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Liverpool have started the season fairly slowly, picking up just one point from their opening three league goals and hitting the back of the net just twice, but along with Raheem Sterling, Jonjo Shelvey has proven himself to be a young player capable of making the step up and he may have just usurped Jordan Henderson in the pecking order at the club already.

So far this season, Shelvey has featured twice in the league and four times in Europe, which when you compared it to the fact that all of Henderson’s appearances so far have come in the Europa League and it becomes clear which player Brendan Rodgers trusts more.

In both games, the new boss had a change forced upon him somewhat, with Lucas Leiva pulling up through injury against Manchester City, Shelvey came on in the fifth minute and adjusted brilliantly and settled into the match, helping Joe Allen control the midfield. He went on to complete 88% of his passes, with 44 of his 50 attempts finding a team-mate and it was by far his most accomplished display in a red shirt to date yet.

Shelvey sounded enthusiastic about Rodgers vision and his own part to play in that just the other day: “He’s given me a fair crack of the whip and I finally have a chance to prove my worth. The way the manager likes us to play football suits me down to the ground. I just want to keep going now. As well as myself he’s given Adam Morgan, Raheem Sterling and a few others a chance to get into the team.”

Ever since signing from Charlton back in 2010, as one of Rafa Benitez’s last moves at the club, he has been highly regarded by both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish but was used sparingly until the end of last term, when during the midst of a league slump, he was handed a longer run in the side, with a goalscoring performance in the 4-1 win over Chelsea at home the most impressive.

Not only is he capable of keeping the ball for prolonged periods, he also offers a more direct threat, as he showed in England’s U-21 game against Azerbaijan last week where he set up one and scored the other in a crucial 2-0 victory, winning man of the match in the process.as well as myself he’s given Adam Morgan, Raheem Sterling and a few others a chance to get into the team.

Henderson, though, appears to be little more than a Europa League player at present, given a run out to rest the likes of Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva for league duty. There was a hope that under a new manager, one who had talked positively about his potential and ability in the past, that he may flourish this term with less pressure on him, but it just hasn’t happened so far.

If reports are to be believed, both Henderson and Stewart Downing were offered in part exchange to Fulham for Clint Dempsey as the clock ticked down on transfer deadline day, which in itself points to a limited future at Anfield for the 21-year-old, as the club continued to grapple with a lack of funds.

The new manager seems determined to make his own mark on the side and he hasn’t been shy in marginalising the big-money purchases of the previous regime, with Andy Carroll moved out on loan to West Ham and Stewart Downing now in the process of being converted into a left-back; there’s a worry that Henderson may fall into this trap too.

There’s no denying that he struggled for long spells last campaign and that he’s always going to struggled to justify the weighty £16m fee, but Henderson is a composed, disciplined and most importantly, still young player with plenty of potential. As much as Shelvey’s rise to prominence at the beginning of this season has been a welcoming sight to see, the continued reluctance to start Henderson in the league is a bugbear.

A new manager is supposed to solve problems that have carried over from the previous regime and with a strict budget this term, the emphasis on Rodgers getting every last drop out of his existing squad is equally as important.

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However, there’s a sense that instead of tackling how best to go about integrating the likes of Downing, Carroll and Henderson into his side, that he’s just taken the easy route and given up on them at the first sign of trouble and the arrival of Nuri Sahin will not help his chances of breaking into the side one little bit.

Shelvey clearly has a bright future at Anfield and he appears to have bought into Rodgers methods of retaining possession quickly, but there’s a concern that Henderson is being tarred with the same brush as other failures despite his age and he’s most definitely on the fringes of the first-team now, behind his England U-21 colleague.

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There was a real buzz before the first ball was bowled in the Challenge final between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago yesterday.Fortunately, the Caribbean Media Corporation technicians were able to sort out the problem on the line just in time and “live” television commentary was transmitted from the peace, quiet and desolation of Sabina Park . The same can’t be said for the radio broadcast, but it was in keeping with the anonymity of the alleged showpiece of the regional first-class cricket season that no-one was able to hear what was going on for the first 90 minutes because of a simple matter related to organisational efficiency.When there aren’t enough people around for the Carib girls to wine in front of, even with the additional benefit of regional exposure, you begin to understand what it must be like covering a one-day International in Sharjah between New Zealand and Zimbabwe. A funeral would have had greater atmosphere, while most of the noise floating across the refurbished venue during the first hour actually emanated from the Alpha Girls’ Primary School just across South Camp Road as the students there were making the most of what seemed an exceptionally long morning recess.However the match unfolds, whether or not it produces an absorbing contest and a nail-biting finish on the final day Monday, let us hope this is the last time we see the final as it is presently structured, because it really makes no sense.Should Daren Ganga’s team rally from being routed for 121 and prevail by the most comprehensive of margins to complete a hat-trick of Challenge triumphs, it will not change the fact that Jamaica are officially the first-class champions of the West Indies by virtue of finishing at the top of the standings in the round-robin stage of the season. It was the same situation last year, when Barbados were crowned kings of the Caribbean for a record 21st time and lost handily to Trinidad and Tobago at Guaracara Park .So what is the point of the fixture? If the sponsors are insistent on a final for the purpose of greater brand exposure, surely that objective remains largely unfulfilled when there is almost no local interest in the match, unless of course the television and radio audience around the region is so massive as to justify its regurgitation next year.Let us remember that this idea of a Challenge final following the main league format only became a reality with the introduction of an invited team ( England “A” were the first) and a West Indies “B” side in 2001. To circumnavigate the potentially awkward situation of an outsider being crowed champions of the Caribbean, the amended rules mandated that only the top team among the six traditional territories were eligible for the first-class title, although the other two squads could have advanced to the Challenge phase of the season, which incorporated semi-finals and a final.With the West Indies Cricket Board incurring significant financial losses year after year, the burden of two additional teams in an already draining first-class season eventually proved too much, the elimination of that concept being followed closely by the removal of the semi-finals and leaving just the final to follow after the regional champs had already been determined.In other words, for what is assumed to be the finale of the campaign, only bragging rights are at stake, except that those rights don’t seem to carry too much value given the general disinterest in the fixture.If the argument is that it gives our players more cricket, whether or not the public is attracted to it, surely one more match–involving two of the six regional sides–doesn’t get anywhere near to satisfying the requirement.Now, with the advent of the Indian Premier League, Indian Cricket League, Sir Allen Stanford’s widening ambitions and whoever else wants to cash-in on the marketability of the Twenty20 version of the game, it is quite likely that more of the cream of West Indian talent will be skimmed off to these lucrative competitions.For this encounter in Kingston, West Indies captain Chris Gayle is not around to lead the home side, while mercurial all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is unavailable for the visitors. Had Guyana advanced to the final, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan would not have been playing because, like Gayle and Bravo, they are involved in the inaugural season of the multi-million-dollar IPL.If the intention is to stubbornly continue with this fixture, as is, for the foreseeable future, it will be rendered embarrassingly obsolete by the other developments in the cricketing world. Australia have a final in their domestic first-class competition, but there the real title is very much at stake, not just something as superfluous as bragging rights.Should the people who are putting their money into supporting the competition maintain that there must be a showpiece showdown, then they have to come up with something different to make it worthwhile, and therefore interesting, for an audience that has so much to choose from via television.How about the English county champions of the previous season squaring off against the new West Indies champions? It could also serve as a competitive warm-up fixture for the visitors ahead of the defence of their title.Maybe it’s impractical, maybe it’s too costly, but what we’re doing now doesn’t make much sense and hardly anyone seems to care, as the emptiness of Sabina Park attests.

Jersey became the 33rd country to be granted Associate membership at the ICC Annual Conference held last week at Lord’s.The decision comes after a successful 12 months for cricket on the island and makes Jersey the 11th European Associate Member joining the likes of Denmark, Ireland and Netherlands.For Jersey the promotion means that local cricket will receive a huge cash injection from ICC – which is already earmarked for investment back into the development of the sport – and the potential for the Island to qualify for major international tournaments, including the World Cup.”We’re absolutely delighted. It’s all happened very quickly and it’s a credit to the way in which Jersey cricket is set up,” said JCB director of cricket Chris Minty. “I don’t think it’s realistic to think that we would ever push to become a Full member, or that we are likely to see the likes of England or South Africa playing in the Island, but if you think about it, Bermuda qualified and played in the World Cup and they have a smaller population than ours. Technically, it could be possible that Jersey could one day be there, too.”Cameroon, The Falkland Islands, Peru and Swaziland were awarded Affiliate membership, taking the total number of ICC members up to 101. Jersey was the only country to be granted Associate Membership.The Falkland Islands were elected with only one dissenting voice. Argentina abstained in the week that marked the 25th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War.

Scorecard
Final points tables

Mal Loye’s blazing 44-ball 60 put Lancashire on course at Edgbaston © Getty Images

Half centuries from Mal Loye and Stuart Law guided Lancashire into the C&G final although not without the occasional nervy moment against Warwickshire. Derbyshire’s last-gasp win over Durham eventually made this result academic, but this wasn’t known until Edgbaston had finished. Chasing 250, Loye launched the chase with a thunderous 60 but wickets fell at regular intervals and it needed a calm stand between the old pro, Dominic Cork, and young rookie, Steven Croft, to take Lancashire home.Lancashire had earlier bowled and fielded tightly to restrict Warwickshire on a decent batting surface – held together with a new-style glue on the surface – and with one very short boundary. The two spinners, Gary Keedy and Simon Marshall, were effective in restricting the scoring rate but Jonathan Trott lifted the total to respectable levels.But 249 was being made to look rather insignificant when Loye launched the run chase in a blaze of boundaries. He smashed four massive sixes over the legside using his trademark sweep, down on one knee, against the seamers. With England going through a prolonged slump in one-day cricket, batting with this power continues to push Loye’s claims for international selection. As far as this match was concerned the early blitz ensured Lancashire were always ahead of the rate, however things didn’t always go their way.Heath Streak, who didn’t take the new ball, removed Mark Chilton with his first delivery then trapped Nathan Astle, making his Lancashire debut, lbw to remove two senior batsman from a Lancashire order than also included plenty of youngsters. But Law, at No.4, is a player who has certainly ‘been there and done that’ and brought a calm influence to proceedings.Loye’s fireworks were ended by Neil Carter, but the batsmen continued to push on at more than a run-a-ball. Gareth Cross, Lancashire’s reserve wicketkeeper for the injured Luke Sutton, contributed 20 off 14 balls as Law soaked up the pressure. He stroked ten classical boundaries, but when he fell to Nick James, the England Under-19 left-arm spinner, Lancashire’s progression was still not certain.Cork, though, enjoys nothing more than the big occasion and was busy running the fielders ragged from the moment he came in. Croft, who is playing because of the absence of Glen Chapple, Sajid Mahmood and James Anderson, showed outstanding maturity and it was his lofted drive over the boundary that released the tension in the dressing room.Warwickshire, with nothing to play for apart from pride, produced a solid batting effort although they struggled for boundaries after Mark Wagh and Naveed Poonia were separated following a bright stand of 96. Keedy nabbed himself a couple with a tidy spell, but Trott and Michael Powell formed a sensible partnership of 87. However, after missing out in last year’s C&G semi-final at Edgbaston, and picking up the tag of chokers in recent seasons, Lancashire have reached their first Lord’s final since 1998.

Mohammad Ashraful may be denied an opportunity to impress in India © Getty Images

Bangladesh’s tour of India next October looks set to be postponed for the second time in six months, according to the Daily Star newspaper in Dhaka, because it will clash with the International Cricket Council’s new fixture, the Super Series.The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) received a letter on Sunday from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in which it was stated that the scheduled time was not feasible. Bangladesh had originally expected the tour to take place in April, after India’s visit to the country in December last year.”The Indian board informed us that it would not be possible to arrange the series in October due mainly to the Super Series and as well as their two big festivals in this month [Diwali and Dhashara] ,” said BCB president Ali Asghar on Monday. “But it is an ideal time for us as we also have international commitments with the other countries.”Asghar added that the ICC had requested all the respective boards to avoid any kind of clash with the Super Series if their players are involved. The Bangladesh board, however, is worried that the tour could be postponed indefinitely, as India has busy international schedules from next November, which begin with a five-match one-day series against South Africa.”It is a very important tour for us considering financial and other aspects but there is actually hardly any vacuum to reschedule the series,” added Asghar. “I will discuss the matter with the Indian authorities when I attend a function in Kolkata on July 16.”Asghar also informed that he would visit England next August during the Bangladesh A tour to create opportunities for the Bangladeshi players to play county cricket. “We had a preliminary discussion with our English counterparts during the ICC meeting and hopefully it will be finalised this time. We believe that it would create real exposure for our cricketers.”

Jacon Oram: won’t bowl at Headingley© Getty Images

New Zealand’s growing injury worries worsened with the news that Jacob Oram will not be fit enough to play as an allrounder at Headingley.Even if his side strain is not sufficiently bad for him not to be able to bat, New Zealand’s selectors need to find another bowler to balance the side. Oram, who made a breezy 67 at Lord’s, might still be picked as a batsman in a side which has several players struggling to find their form."Jacob bowled this morning without an issue. We wanted to see how he’d back up, he bowled again this afternoon and he did feel it a bit,” Lindsay Crocker, the side’s manager, explained. “He still feels it, and he’s got a bit of settling down to do before he’s a confirmed starter.””Jacob will be considered but not necessarily selected," John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, admitted "His inability to bowl does complicate the balance.”But there was a glimmer of hope regarding Craig McMillan’s finger injury, with some sources claiming that he is now 50-50 to be fit enough to play after successfully negotiating some fairly gentle throw-downs on Tuesday. He will undergo one more net on Wednesday before the final decision is made, but the New Zealand management were reported to be optimistic about his chances. “It will be based on how comfortable he is," Crocker said. "Really only he can confirm that.”

Wes Hall has described the West Indies Players’ Association’s (WIPA) assertion that regional players would be withdrawing their services from this weekend’s Carib Beer International Challenge as an embarrassment to sponsors.The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president’s comments came in the aftermath of conflicting stories from WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine and representatives of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago ahead of their semifinal clash at Kensington Oval today."Neither association has informed the WICB that their team will not be playing in the semifinal and final, but Mr Ramnarine has," Hall told WEEKENDSPORT late last night."This is the second time in two months our sponsors have been embarrassed and the third consecutive tournament that WIPA has attempted to hold the board to ransom with last-minute ambush negotiations."The dispute between the WICB and WIPA stems from a few issues, including an increase in fees in regional first-class competitions and compensation for international players who sustain injuries on tours."There are three ways to make money in cricket – sponsorship, gate receipts and domestic television rights," Hall said."They [WIPA] are doing a great job in discouraging sponsors."On the area of gate receipts, Hall pointed to the fact that the opening day of the top-of-the-table Cup match between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago attracted a small turnout on February 28 – the day before the Sandy Lane Gold Cup.He also disclosed that the WICB does not get a cent from domestic television rights, whereas in countries like England, the cricket body gets £50 million from stations like Sky and Channel 4 for domestic television rights."Even with prudent management, it is an ongoing challenge to survive," Hall said."The time has come when the board must insist on fair negotiation procedures and the players must decide who play for their territories and the West Indies."While the Barbados Cricket Association and Trinidad and Tobago team management said as far as they knew the match would go ahead as planned, Ramnarine was strong in his view the players would be taking industrial action."We have been very honest and up front with the WICB. If things are not being resolved and they do not want to move from their position … we have reached to this point where we have decided the best thing to do is not to play," Ramnarine said."We are very disappointed it has reached this far. We came to this meeting and we have been to all the meetings for this matter to be resolved in a fair way. It is a bit unfortunate for West Indies cricket that this has taken place."

Derbyshire’s Graeme Welch and Durham’s James Brinkley both improved their career-best figures for the second time this season as 24 wickets fell in the day at Chester-le-Street.Both came on first change and Welch took six for 30 as Durham collapsed from 34 without loss to 125 all out, then Brinkley grabbed six for 14 as the visitors subsided from 48 for one to 95 all out.Kevin Dean then bowled Martin Love first ball as Durham slipped to 11 for three in their second innings, but an unbeaten 43 from Martin Speight took them to 73 for four at the close, leading by 103.Speight hit eight sparkling fours in making the highest score of the day off 49 balls.His partner when bad light ended play with 7.4 overs left was Gary Scott, who became Durham’s youngest first-class cricketer aged 17 years 19 days and was one of five batsmen to be caught at second slip in the first innings by Derbyshire’s acting captain Michael Di Venuto.Although the pitch had sweated under the covers during the first day’s washout, the movement which so unsettled the batsmen was not so much off the wicket as through the air.Love shouldered arms to Dean in the first innings and was bowled for the first time in 22 Championship innings.After winning the toss for the first time in ten Championship matches, Jon Lewis must have wished he had chosen to field as he tried to hold the Durham innings together.He had made 41 when he drove at the second ball after lunch and edged Welch to Di Venuto.Durham were 108 for five at the break, but Lewis’s exit started a procession which saw 18 wickets go down in 38 overs.

Dale Steyn is doubtful for the second Test against India in Bangalore after sustaining a groin strain which kept him out of action on day two in Mohali. Steyn was unable to bowl during India’s second innings but was able to bat in South Africa’s. He will have a fitness test two days before the Bangalore Test, which starts next Saturday.However, there was better news concerning South Africa’s other two injured players, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel, who have both recovered from their respective injuries. Duminy had the stitches removed from the cut on his right hand sustained on day one of the Mohali Test. He will have a net session in the next few days and should be available for selection for the second Test. Morkel is definitely available after recovering from a quad strain.Morkel’s availability will ease South Africa’s concerns over Steyn, although they would ideally like to play both of them, with Kagiso Rabada likely to miss out. Duminy’s availability should help South Africa balance the side as he also offers a spin option. South Africa could play him alongside one specialist spinner and create room for an extra batsman in the line-up. Temba Bavuma is the reserve batsman in the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Konrad Laimer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

German outlet Sport Bild claim the 24-year-old’s performances for RB Leipzig this season have caught the eye of several Premier League teams, including the north Londoners.

It’s thought that the Austria international originally caught the eye of Spurs scouts during their two-legged Champions League clash in 2020 and he has remained on the radar ever since.

Laimer will soon enter the final 12 months of his current contract, though the Bundesliga outfit are keen to tie him down to an extension but that will not happen until the end of the season, and the player himself has left his future open to interpretation.

Bye-bye Winks

You’d imagine that a move for any new midfield option would push Harry Winks even further down the pecking order and it could even lead to his inevitable departure.

He’s currently sat behind winter signing Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp under manager Antonio Conte.

Leeds United reportedly rejected the chance to sign the Englishman on loan during the January transfer window, whilst Football Insider pundit Alan Hutton has urged Winks to leave his boyhood club for the benefit of his career.

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“If he can’t get into that side, he’s got to move on,” he said.

Despite being lauded as a “reliable” option by the Italian head coach, Laimer would be a considerable upgrade and would offer better suitability to the system in north London.

Aside from his passing ability, Winks offers very little to Spurs, whether that’s defensively or in the attack.

As per FBRef, he’s averaged only 1.61 tackles and 1.43 interceptions per 90 throughout the course of his domestic league career at the Lilywhites, which is fewer than that of Laimer (4.8 tackles and interceptions per 90) during his time in Saxony.

Elsewhere, Winks is lacking in the final third, averaging only 0.73 dribbles, 0.74 penalty box entries and 4.69 pressures per 90, leading to a disappointing xG+A of 0.08.

Thus, the £91k-per-week midfielder is effectively just passing the ball sideways and backwards without really getting involved defensively or in the attack either.

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By comparison, the £23.4m-rated Laimer – who bagged his fourth and fifth goals of the season at the weekend – is a world apart, averaging 0.2 xG+A, 1.05 penalty box entries, 1.4 successful dribbles and 9.94 pressures per 90 across the course of his Bundesliga career, also via FBRef.

Once as “incredibly aggressive on the ball” by his former boss Adi Hutter and compared to former Conte star N’Golo Kante, Laimer would appear to suit the Italian’s system down to a tee as he expects that sort of energy and work rate in the engine room at all times, especially when there’s just the two players.

‘Dirty work’ could be his middle name, according to Bundesliga.com, and that’s not something you’d associate with Winks, so perhaps this move could see the Spurs boss finally axe the long-serving, struggling academy graduate.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops Sergio Reguilon update…