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ESPNcricinfo previews the World Cup, Group A match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran25-Feb-2011Match FactsFebruary 26, Colombo
Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)
After his performance in Hambantota, Sri Lanka will want to find a place for Thisara Perera in their XI•AFPBig PictureWhen the World Cup comes to colourful Colombo on Saturday, the tournament will begin in earnest for two subcontinent teams. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka opened with massive wins over Associate nations, but this will be their first real test in the competition. None of the smaller teams in Group A seem capable of challenging the Test nations, so the game will be important in terms of placings for the quarter-finals. And in a tournament whose first week has been loaded with one-sided matches, two teams packed with dynamic players also promise some high-voltage entertainment.Past records might suggest Pakistan have an edge – they have beaten Sri Lanka in each of their six encounters in the World Cups and have won their previous five games at the R Premadasa – but that will count for little. The two sides have not faced each other in cricket’s showpiece tournament since 1992, and the Premadasa has undergone extensive redevelopment. What will help Pakistan, though, is the relative lack of controversy surrounding the current team, a low-profile lead-up and the confidence of a recent series win, in New Zealand, behind them.Sri Lanka’s advantage is that most of their players have had a taste of how the new track will fare during the domestic limited-over tournament held in January. Traditionally, this has been a bat-first venue, especially in day-night games where the team chasing has won only one of the past 13 matches, but it remains to be seen how the re-laid pitch fares .Form guide (Most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWWLW
Pakistan WLWWWPitch and conditionsThe pitch will be the centre of attention since it’s a re-laid track, and Saturday’s game will be the first international game to be played on it. It may not be too high scoring a game, if the domestic matches played since the stadium was re-developed are anything to go by. The highest score batting first in the one-dayers played in January was 225, a total which was easily defended. Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, though, expects the bare surface to be good for batting.Watch out for…Thisara Perera was outstanding with the ball against Canada, and picked loads of wickets whenever he got a chance in 2010 as well. He worked up real pace in Hambantota, and has provided the team management with the welcome headache of working out how to accommodate him, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews in the XI. He also adds muscle to Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order.Shoaib Akhtar has weathered stacks of controversies and fitness problems to become one of the few constants in Pakistan’s team. There has not been any talk of injuries for eight months, a minor miracle given his past record. Age hasn’t slowed him down too much either; even at 35 he remains among the quickest bowlers in the world.Team newsPakistan have hinted they will stick to the same combination that played Kenya, which means Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal are likely to remain on the bench. Waqar Younis has said Pakistan are pondering how to use Abdul Razzaq better, but for now he will continue to be an impact batsman at No. 8 and opening the bowling.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11 Shoaib AkhtarThe main concern for Sri Lanka is the fitness of their pace spearhead, Malinga, who has a back strain. He missed Sri Lanka’s opening game, but he did bowl in the nets on Friday. The physio will take a call on Saturday whether Malinga will play. If he doesn’t, Sri Lanka could stick to the same XI that beat Canada.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.Stats and triviaMuttiah Muralitharan needs one more wicket to move past Wasim Akram’s tally of 55 wickets to become the second highest wicket-taker in World Cups. Sri Lanka have never beaten Pakistan in six World Cup matches, though the two haven’t met in the competition since 1992. One more stumping will take Sangakkara’s tally to eight, moving ahead of Adam Gilchrist and Moin Khan, with whom he current shares the record for most stumpings. This is Afridi’s fourth World Cup, but he is yet to make a half-century.Quotes”In the past we’ve played really well against him in this country. I don’t think we should worry about him that much; he is not 28 anymore. It is not going to be easy though. We’re prepared not only for him but the entire team.”

“I find it surprising that their name is not bandied about in the mix of potential World Cup winners as they have brilliant match winners with both bat and ball.”

A round-up of matches from the first day of the BCCI Corporate Trophy

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2010Group A

ScorecardA dominant India Cements crushed State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) by 125 runs in a Group A match in Visakhapatnam.A double-century opening stand at more than a run-a-ball between Tamil Nadu batsmen Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund put India Cements on their way to 324 for 6 in 50 overs. Arun made 112 off 108 deliveries while Mukund got 86 off 99. After their departure, Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Dravid ensured India Cements went past 300. Dinesh made 42 off 34 while Dravid remained unbeaten on 32 off 23.SBH started poorly as Tamil Nadu bowlers Lakshmipathy Balaji and Yo Mahesh struck to leave them struggling at 29 for 2. Wickets fell regularly thereafter and SBH were reduced to 123 for 6 at one stage. Srihari Rao’s rearguard effort of 40 off 53 deliveries took his team close to 200 but India Cements’ victory was never in doubt.Group B
ScorecardAjinkya Rahane’s century helped Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) easily overhaul Tata Sports Club’s (TSC) 280 for 3 in a Group B game in Chennai.Rahane added 94 runs for the first wicket with his Mumbai and IOC captain Wasim Jaffer in 13 overs. Jaffer made 48 off 37 deliveries. Rahane then shared a 128-run stand with Uttar Pradesh batsman Ravikant Shukla who made 84 off 91. This stand effectively sealed the chase for IOC. Rahane was eventually dismissed for 105 off 117 with nine fours. Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 32 off 29 as IOC cantered to victory in 48.2 overs with only four wickets down.TSC, after opting to bat, lost both openers with 42 runs on the board. Punjab’s Mandeep Singh and Jharkhand’s Ishank Jaggi then combined in a 187-run partnership for the third wicket. Singh made 91 off 100 deliveries and Jaggi was unbeaten on 110 off 130. Nishit Shetty’s late strikes took TSC to 280 but the target hardly troubled IOC’s batsmen.Group C

ScorecardArindam Das’s century was in vain as Air India beat Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited by 29 runs in a high-scoring Group C game of the BCCI Corporate Trophy in Hyderabad.Chasing Air India’s 314 for 5, BSNL were off to a strong start with Bengal batsman Das and Monish Mishra, who plays for Deccan Chargers in the IPL, adding 131 runs in 21 overs. Air India struck, removing Mishra after he had made 60 off 66 deliveries. BSNL lost wickets regularly thereafter with the next highest partnership being only 38 runs, between Das and Brijesh Tomar. Das was dismissed after making 103 off 113 deliveries. BSNL eventually finished with 285 for 9 in 50 overs. Haryana offbreak bowler Ajit Chandila was the most successful for Air India, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.Three Air India batsmen earlier scored half-centuries, helping their team post 314. Captain Mohammad Kaif top-scored with 75 off 92 deliveries. Former India batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rajasthan Royals’ Naman Ojha also got fifties. Ojha’s late charge ensured Air India went past 300, as he struck four sixes in his unbeaten 58 off only 26 deliveries.
ScorecardIn another Group C match played at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, a disciplined bowling effort helped Chemplast defeat State Bank of Mysore (SBM) by 67 runs.Set a target of 187 in a match shortened to 25 overs, SBM were never in the chase after being reduced to 25 for 5. Tamil Nadu duo Ganapathi Vignesh and Rajagopal Sathish rocked the SBM top order as the first five batsmen failed to cross double figures. SBM ultimately managed 119 for 7, Talpa Sai top-scoring with 33.The Chemplast innings was steadied by Hemanth Kumar after they had lost their openers for 38 runs. Kumar made 53 off 47 deliveries but was dismissed with the score on 102. Captain Sathish then smashed 40 off only 17, hitting five sixes. By the time he got out, Chemplast had added 65 runs in 34 balls, which enabled them to finish with a formidable score.Group D

ScorecardState Bank of Patiala (SBP) defeated Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) by 13 runs in a close Group D encounter in Bangalore.Captain Pankaj Dharmani top-scored for SBP with 46 off 78 deliveries and was the last man to be dismissed as they were bowled out for 187 in 48.1 overs. No other SBP batsman went past 22 on a pitch where scoring proved difficult. Jharkhand offbreak bowler Sunny Gupta took 3 for 45 in ten overs.MRF began their chase poorly, collapsing to 44 for 4 at one stage. Tamil Nadu’s Sridharan Sriram and Umashankar Sushil combined in a 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket. At that juncture, MRF needed 81 runs with more than 23 overs remaining. However, Sushil fell, and Sriram later followed with the score on 125 after having made 46 off 67. A last-wicket stand of 23 raised MRF’s hopes but last man Prasanth Chandran was dismissed with 14 runs still required.
ScorecardIncome Tax hammered Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) by 171 runs in a Group D match in Bangalore.Defending a target of 293, Baroda’s Ajitesh Argal and Gujarat’s Rohit Dahiya ran through the ONGC batting, dismissing them for 121 in 30.4 overs. Argal took 4 for 38 and Dahiya picked up 3 for 16 as six ONGC batsmen made single-digit scores. ONGC were reduced to 61 for 7 at one stage but Sarandeep Singh and Vikramjeet Malik took them past 100.Maharashtra’s Ameya Shrikhande and Hiken Shah – who started with Mumbai before moving onto Jammu and Kashmir – earlier shared a 106-run opening stand for Income Tax. Shrikhande top-scored with 58 off 79 deliveries while Shah made 47 off 63. Dahiya’s unbeaten 56 off 28, which included six fours and three sixes, enabled Income Tax to post a challenging total.

Newcastle United look set to bring three new signings to St James’ Park during what remains of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report from Luke Edwards for The Telegraph, in which the journalist revealed that Newcastle are closing in on the signings of Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, Brighton defender Dan Burn and Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

Edwards added that the Magpies’ owners had suffered a number of setbacks in the winter transfer market, although PIF have worked tirelessly to ensure that Eddie Howe’s squad is stronger than it was at the start of January.

PIF finally mean business

All throughout the January transfer window, Newcastle have been linked with a quite frankly ridiculous number of players – ranging from Kylian Mbappe to Harry Winks – something which led to a great amount of confusion as to what transfer strategy the club have been working towards this month.

However, should the Magpies go on to land Nketiah, Burn and Guimaraes – as Edwards suggests they will – it would undoubtedly have been a hugely successful final week of the window for the Magpies and PIF, as all three players would appear to make exceptional additions to Howe’s current options at St James’ Park.

Indeed, despite having failed to cement a starting spot in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, the 22-year-old Nketiah is undoubtedly a centre-forward who boasts a considerable amount of potential, something he has demonstrated in his five appearances in the Carabao Cup this season, bagging five goals.

Meanwhile, versatile left-back Burn will also add much-needed depth on the left-hand side of the Newcastle backline, with the 6 foot 7 defender having averaged a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96 over his 13 Premier League appearances for Brighton in the current campaign.

Finally, the club’s marquee signing this January looks set to become Guimaraes, a defensive midfielder who has been in astonishing form over his 20 Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon this season. The £27m-rated Brazil international has registered three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as making 1.1 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and 1.8 key passes and winning a whopping 7.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 24-year-old average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.30. If he replicates that form upon a prospective switch to Newcastle, he will undoubtedly provide the Magpies’ chances of avoiding the drop this season with a considerable boost.

It has taken a while to get deals over the line this month, but if Newcastle go on to seal all three of those players in the coming days, PIF will have certainly proven that they mean business in the transfer market – something which will delight the St James’ Park faithful.

In other news: NUFC could save their season with deal for “fearless” predator who’s a “constant threat”

Everton have confirmed that they have sacked their manager Rafa Benitez this afternoon after just six months in charge.

The Spaniard conceded his tenth defeat in the Premier League yesterday when the side lost to bottom of the league, Norwich City, and already names are being thrown into the hat for the next manager to take on the challenge at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist, Ben Ransom, has named three managers that are speculated to take over at the club live from the Everton training ground this afternoon, with Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Roberto Martinez all being named as potential suitors.

Ransom spoke live on Sky Sports News on Sunday to speculate on the favourite successors;

“Obviously, Wayne Rooney has been linked straight away, given the relative success he’s managing to have at Derby.”

“Frank Lampard, out of work, his name is always mentioned when a Premier League job comes around.”

“I know that, here at Everton, there are still a lot of admirers for Roberto Martinez, he was in the frame when Benitez was given this job in the summer.”

Everton released a statement this afternoon confirming that a permanent replacement will be made in due course.

Fans will be buzzing

It’s safe to say fans will be buzzing that Benitez has been sacked with immediate effect, with protests planned, banners flown and even attempts to get to the manager in the dugout all being displayed by the Toffees fans over the course of this season.

Rooney is a clear fan favourite for the job, with many fans taking to social media to share their thoughts on appointing the Derby manager, one fan commented:

“This was always going to end in tears, I think the next @Everton manager should be the man who’s worked wonders @dcfcofficial in difficult circumstances and is a bonafide Toffees legend, the one and only @WayneRooney.”

Whoever takes over has a challenge on their hands to change the direction Everton have been heading in this season so far, with the club only picking up only five points from a possible 30 in their last 10 games under the Spaniard.

As a result, they are currently six points shy of the relegation zone, with a huge U-turn needed immediately for the club to have their season saved, so there will be big pressure to make an instant impact for the new manager.

Rooney lacks experience but he has already shown at Derby that he’s capable of reviving a club in troubled waters. With the Rams, he is providing them with a hope of Championship survival despite a haul of 21 points being deducted.

They are now off the bottom, however, on a five-match unbeaten streak. He has worked wonders and it would take something similar to wake the Toffees from their slumber. Perhaps he is the man to do so, therefore.

In other news: Doucoure wanted by Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid

Aston Villa are on course to seal the permanent signing of goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

What’s the Word?

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that a source has revealed that Villa are in advanced talks to sign Olsen on a permanent deal from AS Roma – the 32-year-old shot-stopper who has been at the Premier League side on loan since January.

With just over a year left on his Roma contract, Gerrard could secure the services of Olsen on the cheap and he would provide solid cover for Emiliano Martinez next season.

Robin Olsen would provide excellent cover at Villa

During the first half of the campaign, Olsen was plying his trade at Sheffield United in the Championship, turning out 17 times for the Blades whilst only keeping one clean sheet.

This didn’t stop player John Egan from boosting the £13k-per-week keeper’s confidence, stating in the media that the Swede had a “big presence” and that they “were lucky to have him”.

Massive praise for someone who often let in too many goals during his tenure in the Championship. However, his international experience plus his age could well prove to make him a huge coup for Gerrard and Johan Lange.

Despite not making a first-team appearance for the side since his arrival, he has obviously impressed Steven Gerrard and the coaching staff. The Swede does have prior experience in the top flight, however, featuring for Everton on 11 occasions in the 2020-2021 season.

With further progress needed to show the board that he is moving in the right direction; Gerrard will be aiming to utilise his funds carefully and not squander vital cash on poor signings.

European football must be the aim and that is why the board went all out to secure his services from Rangers in November. The former England captain faces a huge summer ahead.

AND in other news: Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

Tim Linley took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Surrey struggled to fight their way back into the County Championship Division Two encounter with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

25-May-2010
ScorecardTim Linley took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket as Surrey struggled to fight their way back into the County Championship Division Two encounter with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Northamptonshire, who saw former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas in action for the first time, could only add 67 to their overnight total as they were bowled out for 397, with their last five wickets tumbling for just 35 runs. Paceman Linley finished with figures of 5 for 105 as the Northamptonshire batting corps faltered. Surrey made 210 for 7 in reply at stumps, with Mark Ramprakash making 70 off 159 balls.Northamptonshire started the day on 330 for 5, with Mal Loye looking to build on his 121 and ex-captain Nicky Boje resuming on 77. South African Boje added 11 to his overnight total before he was run out by Chris Schofield at mid-on via a direct hit at the stumps when he tried to run aquick single off Jade Dernbach.That ended a fabulous sixth-wicket stand of 193, and just four balls later a full toss by Dernbach trapped James Middlebrook lbw for 1. Out came Vaas, but he failed to score off nine balls before his off-stump was sent tumbling by Linley before the same bowler did for David Willey, who was caught by Arun Harinath at cover. Linley claimed his five-for when he took out Loye’s off-stump the batsman had spent over six hours at the crease in making 164 off 298 balls.Vaas then had a dream start to his spell in Surrey’s reply when, with just his third delivery, he forced Harinath to edge his first ball to Middlebrook at third slip. Wicketkeeper Steven Davies helped steady the Surrey nerves by making 33 before he was caught behind by his counterpart Niall O’Brien off Lee Daggett.Boje then claimed the wicket of Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown (30) when he forced him to nudge to O’Brien. Ramprakash, who struck centuries in both innings against Middlesex last week, then reached his half-century off 105 balls.In the third over after tea, Daggett bowled Usman Afzaal and Ramprakash made it to 70 before he sliced Middlebrook high into the air, giving Vaas an easy catch at point. Captain Andrew Hall took two late wickets in bowling Chris Schofield and pinning Tom Jewell lbw, leaving Matthew Spriegel unbeaten on 25 with Andre Nel yet to score.

Having strengthened at the back with the signing of Kieran Trippier, followed by bringing in another striker in the shape of Chris Wood during the January transfer window, it seems as though Newcastle United are now keen on adding a midfielder to their ranks before the end of the month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Newcastle and fellow Premier League side Watford are eyeing up a potential loan move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury before the current transfer window comes to a close.

As a product of Leicester’s youth system, the 24-year-old has made 79 senior appearances for the Foxes across all competitions, chipping in with two goals and two assists along the way.

However, with only seven appearances across all competitions so far this season prior to Leicester’s Premier League home clash against Brighton today, a potential loan move to Newcastle could be tempting for the former England under-21 international if he would be guaranteed regular playing time in Eddie Howe’s side.

The midfielder, who is currently earning £61k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has previously been praised by Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers for his “outstanding” performances for the Midlands club, possibly showing why the likes of Newcastle and Watford are interested in adding him to their squads this month.

Whenever the 24-year-old has featured for the Foxes, he has brought plenty of steel to their midfield, averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game. Both of those averages exceed anyone at Newcastle who plays in the same position, suggesting that he could be an upgrade on Howe’s current options in that regard.

Fans will be amazed

With the Tyneside club being linked with a move for Choudhury in the past before their current owners took over, the fans will surely be amazed to see that the Magpies are seemingly once again interested in bringing the Leicester ace to St James’ Park, especially given his impressive performances whenever he has played.

Moving forward, with Newcastle fighting to avoid relegation this term, it would be worth adding as many options as they can to improve their squad before the end of the month to help Eddie Howe in his endeavours, just as the owners have done with the acquisitions of Trippier and Wood.

In terms of Choudhury, despite predominantly playing in midfield, he has shown on occasion that he is capable of operating in defensive positions as well. That is the sort of versatility which could be useful for Newcastle throughout the remainder of the season, especially if they can make better use of him than Leicester seem to be doing in recent months.

In other news – Terms agreed: NUFC could land masterstroke with gem whose “shorts look like underwear”…

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas has dropped an exciting five-word transfer hint as he makes a claim on Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in January.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye moves…

As reported elsewhere, it appears manager Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have their eyes on strengthening key areas of the squad this month.

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Reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, for example, says the Lilywhites wish to bolster central midfield, the right-wing-back area, the left-side of central defence and further forward.

There have been no shortage of links to some big name players, either, with claims varying from lucrative pre-contract offers to big bids being made.

Thomas, dropping a transfer hint on Twitter, has now told Spurs fans to expect activity out of N17.

The Latest: Thomas drops transfer hint…

Sending a five-word message to Lilywhites supporters when asked for the latest updates out of their club, the Sky journalist stated that Paratici and Conte will definitely make moves this month.

Taking to social media, he explained: “Will do business, almost certainly.”

The Verdict: Exciting claim…

Over recent seasons, it’s safe to say the January transfer window hasn’t exactly been a busy one for Spurs – so news that they will indeed be active this month should come as music to the ears of Lilywhites supporters.

Conte needs backing in the transfer market if he is to make a success of his tenure in charge with managing director Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy tasked to do just that.

The latter man has apparently met with Tottenham owner Joe Lewis in the Bahamas to discuss transfer strategy in what could be a key factor to Conte’s plans this month.

Adding Thomas’ transfer hint on top of that news, it’s safe to to say this is shaping up to be the most interesting Lilywhites winter window in some time.

In other news: Tottenham ‘working strongly’ for ‘phenomenal signing’ as reporter drops Twitter message, find out more here.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has signed a new two-year extension to his contract which will take him to 2026.

What’s the word?

Klopp has pledged his long-term future to the Reds in a deal which will expire in 2026, a move that is sure to please Kopites everywhere.

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There were talks of him leaving Liverpool upon the end of his previous contract in 2024, with the German explaining as recently as March: “The plan at the moment is to get to 2024 then, ‘thank you very much’.”

Klopp set to continue the Liverpool dynasty

The 54-year-old has revolutionised Liverpool since taking over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015. The club was arguably in freefall despite an encouraging start under the Northern Irishman and change was urgently needed.

What followed over the next six-and-a-half years has been nothing short of extraordinary. Klopp has built a team of winners, recruiting diligently over time to craft a team which can compete on three fronts to devastating effect.

The Champions League title was won in June 2019 before a maiden Premier League crown was added the following season, despite the attempts of a global pandemic to derail the inevitable.

With Club World Cup, European Super Cup and Carabao Cup trophies all added to the growing list, it is only the FA Cup which has eluded him and his side so far, although they are in the final of that competition this season.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager has plenty of time on his side to continue this excellent Liverpool dynasty and add further silverware to the already bulging Anfield trophy room.

An extra two years might not seem like much, but to the Liverpool faithful around the world it may feel like a lifetime, and now he has even greater scope to cement his place in the pantheon of managerial greats – if he hasn’t already.

Considering just how successful Klopp has been on Merseyside, and how much he is adored by the fan base at large, it is a masterclass from FSG to secure the German for another couple of years so that he can further add to his Anfield legend, while also creating even greater excitement among Kopites.

AND in other news, Liverpool can unearth their new Gerrard by plotting bid for “outrageous” £50m gem…

Brad Hodge, the Victoria batsman, has been included in Australia’s list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup beginning in the subcontinent in February

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010Brad Hodge has been given some hope of playing for Australia again, after being named in the preliminary 30-man squad for next year’s World Cup. Brett Lee is also in the running for Australia’s title defence, while James Pattinson is the only man in the group who hasn’t played for Australia in any format.The squad will be pruned to 15 by January 19, giving the selectors just one ODI against England to answer any remaining questions they have about their players. Lee has a strong chance of being part of the tournament, which starts in February, as he has 15 Ryobi Cup wickets at 21.73 this summer, while Hodge is the form batsman in the competition with three hundreds from seven games.”There is blend of youth and experience in this extended group with exciting young talent like David Warner, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Stephen O’Keefe all pushing for inclusion in the final fifteen,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “These players have some opportunity between now and January 19 to push for a spot in the final squad of 15.”Australia is the reigning world champion and also holds the ICC Champions Trophy in the 50-over game. We’ve selected an initial squad with conditions in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in mind and expect this group to be equal to the challenge ahead.”Squad Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Steve O’Keefe, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.