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Zimbabwe vice-captain and all-rounder Guy Whittall is happy to be back in batting form after the selectors kept faith in him despite a disappointing performance in the last three overseas tours of India, New Zealand and Australia.”I wasn’t quite going on to make big scores," he says. “I was getting twenties and thirties and not making any big scores and I was putting a lot of guys under a lot of pressure. This was obviously not good for the team.”In the two-match Test series in India, Whittall averaged 31 with a best score of 84 in the first innings of the second Test. The other scores were 0, 29 and 11. In the one-off Boxing Day Test in New Zealand, Whittall averaged just 7.50.”Although I had not made any big scores of 50 in quite a few games, I still believed that I would play against Bangladesh because I believed that the selectors and management would have confidence in me at Test level. But I would not have been totally surprised if I wasn’t selected. I thought that Gavin Rennie who had batted well in New Zealand would be preferred ahead of me.”Rennie averaged 65 in the New Zealand Test after making Zimbabwe’s highest individual score of 93.”The selectors however had faith in me, obviously because of my past record at home, and I managed to come through for the team and for the team, which was the turning point for the season for myself. Against India I might still be in the opening position and this is going to be more of a test for me against a better side.”They have Harbhajan Singh in the attack and he has proven himself. They also have Srinath who I think is one of the best bowlers in the world. He gets a lot of lift and bounce so he, I should think, will be spearheading the Indian attack. They also have got a couple of youngsters who have a bit of pace and are fighting for position.”I will, once again, not be bowling because of injury. It will be another six more weeks and we’ll review the situation after that.”India have a very strong batting line up with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. They also have Laxman who we actually saw in a warm-up match the last time we were in India around 1996 and we thought he was a real classy act. He is now among the best inthe world.”But obviously when you are playing at home and you have the home support, you sort of know more about yourself and about the actual game on your own turf.”We beat India here the last time but unfortunately I was not involved because of injury. Hopefully this time we can get a good combination of our batsmen and bowlers so that everyone can bowl and bat according to the team plan.”India have failed to produce the same sort of standard of cricket that they have away from home but they have got a new coach now in John Wright from New Zealand. I think on the actual fitness side and on fielding skills and duels, India will now be able to compete with any side in the world.”They are a lot tighter and a lot better in the field. They are actually throwing themselves around on the field. They never used to do that a couple of years back. They are here after a fantastic win over Australia, which I am sure they are very proud of and the rest of the world was quite happy to see.”But that should not make us afraid of them as they chase their first overseas Test series win since 1986. When you play sport you can’t have this fear of being the first to go down. Your main aim is to suit your own game and do what you think is the best for the team.”In the last two years we have come a long way. I believe we have got some good batsmen playing at the moment and we are in good form. We just need to learn to take 20 wickets in a game.”

West Ham are reportedly clear favourites to sign a forward who manager Nuno Espírito Santo believes could be a crucial addition to the squad.

West Ham poised for pivotal January as Fullkrug nears Milan move

The Hammers and AC Milan are currently putting the finishing touches on Niclas Fullkrug’s loan move to AC Milan, which will include a buy option, not an obligation, worth around £12 million.

This comes as West Ham urgently scour the market for forward reinforcements, with Nuno’s side trapped in the relegation zone and desperately short of goals heading into the January window.

The Hammers currently sit in the bottom three in the Premier League table with their attacking options looking worryingly thin after Fullkrug made clear his desire to leave the London Stadium.

Veteran striker Callum Wilson, who’s been in great form recently, provides cover alongside young prospect Callum Marshall, but neither represents a long-term solution for a club fighting for survival.

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Nuno knows January represents a critical window to address their goalscoring woes before it condemns them to the Championship, alongside their leaky backline.

Norwich City forward Josh Sargent has emerged as a primary target according to recent reports, with the American international offering both experience in England and physical presence.

The 25-year-old reportedly appeals to West Ham’s hierarchy after expensive overseas signings repeatedly failed to adapt to English football’s demands.

In terms of targets abroad, Serie A could be a fruitful talent pool.

Roma’s Artem Dovbyk, who finished the 2023/2024 campaign as La Liga’s top goalscorer during his time at Girona, is reportedly a target for West Ham alongside Fiorentina star Moise Kean.

Former Wolves winger Adama Traore also features on Nuno’s wishlist with the manager keen to reunite with a player he coached previously at Molineux.

Sources suggest Traore’s lack of game time at Fulham could facilitate a January move, though Wolves are also monitoring the situation.

Adama Traoré 'expected to complete' West Ham move in January

That is according to insider Claret & Hugh, who report this week that Traore is ‘expected to complete a move’ to West Ham in January ahead of the Old Gold.

Fulham are keen to recoup a fee for the 29-year-old before his contract expires next summer, making a January sale increasingly likely.

Wolves and manager Rob Edwards are considering a loan deal with either an obligation or an option to buy depending on whether the club find themselves in the Championship come season’s end.

Subscribe to the newsletter for West Ham transfer analysis Dig deeper—subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth West Ham transfer analysis, scouting reports and tactical fit breakdowns that clarify which targets make sense and why. Stay informed on the transfer moves shaping the squad. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for West Ham transfer analysis Dig deeper—subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth West Ham transfer analysis, scouting reports and tactical fit breakdowns that clarify which targets make sense and why. Stay informed on the transfer moves shaping the squad.

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West Ham face similar relegation concerns, but Nuno remains particularly determined to reunite with Traore after working successfully with him before.

The Portuguese also views his former winger as an ‘important’ addition to his struggling squad.

Traore has started just one Premier League game for Fulham this season and turns 30 in January, making regular first-team football his priority as he enters the latter stages of his career.

Currently earning around £65,000-per-week, the Spaniard will likely accept reduced wages to secure the move.

If the transfer materialises, Traore would provide depth on the right wing, though Nuno may even also explore deploying him as a striker given West Ham’s desperate need for attacking options.

Related West Ham in pole position to re-sign former star after holding talks with him

They could bring him back to Rush Green.

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	Beau Casson is hoping to join his New South Wales team-mate Brad Haddin as new faces in Australia’s Test squad for the tour of the Caribbean © Getty Images

Beau Casson, the New South Wales left-arm wrist-spinner, must be counting the days until Australia’s selectors announce the Test squad to tour the West Indies in May. Stuart MacGill’s successful return at the end of the domestic season means he will be the first slow bowler chosen but Casson is firming as a possible back-up.Casson, 25, bowled unchanged in the second innings of the Blues’ Pura Cup final win and was halfway through his 30th over when he grabbed the match-winning wicket. His four for the game left him with a season tally of 29 at 35.13, which was nine fewer than the selectors’ other main option Bryce McGain, the Victoria legspinner who is 36 and played two more matches than Casson this summer.”It’s very flattering when someone mentions that you are in the frame, and that’s the main reason I came out here [to Sydney],” Casson told the . “I thought it was the best place to develop my craft. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. Spinners do tend to mature a lot later, it is just the nature of what we do.”Casson’s move from Western Australia before 2006-07 initially looked questionable after he struggled through last summer with little impact. However, MacGill’s wrist surgery opened a door for him this season and after the prolific Doug Bollinger broke his foot late in the campaign, more wickets were suddenly up for grabs.”It was quite tough early on,” Casson said. “With our quicks going so well, the likes of Doug Bollinger killing it, there weren’t many chances to have long spells and develop some sort of rhythm.”The retirements of Shane Warne in 2006-07 and Brad Hogg in 2007-08 have left the selectors with few slow-bowling options – MacGill, McGain, Casson and Dan Cullen are the most likely choices. Regardless of who is picked the squad for the Caribbean trip will feature at least one man preparing for a Test debut, with Brad Haddin set to replace Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a new six-member junior selection committee, to be headed by former Test opener Naushad Ali.As with the national selection committee, members of the committee will be full-time, paid employees and have been appointed for a two-year tenure. They will be responsible for selection of academy teams and all age-group teams from U-15 to U-19.The committee is comprised of former Test cricketers Aftab Baloch, Mohsin Kamal, Azhar Khan and Arshad Khan, the off-spinner from Peshawar who was, until recently, a part of Pakistan’s international squad. Mudassar Nazar, director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) at Gaddafi Stadium, is the sixth member of the committee.

Bob Woolmer will be discussing Shahid Afridi’s future in Abu Dhabi © Getty Images

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, says he will speak to Shahid Afridi about his surprising decision to skip Tests until after the World Cup in 2007. Afridi announced last week his intention to temporarily `retire’ from Test match cricket due primarily to an increasingly heavy playing schedule.Woolmer, in Abu Dhabi already for a coaching course, will talk to Afridi over the course of the two ODIs between India and Pakistan later this week. He told Cricinfo, “I would like to speak to Afridi in Abu Dhabi to discuss his decision. Naturally it is not for me to make comment regarding his announcement until I have had a chance to discuss this with him.”Though Afridi has constantly dismissed suggestions that his dropping from the second Test at Kandy had anything to do with his decision, speculation remains that there was more to the move than appeared immediately apparent. But Woolmer seemingly confirmed Afridi’s assertion, saying, “I believe he has shown categorically that he can handle Test cricket and he has been an important member of our side. He gives the team an added dimension.” Afridi had complained that too much cricket had taken its toll on him and that he wanted to spend some time with his family and concentrate solely on the World Cup.Afridi had not spoken to the PCB about his plans, only informing Inzamam-ul-Haq of his decision. Inzamam has been non-committal, saying only that he would not like to create undue pressure on Afridi to do something he does not want to do at this stage.Chatter from within the PCB suggests that officials plan to speak to Afridi in Abu Dhabi in an effort to, if not immediately reconsider, then at least think about it a little longer before making the decision final. “We will speak to him to see what his thinking is. It is a surprise to us but ultimately if he has made up his mind, then we cannot do much. You can drag a horse to water but you cannot make him drink it,” said one.Another official revealed that Afridi had been reluctant to go on the tour of Sri Lanka in the first place and had even requested that he be dropped from the Kandy Test. “This has come as quite a surprise although he intimated that he was not up for the Sri Lankan tour saying that he had played too much cricket. He actually asked to be left out of the Test side at Kandy.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq: ready for the winter series against England © Getty Images

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said that England’s performance in the Ashes would given him an idea of how his team should prepare for the home series against England later this year. “I am anxiously waiting for the Ashes to begin,” Inzamam told AFP. “England playing Australia will give us a chance to gauge England’s weak and strong points before we play them in three months’ time.”Inzamam admitted that England had improved tremendously over the last year, and expected them to challenge Australia’s dominance during the five-Test series. “They [England] have improved a lot and would give Australia a tough fight in the Ashes and we have to keep a close look on them if we want to achieve better results against them,” he said. “I believe that my young team can improve if we play with tough teams like England. We lost badly to Australia earlier this year but we fared better against India and the West Indies later.”The last time England toured Pakistan, in 2000-01, Nasser Hussain led them to a famous 1-0 win, with the all-important win coming in near darkness at Karachi. It was the first time Pakistan had lost a home series to England since 1961-62, and the Pakistan media later blamed the defeat on Pakistan’s strategy of packing the team with spinners. Inzamam indicated that they wouldn’t repeat that mistake this time around.”I don’t believe in packing the team with spinners. Fast bowlers have been our strength and if they are fully fit I will go with the fast bowlers,” he said. “Currently fitness of fast bowlers is our main worry but I hope they all get fit in three months to give us the best arsenal against England.”Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar both missed the tour to the West Indies due to fitness concerns. Shabbir Ahmed, who did play the series, was reported for a suspect action and is awaiting a final verdict on the matter from the ICC.Meanwhile, the itinerary for the series is likely to be finalised later this week after an ECB team visited various venues in Pakistan to check the security measures. The ECB has expressed its concern about playing a Test in Karachi due to sectarian violence in that city, but might agree to play a one-dayer there.

Bangladeshis 124 for 4 (Ashraful 67*) trail West Indies Cricket Board XI 320 for 5 dec (Joseph 115, Bravo 100) by 196 runs
Scorecard

Ashraful held the Bangladeshi innings together© Getty Images

Sylvester Joseph and Dwayne Bravo both smashed centuries as the West Indies Cricket Board XI took charge of the three-day match against the Bangladeshis at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada. Joseph made 115, and Bravo 100 as the WICB XI made 320 for 5 before declaring. In response, the Bangladeshis were 124 for 4 at stumps on day two, with Mohammad Ashraful’s 67 the focal point of their resistance after they had slumped to 4 for 3.Resuming at 82 for 2, Joseph and Bravo – who have both played one-day internationals for the West Indies – added 212 for the third wicket. Joseph belted 15 fours and a six, but was also reprieved twice, on 89 and 92.Soon after lunch, Joseph gave a return catch to Enamul Haque, while Bravo was run out for an even hundred after a misunderstanding with Dwayne Smith. Carlton Baugh then lashed 52 off 53 balls as the WICB XI called time on the innings just before tea.The Bangladeshis made a dreadful start to their reply, with Corey Collymore and Jermaine Lawson doing the damage. Javed Omar was caught down the leg side by Baugh off Collymore, and then Rajin Saleh, captaining the side, was superbly caught low to his left by Omari Banks at gully, giving Collymore two wickets without a run on the board.Lawson struck soon after, as Hannan Sarkar’s attempted cover-drive became an edge through to Baugh. But Faisal Hossain (43) helped Ashraful add 75 for the fourth wicket before he was trapped in front by the left-arm spin of Dave Mohammed.Ashraful batted with caution till the close, taking 121 balls for his 50, as the Bangladeshis strove to avoid embarrassment ahead of the first Test which starts in St. Lucia on Friday.

ST JOHN’S – The West Indies cricket team’s two-week preparatory camp for the World Cup is progressing as planned, says manager Ricky Skerritt.Speaking on Friday, the fifth day since the players assembled in Antigua to fine-tune for the tournament in South Africa next month, Skerritt said emphasis has been on personal development."We focused on personal development issues and physical fitness training. So far the expectations have been met and generally we have been making good progress," said the Kittitian businessman who has been in charge of the team since 2000."You try to work on things like personal responsibility; accepting responsibility for what’s needed; identifying a vision and taking action relative to what’s need to be done to get you to that next level."We [are trying] to focus on team building activities and trying to get the guys to commit to the requirements for success," the manager said. "I think all of them are committed to it but there is question of fine-tuning it and putting it into perspective."Skerritt noted that since the players were returning from a Christmas break and some minor injuries the aim was to put everything in place during the camp."We have some relatively inexperienced players who have not been professionals for very long. We have to make giant steps in short time."They play under tremendous pressure and the concentration levels are critical, so we go through mental skills training just like we go through technical and fitness training," he said. "It is something that we haven’t done a lot of in the past and something we need to do more of."The players have today off. From tomorrow they will get into cricket-specific training at the Stanford Cricket Stadium."At that point they will have had seven days [training] – and then they will have six days of cricket. It is quite a lot of work in two weeks. After that there is a four-day break before they do anything else. Our next workout after (January 26) will be the following Friday (January 31) in South Africa," Skerritt said."As we go along we integrate nets with the reality of playing out in the middle. It is trying to get the guys to fine-tune themselves technically and focusing on the requirements for One-Day cricket and then giving them opportunities out in the middle in conditions which are as close as possible to the real match."Skerritt said the Windies have to be careful they don’t go into the World Cup short of match practice.To this end they will have two inter-squad matches, on January 23 and 26, and two matches against provincial sides before they meet South Africa in Cape Town on February 9.The manager said the camp was planned taking into consideration the break in competitive cricket."There are advantages and disadvantages. Most of the teams going into the World Cup would have been playing a series of matches. We would be a little bit short of that kind of opportunity and in that sense someone might say: `Boy, that’s not good.’"But one of the good things about this is that the guys have been able to get rest. They have been able to get some home time, some personal time, so mentally they are going to be able to peak at the right time."We are going to go into the World Cup relatively injury-free. A lot of teams are going into it carrying, I believe, more injuries than they want to. Ideally, you should go into a tournament like that with as few injuries as possible. I’m hoping that it will work in our favour. That’s the plan."

The decision of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) to awarda contract to International Management Group and TransworldInternational Combine (IMG-TWI) towards team clothing sponsorship forInternational matches to be played in India or outside over the nextthree years from July 1 was on Wednesday challenged in the Mumbai HighCourt by Gayatri Arts.Gayatri Arts, a Mumbai-based company, filed a petition seeking aninjunction from the High Court on the BCCI for signing the contractwith IMG-TWI or any other group. It will come up for hearing on June1.According to Sham Dhumatkar, proprietor of Gayatri Arts, the threeyear contract was awarded to his company which had made the highestbid of Rs 90 crores through a legal tender advertised by the BCCI in anewspaper.The BCCI confirmed the contract in a letter to Gayatri Arts on May 3and gave 48 hours to the company to accept the offer. Accordingly,Gayatri Arts accepted the contract in a letter to the BCCI, thepetition submitted.On May 22, however, the BCCI’s marketing committee held a secondmeeting in New Delhi where the contract awarded to Gayatri Arts wasresiled and instead awarded to IMG-TWI after an open bidding andrevelation of prices.The petition alleged that the contract was complete with the BCCIwriting a letter to Gayatri Arts and the latter accepting the offer.Therefore, it was illegal on the part of the BCCI to renegotiate thecontract with others by keeping Gayatri Arts in the dark, the petitioncontended.The petition alleged that the BCCI was not transparent and did notrelease facts and figures to the general public and the media.Through its solicitors, Gayatri Arts had earlier sent a legal noticeto the BCCI asking for a list of tenders received before April 20 andletters of offer received before the second marketing committeemeeting of May 22 with the names and bid amounts.

Speaking on Friday ahead of the West Midlands derby against Aston Villa, Wolves manager Bruno Lage revealed that all of his players have come back fit and ready from the international break.

What’s the latest?

During the press conference on Friday ahead of today’s clash at Molineux, the 45-year-old said: “Everyone came back with good news from national teams because every player [involved in qualifying] got to the World Cup, and we are just waiting for Tony Roberts and Wales, because they didn’t play, I think they will play in the first days of June, but everyone else will go to the World Cup.

“It was good news and it was a good environment yesterday because everyone came back with the good news. I was happy because I was supporting everyone, so I was happy for them because qualifying for a World Cup is a big moment for everyone.”

Delight for Wolves

Lage’s comments about his players returning from international duty will surely leave the Wolves faithful delighted ahead of today’s derby encounter.

The manager, and indeed supporters of the Old Gold, may well have spent the last fortnight sweating on the fortunes of every player who had flown out to represent their countries, as Lage was already trying to cope with several standout absences.

Raul Jimenez is suspended for the next two matches after his second red card of the season against Leeds in Wolves’ last outing, while the same night saw Ruben Neves incur a knee injury which could have ended his campaign prematurely. Nelson Semedo and Pedro Neto are also doubtful for the visit of Steven Gerrard’s side this afternoon.

The importance of the first two players in particular cannot be overstated. The Mexican has been the team’s top scorer in league action with six goals, also providing three assists for good measure, while WhoScored rank Neves as the squad’s second-best performer when players to start two games or fewer are disregarded.

With Villa having almost a fully-fit squad at their disposal, Lage could not have afforded any further setbacks during the international break, particularly with his team losing three of their last four matches to leave their hopes of European qualification in doubt.

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Therefore, he and the Molineux faithful will be relieved and delighted to have made it through the break with a clean bill of health for everyone who had been in international action over the past fortnight.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m speedster