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West Bromwich Albion travel to face Midlands rivals Birmingham City on Sunday afternoon in what could make for a fierce clash.

On Friday, Steve Bruce revealed that the Baggies had just 11 fit players over the international break, whilst the rest of the squad were representing their respective nations.

According to the 61-year-old, notable injuries include “exciting” 21-year-old striker Daryl Dike, Kenneth Zohore, Kean Bryan and Matty Phillips, who are all at different stages of the rehabilitation process after suffering injury setbacks.

Apart from the injury to Dike, the squad is in the same shape as before the international break, which is a big positive for Baggies fans. However, Bruce still has a lot to consider, as Albion will be looking to add to Birmingham’s disappointing pattern of failing to score in any of the last three games.

Andy Carroll will be hoping to start, having not played a full 90 minutes since late February, but that may be a tough ask, with the partnership between Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson starting to blossom over the last few weeks, with five goals in the last three games for the pair.

In terms of system, it’s expected that West Brom will continue to deploy their defensive three formation, and it would not be a surprise if we saw both teams shaping up in a 3-5-2 system and going man-for-man.

Here is our predicted Albion XI ahead of the clash with Birmingham on Sunday:

Johnstone; Ajayi, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Gardner-Hickman, Livermore, Mowatt, Townsend; Robinson, Grant

It could be the case that Steve Bruce will stick rather than twist, despite a relatively disappointing performance last time out against Bristol City.

In terms of form coming into this game, West Brom hold the advantage, having bagged two wins and two draws across the last five fixtures; including an impressive 1-0 defeat of Championship leaders Fulham.

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Meanwhile, Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham side come into Sunday’s clash having picked up just five points from a possible 15, not the sort of form you’d want to be in during the business end of the season.

Despite failing to score in four out of their last five games, it is certain that the Blues will feel the pressure from their home support coming into this tie and will look to disrupt Steve Bruce’s side as the Baggies look to add to their ascending momentum.

In other news – Sold for £2.5m, now worth 180% more: West Brom had a howler on gem who scared Luis Enrique

	Ramnaresh Sarwan has the backing of Richie Richardson despite Chris Gayle’s short, yet impressive stint as captain © AFP

Richie Richardson, the former West Indies captain, has backed Ramnaresh Sarwan to return as captain for the forthcoming home series against Sri Lanka and Australia, instead of stand-in captain Chris Gayle.”From way back, even when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was there, Sarwan was my man,” Richardson told the , a Barbados daily. “There is something about him that I like. He has the demeanour, the approach and I think he commands respect.”Sarwan, who was groomed for the job from the time he was appointed vice-captain in 2003, succeeded Brian Lara as West Indies captain before last year’s tour of England. When he was afflicted with recent injuries, Gayle took over and was able to inspire the team to a one-day series win against England and a maiden Test win on South African soil, prompting many observers to favour him for the job when Sarwan returns.”Gayle seems to be a different person when he assumes the role as captain of West Indies,” Richardson said. “For some reason he was able to get a response out of the bowlers in particular.”I’m sure whoever they choose as captain, it doesn’t matter as long as the team rallies around that individual and that individual goes out there, leads from the front, gets the guys together and tries to get the team to play better.”Nobody knows who is the ideal person, but at the end of the day, if we have support for whoever is captain, the team will perform better. I would go for Sarwan. If they remain with Gayle, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”Richardson, one of 14 legends sitting on the Stanford 20-20 board of directors, is however not convinced that the team will be a force to reckon with until there are changes to the set up in the region. Among the things he wants to see are proper development programmes, a serious focus on youth cricket and a new culture in West Indies cricket.”We’re very fickle in the Caribbean. We all want success. As soon as there is a little success, we tend to get carried away. I’m always one to look way down the road. If you win a few matches, that’s not it. It’s how well prepared you are and how solid your foundation is to take you into the future.”It is important to get results, but it is more important to put a plan in place, invest in players and try and create a foundation that will propel our cricket way into the future.”

Ashish Bagai finished the recent six-nation competition held in Kenya with two centuries and a fifty and an average of 86.25 © Getty Images

In the shape of Ashish Bagai, Canada can at least point to having at least one player who isn’t the wrong side of 40. The 25-year-old New Delhi-born, batsman-wicketkeeper will be at the peak of his powers in the Caribbean and will be crucial if Canada are to have even the slightest hope of being one of the two teams from Group C to qualify for the second round. They could probably give Kenya a game but no-one is backing them to defeat England or New Zealand.Bagai is one of the survivors from the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where he played in the 60-run victory over Bangladesh in Durban. He made just seven with the bat that day but took three catches to dismiss three of the top four Bangladesh batsmen to help set his country on its way.He has now played 24 ODIs making 701 runs for an average of 35 and a top score of 137 not out which he hit in the recent World Cricket League in Kenya where he was named man of the tournament. He finished that six-nation competition with two centuries and a fifty and an average of 86.25That kind of performance has pushed him up the pecking order and he is now vice-captain to John Davison. “It was a great thrill for me to win the [player of the tournament] award,” said Bagai. “I am really psyched and it is great for my confidence ahead of the World Cup. I had no idea I had won the man of the tournament. David [Obuya of Kenya] and William [Porterfield of Ireland] did very well. I knew I was close but those guys had great tournaments too.”With attentions now turning towards the World Cup, Bagai said he could not be happier with his preparations. “It has been perfect. I was at the winter training camp in Pretoria [late last year). That was perfect for me – I really felt I improved. And then we had a hard-fought ODI series in Mombasa and then the World Cricket League. It has been ideal preparation.”Bagai also has courage. At the ICC Trophy in 2001, he played a major role in the last-over win against the UAE despite spending a night in hospital after being hit in the face with the ball.

Tino Best: his third stint in the A team © AFP

Once upon a time A teams used to serve as a feeder for international squads. The trends these days, however, show a reverse. Be that as it may, the forthcoming series of two unofficial Tests and three ODIs between West Indies A and England A is of major significance for everyone involved.When these two teams first met in a series of this kind in 1992, both squads comprised a seasoned professional as captain, a few others with international experience and mainly young, promising players on the verge of international recognition.Fourteen years later, the teams that have assembled in Antigua include familiar faces that have already played for the senior West Indies and England teams, but are now out of favour and are given a chance to re-establish their credentials.The West Indies A of 1992 included Courtney Walsh, a seasoned Test player as captain and three others with international experience – Carlisle Best, Clayton Lambert and Tony Gray. Nine of the 13 had not yet played Test cricket and seven of them – Jimmy Adams, Roland Holder, Junior Murray, Kenny Benjamin, Ottis Gibson, Robert Samuels and Nehemiah Perry – would later graduate to the international ranks.It’s the opposite this time around. Eight of the 13 – captain Sylvester Joseph, Narsingh Deonarine, Ryan Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Dave Mohammed, Tino Best and Jermaine Lawson – have had more than one crack at the higher level. Of the remaining five, three – Lendl Simmons, Sewnarine Chattergoon and Richard Kelly – have already worn West Indies A shirts, and only two – Dale Richards and Andrew Richardson, are newcomers to this level. It’s a similar comparison for their opponents.The visitors’ 14-man squad here includes nine players with international experience – captain Vikram Solanki, Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke, Sajid Mahmood, Chris Read, Owais Shah, Alax Wharf – and there would have been a tenth had Ian Blackwell not been summoned to join the seniors in India.In 1992, the England A contained nine who had no international experience, six of whom went on to play Test cricket, while six had come to the Caribbean with senior England caps.The West Indies A team that toured Sri Lanka last summer also included 13 players who had the “benefit” of international exposure.The reasons for the reversal of trends are obvious. The quality of talent these days is hardly much to shout about, and perhaps there isn’t a lot of difference between those here and those in New Zealand with the senior West Indies team. Players hardly perform to maintain a settled place in the West Indies team and the end result is a rotation of personnel in what can be summed up as musical chairs.Case in point. Tino Best, who was a member of West Indies A teams of 2002 and 2005, graduated into the senior team in 2003 on the back of his outstanding regional season the same year. Dropped after a solitary Test, he gained few more opportunities and once more found himself in the A team ranks last July.The dispute between the leading players and the administrators led him being drafted in for the senior tour of Sri Lanka and he retained his place to Australia later in the year. Dropped by Barbados, the West Indies selectors ignored him for New Zealand, but he has another chance to show his mettle.Given the trends, it won’t be surprising if Best is back in the reckoning for the home series against India in June, and someone in New Zealand now, maybe Jerome Taylor, finds himself in the A team for the series against Sri Lanka A that coincides with India’s visit to the Caribbean.Best’s case is almost mirrored by fellow fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, who will also be embarking on a third stint with the A team. It is also a third chance for Lendl Simmons, who is still only 21, but has not exactly fulfilled the promise selectors saw in him when they sent him on the 2002 tour to England as a 17-year-old.In the circumstances where we’ve merely reshuffled the pack, the selectors have not been afforded a chance to introduce new young talent. Hence, no room for someone like Alcindo Holder, who expertly hit three half-centuries in his first first-class outing for Barbados or someone like 20-year-old Kittitian Steve Liburd, who made two half-centuries in his first two matches. Ryan Austin, whose 22 wickets were the joint third highest in this season’s Carib Beer Cup – has also been unrewarded.Having said that, the 13 in the West Indies A and their England rivals, have everything to play for in the coming weeks.

Dolphins 413 for 4 (Amla 177*, Kent 68*, Mall 66) leadEagles 334 by 79 runsScorecardA career-best 177 from Dolphins captain Hashim Amla put his team into afavourable position at the end of the third day of the SuperSport Seriesfinal against the Eagles at Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein on Saturday.Amla and Dale Benkenstein resumed for the Dolphins on 215 for 3 and, with the pitch easing up and the ball coming on to the bat, the batting conditions were ideal for the team to post a big first innings lead. Benkenstein was caught behind for 38 off the bowling of Victor Mpitsang in the tenth over of the morning: the only wicket to fall in the day as rain brought a premature end to the proceedings.During the 64 overs that were possible, Amla and Jon Kent took fulladvantage of the conditions to put on 171 runs for the fifth wicket withAmla going past his career best of 159 to end undefeated on 177. His 24boundaries off 374 deliveries showed that he has the temperament for thelonger version of the game. Kent scored his fourth half-century of the series off 118 balls as the two batted through to the early end of play.The Dolphins now lead the Eagles by 79 runs with six wickets in hand andstill two days of play remaining. Lifting the run rate should be theprime objective of the remaining batsmen with a result still firmly onthe cards.

Sir Everton Weekes: ‘The players need to pull themselves together’ © AFP

Sir Everton Weekes, the former West Indies batsman, has urged the current side to show more mental toughness after their two crushing defeats in the first two Tests against South Africa.West Indies were hammered by 189 runs at Johannesburg, and by an innings and 65 runs at Durban. They now face a tough task to get anything out of the final two Tests, at Cape Town and Centurion Park.”The mental attitude needs to change,” Weekes, who scored 4455 runs in 48 Tests, told . “The players are not bad but they are down now. They need to pull themselves together.”Weekes, though, is confident that West Indies won’t suffer a 4-0 whitewash, like they did four years ago when they went down 5-0 against South Africa. “We’re still building and we have a lot of good young players,” insisted Weekes. “I believe we can come to the fore in a year or two.”He added: “Players will emerge more as the team progresses. We have seen some positives even though we’ve lost. There has been some good batting. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan showed lots of grit and determination in the last Test.”Weekes, however, pointed out the bowling and fielding as areas of concern. “Allround as a team we have not been good. The bowling has not been consistent and we dropped too many catches,” he said. “I can’t see us bouncing back enough to win any Tests but we can draw. To win Tests you need 20 wickets and if we look at bowling, 20 wickets seem hard to get on these pitches.”He concluded: “But all is not lost, we’ve got to go through this period. When you’re rebuilding, these things will happen.”

Remarkable as it might appear, Australia took the result but England took heart from the last session of the fourth Test. Needing just 99 to win on the fifth morning, Australia lost five wickets in reaching the target with moments of stirring batting, intense excitement, umpiring controversy and, yes, heroic efforts from England’s two bowlers.If England had been disappointed by their failure to take wickets at the close of the fourth day, they had to wait no time at all for success at the start of the fifth. Matthew Hayden hooked at a short ball from Andrew Caddick and substitute fielder Alex Tudor took the catch.While Justin Langer was content to settle in after that blow, Ricky Ponting took the attack to England. He went for his considerable array of strokes from the off and had hit three fours and a six as he raced to 30 from 35 balls taking full toll off bowling that was a little too short. Having said that, it was a short ball from Steve Harmison to which Ponting played something of a half-hearted pull that touched the glove on the way through to James Foster.Three balls later, Harmison produced a beauty to Damien Martyn that took a faint outside edge on its way through to Foster and suddenly Australia were 58 for three. They needed only another 49 runs to win, but there was still time for drama.It came in the 12th over of the morning, bowled by Harmison to Steve Waugh who had four unconvincing runs to his name at the time. The fifth ball climbed past the outside edge and went through to Foster who looked inquiringly but said nothing. Marcus Trescothick at first slip raised his arms, but there was no more by way of an appeal until the fielders saw a replay on the big screen. Then Foster appealed, but umpire Dave Orchard said not out.Next ball, Waugh drove off the back foot low into the covers where Hussain clutched the ball and threw it up in a celebration that was only cut short when he noticed that Orchard had signalled a no ball. Waugh did not notice and had to be called back when well on his way to the pavilion. He returned to crash the last ball of the over back past the bowler to the boundary.After some more uncomfortable moments, Waugh tried to leave a ball from Caddick that looped off the glove wide of Mark Butcher at second slip who took off to hold a spectacular catch. Four balls later, Langer was hit on the pad by Caddick, everyone went up and Russell Tiffin pointed his forefinger to the sky. Langer out for a calm 24, but a replay showed that the ball had pitched outside leg stump.It was extraordinary entertainment, especially bearing in mind the fact that England had just two fit fast bowlers. Both Caddick and Harmison gave their all but Australia had the depth of batting to reach their objective. There was still time for a few moments of excitement before Gilchrist hit the winning runs and for once in the series there was a real contest.It took a long time in coming and the result was as expected, but at last England have something positive to remember as they go to Sydney for the final Test. Australia needed their steadiest nerve to head north with the chance of a whitewash still very much on the cards.

CricInfo Championship leaders Yorkshire fired out second-placed Kent for 212 at Headingley yesterday to justify skipper David Byas’ decision to ask the visitors to bat first.Yorkshire then reached five without loss before rain wiped out the last 20 overs of the day.Top bowler for Yorkshire was paceman Matthew Hoggard who captured four for 48 and then learned as he walked off the field that he had been called up by England for their One-Day International with Pakistan at Edgbaston tomorrow (Thursday).Hoggard, who replaces the injured Andy Caddick in the NatWest triangular tournament, was able to go home to pick up fresh kit before joining up with the England squad in Birmingham.Yorkshire are now allowed to draft in another player who can bowl in the Kent second innings but Byas said a final decision on who it would be would not be taken until the morning. Ryan Sidebottom is out of the reckoning because of sore shins.Chris Silverwood chipped in with three wickets as Kent collapsed and there were two for Craig White in his first bowl for Yorkshire since May 11.White is hoping to recover from his back injury in time for the Ashes series but he said he was unable to bowl at anywhere near full pace in his nine overs and felt he may need further tests to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem.Yorkshire seemed to have made a mistake in inserting Kent when they stood at 96 for one at one stage but their batting went to pieces against persistent bowling.Top-scorer Ed Smith looked good for a century until he drove loosely at Hoggard and was caught at slip by Byas for 84 from 155 balls with 14 fours.Opener Rob Key also made a solid half-century but when he had reached 58 he also had a wild flash outside off stump at Hoggard and was caught by wicketkeeper Richard Blakey.

A medical expert has now dropped some more injury news for Everton involving Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Townsend joins injury list

Andros Townsend has now joined the Goodison Park faithful’s injury list alongside Mina, as he will miss the rest of the season after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in the 4-0 loss away at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup over the weekend.

As for Mina, Frank Lampard told The Liverpool Echo last week that the Colombia international is still ‘a few weeks away at best’.

The Latest: Dinnery on Mina

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis, has claimed that Mina should be starting light work next month, as he looks to recover from his injury:

“Mina’s place in that Everton team cannot be understated.

“All of the data shows that when he plays, they get more points. The issue is trying to keep him fit.

“He’s had only eight Premier League starts this season, only two this year, and only four since September.

“This latest setback came after return from another injury. So you ask, how do you manage this player?

“There are factors that will influence when he returns to play, such as the availability of Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane.

“Also, where Everton are in the table in two or three games time. If they get a couple of wins, that can change the complexion.

“Light work for Yerry Mina won’t be far away, maybe mid to late-April. But other factors come into consideration when deciding when he can play again.“

The Verdict: Worrying

These are certainly worrying times for the Merseyside club, given Townsend’s latest injury, on top of Mina potentially not returning to training until the end of next month.

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Of course, the central defender will not be ready to play games straight away, and Frank Lampard’s team will only have four matches left, plus any rescheduled fixtures, by the time May comes.

There is no doubt that they are a better side when he is in it, as four of the Blues’ seven wins in the Premier League have come when he is playing, and the fact that he was missing in the 5-0 drubbing away at Tottenham Hotspur, after which Jamie Carragher called the defence a ‘Championship back four’, says a lot for his credentials.

Nonetheless, Lampard will just want him back fully fit for their last few fixtures.

In other news, find out who has now joined the EFC mass exodus here!

	Manoj Tiwary had a harsh initiation to international cricket © Getty Images

Flash performer keeps on walking
Adam Gilchrist’s farewell has become a blinding experience. So many people were desperate to capture his last game in Brisbane that the light created by the camera flashes was more like an Olympic athletics event than an ODI. His 14 ended when he walked after a leg-side edge that the umpire Steve Davis didn’t look like giving. The crowd stood to applaud his career and his honesty.Sing for Harbhajan
The banner “Go Bananas Roy” went up as soon as Harbhajan Singh walked out and the crowd bellowed “boo” to welcome and send him off. Between the greetings Harbhajan carved out a neat little cameo of 27. Having survived a tough Gilchrist miss, Harbhajan retaliated with a force that had some of the same crowd clapping. He cut hard, charged at the bowlers, drove and slapped at anything short. In the penultimate over he picked 12 off Nathan Bracken with the best shot being a cover drive on his knees. The crowd chanting continued when he fielded and he encouraged the spectators to make more noise by cupping his hand to his ear.Debutant jitters
Ashley Noffke’s initiation was as difficult as the one Brett Lee saved for Manoj Tiwary. Gautam Gambhir was the target when Noffke sprinted in for the ninth over, releasing a short and wide ball which was pushed through point for four. The second effort was glided to third man for two, the next offering was cut firmly to a fielder and a similar shot greeted the fourth, except it was lofted and raced to the boundary. A single was taken before Noffke got a roar from the slips when the sixth delivery was a dot. Having given up 11 off his first over and 27 from four, he did well to bring it back to 1 for 46 off nine.Back, back … bowled
Tiwary’s entry was more frightening as Lee welcomed him with a series of short balls, including a couple which narrowly missed his helmet. The back-foot diet was continued until Lee surprised the batsman with a superb slower, fuller delivery. Expecting another short one, Tiwary was unable to convince himself to move forward and his feet barely moved before the stumps were upset. The way Lee worked him over was a repeat of Wasim Jaffer’s dismissal in the first innings at the SCG.Hit and run
There’s always a first time, but Sachin Tendulkar wouldn’t have imagined he could get out hit wicket. Lee bowled one into his ribs and Tendulkar, who had already braced himself for the short one, took a step back, tapped the ball to the onside and dashed for a single. However, his right heel brushed the base of the stumps.Slips in slips
Michael Hussey, standing at second, wanted to clasp the catch, but instead he ended up spilling the low-down offering when Gambhir nicked an outswinger from Mitchell Johnson. Two balls later Gambhir played closer to his body and managed another edge, but this one was travelling high towards Ricky Ponting at first slip. He got his hands on it without controlling it above his head and the ball bounced behind him. It was a much harder effort, but not as difficult as the diving one Gilchrist almost reached off Harbhajan.Caught short
While Australia’s catching wasn’t so impressive, Ponting made sure the fielding was memorable with a fine direct hit from midwicket that cut short Irfan Pathan’s innings. After Michael Clarke’s brilliant pick-up-and-throw in the Twenty20, Ponting showed he could match his young team-mate from a similar distance.Listen to this
He had a false start on resumption after another rain break. He turned back and pitched it just short of a length and it climbed quite high to a surprised James Hopes who was caught unawares. But it was a no ball and to rub it in, Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave away four byes. Ishant Sharma’s tail was up. Hopes had no clue to the next three deliveries as Sharma beat him equally with pace and bounce. The following ball pitched on a good length and jagged back in fiercely to flatten the off stump, ending Hopes’ agony. Sharma celebrated his first wicket by cupping his hands around his ears to hear if the crowd had to say anything.