that poor top-order battinghad undermined his team’s chances. At the same time, he was certain thatthe decision to bat first had been the right one.”We felt this wicket was going to get slower and lower, and turn,” hesaid. “It suits our bowlers in the middle of the innings. Butunfortunately, through some good play by Kallis and Smith, they took theinitiative in the first 20 overs. We didn’t have enough runs really todefend, and for our spinners to have an impact.”The batting debacle started at the top, with Mahela Jayawardene’s wretchedrun continuing against Charl Langeveldt. “Mahela has been digging deep forsome runs,” said Moody. “Now is a good time for your top order to bepeaking and there could be nothing better than the captain to lead fromthe front. He’s a very fine player and hopefully he’ll play thatmatch-winning knock against West Indies.”That Sri Lanka even made a match of it against South Africa was down to a98-run partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Russel Arnold, afterdisciplined bowling and some inspired fielding had reduced them to 98 for5.”We know that we really only competed in about 30 per cent of the game,”said Moody. “It was only a brilliant spell of four balls that made it looka lot closer than it was. We know that we didn’t bat as well as we couldhave upfront.”Those four wickets came from Lasith Malinga, whose slinging action andvariations in pace were almost too much for South Africa’s lower order.But even there, Moody was of the opinion that there was much room forimprovement. “A bowler like Malinga, you’ve just got to let him go,” hesaid. “He’s a match-winner. If you look at it realistically, he bowledpoorly for six overs in that match, but came back and bowled well forthree.”We’re working on those six overs now and bottling the confidence of thethree overs he bowled well at the end. He knows he was far from having acomplete match as a bowler.”As for what sets Malinga apart from others, Moody just smiled and said,”Everything”. “He has a very unique action, a unique hairstyle [laughs]and he’s unique in that he bowls at 90 miles an hour and is about 5ft,7in. He’s just one of these unique bowlers that tend to crop up in theworld of sport. We tend to get a few in Sri Lanka.”This guy is a little bit different. He has come through the system ofplaying tennis-ball cricket, and hence his exaggerated lower-arm action.Thankfully, in the process of him going to the international level peoplehaven’t mucked about too much with his action. They have left him to be asnatural a possible. He’s reaping the benefits and so is the team.”Moody brushed aside suggestions that Sri Lanka may have peaked too early -“Australia have peaked for about 15 years, haven’t they?” he said with alaugh – and was unconcerned by the fact that there might be a full houseat the new stadium in Providence to cheer on West Indies.”I’m sure there’s going to be a rally of support for the West Indies, butthe crowd can’t go out there and score runs or take wickets,” he said. “Atthe end of the day, we’ll just be concentrating on making sure that we getour processes right and play the cricket that we know we can play.”If they do, the hometown dream could well be a nightmare by Sunday evening.

Scorecard
Pura Cup table

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.