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Tottenham insider John Wenham has admitted he is ‘concerned’ over an international break injury to Ben Davies, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Davies’ Wales withdrawal

Davies has been a regular at centre-back since Antonio Conte took over in north London, failing to feature in just one of Spurs’ last 20 Premier League games.

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The 28-year-old started for Wales against Austria last week, playing the entirety of his team’s 2-1 World Cup play-off victory.

The defender even provided an assist for Gareth Bale but has since pulled out of the national squad as a precaution after feeling tightness in his thigh.

The Latest: Wenham reacts to Davies injury

Wenham was asked for his thoughts on Davies’ injury by Football Insider. He admitted that he is ‘concerned’ and claimed it would be ‘really disappointing’ if the defender were to miss domestic action as a result.

“Yeah, not good, I’m concerned.

“He’s been playing a lot in that back three, it’s been very settled in the last few weeks.

“It would be really disappointing if he was unavailable for these last few games, a blow for sure.

“They are all must-win games now and we need our top performers in there.

“Davies has been an unsung hero and no one thought he would play as much as he has this season.

“So fingers crossed he’s OK to face Newcastle at the weekend because that’s when the hard work starts.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Reports have hinted that Davies is expected to be fit for the clash with Newcastle this weekend, which would be a huge boost for Conte.

However, that is yet to be confirmed, so Spurs will be sweating on the defender’s condition over the coming days as they look to put pressure on Arsenal in the race for fourth following the international break.

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Conte is already without Japhet Tanganga for the rest of the season, and although Cristian Romero is set to return to training, Spurs won’t want to rush the Argentine straight back into the starting XI, making Davies’ availability even more important ahead of Sunday.

In other news: Conte handed further Spurs injury woes during international break ahead of Newcastle clash  

	Glenn McGrath had Sydney farewells in ODI and Test cricket last season but he will now say goodbye in a state match on Tuesday © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath hopes to bat for the first time in his New South Wales limited-overs career when he makes a one-off Twenty20 appearance against Queensland on Tuesday night. While McGrath got a series of Test farewells in 2006-07, he did not receive a significant goodbye from the Blues and will break his retirement to bowl fours overs and, hopefully, get a hit.Last season Andrew Johns, the rugby league star who was a guest player, was shepherded from the strike by Simon Katich in the final over as the captain tried to command a failed chase. It’s unlikely the same thing will happen to McGrath, who spent most of his career as a No. 11.”There’s been talk I’m moving up the order,” he said. “I’ve never batted in a one-dayer for New South Wales, so I will wait to see what happens.”McGrath had a bowl in the SCG nets during the second day of the Test and is pleased with his condition. “I thought I’d be struggling a bit, but I am surprised how good I feel,” he said. “The ball came out pretty well.”The match is being played at the Olympic stadium in Sydney and McGrath will use it as preparation for his Twenty20 stint with the Indian Premier League in April. He has watched Australia in Tests and ODIs since retiring and has no desire to return to the longer forms. “To me four overs is the maximum I want to play, so I’m fairly happy.”

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan must regain his form to fill the gaps left by Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif © AFP

Pakistan and West Indies generally don’t do boring World Cup games, so the expectant throng that congregates at Sabina Park early on Tuesday morning is well justified in expecting something special from the tournament opener. The last time the two sides met in this competition was eight years ago. On the surface, it was a prosaic game at the County Ground in Bristol, with Pakistan fairly comfortable winners by 27 runs. No one that watched it would ever call it mundane though.It’s a measure of how much Shoaib Akhtar’s presence will be missed tomorrow that an otherwise unremarkable game is best remembered for his first delivery, a searing bouncer that Sherwin Campbell could only top-edge over third man for six. With no Shoaib, and no Mohammad Asif – the best young bowler in the world by some distance – Pakistan’s attack looks paperweight, but it’s exactly in such situations that teams have come to be wary against them.Rana Naved-ul-Hasan may yet recapture the form that made him such a dangerous one-day performer for a couple of seasons, while both the wretchedly inconsistent Mohammad Sami and the fragile Umar Gul have the pace to hustle the very best. Inconsistency and flattering to deceive have become a motif of this West Indies side as well, so it’ll be especially interesting to see which team blinks first when the pressure starts to build.The pitches have been the subject of much discussion since the teams arrived here, and Andy Roberts for one doesn’t believe that they’ll be anything like as turgid as some expect. The surface at Sabina Park has seldom been that docile anyway, with memories still fresh of the bloodbath in the 1975-76 Test against the Indians, and of a remarkable Test last year when Rahul Dravid’s sterling batting led India home in a three-day Test on a pitch that was jalapeno-spicy.That leaves both sides with a selection headache or two. For West Indies, it will most likely mean choosing between the allrounder, Dwayne Smith, and the fast bowler, Daren Powell, while Pakistan will have to plump for either the burgeoning all-round skills of Yasir Arafat or the unpredictable legspin option that Danish Kaneria offers. With a certain Brian Charles Lara in the opposition, Kaneria’s place may well be on the dressing-room bench.

When Chris Gayle fails it has a deflating effect on West Indies © Getty Images

Both teams rely heavily on the top order. If Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul can provide some sort of platform for Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indies are eminently capable of toppling anyone. But when Gayle fails, it appears to have a deflating effect on those that follow. Pakistan would have noted his recent travails against Ajit Agarkar, and he should expect an early delivery or two shaping into his pads.Pakistan’s opening woes have been voluminously documented. Shahid Afridi’s two-match ban eliminates one interesting option, and after suggestions that Younis Khan would be asked to shore things up against the new ball, it now appears as though the duo of Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir will be given another opportunity. Younis, Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq form the bulwark, and will need to be careful against the medium pace of Ian Bradshaw and Corey Collymore. Neither comes from the great West Indies tradition of express fast bowlers, but both are canny customers adept at putting the ball on a sixpence and waiting for the mistake.Having played out classics at Edgbaston (1975, when Roberts and Deryck Murray guided West Indies home) and Lahore (1987, when Courtney Walsh famously refused to run out Salim Jaffer), supporters on both sides will only hope that the match isn’t a reprise of that quite bizarre game in 1992, when Rameez Raja stodged his way to a century and then saw Desmond Haynes return the compliment with a painstaking 93 as only two wickets fell in the 50 overs. West Indies, though, won’t mind a repeat of the result, a crushing ten-wicket triumph.West Indies (likely) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Brian Lara (capt), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Corey Collymore.Pakistan (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Yasir Arafat, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Umar Gul.

Scorecard

Lisa Sthalekar and Shelley Nitschke are all smiles as Australia walk over India © Getty Images

Australia crushed India by an innings and four runs on the third day of the one-off Test at the Adelaide Oval. Lisa Sthalekar, the offspinner, set up the win with career-best figures of 5 for 30 as India folded for 153 to follow their first-innings 93.Australia bowled a suffocating line and delivered a total of 60 maidens as India scored at one-and-a-half runs an over. Resuming on 3 for 51, the visitors lost Devika Palshikar to Cathryn Fitzpatrick after adding only two runs before Rumeli Dhar and Sunetra Paranjpe offered some resistance in a stand of 51.Fitzpatrick accounted for Dhar, who top scored with 38, while Sthalekar took the wickets of Paranjpe and Jhulan Goswami. Shelley Nitschke interrupted Sthalekar by removing Amita Sharma, but she wrapped up the match by taking a return catch off Nooshin Al Khader for her fifth dismissal. Sthalekar was named Player of the Match for her all-round performance, which included 72 batting at No. 4 in Australia’s 250.Karen Rolton, the Australia captain, had the most economical figures and conceded only ten runs off her 12 overs while bagging the wickets of both openers. After the one-sided Test India will have only five days to recover for the three-match one-day series starting in Adelaide on Saturday.

Railways 287 for 5 (Bangar 79, Yadav 63) v Punjab
Scorecard
How they were out

Sanjay Bangar set things up perfectly for Railways with 79 at the top of the innings© Getty Images

Three obdurate half-centuries put Railways on top but a controlled spell of seam bowling helped Punjab claw their way back in an engrossing opening day of the Ranji Trophy final at Mohali. Pankaj Dharmani might have rued his decision to field first around tea time but Vineet Sharma’s incisive spell in the third sesssion, on a day when he picked up his 100th Ranji Trophy wicket, kept Punjab afloat in the attritional contest.Sanjay Bangar and Jai Prakash Yadav, both pivotal in Railways’ remarkable turnaround from relegation contenders to finalists, consolidated a rapid start and defied the Punjab medium pacers for three hours. Bangar overcame the initial seam movement, two perilously close lbw appeals and a few edgy moments before settling down into a dogged mode.Both made sure that the loose balls weren’t spared and neither attempted anything fancy. Yadav had moments of uncertainty in the 40s and was even dropped by the wicketkeeper, Dharmani, when he edged VRV Singh, who was in the midst of a fiery spell. But the spinners, bowling at the other end, couldn’t exert any sort of pressure and Yadav cashed in on some half-volleys and half-trackers.At the other end Bangar was entering his grinding zone. It wasn’t anywhere as monastic, and nowhere as demanding, as Headingly 2002, but the Punjab seam attack has consistently run through sides after sending them in and Bangar ensured against any such collapse.The day had begun with a flurry of boundaries as Amit Pagnis, who had made a superb 98 not out in the semi-final, capitalised on the full length that the bowlers employed while trying to extract maximum swing, and the score had surged to 60 for no loss after just 12 overs. It was the sort of innings that could be used as a template for advertising domestic cricket – greentop, bowlers attacking and a batsman counterattacking – but precisely 10 spectators were present to enjoy the thrill. After surviving several confident lbw appeals, Pagnis was undone by Sharma’s cutter, as he tentatively pushed at a good-length ball and was rapped on the pads in front of off stump. Sharma’s 100 wickets had come in 25 Ranji trophy games. Tejinder Pal Singh swished, missed and finally nicked one outside off, but in Jai Prakash Yadav, Bangar found an ally with a similar mindset.Either side of the tea break, Sharma triggered the Punjab fightback with both wickets – Yadav was rooted to the crease as an incutter crashed into his stumps, while Bangar was at the receiving end of a sensational catch at second slip. Raja Ali helped gather some impetus with a fluent 50, but Punjab hung in there with one more wicket at the other end. VRV Singh, who cranked up some disconcerting pace in a few spells, was finally rewarded as Yere Goud was late in coming down on one that came in.While Punjab had frittered away the advantage at the toss, Railways hadn’t managed to build on their dominance. The absorbing contest between bat and ball deserved more than 50 people in attendance.How they were outRailwaysPagnis lbw b Sharma 40 (60 for 1) Not fully forward to a good-length ball. Rapped on the pads and adjudged lbw.Tejinder Pal c Dharmani b Sodhi 11 (77 for 2) Flashed at a wide one and snicked to the wicketkeeper.Yadav b Sharma 63 (200 for 3) Rooted to the crease and misread an incutter that crashed into his stumps.Bangar c Sawal b Sharma 79 (213 for 4) Tried to cut a wide one but only managed to edge it to the right of second slip where Sandeep Sawal pulled off a fantastic one-handed catch.Goud lbw VRV Singh 15 (269 for 5) Rapped on the pads as he missed one that came in.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Cricinfo.

The West Indies selectors have named their 15-man squad for the one-day series against South Africa, which starts at Cape Town on January 25.Three Barbadians – Ryan Hurley, Kurt Wilkinson and Ian Bradshaw – have been rewarded for their good performances during the Red Stripe Bowl, while a fourth, Dwayne Smith, has been retained after his blistering debut century in the third Test at Cape Town.West Indies currently trail South Africa 2-0 in the four-Test series, and start as outsiders in the one-day matches as well, as they come up against the team ranked second in the ICC Championship table.Full squad
Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Vasbert Drakes, Ryan Hurley, Ian Bradshaw, Kurt Wilkinson, Ravi Rampaul, Mervyn Dillon, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore.

Hampshire’s Director of cricket Tim Tremlett was optimistic that Shane Warne will be fit in time for the World Cup in February, and subsequently to join Hampshire as captain for the 2003 season.”Reports” said Tim “coming out of Australia today (Monday) state that Shane has had an exploratory operation on his shoulder after suffering a dislocation during the VB Series match against England on Sunday.” (see ACB report below).Tim Tremlett had spoken today to new First team manager Paul Terry, and Hampshire physio Pat Farhart who are closely monitoring the situation. Pat had spoken to his Australian counterpart, who was upbeat about the situation.

The Central Zone under-22 match between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthanat Indore ended in a tame draw on Sunday. There was some engrossingcricket over the first two days but rain washed out play on the finalday.Opting to bat on Friday, MP were all out for 189 early on the secondday. They failed to build upon a good start given by openers S Tomar(35) and N Ojha (40) who put on 70 runs. At one stage, the home teamwere 151 for three but then ensued a sharp collapse which saw sevenwickets falling for 38 runs. The visitors replied with 217 for five atstumps on the penultimate day. Skipper AS Jain who opened the battingscored a patient 44 off 102 balls. V Saxena who came in at No 3 got avaluable 57 which was compiled off 133 balls with seven hits to theropes. S Bhatia batted more aggressively in scoring an unbeaten 67 off116 balls. He hit five fours and a six. Rajasthan got five points andMP three.

ScorecardMichael Yardy wants to ensure Sussex’s safety before he retires•Getty Images

This is an uncertain time of year. Three clubs – two of them playing here – are locked in the real relegation battle; Worcestershire, to the neutral’s disappointment, are all but gone. Hampshire are still fighting. But Sussex and Somerset know a win at Hove saves tricky seasons.For players too, it’s an uncertain time. Take Ashar Zaidi. Out of contract at season’s end, this, like the retiring Michael Yardy, could be his final home game for Sussex. Time, then, to make an impression. Things are uncertain for Yardy too, as he prepares for life after cricket. After a day delayed by – then twice interrupted by – blustery rain, and with Sussex looking vulnerable at 171 for 6, the pair came together to share an unbeaten 132 at upwards of four an over, securing three vital bonus points.There are, at first glance, uniting factors. Zaidi is a roly-poly sort of fellow, while Yardy these days is not svelte, and neither could be accused of haring between the wickets. Both are left-handed and both – Yardy for his extravagant crab across the crease and Zaidi for his compulsive fidgets – are downright awkward to bowl to. On Monday, both scored fine, fun half-centuries with Zaidi so defiant that he finished only 10 runs short of a century.But there are vast differences too. Yardy is a club stalwart, while many wonder exactly what Zaidi’s role is – part-time spinner, No 8 batsman, often hidden in the field – and few would be particularly surprised to see him released. The celebrations of their respective half-centuries told of this: fifties can seldom have been greeted as warmly as Yardy’s – a rainbow even appeared to the east as Zaidi came down to offer his partner a warm handshake. Zaidi’s brought smiles for its brevity, and sheer joyfulness.In method, Yardy is heavy footed with his double foot-plant across from on side to off, while Zaidi is fleeter, dancing around, down and across the crease depending on who is flinging the ball at him. If Yardy’s technique is idiosyncratic, he uses it watchfully and sensibly, while Zaidi swings from the hip. By day’s end, with one playing for stumps and the other appearing to believe they required eight an over, they looked a rather odd couple.On a day when rain was never far away and the wind blew so hard that the floodlights, switched on early, swayed in the gusts, Somerset would not have been unhappy to have been invited to bowl by Ed Joyce. It did not take long for Luke Wells to be squared up by Tim Groenewald and edge to second slip, where Marcus Trescothick was as safe as ever.Joyce was Sussex’s securest batsman. Strong on the cut, flicking to leg, and when leaving, he survived two sessions as flightier, more temptable partners came and went. Matt Machan looked in sublime touch, straight driving and bunting to leg, before slapping Jamie Overton to cover. Peter Trego probed and Chris Nash nibbled to Trescothick at second, while Luke Wright fell in the same manner to Jim Allenby’s medium pacers after also looking at ease, playing a magnificent flamingo through midwicket. Joyce’s fine innings ended when he was strangled down the legside by Overton with the afternoon session’s final delivery.It was Ben Brown’s wicket, just after tea, that brought Yardy and Zaidi together. Brown, who has had a fine season, had somehow contrived to turn a shin-high, leg-stump full toss from Jack Leach to cover, off his leading edge. Craig Overton barely had to move but that delivery’s cricket had hitherto been so poor that he really should have shelled it.Zaidi set about trying to cause more trouble than the 40mph winds, which sent detritus onto the field, blew off fielders’ caps and played with bowlers lines. He was away with a cut and an on-drive off Jamie Overton and never let up. For every handsome drive there was a loose waft and for every time the third man boundary was peppered intentionally, there was one that made it there by accident. With the close minutes away, he provided his innings in microcosm, deciding to amble down the track to Allenby and deposit him over wide mid-on for six.Yardy was as perversely elegant as ever, rolling his wrists delicately on cover drives and dabbing across the line. On a pitch that has a little spice, he was a good deal more straight-laced, but such was the fun had by Zaidi, it’s hard to believe Yardy was able to keep a straight face at the non-strikers. Thanks to the odd couple, Sussex’s position – in the match and that relegation scrap – looks strong.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has apparently been blown away by one player at N17 who he’s barely selected as some interesting news emerges.

The Lowdown: No room in Spurs’ defence…

It appears the likes of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies are all ahead of one man in the pecking order with centre-back Joe Rodon unable to get a look-in this season.

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Even Dier’s spell on the sidelines didn’t result in more game time for Rodon despite Conte previously stating that he is seen as a deputy to the England international.

The Welshman has made no Premier League starts this season, playing just 78 minutes in that time, with the vast majority of his minutes coming in the Europa Conference League.

The Latest: Conte now blown away…

Now, according to Wales boss Robert Page, it appears Conte has now been blown away by Rodon’s exploits on international duty.

The 47-year-old claims that Conte was ‘very complimentary’ about the defender’s performance last week during Wales’ 2-1 win over Austria.

“I know Antonio Conte was watching last Thursday,” Page explained (via The Sun).

“He was very complimentary about Joe’s performance, and rightly so. I thought he was outstanding.

“To come in off the back of not playing at club level, Joe deserves an enormous amount of credit for that level of performance.

“It shows he has looked after himself.

“If you are going to be a Tottenham player you have to be fit at this moment in time. I know that for a fact.”

The Verdict: Second chance?

As Rodon looks to battle his way into Conte’s plans, he wouldn’t have done his chances any harm.

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The 24-year-old could be a real asset for Spurs at club level going by his exploits for Wales and former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has made no secret of what he believes.

Mourinho called Rodon a ‘perfect’ player during his time at the club and it will be interesting to see whether Conte turns to Rodon more over the final stretch of 2021/2022.

In other news: Conte eyeing £25.2m-rated ‘game-changer’ who Spurs once agreed personal terms for! Find out more here.