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West Ham United boss David Moyes may be without another player for their crunch clash with Liverpool today amid some concerns already surrounding midfielder Tomas Soucek.

The Lowdown: West Ham doubts…

The Hammers will certainly be without a few first teamers for their trip to Anfield this afternoon with Vladimir Coufal, Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku apparently still unavailable (The Evening Standard).

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There are also doubts about whether midfielder Soucek can play today despite the player declaring himself ready on Twitter, with Moyes stating to the press afterwards that his stitches are still a ‘concern’.

As per reports, it appears the Irons may be without another player in Aaron Cresswell who was absent through injury during their 3-1 defeat away to Southampton in the FA Cup.

The Latest: Cresswell a doubt…

As per reports from The Evening Standard (at the time of writing) and Claret & Hugh, West Ham ‘may also be without a recognised left-back’ against Liverpool today as Cresswell faces a late fitness push.

The latter insider states that there is uncertainty surrounding whether West Ham’s defender will be fit to face Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Verdict: Worry for Moyes…

The Englishman, a real threat from out wide, comes as an asset for Moyes in the forward areas and may be sorely missed if he can’t make it back for Liverpool today.

Cresswell has made the joint-second most key passes in the final third for West Ham so far this season all while averaging more crosses per 90 than any Irons player in the Premier League (WhoScored).

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Taking these numbers into account, it’s little wonder Paul Robinson believes the 32-year-old is Moyes’ ‘unsung hero’ and an ‘amazing player’ (Football Insider).

Irons supporters will certainly be hoping he is deemed fit enough to feature.

In other news: ‘Average’…talkSPORT pundit rips into ‘overrated’ West Ham trio, find out more here.

	Prosper Utseya: “With victories over Australia and West Indies behind us, we are in a positive frame of mind and in a confident mood” © AFP

The touring Zimbabwean team is in a confident mood ahead of the five-match ODI series against Pakistan starting next week, according to Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwe’s captain. The Zimbabweans folded meekly in their only practice match before the series, not only losing to Patron’s XI side by an innings and 34 runs but also failing to impress with either the bat or the ball.”We didn’t play to the best of our abilities [in the tour match] but we did manage to get a lot of positives out of the loss,” Utseya said at a press conference today. “Our bowlers got a chance to bowl long spells against good opposition and a couple of our batsmen scored over fifty, so that is a good sign.”Utseya, who had to sit out the match due to an ankle injury he picked up in South Africa, will face a fitness test on the eve of the first ODI. Rating his chances of leading the side for the opening ODI as very good, Utseya warned doubters not to write off his team on strength or age.”We are young in age but a few of our players have played over 50 ODIs and with victories over Australia and West Indies behind us, we are in a positive frame of mind and in a confident mood.”Utseya welcomed the return of senior players to the fold, especially RayPrice – who got four wickets against Patron’s XI in the tour match – andGary Brent – who put on a defiant 96-run seventh-wicket partnership withKeith Maruma – adding that experience was a key ingredient if Zimbabwe were to make a successful Test comeback.”We obviously want to return to Test cricket and for that, we need to put some wins under our belt. Price forms a good spin bowling partnership with me and together with Brent, they bring in a lot of experience.”We have a good all-round team and these guys can help us get more experience. We need to put ourselves in a good position not only for this series, but also for the future and the only way we can do that is by winning.”Zimbabwe will get a chance to work on Utseya’s words on Monday when theytake on the home side under lights at the National Stadium, Karachi.

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was one of five former Tests stars to be honoured © Getty Images

When you walked into the gates at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, looking for the entrance of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) offices, you would have had little clue what to expect. In India, state associations felicitate their own so often, and with so little fanfare, that you expected the KSCA’s gesture to honour five of their legends would be much the same.But when you walked out to the ground, where all the action was, it was immediately clear that this was no small evening. A dais that would have done any awards function proud, on the outfield of one of India’s premier cricket grounds, with the de facto master of ceremonies for anything that meant anything in cricket – Ravi Shastri – presiding, it was clear that the KSCA was not holding back.It would be silly to skip directly to the beginning – where Chinmay, an upcoming young singer, sent the gathering to silence with a soulful prayer invocation – without examining the circumstances that prompted this evening. Brijesh Patel, the former Indian batsman, and secretary of the KSCA, has been the last, if not the most staunch, Jagmohan Dalmiyaloyalist. The current power group of the BCCI, headed by Sharad Pawar, only sidled in to welcome the KSCA into its fold once Brijesh burnt his bridges with his old ally.That done, and this is significant for there is now no opposition whatsoever to the current power group in all of the voting associations, the BCCI was keen to repay the faith with a show of strength. Hell, even Sharad Pawar went away from his prepared speech and cracked a few jokes.The whole evening, dominated by characters from Mumbai – the current power base of the board – was spent forging bonds. “I played for Mumbai, but I am, from Mangalore, right here in Karnataka,” Ravi Shastri, the former Indian captain, boomed, and as master of ceremonies, he had everyone’s attention. “When we came here to take part in many training camps through junior cricket, I remember staying in these very rooms. And we used to jump the gates and go to MG Road [the lively, commercial road not far fromthe stadium] to get a whiff of the sounds of the music coming out from a pub called the Blue Fox.”Professor Ratnakar Shetty, the administrative head of the BCCI, was also on the podium, and he did his bit to build bridges. “I was born and brought up in Mumbai, but I’m a ,” he said, eliciting applause. “I work in the Mumbai Cricket Association, and also in the BCCI, and if we were to have awards for the best-run association, KSCA would come first.”Even Sunil Gavaskar, a special invitee who spoke in the evening, could not resist playing to the gallery, and said, “Ravi [Shastri] and [Ratnakar] Shetty, have claimed allegiance to Karnataka, and now I must say I have a relationship too – my brother-in-law [Viswanath] is from here.”What was no doubt intended as a show of strength – from both the BCCI and the KSCA – was also an evening of exceptional cricket vintage and nostalgia. The Karnataka legends who were honoured – Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Gundappa Viswanath, Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny – richly deserved the attention they received.Chandu Borde, a man who led many of these cricketers, set the ball rolling, saying, “Chandra, for me you were the greatest.” Bishan Singh Bedi, so keen on participating in the occasion that he ended up using his mobile phone to snap a picture of those on stage once he was done, set the pace with a gentle anecdote. “I was once disciplined by the Indian board president. The charge was that I had sent Vishy to fetch a bottle of scotch from the captain’s room in the middle of the night,” he said. “All I could say, was, ‘what was Vishy doing in my room in the first place?’ And what was the captain doing at 2am? I assure you he wasn’t drinking milk.”Bedi soon moved on to more serious thoughts, congratulating the KSCA for their initiative in hosting the evening, and said, “such a thought will never occur to the people in DDCA [Delhi and Districts Cricket Association] or Punjab. Or anywhere in North India.”That sharp moment apart, it was an evening to celebrate some great cricketers. Gavaskar spoke about the joy of watching “batsmen being slowly taken to their death,” by Prasanna or Bedi, both looking for the classical dismissal of their respective styles of bowling. Chandrasekhar, of whom it is repeatedly asked, “has a more humble man ever played for India?” was true to form, not firing in unplayable deliveries, but thanking everyone from Yagna Narayanan [the first coach to spot him] to ML Jaisimha [hiscaptain at South Zone] to Tiger Pataudi. Interestingly, Chandra picked KenBarrington as the toughest batsman he had bowled to.Kirmani, usually flamboyant and not shy of being the centre of attention, would only say, “I dedicate all my skills behind the stumps to the legendary three spinners. I had to lift my standards to keep to them.” Kirmani also spoke of how he was taken as a 12-year-old boy to the Karnataka nets, at the RSI grounds in Bangalore, to keep to these spinners, and would return home bruised and battered. “My left side was black and blue, and my mother tells me I used to moan in my sleep in pain.”Binny, ever the quiet one, swayed gently out of the way of most questions that came his way. In the end, when all was said and done, the cricketers were happy, the public was entertained, and the KSCA was over the moon. They were finally back in business.

Clive Field, the representative of Zimbabwe players, has warned that political pressure is likely to be brought to bear on those still on strike to return to work.Most of the country’s leading players have been on strike since November in a bid to force Peter Chingoka, the board chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the MD, to stand down over allegations of serious mismanagement. Large sums of money are reported to be unaccounted for and some players have not been paid for over four months.The Sports and Recreation Committee’s decision to re-appoint Chingoka as chairman of the interim board is a slap in the face for the players who had hoped that the SRC would look on their arguments favourably, especially after it published a report slamming the Chingoka regime last month.But the strikers now have a choice. To continue their action or to return to work. Field is concerned that a number of them will face financial and political pressure to resume playing, all the more so as many of them are teenagers.”I suspect that a number of them will be induced to carry on playing because of financial or other issues,” he said. “The younger players, particularly, will be under pressure to play. The more senior guys, I believe, will decide they can’t carry on.”It just depends on how far the players are prepared to go now in sticking to their original concerns. If they are, I think it does mean the end because the players clearly won’t play under these guys.”The new board will not be in a mood to be conciliatory, and Chingoka is predicted to look for revenge against those who tried to topple him. The players owed money – and the total sum is around US$200,000 – are likely to be told that they pay or they won’t get anything owed to them. Those who have already quit, such as Tatenda Taibu and Heath Streak, could lose out altogether.In a country with massive unemployment and hyperinflation, others are expected to face a stark choice between compromising their principles or facing a bleak future without work.Even if most of those on strike are persuaded to resume playing, it is far from clear if Zimbabwe will survive on the international scene. One source told Cricinfo that even the best side they can field at the moment wouldn’t be good enough to beat the second XI of any of the other Test-playing countries. And this will make the other boards, conscious of the lack of marketability of the current Zimbabwe side, sit up even if the personal plight of the players hasn’t done so far.The last word was with Field who admitted it was a grim day. “”I think we’re stuffed,” he shrugged, “more stuffed than we’ve ever been.”

Happy days for Younis Khan as he is named vice-captain© Getty Images

Younis Khan has been named as Pakistan’s vice-captain for their forthcoming tour of India, while Arshad Khan, the tall offspinner, has earned a recall to the Test team. Shoaib Akhtar, who recently ruled himself out of contention with a hamstring injury, was left out of the 15-man squad announced today by the Pakistan Cricket Board.Arshad, speaking to was understandably ecstatic about his recall. “It is like a dream come true for me,” he said. “I have been performing in the domestic matches in the hope of being picked for India. Now that it has happened I want to do my best for the country.”Wasim Bari, the chief selector, explained Arshad’s selection. “Arshad has been recalled because we require a second specialist spinner in India to support Danish Kaneria,” he said. He is experienced and has been bowling very well in domestic matches.” Arshad has certainly had a good run in domestic cricket, picking up 46 wickets in 13 first-class matches at an average of 22.02.Shabbir Ahmed, who has been struggling with injury, did not recover in time and nstead the pace department is spearheaded by Mohammad Sami, and also includes Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Khalil. Pakistan will also lean heavily on Abdul Razzaq’s medium-pace.Danish Kaneria heads the spinners and will be assisted by Arshad, who was rewarded with a recall for performing consistently in domestic cricket in Pakistan. Arshad last played a Test against England in 2000-01. Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, the allrounders, strengthen the spin department.Squad Taufeeq Umar, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Asim Kamal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Arshad Khan, Mohammad Khalil.

The WPCA today released its club fixtures for the 2003-2004 season electronically.Click here for all the new seasons club fixtures.Refer all queries to Russell Adams email [email protected]

The beaches of the Cape Peninsula are not the only places where holiday-makers can soak up the sun, have fun, and relax this summer : Newlands Cricket Ground, with the majestic Table Mountain as the backdrop, is a must for all visitors to experience and during the current summer holidays there is plenty of cricketing action to enjoy there while sipping a cold beer on the grass banks and waiting for the braaivleis coals to glow.On Boxing Day high flying and unbeaten Nashua Western Province take on the Northern Titans in a day/night Standard Bank Cup fixture (3.45 pm start). And then a week later, on January 2nd, a fun filled day is in the offing in the Discovery Knock-Out Challenge, which sees the KZN Dolphins (Jonty Rhodes included) take on the Northern Titans at 9am, followed by W.P. against Darryl Cullinan and the Highveld Strikers at noon.The winners of these two 20-over a side encounters will play in the 25-over Final at 4.30pm, with the victors claiming the stunning prize of a 5-day Starlight Cruise among the islands of the Indian Ocean! Before the Final begins, members of the Stormers Rugby side take on the cream of the Supersport commentary team (Mike Haysman, Fanie de Villiers, Pat Symcox, Adrian Kuiper ……………. and Neil Andrews) in a 6-a-side clash.And even that isn’t all …. after the Final finishes at about 8pm, South Africa’s favourite band Mean Mr Mustard will be on hand to entertain the spectators for 90 minutes and bring the New Year festivities to a memorable close.Western Province’s pursuit of glory in the Standard Bank Cup resumes on 11 January,. when the star-studded KZN Dolphins return to Newlands (3.45pm start) and on Sunday 13 January the Stormers once again strut their cricketing skills on the turf of Newlands, this time in a 30-over a side match against the full W.P. team (starting at 12 noon).Tickets for all these events (except the Stormers match, for which entrance is free) are available at Computicket or at the gates (R30 for adults, R10 for Under14’s. with an additional R5 for a reserved seat if desired).Newlands is indeed the place to be!

CLOSE OF PLAYThis has been a tremendous day of Test cricket, with Pakistan recoveringwell to be all out for a very credible 253. The West Indies closed on 2-0.After initially being 7-3, Pakistan owe their much improved position toYousuf Youhanna, playing in his 20th Test. Mixing initial aggression withtempered defense, his 115, his 2nd Test century, probably the innings of hislife, was a study of concentration, hitting 13 confident boundaries in hisnearly 6-hour stay at the crease. He was the last man out.Yousuf featured in some crucial partnerships, adding 73 with his captain,Moin Khan, who made 38, for the 6th wicket; then 69 with Wasim Akram, whomade 42, for the 7th wicket, 41 for the 8th wicket with Saqlain Mustaq, and28 with Waqar Younis for the 9th wicket. Mustaq Ahmed was left on 02 notout.Earlier, the West Indies took up the challenge on a great batting pitch,with veteran fast bowlers Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, along with thequicker Reon King and Nixon McLean running havoc with the Pakistani toporder. Soon, Pakistan were tottering, badly, at 37-5. Then the WestIndies went somewhat on the defensive, while Yousuf and his senior playersplayed their part by batting purposefully.Courtney Walsh has again been tremendous, getting 5-22 from 13 overs. Henow has 442 wickets in Tests, while Curtly Ambrose had two wickets. So theWest Indies will resume at 2-0, chasing 253.Tea Report:Pakistan have taken the honors in the 2nd session. At tea, they are 162-6, scored from 51 overs.Yousuf Youhanna, in his 20th Test, perhaps playing the innings of his life here, on 65 not out, including 10 fours, his 11th Test half century.All-rounder Wasim Akram, using all of his experience, and who was off the mark with a classic off drive from Ambrose’s bowling, is 33 not out, including 5 fours. The two have so far put on 52 very valuable runs for the 7th wicket, Pakistan adding 72 after lunch.Just when the Pakistanis seemed to be continuing that come-back after lunch, the veteran fast bowler Courtney Walsh took his 3rd wicket of the innings.After being 7-3 and then 37-5 at varying stages of their innings, Pakistan were recovering somewhat on 110-5 when Walsh had the Pakistani captain, Moin Khan, playing away from his body, pushing forward, only to be caught low down by Shivnarine Chanderpaul at 2nd slip. Moin had made 38, including 7 fours, and was really trying to lead his troops from the front.Moin had considerable help from Yousuf Youhanna, the pair putting on 73 absolutely vital, innings-saving runs for the 6th wicket. Yousuf seemed to have decided to fight fire with fire, since the West Indian fast bowlers, especially the less-experienced Reon King and Nixon McLean, have both bowled quickly and aggressively.Each, along with Curtly Ambrose, has taken a wicket, while Walsh, with 3-19 from 11 overs, has been the best West Indian bowler so far.So, while the West Indies are still slightly in control, Pakistan are recovering well. They are 162-6 at tea.Lunch report:The only thing Pakistan won this morning was the toss, as the West Indies, with their four fast bowlers in extremely aggressive mode, have controlled the very entertaining 1st session. Pakistan, though, are fighting back. There are now 90-5.Firstly, Jimmy Adams, at 3rd slip, pulled off a brilliant diving catch to his right, offered by Mohammed Wasim from Courtney Walsh’s 2nd over. Mohammed Wasim, having failed to ride a bouncing delivery, dismissed for 04.Curtly Ambrose immediately emulated his fast bowling partner as Imran Nazir, in for Wajahatullah Wasti, offered a simple catch from a wide delivery to Sherwin Campbell at 1st slip. Imran Nazir out for 02.Younis Khan continued the procession when he also played away from his body in Walsh’s next over, only to be caught by Shivnarine Chanderpaul at 2nd slip. Younis had not scored. It was then 7-3.The fastest West Indies bowlers, Reon King and Nixon McLean, then took over. King had the dangerous Inzamam-ul-Haq nicely caught at 3rd slip by Adams for 08, a sizzling delivery; while Abdur Razzaq, then on 01, fended at a fast Mc-Lean lifter, only to be caught by Wavell Hinds, diving forwardat forward short leg. That was 37-5.Pakistan have fought back since.Yousuf Youhanna has played tremendously enterprisingly so far for 40 not out, including 7 classy boundaries, on both sides of the wicket; while Moin Khan has also tried to counter-attack. He is 27 not out, including 5 boundaries and this pair have so far put on 53 for the 6th wicket.There has been 2 wickets for Walsh, while Ambrose, King and McLean have each taken a wicket.So, Pakistan has much to do to justify their decision to bat first. At lunch, they are 90-5.

Everton will travel to London today to take on Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side, and will be hoping that they can cause an upset away from home by stealing all three points to put themselves in a safer position in the Premier League table.

Lampard’s side are in desperate need to win some points in their league campaign, as they currently find themselves just one point off the relegation zone, and with the Toffees clash with Spurs the last fixture of the game week, their position in the table has luckily remained unchanged, giving them the opportunity to put a bigger gap between themselves and the drop zone this evening.

With that being said, the ex-Chelsea boss will be hoping his team can rise to the occasion despite a number of inconsistencies and injury concerns, however one player’s absence could be frustrating for the manager ahead of the challenging game.

Ben Godfrey will be unavailable for the Premier League fixture tonight but is expected to be back in training the day after the game, which will surely be gutting for Lampard, who confirmed the availability of the defender in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Ben Godfrey won’t make Monday’s match but should be ready to train with us in the middle of next week, which is great.

“We’ve lost two big centre-backs [Godfrey and Yerry Mina] from pretty much the moment I came in.”

The 24-year old-central defender sustained a hamstring tear during the FA Cup victory over Brentford just over a month ago and has been unavailable for selection ever since, but there is no doubt his presence would’ve been a huge boost against Spurs this evening.

Godfrey has been one of the better defenders in the team this season, proving to be reliable in his position time and time again.

He’s made 2.1 tackles and 3.5 clearances on average per game in the Premier League, while winning the majority of his ground duels (60%) and is successful in the majority (70%) of his dribbles according to SofaScore, so there is no doubt his defensive attributes will be missed in the team, especially against the likes of Harry Kane.

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The 43-year-old coach will need to work with what he has defensively, however Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray will potentially be returning to the side this evening, so Lampard can focus on freshening up Everton’s attacking threat against Spurs.

In other news: Andros Townsend must start against Spurs

Player earnings could increase as New Zealand Cricket focus on retaining top players © Getty Images

Radical measures could be taken to prevent their players from signing lucrative contracts with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and turning their backs on their country, Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive, has said. These measures include increasing the number of centrally contracted players to 25 as well as increasing the value of player retainers.The inaugural edition of the ICL included retired players from New Zealand like Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris. While New Zealand lost just two current players to the league – Daryll Tuffey and Hamish Marshall – Vaughan fears that the number could increase, with the ICL organisers announcing plans for four new tournaments next season and also increasing the number of teams from six to eight. ICL-contracted players are allowed to play domestic cricket in New Zealand but are not eligible for selection for national or A teams.”We have a shallow player pool and we can’t afford to lose players,” Vaughan told the New Zealand’s . “But we are keeping an eye on it and maybe there are things that we can look at in the structure of our contracts.”The Indian board has also lured New Zealand’s premier players like Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, to sign up for its officially-sanctioned, cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), set to commence in April next year. While these players have agreed to honour their country ahead of their franchise teams and that the IPL is not viewed as a threat unlike the ICL, Vaughan felt that the board will have to ensure they aren’t tempted by the financial incentives being offered by the BCCI to participate.”The process of picking these players is the BCCI’s business and we’ve put forward our best players for consideration and they choose who they want,” Vaughan said.Vaughan said the matter was being discussed with the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association to work out a new structure for the contracts. Retaining elite players would, in all probability, be given more importance than increasing the pool of untried contracted players.”We don’t know how we might structure that but we will be working very closely with the [New Zealand] Players’ Association on this one,” Vaughan said. “We are starting to talk to Heath Mills, [Players’ Association head] about what might be possible. It’s this balance – yes we’d like to lock up as many players as possible but, you can either pay fewer people more or more people basically what they’re getting now.”