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The Sri Lankan cricket board (BCCSL) has agreed to provide its players with performance incentives during next month’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa.The BCCSL is offering US$ 100,000 for Sanath Jayasuriya’s team to win theWorld Cup in addition to earning as much as approximately US$ 20,000 perplayer if they reach the final.A BCCSL spokesman said that the incentives will increase with each stagethe team makes in the World Cup beginning from the five Pool matches andgoing through to the Super Sixes, the semi-finals and the final.The BCCSL has also doubled the players’ match fee from US$700 to US$1400for the World Cup and also paying the team a sum of US$150,000 to offsetany infringement of their advertising rights.The BCCSL earlier turned down a demand from the Cricketers’ Association foradditional payments for the players to offset any losses they may incur onany advertising rights during the World Cup.The BCCSL was of the opinion that the players will be duly compensated onlyon performance. At the time the demand was made the Sri Lankan team wasgoing through a lean patch having lost 4-1 to South Africa and the firstthree matches of the on-going Victoria Bitter one-day triangular againstAustralia and England.Since the tournament resumed after the New Year, the Sri Lankan team’sfortunes have reversed and they have recorded successive victories overAustralia and England to be in contention for a place in the three-matchfinals.BCCSL sources said that the players’ demands for an increased payments havebeen tied up with performance.The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned advertising on productsby players which clash with those the World Cup tournament is being sponsored.A similar situation arose during the ICC Champions trophy tournament heldin Colombo in September last year. On that occasion the BCCSL paid theplayers 18 percent of the guarantee fee paid to them by the ICC.Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 under the captaincy of ArjunaRanataunga when it was hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but failedto retain the title three years later when it was held in England.Sri Lanka are in Group B of the 2003 World Cup with hosts South Africa, NewZealand, West Indies, Kenya and Canada.The tournament kicks off on February 8 with the final scheduled for March23. Sri Lanka open their campaign on February 10 against New Zealand.

Yorkshire have been given permission to play fast bowler Matthew Hoggard in the CricInfo Championship game against a confident Leicestershire side at Headingley tomorrow.But their three other centrally contracted England men – Darren Gough, Michael Vaughan and Craig White – will all be unavailable.Scott Richardson comes back into the Division One leaders’ line-up to open the batting with Matthew Wood while paceman Steve Kirby is added to the squad.Coach Arnie Sidebottom said: “We had a blow in the B&H Cup on Monday (when they lost in the semi-final to Gloucestershire) and didn’t play that well in the Cheltenham & Gloucester but we are still top of the Championship and if we can win this one it will go a long way to helping us win the title.”Leicestershire, who lie third after three Championship wins this season, would dearly love to close the gap on the leaders with a victory but will probably be without Trevor Ward who is doubtful with a hamstring injury. However, bowler James Ormond should return.Champions Surrey will be without Graham Thorpe because of his calf injury and Alec Stewart who will be on Test Match duty next week when they entertain Lancashire at The Oval.Michael Atherton will also be awaiting the First Test and could be replaced by Jamie Haynes while Mark Chilton remains doubtful because of a wrist injury.Simon Jones is back for Glamorgan who are visited by bottom-of-the-table Northants but the Welsh county’s coach Jeff Hammond said: “We don’t take notice of anyone’s form as sometimes an animal that’s wounded comes out stronger than ever.”Northants’ only change sees the return of Adrian Rollins in place of Jeffrey Cook.In Division Two, leaders Middlesex are seeking to recover from their humiliating exit from the C&G Trophy at the hands of Herefordshire by making a couple of changes for the game against Sussex at Lord’s. Tim Bloomfield and Chad Keegan are set to replace Jamie Hewitt and Aaron Laraman.Despite the embarrassment of the midweek loss, director of coaching JohnEmburey said: “The side we have got is more of a Championship side than aone-day team.”Sussex welcome back pace bowler James Kirtley with Billy Taylor the man tomake way.Durham will probably be without fast bowler Steve Harmison for the visit of Warwickshire while Nicky Phillips will have a late fitness test. Warwickshire will miss Ashley Giles who has been told to report for England duty on Monday.Enlgnad’s Dominic Cork will be missing from the Derbyshire line-up for the visit to Hampshire while Worcestershire face Nottinghamshire at New Road.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has given his reaction to Leeds United transfer news involving Rangers winger Ryan Kent. 

The lowdown: Kent a target for Leeds

This comes following a report from Football Insider which claimed that the Whites are interested in signing the 25-year-old.

The ex-Liverpool academy prospect could be viewed as a potential replacement for Raphinha should the highly sought-after Brazilian move on from Elland Road.

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Kent is believed to have a £20m release clause in his contract at Ibrox – a deal which expires in 2023 (Transfermarkt) – although Campbell has suggested that it would be money well spent by Leeds.

The latest: ‘Very good business’

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Arsenal striker claimed that Kent would be capable of filling the void left by Raphinha if the Brazilian departs.

The 52-year-old said: “He’s done a great job up there under Steven Gerrard and now Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he’s been a real star.

“If Leeds look at him as the one who can come in and take that Raphinha role, with Dan James moving over to the right, then I think that would be very good business.”

The verdict: Time to move?

Since moving north of the border, Kent has been superb for Rangers and has directly contributed to 74 goals in 164 outings for the Scottish Premiership side.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘sensational’ by his former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard has scored three times and provided 16 assists despite suffering with a hamstring injury for most of the autumn.

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As for replacing Raphinha, the £12.6m-valued Englishman predominantly operates from the left wing and would require the switch for Dan James, as mentioned by Campbell, to work in order to make the move worthwhile.

Given that some of the Welshman’s best performances this season have come when operating on the right on occasion, it could be a reshuffle worth making, therefore adding weight to the theory behind Leeds moving for Kent.

In other news, journalist backs Leeds move for Austrian Bundesliga star. Read more here

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	Niall O’Brien ground his way to an unbeaten 137 © Emirates

Wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien’s unbeaten 137, aided by captain Trent Johnston’s 69, furthered Ireland’s advantage on the second day after their bowlers had dismissed United Arab Emirates for 228. Ireland, resuming on 46 for 1, finished on 366 for 7, a lead of 138.William Porterfield and Eoin Morgan made 25 and 47, before a 64-run stand between the O’Brien brothers – Niall and Kevin. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza bagged his second wicket for the match by dismissing Kevin for 33, but Niall O’Brien, who had made a nervous start, held fort against the UAE bowlers.The hosts must have a sensed the possibility of a fightback when Andre Botha and Alex Cusack departed in quick succession; Ireland were 203 for 6, still needing 25 to more to match UAE’s first-innings score.However, Johnston joined hands with Niall O’Brien, and the two not only put Ireland in the green, but seized the momentum with a record seventh-wicket stand of 163. Johnston needed only 95 balls for his 69, which included ten boundaries. O’ Brien’s 137 contained 20 fours, and his presence at the crease on the third morning will give Ireland the chance to further their lead before aiming to bowl out UAE for the second time in the match.The umpires signalled the close at the fall of Johnston’s wicket – stumped by Amjad Ali off Saqib Ali. For UAE, Zahid Shah, Saqib and Raza took two wickets apiece; Raza was the best of the lot: his 2 for 47 coming off 24 economical overs.”I’ve been a bit ill over the past day, but I’ve been on tablets and special drinks and I’ve managed to get through it to the end,” a delighted Niall O’Brien admitted. “I missed out on the game here last year when all the records were broken, so it’s great to score a hundred today.”

Hasan Raza celebrated his call to the national camp with a wonderful 188 © Getty Images

Test discard Hasan Raza bludgeoned a forceful 188 as Habib Bank Limited (HBL) ended day three of their Pentangular Cup 2007 match against the combined North West Frontier Province-Baluchistan team at the NBP Sports Complex, Karachi, in a commanding position.Starting the day 79 runs ahead of their opponents, HBL did not have the best of starts as they lost their first two wickets for only 26 runs. However, first Imran Farhat (66) and Sulaman Qadir shared a 101-run third wicket partnership and then Qadir and Hasan dispatched the NWFP-Baluchistan bowlers to all parts of the ground in their mammoth 237-run stand. Qadir was finally dismissed by Nasir Jalil for 125 but Humayun Farhat scored 41 to enable HBL to march towards the 500-mark.HBL finished the day on 498 for the loss of eight wickets, a total lead of 577 and with a whole day’s play remaining, victory is surely in sight. For the combined side, Jalil picked up three wickets while Arun Lal and Mohammad Fayyaz grabbed a brace each.Sind suffered a usual batting collapse in their second innings but still have a chance to register their first win of the tournament against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the National Stadium, Karachi.At the close of day three, KRL required a further 275 with six second innings wickets remaining. Mohammad Wasim, KRL captain, was unbeaten on 16 while Usman Saeed had made 11 as these two rescued their side from 37 for four.Earlier, after grabbing KRL’s last five wickets for only 16 runs, Sind looked all set to add to their 170-runs first innings lead. However, barring Fahad Iqbal (57), the whole side failed to stamp authority as the innings wrapped up for only 165. Mohammad Irshad added four wickets to his tally while Saeed Ajmal, Shehzad Butt and even skipper Mohammad Wasim captured two wickets each.

Nathan Astle: all set for the second Test © Getty Images

The injury-plagued New Zealand squad got one small piece of good news when Nathan Astle confirmed that the bone chips in his right knee weren’t serious enough for him to miss the second Test against South Africa, which starts on Thursday at Newlands, Cape Town. However, just to balance out the positive news, Hamish Marshall has been ruled out of the match with a rib injury.”It just niggly,” Astle told NZPA. “I’ve had an x-ray, there’s a couple of little bone spurs but there’s nothing they can do about it. It’s good enough to play on.” Astle made just 4 and 2 in New Zealand’s 128-run defeat in the first Test, but was optimistic that the team could bounce back. “I think we’re going to have three result-orientated wickets, the series is still alive.”Marshall, though, hasn’t recovered enough from the blows he took from Makhaya Ntini during the first Test. “Hamish won’t be available for the match, his ribs just haven’t improved enough,” the New Zealand coach John Bracewell told a news conference in Cape Town. “He’s a bit like that character from ‘The Fugitive’, that one-armed man everybody was looking for.”Either Jamie How or Michael Papps is likely to step up into the team, which has also endured the news that Shane Bond will miss the rest of the tour. James Franklin, the third player battling . knee problems (fluid in his left knee joint), had light practice sessions at Newlands on Monday.Meanwhile, the pitch for the Test is likely to be more batsman-friendly than it was when Australia played South Africa last month. That match finished in three days as South Africa’s master plan to nullify Shane Warne’s threat by watering the pitch backfired badly with Stuart Clark taking 9 for 89.According to Bracewell the track will offer some variable bounce and help Vettori. “The wicket is reasonably bare at the ends,” he told NZPA. “We’ve been told while it won’t spin a great deal there will be bounce for spinners. Dan [Vettori] will be licking his lips at that opportunity.”Christo Erasmus, the Newlands groundsman, said that the challenge had been to produce a good pitch despite all the rain and the onset of winter. “It’s the latest we’ve had a match at Newlands in my time here,” he said. “There has been a lot of rain around. Although we are still having warm days it is taking longer for the ground to dry out.”

Graham Thorpe: finally some decent time in the middle ahead of the Tests against Bangladesh © Getty Images

Graham Thorpe spent some welcome time in the middle as Surrey overcame a spirted Scotland effort at The Grange. Thorpe hit 69 from 89 balls as Surrey reached their target of 253 with 6.3 overs left.But Scotland made them work harder than that. Jonathan Beukes, their South African batsman, blasted 91 from 86 balls as Scotland racked up their highest score of the season. Colin Smith added 41 from 42 deliveries and when Surrey slumped to 90 for 3 an upset was on the cards.However, Scotland’s bowlers had no answer to Thorpe’s experience and Alistair Brown’s power. Brown smashed 65 from 45 balls with seven fours and four sixes as Surrey, ultimately, cruised home.

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Michael Bevan: stroked his way to a fine 75 as Australia posted an easy win at Adelaide © Getty Images

In the end, Australia’s 279 for 7 proved too strong for a battling Zimbabwean team, who were led by Grant Flower’s valiant 94. But Ricky Ponting had expected a different story when he opted to bat first. Although Ponting and Michael Bevan both scored half-centuries, the Australians’ propensity to dominate got the better of them. Had it not been for an unnaturally obsessive tendency to pulverise their opponents, they might have ended up with a larger total.Damien Martyn, promoted to open, spent four and a half overs miscuing his shots, as he realised the wicket wasn’t exactly a shirt-front. He eventually found a semblance of his elusive form in an aesthetically perfect cut shot. But he failed to keep it down, and Dion Ebrahim at point made an easy catch look amazing (25 for 1). Ponting came out and wrote a how-to of square-drives, lofted cover-drives, and on-drives. Taking the pitch out of the equation by adjusting the timing of his swing, he made fielders redundant. Zimbabwe’s bowlers, not exactly life-threatening, found him sashaying down the wicket and tonking the ball wherever he felt like. He soon reached his fifty off 47 balls. Meanwhile, Matthew Hayden goaded the Zimbabwe bowlers on with ill-advised strokes, until luck ran out on him, and he cut a delivery straight to Ebrahim at point (84 for 2).A while later, Ponting (63) walked back after a misunderstanding with Bevan left him short of his crease (128 for 3). Out came Michael Clarke, who kept the runs coming with graceful strokes placed between the fielders. While Clarke was in control, Bevan didn’t play convincingly, and still managed 75. Both ran with whippet-like urgency, infuriating the Zimbabwe fielders with quick singles, and cut, nudged, and pushed, to keep the score on the move. In the rush for runs, both batsmen eventually fell; Clarke (36), to a needless run-out, and Bevan, when he miscued Douglas Hondo. Andrew Symonds squeezed 34 runs from 30 balls, but was dismissed in the last over. Everyone else scampered for quick runs, and Australia got to 279.Tatenda Taibu and Grant Flower opened for Zimbabwe, and had problems getting the ball off the square. They took their time to get going, but once they did, they scored at two-and-a-half an over. While Taibu was struggling to touch the ball with his bat, the seagulls on the outfield became the main topic of discussion. Then, Brad Williams, bowling menacingly, cheered up the spectators by bowling Taibu for 9 in the 10th over.Travis Friend and Stuart Carlisle played, missed, and were thoroughly unconvincing in their brief stay while Brett Lee and Williams were bowling, and fell without doing much (90 for 3). But Flower was in a league of his own. After crawling to 29, he initiated a burst of activity that resulted in several boundaries, scowling bowlers, and a quick fifty. Williams was cover-driven with power, and though edges were induced, they travelled for four.With Sean Ervine for company, he gradually mounted a challenge. Ervine scampered most of his 33 runs, except for a huge blow over midwicket, and Flower stayed put, cutting out the risks. But when Ervine attempted another six, he found Lee on the boundary’s edge (159 for 4). The next over, Flower nicked Gillespie to the keeper, pretty much ending the fightback. Streak and Andy Blignaut then scored 59 runs in 54 balls between them, and got Zimbabwe close, but in truth, the contest had been over for a while.