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Aston Villa trio Lucas Digne, Marvelous Nakamba and Kortney Hause will all return to training ahead of the clash with Wolves next weekend. 

The lowdown

Villa’s season run-in begins with the short trip to Molineux on Saturday afternoon following the international break.

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Digne missed the 1-0 defeat against Arsenal last time out after sustaining a hamstring injury just 10 minutes into the clash with West Ham United earlier this month.

Hause has been absent for the last three Premier League three matches with an abdominal problem, while Nakamba’s return has been long-awaited. The Zimbabwean underwent knee surgery in December, sidelining him for 14 top-flight games.

The latest

Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece and Leigh Curtis reported that Digne has already returned to full training with his national team France. Meanwhile, Hause will ‘link back up with the group at Bodymoor Heath’ at the beginning of the week.

However, Gerrard is expected to exercise caution with Nakamba as he resumes ‘full training’. The midfielder is unlikely to play against Wolves and could instead feature for the under-23s against Stoke City on Friday night as he aims to build up his fitness.

The verdict

The Wolves game may come too soon for Nakamba, while you’d imagine that Hause will be confined to the bench, given that he has only started four league matches this season.

However, Digne’s return is a significant boost for Gerrard. The 28-year-old leads the squad for accurate crosses per 90 minutes (1.3) and is also joint-second for chances created with 1.4 (level with Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn, behind Philippe Coutinho on 1.5).

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Indeed, Gerrard believes that the £25m January signing fits his system to a tee, which is “vital” for the manager. The Frenchman could be a player who makes the difference against Villa’s Midlands rivals, given his prowess for creating chances, and having him back in training is very good news indeed.

In other news, the sale of this star could fund Villa’s summer spending plans.

	John Bracewell wants Brendon McCullum as a backup Test opener ahead of part-time openers James Marshall and Peter Fulton © Getty Images

Brendon McCullum has agreed to be a backup opener in the Test series in England as long as he can hand over his wicketkeeping duties to newcomer Gareth Hopkins. Though the squad includes other part-time openers, Peter Fulton and James Marshall, New Zealand coach John Bracewell said youngster Aaron Redmond will be given a chance and if he gets injured, McCullum will take over.”Brendon would play as a batter only and Hoppy [Hopkins] would come into the side as a keeper-batsman,” Bracewell told the New Zealand daily . “It would be unfair to ask Brendon to do both roles. I’ve spoken to him about that and said only injury will force a change. Brendon’s response was: if that’s the case he would prefer to do the one job.”Bracewell said the team management wanted Redmond to simply play off the back foot and defend, like former opener Mark Richardson did. “Aaron’s accomplished off the back foot and can rotate the strike and that was all Richardson could do. He [Aaron] is a guy who has taken on the opening position to become a Black Cap.”With no third specialist opener in the squad, Redmond is certain to make his Test debut this May. “The bottom line is, if you are looking for security, you can’t offer more to a new player than a year’s full wage [New Zealand contract],” Bracewell said. In preparation for the tour, Bracewell is getting the squad members to play with Duke balls used in England. “We ordered some in and the guys have been bowling with the Duke balls for the last month to make sure we are used to them and we’ve found out a couple of things about them.”

Midlands-West-Wales Division

Carl Greenidge took three to help Gloucestershire to their first win © Getty Images

Somerset crashed to their fourth straight loss as Gloucestershire romped to an eight-wicket win at Taunton. The new-ball pair of Anthony Ireland and Carl Greenidge each took three wickets to knock over Somerset for 104 – only Peter Trego’s 35 late on gave the bowlers anything to work with. But it didn’t take Kadeer Ali and Chris Taylor long to knock off the runs – they both made unbeaten forties, Charl Willoughby taking the only two wickets to fall.Worcestershire‘s match with Warwickshire was called off yesterday following heavy flooding at New Road. The county have switched their match with Gloucestershire this Sunday to Kidderminster but were unable to find a suitable alternative for this evening.

North Division

The War of the Roses may have been washed out earlier this week, but the return leg at Old Trafford was as bright and breezy as the conditions. Lancashire got off to a fluent start, but some tidy bowling from Jason Gillespie restricted them late on – and Yorkshire were particularly pleased when he bowled fellow Australian Brad Hodge for 57. David Wainwright should have had Hodge earlier, which would have been a wicket in his first Twenty20 over, but Richard Pyrah dropped a top-edged sweep. Mal Loye, after hitting deliciously across the line, fell on the boundary after making 38. Yorkshire were then in some difficulties, at 60 for 6, needing 84 from just under ten overs. They never really got going and were 113 all out; Tom Smith the pick, with 3 for 15. Sanath Jayasuriya took three wickets, too, late on.Nottinghamshire maintained their unbeaten record with an emphatic victory against Derbyshire, to continue to sit pretty at the top. Graeme Swann’s 61 helped them break the 200-barrier, posting 203 at Trent Bridge. The task proved daunting for lowly Derbyshire, whostumbled in reply and wound up 53 runs short.Phil Mustard helped Durham to cut it against Leicestershire at Chester-le-Street, with an eight-wicket win in a match shortened to 13 overs. Mustard peppered an unbeaten 52 from 29 balls to take them home with two overs spare. Steve Harmison was Durham’s most effective bowler, with 2 for 27.

South Division

Sussex moved to the top of the division with an easy nine-wicket win over Hampshire at Southampton in a game reduced to 13 overs. Hampshire batted first and while Adam Voges blasted 66 off 47 balls, the other batsmen failed to press on. Chasing 104, Sussex lost Murray Goodwin for a four-ball duck, but thereafter it was a stroll as Luke Wright (49*) and Chris Adams (56*) battered them to victory with three overs in hand.Ed Smith lifted Middlesex to 146 with 66 at Uxbridge. But the match won’t stand after Kent‘s innings was washed away without a ball being bowled.

Midlands/West/Wales Division

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Warwickshire	4	3	0	0	1	7	+0.367	508/60.0	486/60.0
Gloucestershire	3	2	0	0	1	5	+3.182	212/21.1	205/30.0
Northamptonshire	3	1	1	0	1	3	+0.444	254/27.0	242/27.0
Glamorgan	3	1	1	0	1	3	+0.083	313/39.2	315/40.0
Worcestershire	3	0	1	0	2	2	-1.785	101/10.0	103/8.4
Somerset	4	0	4	0	0	0	-1.598	468/67.0	505/58.5

North Division

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Nottinghamshire	4	3	0	0	1	7	+1.291	519/57.5	461/60.0
Lancashire	4	2	1	0	1	5	+0.487	458/59.3	429/59.3
Durham	3	1	1	0	1	3	+0.469	253/31.0	250/32.3
Leicestershire	3	1	1	0	1	3	-0.384	252/29.0	245/27.0
Yorkshire	3	0	2	0	1	1	-1.194	254/36.0	297/36.0
Derbyshire	3	0	2	0	1	1	-1.733	298/40.0	352/38.2

South Division

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
Sussex	4	2	1	0	1	5	+0.577	455/47.1	455/50.1
Surrey	2	2	0	0	0	4	+0.794	243/28.1	235/30.0
Middlesex	4	1	1	0	2	4	-0.157	236/32.0	236/31.2
Kent	4	1	1	1	1	4	-0.524	383/45.0	381/42.1
Essex	2	1	1	0	0	2	+1.229	217/22.1	214/25.0
Hampshire	4	0	3	1	0	1	-0.846	396/55.0	409/50.5

Glen Chapple – pictured here with former England bowling coach Troy Cooley – has earned a one-day call-up at 32 © Getty Images

Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of England’s one-day squad after being advised to rest for four weeks while he recovers from an ankle injury. Andrew Strauss has been handed the captaincy for the matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka and will lead a squad full of new faces.Glen Chapple is one of several surprise inclusions and is one of four untested allrounders in the squad alongside Tim Bresnan, Jamie Dalrymple and Alex Loudon. Rikki Clarke, the Surrey allrounder, who was tipped to earn a recall to cover for Flintoff has been overlooked despite decent form for his county.Ed Joyce joins his Middlesex teammate Dalrymple in the squad and has been enjoying a consistent county season. He has the chance of facing his former countrymen when England head to Stormont on Tuesday.The selectors have opted not to risk Michael Vaughan, although he was in action for Yorkshire at Southgate today and had been tipped for a comeback. David Graveney, the chairman of selectors said: “Michael Vaughan is making good progress with his recovery and we will continue to monitor his situation closely. We do not want to take any unnecessary risks with Michael and will wait until he is fully match fit before considering him for selection.”Chapple, 32, has never made it into the one-day squad before, although he was included in the Test squad against South Africa for the Trent Bridge match and he has been a regular on A tours since the 1990s. But finally, after years of consistent county performances for Lancashire, Chapple’s patience – and a fine start to this season – has been rewarded.Meanwhile, Clarke, who has averaged over 50 with the bat this season and took 4 for 45 in the latest round of Championship matches said he though his form might have been enough. He told the Surrey website: “It’s obviously disappointing that I’ve missed out as my form has been pretty good. But I’ll continue to work hard and put in the performances with Surrey and hopefully my turn is just around the corner.”Of late, England have not shied away from giving experienced cricketers their chance at international level. Shaun Udal debuted in Pakistan at 37 during the winter, and Jon Lewis was the oldest player in the England team at Trent Bridge last week when he made his first foray into Test cricket.Squad Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ed Joyce, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Geraint Jones (wk), Alex Loudon, Jamie Dalrymple, Sajid Mahmood, Glen Chapple, Tim Bresnan, Steve Harmison, Liam Plunkett.

Paul Collingwood and Matthew Hayden square up © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan defended his team following the unsavoury scenes between Simon Jones and Matthew Hayden, during the washed-out one-day international at Edgbaston. The flashpoint of the match occurred in the sixth over when Jones fielded a drive in his follow-through, then attempted to throw down the stumps, but instead clattered Hayden on the shoulder. Hayden reacted angrily and then exchanged words with Paul Collingwood, causing the umpires to become involved to calm the situation.But Vaughan did not want to blow the incident out of proportion: “I think they [the umpires] just wanted to make sure that both teams weren’t stepping over the line. It’s always tough cricket when England play Australia and Simon apologised straight away and probably a little bit of the incident was untoward.”This England team are all together and I think we have been for two years. Whether we are batting, bowling or fielding we stick together and that incident probably shouldn’t have taken place, but we didn’t need calming down because we know that you don’t want to see those kinds of incidents on the cricket field.”However, Vaughan admitted this latest exchange probably wouldn’t be the last of thesummer: “We play it pretty tough and so do they. I wouldn’t say it will be the last time that England and Australia exchange a few words, I’m sure it will happen throughout the summer.”Ricky Ponting also played down the confrontation, even though he felt it necessary to go up the pitch when Jones and Hayden clashed. “I just wanted to make sure that he was focused and ready for the next ball and he dealt with it and got it out of his system. He is very good at doing that, he’s great a switching on and off and he was fine afterwards.”It was just something that happened in the heat of battle. I don’t think there was any malice or that he meant to hit Matty. But I think when the ball actually did strike him you’d expect there to be some retaliation from the batsman’s point of view. Obviously there were a few words and it was all over and done with very quickly.The Jones-Hayden eyeballing was not the only controversy in a match which threw up plenty of incidents, despite only going just over half the distance. Kevin Pietersen took a low catch at third-man to dismiss Damien Martyn, who stood his ground before the umpires gave him out.Ponting said he was happy with the catch, having seen the replays, and both captains indicated that they would sit down before the Test series to discuss the issue of disputed catches. “What we try and to is to take it out of the umpires’ and third umpires’ hands,” said Ponting. “In Damien’s defence, all he was trying to do was get it from Kevin that he had actually caught the ball.” Vaughan added: “Kevin was confident that he’d taken it, and he said he’d taken it, that’s why the umpires gave it out.”As expected, both captains had differing views on how that game may have turned out if the rain hadn’t arrived. Vaughan was delighted with the England fightback, which restricted Australia’s final onslaught: “At one stage we could have kept them to 250 but when they were 222 for 4 with eight overs left you were looking at 280 or 290 with someone like Symonds in. For us to come back in those last 10 overs was a real positive.”But Ponting was confident his team had enough runs and says the game emphasised how closely fought the summer could be: “We know that we are in for a good contest this summer. I think that has been made apparent so far. There is a challenge there and all of our guys are certainly ready for it.”

Group A Zimbabwe U19 74 for 3 (Williams 37*) beat Australia U19 73 (Panyangara 6-31, Chigumbura 4-17) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Australia’s destroyer Tinashe Panyangara collects his Man of the Match award

The Under-19 World Cup produced its first major shock when Australia were routed by Zimbabwe after being bowled out for 73 in front of a capacity 15,000 crowd at the Bogra District Stadium. To add insult to injury, it was Australia’s lowest score in the tournament.Australia won the toss and batted, and Tim Paine (19) and Theo Doropoulos (26) gave them a solid start as they reached 50 for 1 after 10 overs. But then the wheels came off as right-arm fast bowler Tinashe Panyangara ripped through their top and middle order. In a devastating nine-over spell he grabbed 6 for 31, the second-best bowling figures in the tournament’s history. Four of his victims were caught by wicketkeeper Brendon Taylor.Elton Chigumbura picked up the remaining four wickets for 17 runs as Australia succumbed in 19 overs.Australia briefly harboured hopes of snatching a remarkable victory when Zimbabwe lost two wickets in the first three overs, but that was as good as it got and Zimbabwe coasted to a seven-wicket win with 32 overs to spare.”Winning the game today was a great feeling,” said Zimbabwe’s captain Tinotenda Mawoyo. “Our morale is now very high. We played very well today and we hope to do the same in our next matches.” Australia’s coach, Bennett King, on the other hand, was understandably downcast. “Everything about [Zimbabwe’s] game was perfect. I can’t remember a game where we have been so completely dominated.”Australia must now beat Sri Lanka at Rajshahi on Friday (February 20) to keep alive their hopes of retaining their U19 title.

Stuart MacGill will have what might well be his only bowl on South African soil this weekend when Steve Waugh’s Australians meet a South Africa `A’ team in a four-day match at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth starting on Friday.The Australians have rested Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden for this match on the unsurprising premise that all four had outstanding matches during the Wanderers Test.Working on the assumption that it would be unlikely for Australia to feel the need to change a team that has just won its last match by an innings and 360 runs, this weekend’s game should provide MacGill, along with Andy Bichel, Darren Lehmann and Shane Watson, with their first outing of the tour.From a South African point of view, the match will provide players like captain Daryll Cullinan, left-arm spinner Gulam Bodi and Western Province left-arm seamer Charl Willoughby to press for inclusion in the side for the second Test match at Newlands next weekend.The South African side for the second Test is expected to be named on Monday.TeamsSA `A’ team: Jacques Rudolph (Northerns), Graeme Smith (WP), Martin van Jaarsveld (Northerns), Daryll Cullinan (Capt, Gauteng), Hashim Amla (KZN), Justin Kemp (EP), Robin Peterson (EP), Gulam Bodi (KZN), Thami Tsolekile (WP), Dewald Pretorius (FS), Charl Willoughby (WP). Twelfth man: Garnett Kruger (EP).Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee.

Zimbabwe’s two Test match series against India will be refereed by SouthAfrica’s Denis Lindsay, the former Springbok wicketkeeper batsman, the ICCsaid in a press release on Monday.International panel umpire Daryl Harper of Australia will standwith Russell Tiffin in the first match in Bulawayo (June 7 to 11).Sri Lanka’s Asoka De Silva will officiate with home umpire IanRobinson in the second Test in Harare (June 15 to 19). This willbe Asoka’s first overseas match since joining the ICC panel duringthe recent series in Sri Lanka against England.Lindsay, 62 will also referee the seven One Day Internationals inthe triangular series which follows the Test series. India, WestIndies and Zimbabwe are the competing teams.

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be keen to join Aston Villa because of Steven Gerrard’s influence, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Phillips rumours continue

The 26-year-old has endured an injury-plagued season for the Whites, proving to be mostly helpless in their battle to stave off the threat of relegation.

At the same time, Phillips has been continually linked with a move away from his boyhood club this summer, as he potentially eyes up a fresh challenge with a side chasing European football rather than running from the drop.

Villa are one of those to have shown an interest in the midfielder, who has been lauded as ‘phenomenal’ by former England manager Fabio Capello, with Gerrard reportedly plotting to launch a £60m bid this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Gerrard influence key?

Speaking to Give Me Sport about those rumours, Jones believes Gerrard’s legendary reputation in the game could be enough for Villa to snap up Phillips in the summer:

“I think if Kalvin Phillips were to leave Leeds, he would be looking for certain aspects to fit what he’s looking for. Aston Villa have got Steven Gerrard and that, obviously, is a massive positive for them in terms of persuading him.

“They’re going to be pushing for European football from this point on and that’s the aim, so that’ll suit him.”

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The Verdict: Perfect mentor?

While Gerrard is clearly a legend of the game and someone any midfielder would want to learn from, a move to Villa still wouldn’t feel like a big enough step up for Phillips.

Granted, they are currently faring better than Leeds, but if the England international is to leave the club, it should be for a team playing in the Champions League rather than one currently sitting ninth in the Premier League table.

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Only Phillips knows what his decision will be – so much may hinge on whether or not Leeds are relegation – but moving solely because of a manager who may not be at Villa Park forever would feel a little like a sideways move.

In other news, Leeds are thought to be keen on signing a defender. Find out who it is here.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Graeme Smith led South Africa’s confident start with a composed 69 © Getty Images

It took nine days for the series to finally witness an absorbing battle between bat and ball. While Chennai produced a featherbed and Ahmedabad saw a track with generous sprinklings of green, Kanpur laid out a crackling surface that assisted turn. South Africa made the most of winning the toss, grinding out 265 at the end of a tense first day, but India’s spinners, with some good support from Ishant Sharma, ensured they remained in the hunt.A bone-dry pitch with conspicuous cracks gradually deteriorated through the day. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla thrived when conditions were best for batting, steering South Africa to 152 for 1, before India clawed their way back through turn and bounce. Seven of the ten wickets fell to spinners, both specialist and part-time, but plucky contributions from the lower order stretched the score past 250. With the ball stopping on the batsmen, and a few starting to stay low, it could well turn into a match-winning total.South Africa ensured they didn’t miss out on scoring opportunities. Smith led the early charge and the plucky duo of AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher made valuable contributions down the order. None of the batsmen were completely assured at the crease – they survived vociferous appeals every once in a while and the ball regularly beat the outside edge – but made sure they scored at a healthy clip.India’s shoddy fielding hurt them, as did their inability to sustain pressure. Barring Harbhajan Singh, who was miserly throughout the day, the rest regularly doled out loose deliveries that allowed the batsmen to break free. Both Piyush Chawla, in his second Test, and Ishant struggled with their accuracy and a number of misfields only hurt them further. How Anil Kumble would have wished to be out in the middle rather than nursing a groin injury back in the dressing room.Kumble’s absence, for the first time since December 2003, meant that Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to captain India. He didn’t have a great start, though, losing the toss and then watching his faster bowlers squander the new ball. Sreesanth had a perilously close lbw appeal turned down in the fourth ball of the match – against Neil McKenzie, who shouldered arms to one that came in – but didn’t go on to make the batsmen play enough. Ishant’s first six overs cost 35 and allowed South Africa’s openers to lay a solid base.

	Hashim Amla scored 51 before Ishant Sharma removed him © Getty Images

Sreesanth didn’t cause too many flutters through the day but Ishant came back with renewed enthusiasm. Managing reverse-swing at a pace close to 140kph, he broke through Amla’s defences during his mid-afternoon spell. He returned late in the day to nip out Boucher, with one that jagged back and kept low, and polished off Paul Harris with one that uprooted leg stump.The spinners, though, had most of the say. Chawla created the first breakthrough, beating McKenzie in flight and luring him out of the crease, while Yuvraj foxed Smith with one that fizzed off the surface. It was a crucial wicket, especially because of the confidence with which Smith was handling the spinners. He appeared to have sussed up the situation perfectly – clattering the loose balls and showing the temperament to overcome the nervy moments. Along with Amla, who milked the spinners with wristy manoeuvres, he was threatening to take the game away.Yuvraj, though, should have had Smith with his very first ball, when the batsman was on 50. Turning one across Smith, he caught him on the shuffle with a ball that would have gone on to rattle leg stump. Undeterred with the decision, Yuvraj struck a few overs later and triggered a mini-collapse – Amla, who had added 91 with Smith, was undone by Ishant’s reverse-swing, deflecting a pacy ball onto his stumps, and Kallis lasted only seven balls, playing on to the stumps to Harbhajan.The rest of the day was a cat-and-mouse battle – South Africa’s middle order snaffling runs at the slightest chance, the spinners beating the bat, appeals flying and puffs of dust appearing on the pitch. Ashwell Prince was bogged down by 21 dot balls in a row while de Villiers refused to be tied down, doing his best to use his feet against the spinners. Boucher held the lower order together – with Morne Morkel and Harris chipping in – but just when he appeared to shut India out, the bowlers mopped up the tail. Harbhajan ended with 3 for 52 in a marathon 32-over effort but on another day, with more luck, he could have easily doubled the wickets tally.