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Thiago Alcantara delivered a midfield masterclass as Liverpool thumped arch-rivals Manchester United 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday evening to bolster their claims in the race for the title.

It now puts immense pressure on Manchester City, who they defeated in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend, to keep up the ground ahead of their fixture with Brighton and Hove Albion later tonight.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were in rampant form as they picked apart a Red Devils side decimated with injuries – it was summed up by the fact that Phil Jones was starting in a back three for his second top-flight appearance of the season.

The three tiny terrors up top for the Merseyside giants had an evening to remember with all three getting their names on the scoresheet.

Mo Salah broke his duck to bag a brace, scoring the second goal after Luis Diaz opened the scoring and the final goal of the rout five minutes from time after Sadio Mane fired home a delightful first-time finish just after the hour mark.

Plenty of the plaudits will go to both the Egyptian and the Senegalese winger, whom both faced one another in the recent international break, but it was the Spanish midfielder who absolutely ran the proceedings, truth be told.

Earning a second-high 8.2 rating by SofaScore, Thiago looked a class apart during the 80 minutes he had on the pitch, registering a phenomenal passing accuracy of 95% from 110 attempts.

Three of these passes resulted in a key chance created, whilst the 31-year-old – who cost the club just £25m –  also recorded a whopping 129 touches of the ball, the most on the pitch, only further highlighting his input and influence in the win.

Elsewhere, he did his defensive dues, winning a total of three tackles, two interceptions and one block, on top of a further 77.7% duels won, as per SofaScore.

The £19.8m-rated maestro earned some high praise for his fine showing in Liverpool.

Liverpool ECHO chief Ian Doyle dubbed him “incredible,” popular fan page Anfield Watch claimed he was playing “on a different planet,” and verified journalist Brad Webb lauded him as a “Rolls-Royce” of a player.

It didn’t stop there as the ECHO wrote in their post-match ratings:

‘Seemed to be on a different level to everyone else in terms of his passing, and United couldn’t handle his speed of thought or tenacity. Faultless.’

Indeed, it was Thiago’s world and we were just living in it at Anfield on Tuesday night. What a performance. He absolutely ran the show for Klopp.

AND in other news, Liverpool now targeting “special” £49.5m-rated star, he’s the dream Salah replacement…

The game was eventually and predictably drawn and it was the unfashionable Bengal team that left Delhi with bruised ego, limb and three points from their Ranji Trophy season opener

The Bulletin by Sharda Ugra at the Feroz Shah Kotla04-Nov-2010
ScorecardRanadeb Bose finished with four wickets as Bengal won first-innings points against Delhi•ESPNcricinfo LtdA drawn Ranji Trophy match is usually an exercise in tedium, especially if a television screen close by is showing Virender Sehwag carving up slices of Motera as though it was pizza. Hundreds of kilometers away from Ahmedabad, at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi and Bengal were engaged in a bitter tussle for the better part of a day. While the contest wasn’t gripping, it was between equals. The game was eventually and predictably drawn and it was the unfashionable Bengal team that left Delhi with bruised ego, limb and three points from their Ranji Trophy season opener.Delhi fell 14 runs short of the solace of first-innings points, bowled out for 459 in reply to Bengal’s 473. It was the pursuit which made the cricket watchable. Ranadeb Bose and Ashok Dinda were like determined denists, trying to extract pace and bounce off a wicket as though it were a stubborn tooth. When the wicketkeeper let a few byes go, when fielders over-ran the ball, when singles were conceded, and even when catches were dropped, they refused to flag.Bose had two dropped off his bowling, both equally significant in the moment. Virat Kohli went on to score 93 more after being dropped on 74 on Wednesday. Overnight batsman Sumit Narwal had turned into the attacker in a dangerous century partnership with Rajat Bhatia for the seventh wicket, and was dropped on 47, by Sreevats Goswami at gully. Delhi then, were only 83 behind.Bose and Dinda didn’t give up, though, running in and trying to hurry the batsmen. Dinda hit Bhatia and No. 11 Parwinder Awana with bouncers and gave no concessions after causing damage. He bowled Bhatia, who tried to guide to third man, just before lunch. Delhi were less than 50 behind the Bengal total at the break but Narwal’s departure just after, led to a brain fade, particularly after Nanda’s wicket.Pradeep Sangwan took singles and even went for his shots but Awana was struggling, his arm immobile because of Dinda’s bouncer. An hour after lunch, he cracked and tried to drive Bose extravagantly. The thin edge drew first slip Anushtup Majumdar off his feet into the air, moving left and backwards, tumbling to grab a one-handed stunner. Awana walked, Bengal were joyous around Bose and the electrified fielder. Former Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya walked out of his commentary box laughing at one of the moments that make even dreary first-class games memorable. “All of this tussle, for three points,” he said.Delhi dropped points and Bengal spent the rest of the afternoon pottering around to reach 92 for 3. The home side will grumble about the wicket because it didn’t assist their quick bowlers with generous sprinklings of grass but Bose, who took 3 for 29 in an unbroken second spell of 11.1 overs, put it into perspective.”You have to be disciplined, you have to be patient and expect that no matter what, something is going to happen. Bowlers in the subcontinent can’t complain about wickets any more. You have to expect it.”Bose said what kept him going was on his T-shirt: no slogans from sponsors but Jim Morrison & the Doors. “I’m a fast bowler who thinks like a spinner and I love bowling long spells of seven-eight overs. As long as I’m fit and not hurting, I love bowling. I can bowl 12-13 overs in a row.”Bengal now play Mumbai at home from November 10 to 13. Delhi travel to Chennai for their second-round match against Tamil Nadu. Coach Manoj Prabhakar has asked the selectors to beef up the team’s spin department, because legspinner Chetanya Nanda has a knee injury. Mithun Manhas, the captain, said the game had produced a “lot of disappointment” and a reworking of the combination was bound to happen. When they return home, they will decide on whether the “unresponsive” Kotla pitch will be a part of the remodeling.

Another update has emerged regarding Ruben Neves’ future at Wolves, with a summer move to Barcelona once again popping up in the press this week.

The Lowdown: Neves on his way?

The 24-year-old has matured into arguably the Wanderers’ most influential player over the years, providing endless quality in the middle of the park.

Sadly, Neves is being continually linked with a move away from Molineux this summer, with Barcelona looking like the front-runners to snap him up.

The Portuguese may feel the need to move on to pastures new, having possibly outgrown the club after their push for European football faltered.

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The Latest: New rumour emerges

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Neves ‘creates absolute consensus’ at Barca among those high up at the club, being seen as a primary summer target within the Catalan board.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, has been given the job of ‘reformulating everything’, with the La Liga giants ‘willing to study ‘ the move ‘carefully’.

It is also stated that the Portugal international is ‘crazy to join’ Barca, who see him as a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets.

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The Verdict: Time to plan for life without him

With each passing week, the more it looks like a matter of time until Neves leaves Wolves – the key now is to use the funds wisely and replace him with a top player.

He will leave a gaping void in the middle of the park, having averaged 2.3 tackles per game and registered six goal contributions (four goals and two assists) in the Premier League this season, with rumoured target Joao Palhinha someone who could offer similar, having averaged 3.1 tackles in the Primeira Liga.

It is hard to begrudge Neves a move to Barca, given the magnitude of the club, but it is now vital that Wolves’ positive trajectory continues without him

In other news, Wolves are reportedly eyeing up a move for an exciting player. Find out who it is here.

MS Dhoni is not known to pay history too much heed. Here, in South Africa for an all-important tour, Dhoni is insisting his team should stay in the present

Sidharth Monga in Centurion13-Dec-2010MS Dhoni is not known to pay history too much heed. Nor does he like to call any win the best ever. When India won at P Sara Oval earlier this year with none of the frontline bowlers around, after having lost the toss in Sri Lanka, he wasn’t drawn into a discussion on whether coming back to draw the series had been the biggest challenge of his captaincy career. The next Test that India played, in Mohali, swung this way and that until VVS Laxman pulled off a heist only he could. It was a day to get carried away, to sing praises, to celebrate Test cricket, but Dhoni called it merely one of the best games he had played in. Here, in South Africa for an all-important tour, Dhoni is insisting his team should not pay the future too much heed.”It [mental state of the side] looks good,” Dhoni said in his first press conference on the tour. “Most of us look very calm, very relaxed, thinking about the process and not getting caught up with other things. Which means we are quite neutral when it comes to frame of mind, which is very important for doing well.”It’s not always about history. What you have achieved in the past. It’s not always about the stats. It’s important to stay in the present moment, and how well we adapt.”To adapt well, India have arrived early in South Africa, with most of their stars missing the home ODI series against New Zealand. Dhoni said the preparation has been satisfactory. “Last few days have been good. We were in Cape Town, most of us. We were practising at Gary’s [Kirsten, India’s coach] academy, the facilities were good, we had some decent time to ourselves. Batsmen worked on a few of the things. It was quite relaxed. No hassles. Till now the preparations have been good, we still have three days to go to the Test.”A tour game would have been good for adapting to the conditions, but Dhoni persisted with his of staying in the present moment. “This is what we have got right now. So we are trying to make the most of what we have got rather than thinking about what would have been better. So whatever days we have got, we are trying to make the best of it.”Dhoni and his team have been proud of the No. 1 ranking, but have mostly spoken about the processes that have got them there. However, this series is the most anticipated for this team, one that is supposed to show just how good the side really is. The extra time spent in preparation shows how important India think this series is. Dhoni, though, refused to call it a defining series, a yardstick to judge the team by.”Not really. It’s not about one series. If you talk about rankings, it is the process that takes you to a place. If you talk about our ranking, we started from September 2008, and where we are right now is because of all our performances since September 2008. It’s a constant process, and one-odd series or two-odd series don’t have a bearing on that. In a team sport, at times it is not possible to compare the performance with the kind of talent you have got. Because at times, you have the best players who are injured or not part of the side, and that might have a bearing on the result.”The “team sport” stayed the focal point of what Dhoni said, as he did not speak about any individual who might be a threat in the South African side. He did speak about a mini group, though, who he said were anticipating helpful conditions.”Our bowling attack has done really well. Whatever the situations or conditions be. Whether we are playing abroad or in the subcontinent. They have done well on wickets that haven’t supported them at all, with reverse swing. They adapt really well, and they adapt quickly. That is one of the main reasons for them being successful. This will be a good opportunity for them to bowl at a place that will be helpful for them.”

Everton manager Frank Lampard must cash in on Michael Keane according to former player Kevin Campbell. Speaking to Goodison News he said that the defender has had a “horrendous” season with Everton, but that he could be useful to another team as a squad player.

It was reported in The Daily Star recently that West Ham United would be willing to pay £20m for the defender, and we think that the Toffees should cash in on him and give one of their young prospects a chance.

The club could cut their losses over Keane, who signed from Burnley as part of a spending spree in 2017 and give 18-year old academy player Reece Welch a chance with the first team.

Initially, he may not be used as a direct replacement due to a lack of experience, but he could develop well if involved, and become a key player over a number of years.

With the end of the season fast approaching Everton are fighting to retain their Premier League status and Keane has been at the centre of that misery. The club are sixth on the list when it comes to most goals conceded this season in the Premier League, with the 29-year-old appearing in 28 of the 33 games played.

If they were able to secure a significant fee for him then it’s a no brainer surely. Former manager at Goodison Park, Sam Allardyce, recently told talkSPORT that Everton “could crack under pressure”, and with some of their performances so far this season ‘lacking fight’, why would you want those players around the dressing room.

One of the advantages with giving younger players a chance is that they are often fearless as they have a point to prove, wanting to show everyone they are good enough to play at the top level. Welch has also risen through the ranks at Finch Farm so would know what an honour it is to wear an Everton shirt.

The England U20 international made his debut for the first team in March, coming on as a substitute in their FA Cup victory over Borehamwood.

He has also appeared 22 times in Premier League 2 this season showing consistency having been promoted from the U18s last summer. The Guardian ranked him in their next-generation list in 2020 where they looked at the 20 best talents at Premier League clubs.

In the process, journalist Andy Hunter described him as “skilful” and “composed” in the backline.

Having trust in youth has worked for the Toffees in the past and we think it can work again now, and could benefit them in the long run as well.

IN other news: Lampard can unearth a new £50m talent in Everton’s “fantastic” 19 y/o who’s “class”…

Plays of the day from the third day of the 5th Test between Australia and England at Sydney

Peter English and Andrew Miller at the SCG05-Jan-2011Not-so-hot Spot
Ian Bell’s maiden Ashes hundred was a worthy reward for a series in which he has regularly looked the most fluent batsman on either side, but he did not reach the landmark without courting controversy. On 67, and facing up to Shane Watson, Bell appeared to get a thin inside-edge through to Brad Haddin. Australia were certainly convinced, and Aleem Dar’s finger went up after a brief pause, but Bell demurred, and wandered down the track to chat to his partner before half-heartedly gesturing for the third-umpire review. Hot Spot, however, showed no discernible mark, and after a long delay the decision was overturned, much to Australia’s chagrin. A few overs later, the Snickometer verdict came in, and sure enough, there was an edge on the ball.Cook’s reprieve
In the course of his astonishing assault on the record books, Alastair Cook did require a few moments of good luck. On 46, he was spared by a no-ball, as the spinner Michael Beer overstepped to rob himself of a maiden Test wicket, and on 99, Beer was out of luck once again, as Cook jabbed down late on a rising delivery, for Phil Hughes at short leg to scoop the ball with his fingertips. Neither he nor Brad Haddin seemed entirely convinced by the catch, but they went ahead with their appeal all the same, while Cook stood in his crease shaking his head. Sure enough, replays showed that the ball had bounced millimetres short, and off he marched to his third hundred of the series.Bronzed Aussie hero
Steve Waugh’s legend status as the SCG was sealed eight years ago when he brought up a career-extending century with a four from the last ball of the day. Today his image was set in stone behind the Members’ Stand, the moment captured from the celebration of that magical Ashes hundred. “That was probably the most pleasing moment of my career,” Waugh said. “There were about 30,000 people at the ground but probably 100,000 people have told me they were there.” Waugh’s sculpture includes his famous red handkerchief, but there was a temporary pink scarf around its neck to support Glenn McGrath’s foundation.Jane McGrath Day
The SCG was awash with pink as a tribute to Jane McGrath, the late wife of Glenn. The now annual day has a range of activities to raise money for breast cancer nurses throughout Australia. Brett Lee, who has been named in Australia’s 30-man World Cup squad, looked smart in a pink jacket before play and both sides walked on to the ground over a pink carpet. The Ladies’ Stand was renamed the Jane McGrath stand and the scores were posted on a pink background.Awards season
Shane Watson was handed the McGilvray Medal as the ABC’s Test Cricketer of the Year before play for his 897 runs and 19 wickets in 11 Tests in 2010. The prize was named after the late commentator Alan, who finished more than 50 years of broadcasting in 1985, and was presented by his son Ross. At the end of the day Peter Siddle was recognised as the Australian Cricket Media Association’s Emerging Player of the Year.

A round-up of the World Cup warm-up matches played on February 6 in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2011Kenya began their World Cup preparation with a convincing win in a warm-up match against Afghanistan at the ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground in Dubai. Steve Tikolo scored an unbeaten century and Kenya posted 289, a total that proved too much for Afghanistan.Tikolo is Kenya’s most experienced player, having played in every single one of their World Cup matches since they made their debut in 1996, and the team will be glad to see him show some form. Tikolo scored 126 not out off 126 balls, with 12 boundaries and two sixes, batting through from the fourteenth over till the end.After Seren Waters was bowled by Hamid Hassan off the second ball of the match, Collins Obuya scored a quick 49, and then Tikolo and Tanmay Mishra put together 103 for the fourth wicket. Wicketkeeper Maurice Ouma added 33 off 35 balls as Kenya reached a strong total.Afghanistan’s chase got off to a brisk start, but was derailed by the loss of three wickets within the first ten overs. Seamer Peter Ongondo took two of the early wickets, and Afghanistan found themselves 48 for 3. Nawroz Mangal steadied the innings with his 42 off 64 balls, and then Mohammad Nabi upped the scoring rate with his 46 off 35.Afghanistan were able to stay abreast of the asking rate, but lost too many wickets. Kenya’s spinners did the damage for them. Captain Jimmy Kamande took 3 for 34 with his offspin, while left-arm spinner Shem Ngoche also took three wickets, though he was expensive, giving away 76 runs in his nine overs.Kenya managed to bowl Afghanistan out in 43 overs, and notched up a 49-run victory.

Jimmy Hansra’s nerveless unbeaten half-century helped Canada complete an impressive four-wicket victory over Associate rivals Netherlands at the ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground in Dubai.His unbeaten 54, from 85 deliveries, ensured Canada’s chase recovered after a faltering start. In pursuit of a modest 152 for victory, Hiral Patel fell to the first ball of the innings from Mudassar Bukhari. The same bowler struck twice more, removing World Cup veteran John Davison and Ruvindu Gunasekera cheaply before captain Ashish Bagai stopped the rot together with Zubin Surkari. They laid the platform for Hansra to finish the job.At the start of the day, Netherlands were the stronger team on paper, but Canada made full use of winning a good toss by reducing them to 43 for 4 after opting to field first. The evergreen Khurram Chohan did the early damage, removing both openers – including the touted Worcestershire star Alexei Kervezee – cheaply, before more top-order wickets fell.The lower order – in the shape of wicketkeeper Atse Buurman, Bradley Kruger and Bukhari – backed up a bright 41 from 49 balls from Tom de Grooth to drag Netherlands up to 151, which looked competitive, until Hansra’s heroics.<br
An unbeaten half-century by Brendan Taylor helped Zimbabwe make light work of chasing Ireland’s total of 204 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Taylor played the anchor role, scoring 84 off 121 balls, as Zimbabwe needed just 43.5 overs to pick up a six-wicket win.They had managed to restrict Ireland to a low total thanks to their spinners. Offspinner Greg Lamb took 3 for 30 in his 10 overs, while Ray Price and Graeme Cremer took three wickets between them and were both economical. Ireland had got off to a solid start, with opener William Porterfield scoring 66 and Ed Joyce getting 45. They were 111 for 1 at one stage, but lost wickets quickly once the spinners came on and were bowled out in 48.1 overs.Craig Ervine was the other positive to come out of Zimbabwe’s batting performance, scoring 47. Taylor has been Zimbabwe’s most prolific batsman over the past two years, but ran into a poor patch of form during their ODI series in Bangladesh, and will be glad to have got some runs under his belt ahead of the World Cup.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are one of four clubs in talks with the England international ahead of his contract expiring at the end of next month as PIF plot a swoop for the midfielder.

The report claims that Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and AC Milan are also in the mix for his signature, with two of those said to be in ‘advanced talks’.

Allan Saint-Maximin needs him badly

Newcastle must get this deal over the line, as would provide a much-needed attacking boost to Eddie Howe’s squad heading into next season.

Saint-Maximin recently claimed that he would have 10-15 assists in the Premier League if he had team-mates who could finish the chances that he has been creating. The winger has just four assists in the top flight this season despite creating 1.5 chances per game and six ‘big chances’ in total.

Whilst these statistics may not prove that he would be on 15 assists with better finishers around him, his chance creation numbers suggest that he is not being rewarded in full for his efforts out wide.

This is why the attacker needs the club to sign Lingard, as the Englishman has proven that he is a clinical finisher in the Premier League. He has scored two goals from 0.77 Expected Goals for Manchester United this term and plundered a whopping nine goals from just 5.25 xG whilst on loan at West Ham in the top flight last season.

Over the course of his career in the Premier League, the midfielder has scored 29 goals from 28.29 XG. He has duly proven that he is capable of finishing chances consistently when he pops up in the box, and that he could benefit from Saint-Maximin’s creativity on the left if they were in the same team.

talkSport pundit Adrian Durham dubbed the 29-year-old “absolutely phenomenal” last year, and that is exactly what the £80k-per-week maestro could be for Newcastle.

Lingard is a proven Premier League goalscorer and would not need any time to adapt to the division, as he has spent his entire career in England. He could also improve Saint-Maximin’s mood, as he would be able to finish off the chances that the Frenchman creates next season, which is why he would be a fantastic signing by PIF this summer.

AND in other news, Craig Hope drops worrying £50m transfer claim, it’s a first major PIF disaster at NUFC…

South Africa have come to the subcontinent without one of their trademark big-hitting, wicket-taking allrounders but they not miss them.

Firdose Moonda in Bangalore18-Feb-2011South Africa have come to the subcontinent without one of their trademark big-hitting, wicket-taking allrounders. Many feel they have made an error of judgement by not including someone who would typically bat at No. 7 and be tossed the ball to bowl at second change and snag a few unexpected wickets or hurl down a couple of economical overs.That type of player has been mass produced and used in South African conditions, but it may not have been such a mistake to leave them behind this time. “You might come to a stage where the wickets are turning and trying to hit the ball out of the park may get you into trouble,” Duncan Fletcher, South Africa’s batting consultant said. “You might need players on the back end who can work the ball around.”That may mean that the likes of Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher – whose names were thrown into the selection ring before the tournament – and even Justin Kemp and Johan van der Wath, who were never in any real contention but fit the mould, will not be missed because of the conditions. Fletcher said that on slow or turning pitches, which make up most of the surfaces that will be used in the tournament, a crafty consolidator will do better than a flashy finisher. “We have seen on certain wickets that it could be turning big and big hitters could get into trouble during those sorts of situations,” he said.Fletcher has indicated the ability to nudge and nurdle could be more valuable at the end of an innings than the need to lash out and to have a selection of players who can play the ball along the ground and take quick singles may prove an asset. Seen in this way, the South African middle order of JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram and Robin Peterson are a perfect fit as all them are known rotators of the strike but have the ability to clear the boundary if needs be.They don’t have the same aura as someone like Lance Klusener or Shaun Pollock, but Fletcher feels that they don’t need to and singled out du Plessis as someone who should “not be disregarded.” Instead of fireworks, he wants flair of the intelligent kind throughout the innings, even though acceleration towards the tail end will still be foremost in the minds of most teams.Fletcher said closing an innings with a big bang may not be a realistic target anymore because the conditions may dictate that the batting Powerplay could be used well before the end of an innings. “It will be interesting to see where it is taken in Asian conditions because most of the sides like to take it after the 40th over but when there are a lot of spinners around and depending on the wickets around it may have to be taken earlier.”Teams may have to judge when they are going through a particularly purple patch in their innings and take the powerplay when the two batsmen at the crease are making merry. It could come as early as immediately after the first 10 or 15 overs, if the bowling powerplay is taken first, and the top order is in form. In South Africa’s case that looks likely because their top four – consisting of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers – are the ones that will spearhead the line-up even more than usual because of the relatively inexperienced middle order.Amla in particular has been a force upfront and although he was looking to temper his self-proclaimed “wild” antics against India, he showed no signs of doing that during the two practice matches. Fletcher thinks Amla’s attitude to his limited-overs game is going to be one of the key features of South Africa’s challenge, whether or not he becomes more tame.”At first they thought his technique suited Test cricket but you must give a lot of credit to the man. He went away and improved certain aspects of how to play Test cricket and on top of that has come back and been a very effective ODI player. At the top of the order he plays the Powerplays very effectively and is quite difficult to play because he uses his wrists a lot.”

After five cliffhangers in five contests, the permutations are simple. Anything less than a victory, and England are gone, eliminated in embarrassing fashion for the fifth World Cup in succession

The Preview by Andrew Miller16-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 17, Chennai
Start time 2.30pm (0900 GMT)Stretched to the limit: James Anderson could pay the price for his poor form in the tournament to date•Associated PressThe Big Picture”Did I entertain you?” was the poignant sign-off that Brian Lara uttered at Barbados four years ago, after his final international appearance had ended with a cruel run-out and a one-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the 2007 World Cup. The same question – and the same affirmative answer – would undoubtedly apply to England’s chaotic campaigners this time around. Then as now, the players in question are braced for a humiliating early exit from the grandest of global tournaments, but given the treats they’ve served up so far, there’s no doubt they’ll be missed if they fail to scrape into the knock-out stages.After five cliffhangers in five contests, the permutations are simple. Anything less than a victory, and England are gone, eliminated in embarrassing fashion for the fifth World Cup in succession. Even if they do rally themselves for one last push towards qualification, it might yet be a futile gesture, with Bangladesh and West Indies in a position to squeeze England back down to fifth spot if they can both win their final fixtures against South Africa and India respectively. It’s an “arse-nipper”, as Graeme Swann succinctly put it earlier this week. But England being England, they wouldn’t settle for anything less.However this make-or-break fixture pans out, England are sure to be recalled as the story of this World Cup, for without them what would the point of this first month have been? While the big guns in Group A have chugged effortlessly to the last four, Group B has been a thrill-a-minute with three of the four qualifiers still to be decided. That is thanks almost entirely to the fluctuating standards of an England squad that has forgotten how to close out a contest – no matter what the calibre of opposition may be. Mental exhaustion is clearly a factor, but the adrenaline of impending elimination may aid them in their bid for survival.After their miserable stop-over in Chittagong, the squad has limped back to Chennai, the scene of their finest performance of the tournament to date, even if the finesse was limited to the final 16 overs of their effort in the field. A two-paced and spin-friendly wicket enabled England’s bowlers to tap into some long-forgotten knowhow from their Ashes victory in Australia, although their batsmen had already steered them into familiarly choppy waters in being bowled out for 171 in 45.4 overs.Quite what West Indies will make of such maverick opposition is anyone’s guess. With ferocious hitters such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard in their ranks, allied to the more conventional class of Darren Bravo, they are more than capable of shredding a bowling attack that has slipped onto auto-pilot all too frequently. Meanwhile the pace of Kemar Roach and the competitiveness of Sulieman Benn provide an edge with the ball that cannot be underestimated, as Bangladesh among others can testify.A fortnight ago in Dhaka, West Indies routed Bangladesh for 58, one match before those same Bangladeshi batsmen put the skids under England’s campaign with a thrilling two-wicket victory in Chittagong. Likewise, the same South African outfit that crumbled to a six-run defeat against England put West Indies firmly in their place in their opening match of the group stage, with AB de Villiers’ century easing them to a seven-wicket win.If England have lost the games they were expected to win, and vice versa, West Indies have taken a much more sedate route towards the quarter-finals. They are not there yet by any means, and could face an anxious final game against India if they don’t come up with the goods in this contest. But come 2.30pm on Thursday, it’ll be time to board the rollercoaster once again. Given what we’ve seen from West Indies’ opponents so far in the competition, this one promises to be emotional.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)

West Indies WWWLL
England LWLTWWatch out for…Against South Africa last week, Chennai provided a surface that Graeme Swann would wish to roll up and lug with him around the subcontinent (although the number of internal flights might persuade him to dump it somewhere in transit …) With sharp turn and vicious bounce, it was Swann’s spell that sowed the first seeds of doubt in South Africa’s hitherto serene progress, and though he picked up the solitary wicket of Graeme Smith, his efforts emboldened every other member of the attack. The scenario was markedly different against Bangladesh in Chittagong, however, when the dew-sodden surface denied him what he felt were his just rewards, and led to a 10% fine for an audible outburst. With more floodlights in prospect, he might hope to get through his stint in the first innings.Kieron Pollard has a career average of 21.87 in 36 ODIs, figures which scarcely do justice to the hype he has attracted in his short career, particularly in the Twenty20 format. But in a nip-and-tuck contest against Ireland last week, he unfurled his full repertoire in a savage and game-changing onslaught. His 94 from 55 balls included a ballistic tempo-change in the Batting Powerplay, a facet of the game that England have consistently failed to exploit. If England’s bowlers fail to nail their lengths – and who knows what length works for a man with such a keen eye? – he is capable of ending their campaign in a matter of overs.Team newsInjuries were England’s biggest problem in the early stages of the tournament, but now it is illness that is undermining their preparations. Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann both missed training on Tuesday, although they are expected to be fit, while attention now turns to Ajmal Shahzad, who bowled three jaffas and a lot of dross against Bangladesh, but nevertheless looked their most potent source of wickets. If he is deemed unfit, then James Anderson could earn a reprieve after reports in the press had suggested he was set for the axe. Chris Tremlett’s suspect temperament held up well in extreme circumstances in the Ashes, but this would be quite a cauldron for his maiden outing of the campaign.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Paul Collingwood, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Ajmal Shahzad/James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett.Chris Gayle missed the Ireland victory with an abdominal strain but he is expected to reclaim his place at the top of the order. Nikita Miller is the first-choice spin twin for Sulieman Benn, although the success of Imran Tahir in the England game has tempted Darren Sammy to consider a wristy of his own. “It’s food for thought,” said Sammy, “whether we should play [Devendra] Bishoo tomorrow.”West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Devon Thomas (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach..Strauss anticipates another low turner, which may yet influence the selection of an extra spinner, although neither Michael Yardy nor James Tredwell are treated with much confidence at present.Stats and trivia England and West Indies have faced each other on five previous occasions in World Cup history, although West Indies’ only victory came in their first encounter, in the 1979 final at Lord’s. The teams have faced each other on three previous occasions in India – in the 1987 World Cup, in the 1989 Nehru Cup, and in the 2006 Champions Trophy. England have won two of those three encounters.For a full stats analysis, click here.Quotes”West Indies haven’t been put under real pressure other than the South Africa game and the challenge for us is to put them under pressure right from ball one and see how they respond.”
Andrew Strauss believes England are more battle-hardened than their opponents”If there is dew just get the towel and wipe the ball. Simple.”Darren Sammy makes light of the problems that afflicted England against Bangladesh