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Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe was full of praise for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice during the Hammers’ 2-1 victory against Everton on Sunday afternoon. 

The lowdown: Ever rising stock

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence over the last two seasons and has quickly become one of the first names on the team-sheet for both club and country.

Despite failing to make the headlines thanks to Aaron Cresswell’s stunning strike and the goalscoring return of Jarrod Bowen, the man recently heralded as a £150million player was at the heart of yet another workmanlike victory for David Moyes’ side.

As per Sofascore, the midfield enforcer enjoyed 95 touches, blocked two shots on goal and completed an outstanding 77/82 passes (94%%) in a 7.20/10-rated outing.

The latest: Praise from Hinchcliffe

Speaking during Sky Sports’ live coverage at the London Stadium, ex-Everton man Hinchcliffe was full of praise for Rice: “Such an important player. He provides that screen in front of the West Ham backline and gets back in time and time again. He reads the game so effectively.”

That reading of the game was evident in the performance against the Toffees as the 29-cap England ace completed three interceptions during 90 minutes (Sofascore) to help the hosts towards three points.

The verdict: Colossus

Even in light of the eye-watering valuations being branded about, Rice continues to justify the plaudits with each passing display.

Seemingly capable of taking each and every game in his giant stride, the £67.5million-valued star has blossomed as a player under the tutelage of Moyes in east London and so far this season has added eight direct goal contributions to an already well-rounded game (Transfermarkt).

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With the dominant Englishman in this kind of form, West Ham supporters may feel a tilt at the Premier League top four and possible Europa League glory is not beyond the realms of possibility.

In other news, West Ham suspends fresh contract talks with star player. Find out who it is here.

Central Zone’s Amay Khurasiya and Jai Prakash Yadav put a feeble East Zoneattack to the sword on the first day of their Duleep Trophy encounter atthe Green Park at Kanpur on Thursday. At stumps on the first day, Centralhad progressed swiftly to 231/3 off just 53 overs after the start had beendelayed to 13.20 hours due to heavy fog.After Central were put in to bat, they lost opener Amit Pagnis in theeighth over of the day to eighteen year old Bihar speedster Mihir Diwakar.Khurasiya and Yadav then proceeded to wade into an attack, depleted by theabsence of Debashis Mohanty, with gusto in a second wicket stand of 182 offjust 37.4 overs.Hell broke loose with the introduction of former Indian left arm spinnerUtpal Chatterjee in the 18th over of the innings which Khurasiya massacredfor 18 runs (4 . . 4 4 6). The hapless Chatterjee’s second over was evenmore expensive, going for 19 (6 1 6 6 . .), including one six by Khurasiyaand two by Yadav. The last of those sixes also brought up Yadav’s fifty(off 76 balls) and simultaneously the century of the innings.Chatterjee was immediately withdrawn from the firing line and replaced byhis fellow left arm spinner Sukhbinder Singh. At the other end, seamerJaved Zaman went off after a fairly longish spell of 11 overs for 37 andoff spinner Sanjay Raul made an appearance. Neither Sukhbinder nor Raulwere able to make any impression on the marauding duo and Khurasiya broughtup his individual fifty (off 46 balls) with a six in Sukhbinder’s secondover.Central went into the tea break at 168/1 off 32 overs. There was nostopping Khurasiya who reached his hundred off 96 balls, but with the scoreat 212, he was dismissed by the persevering Zaman for 110 (108 balls, 15fours, 4 sixes). Nine runs later, Zaman struck again, in his next over,rattling the stumps of Yadav for 95 (160 balls, 10 fours, 3 sixes. By thistime Chatterjee had been restored to the attack and the veteran made amendswith a niggardly spell to finish with figures of 10-2-51-0, his last eightovers having cost just 14. Mohd. Kaif (12) and Gagan Khoda (2) took Centralthrough to stumps without further hiccups.

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has said the ICC will move the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year, only as a last resort.”All ICC events have been allotted till 2015,” Speed said in Mumbai. “The Champions Trophy was allotted to Pakistan last year and it’s still almost a year away. The ICC will transfer a scheduled event only if it’s [venue] unsafe.”The ICC had cut short one of its scheduled preliminary visits to Pakistan in connection with the tournament following the imposition of a state emergency in the country. Then on November 6, the ICC announced that the women’s World Cup qualifiers, to be played in Pakistan this month, had been postponed.But Speed said the ICC was on course to stage the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September-October next year. “There has been some good cricket in Pakistan in the South African series. Australia and Zimbabwe are due to visit. I am very hopeful all issues will be resolved.”

Ravi Shah in action during Kenya’s remarkable run in the 2003 World Cup © Getty Images

Kenya’ preparation for the World Cup have been boosted by the return of 34-year-old Ravi Shah, considered by many to be, along with team-mate Steve Tikolo, among the best batsmen outside Test cricket.The last of Shah’s 44 ODIs was in the 2004 Champions Trophy, more than 28 months ago, since when he has been sidelined by a serious knee injury as well as his increasing business commitments.But he has been playing local cricket this season with reasonable success, and he has joined Kenya’s 30-man training squad ahead of the World Cricket League which starts in Nairobi at the end of January. His return will give much-needed robustness to Kenya’s top order, which has been a source of constant worry to the national selectors.

Sharad Pawar and his team will have a few big decisions to take © AFP

The much-awaited players’ contracts and the contentious television rights issue will top the agenda when the re-constituted marketing committee of the Indian board meets in Delhi on Thursday.The committee, headed by newly-elected president Sharad Pawar, is also expected to take a decision on team sponsorship. Sahara’s sponsorship contract expired on November 30, but was extended upto the Test series against Sri Lanka.The players’ contracts have been put on the backburner for long and Pawar had admitted his concern over the delay in its finalisation immediately after his election to the top post late last month.“We have to finalise the players’ contract with top most priority,” Pawar had said. “This cannot be delayed any more. We also understand the contract with Sahara has ended. They have extended the contract for Sri-Lanka series only. Hence the marketing committee will have to look for a suitable sponsor to replace them and this is second in our priority list.”Considering that the Pakistan tour is hardly a month away, the committee would have to show urgency in resolving the imbroglio over telecast rights as well as the new contracts for cricketers.

Anil Kumble: India’s most successful Test bowler© AFP

For a long time, it looked as though Anil Kumble would have to wait another day for Test wicket No. 435. Then, in the fading light, with the fourth ball of his 12th over, he trapped Mohammad Rafique in front of the stumps. “It’s definitely a kind of a relief to get there,” said Kumble. “I was really happy that I could get to 434 at Eden Gardens [against South Africa]. It was a really special moment – my family was there, my wife was there. She couldn’t travel here, but it’s a nice feeling to get to 435.”The crowd was slow-handclapping as he came in to deliver – not because they were egging him on to reach the landmark that would put him on top of the pile of Indian Test wicket-takers, but because Rafique was on 47, and within one cavalier stroke of his half-century. When the wicket fell, courtesy of a rare lbw decision from Aleem Dar, an umpire fast gaining a reputation as a not-outer, Kumble was engulfed by his team-mates.A moment later he held his hand up to the balcony where John Wright and the rest of the squad applauded. It was a rare Kumble moment, one when he grinned like a child, his dazzling smile taking the sheen off the floodlights at the Bangabandhu Stadium. It was one of those rare moments when Kumble actually showed some emotion on the field. “I’m not a man of emotions,” he conceded. “I don’t show too many emotions on the field. But I’m really happy with the way things have gone. When I first started I never thought that I would get to this level. I’ve played with Kapil . My first three or four years were with him, so it’s really nice to go past somebody you have looked up to from a young age. To be alongside him and then cross him, after having watched him on TV at one stage, is really good.”However, surpassing Kapil is certainly not going to stop the expectant fans from demanding more. “I’m relieved [to get past the mark] but again people are saying ‘Get to 500’, so I’ll have to put up with it. I just have to go out there and keep getting wickets,” said Kumble. And, given the rate at which he is going – 67 wickets in this calendar year already – 500 can’t be far away.When he reached 434, Kumble finally began to receive what he has been denied all his career – recognition as one of India’s greatest-ever bowlers. Whenever there was talk of great Indian spin bowlers, his name was conspicuous by its absence, simply because he was not a classical legspinner. But that doesn’t bother him one bit. “As long as I am defined as a bowler I am happy,” he said. “At the end of the day a bowler is there to get wickets and a batsman is there to get runs. How he does that is immaterial. I am somebody who is different from an orthodox legspinner. There is a feeling that you will be successful only if you do things a certain way, but I don’t agree with that. I’m happy that even with my style I’ve been able to get the results. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what style you bowl.”But Kumble is too hardened a campaigner to believe that the critics will shut up and go home, just because he has become India’s leading Test wicket-taker. When asked if he thought he had silenced his critics once and for all, he said, “I don’t think so. Critics are always there to say things when somewhere along the line you haven’t been doing well. I think that’s something which I don’t really worry about. If I thought too much of whatever people said then I wouldn’t be here. My job is to go out there, play, give 100%. The rest will take care of itself. I’m not there to prove anything to anybody. At this point of time I think I have proved enough, and ultimately I need to go out there and prove to myself that I am still achieving the results that I am capable of.”While no-one can doubt Kumble’s achievment, there have been some who believed, not so long ago, that he was past his best, and that he recently rediscovered the magic after coming back from a career-threatening shoulder injury. “I don’t think I rediscovered anything. Most of it was always there. It’s just that people started to recognise this when I began to do well once more. Right from day one you only try to improve. Every game you play you try to learn something. Over the years my experience has definitely helped in getting the results in Australia and after.”Coming back from injury was hard on the body, but fortunately Kumble is a man of strong will. This, and a burning desire to succeed, ensured that he had his chin up all the while. “Cricket at the international level has more to do with what’s between the ears than ability. At this level everybody is talented. You have to be mentally strong and that has definitely helped me.”But that’s not all that has helped Kumble. In his moment of glory, he remained true to character, and remembered to thank those that helped him along. It has become fashionable in recent times to dedicate every five-for and century to someone, usually prompted by a question in a press conference. But when the “do-you want-to-dedicate-this-to-anyone” question was popped to him, Kumble responded with one of his classic shrugs, smiled, and said, “No, I don’t think so. All my team-mates have been a part of it. I would like to thank them. Without their help I wouldn’t have got this far.”You can be sure that the team will have a quiet celebration to mark Anil Kumble’s achievement, and they certainly have plenty to thank him for.

Warwickshire are concerned that Makhaya Ntini will not be allowed to play for them next season. Ntini, who took 23 wickets during South Africa’s tour of England, held talks with the club earlier this week before flying home.But to be able to play he needs to get permission from the South African board, as do all their contracted players. A Warwickshire spokesman said: “We’d like to see him here, he would like to be here, but the stumbling block could be the UCB. It is becoming more difficult with overseas players, particularly bowlers, because they do have a heavy workload.”Ntini has taken 123 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 29.69, and won the joint Man of the Match award at the second Test this summer after becoming the first South African to take ten wickets at Lord’s.The concerns about his move to Warwickshire follow more problems they have had this season with their overseas players. Corey Collymore was the latest player to join Waqar Younis after Shane Bond, Michael Clark and Collins Obuya were forced to withdraw.Meanwhile, Neil Smith, a former captain, and Melvyn Betts and Mo Sheikh are to be released at the end of the season, while Trevor Penney has been awarded an extension to his one-day contract.

Tamil Nadu played analytical cricket on the fourth day of their RanjiTrophy league match against Hyderabad at Chennai, picking up fivepoints by virtue of a first-innings lead.With the match destined for a draw, Tamil Nadu batsmen TR Arasu (78off 268) and MR Shrinivas (28 off 154) made the required runs with adisplay of grit and resolution. Arasu fell with the score on 290, butShrinivas and R Ramkumar (37 off 60) took Tamil Nadu past Hyderabad’sfirst-innings total of 336.Bowled out for 351, Tamil Nadu then reduced Hyderabad to 150/2 by theclose of play, with Ramkumar picking up both wickets. Daniel Manoharwas unbeaten on 65, while Arjun Shivlal Yadav was unbeaten on 38.

Nottinghamshire will need to bat well on the third day if they are to avoid the follow-on but on a track condusive to batting they have advanced to 45-1 from 24 overs without too many problems, still 460 behind.On a rain-shortened second day Essex advanced their first innings to 505-9 before skipper Ronnie Irani called a halt.Friday’s 3rd wicket stand of 248 between Paul Grayson and Stuart Law had laid the foundation for a big total but after a delayed start Notts fought their way back into the contest by taking three quick wickets, including that of Law, who was eventually dismissed for 165.Only 5 overs were possible during the afternoon session and it was something of a surprise when Irani chose to bat on at the resumption after tea with his side on 432-7.Some bright hitting from Danny Law and Ashley Cowan lifted Essex past 450 but then came a moment to savour for Stephen Randall. The 20 year old off-spinner, playing in his fourth first class match, picked up his first senior wicket as Cowan hit across the line and was palpably given out leg before wicket.At the other end ‘AJ’ Harris continued to toil and deservedly picked up his 5th wicket when Mark Ilott clipped just behind square and Guy Welton took a comfortable catch. That brought last man peter Such to the wicket, playing against the county where he began his career. Before Such had faced a ball Danny Law had lifted Randall on to the top tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand, a huge hit. He then turned his next ball to leg to bring up his 50, having faced 95 deliveries. Randall’s woe continued when Such skied his first ball and Welton, at full stretch, saw the ball pop free as he hit the turf.Law hit Randall for two more sixes in an over which yielded 18 and took Essex past the 500 mark. Irani then called the innings to a halt with Danny Law unbeaten on 68 and Harris taking the bowling honours for Notts with 5-139.In reply Darren Bicknell and Guy Welton negotiated the opening hour of their innings without too many alarms but when Irani replaced Ilott at the Radcliffe Road end to begin his second spell he had immediate success. Welton, who’d made 13, edged the ball low to first slip where the 6’4″ Ashley Cowan took a good catch.Jason Gallian joined Bicknell and they ensured that Notts reached the close without any further loss – Bicknell ending the day on 29 not out.

Everton have made a number of transfer mistakes over the years since Farhad Moshiri took ownership at Goodison Park and their latest howler could be on his way out of the club sooner rather than later if reports are to be believed.

Dele Alli joined Everton in January on Deadline Day as one of Frank Lampard’s last minute signings brought in to work alongside the new manager to inspire a turnaround for the club after falling into a relegation battle this season, however the ex-Tottenham Hotspur star has failed to make an impact so far.

The 22.5m-rated flop who was branded “lazy” by former manager Jose Mourinho, has struggled to win a place in the Everton team since he joined almost three months ago, and is yet to start a game for the Toffees.

However, he has made six appearances playing 169 minutes so far, with Lampard offering him the opportunity to make a good impression and impact, but hasn’t achieved that in his game time, with no goal contributions and the team has lost all but one game Alli has been involved in so far.

Despite signing a two and a half year permanent deal with Everton, TeamTalk are now reporting that the deal could be cut short for the attacking midfielder, with the 25 year old reportedly told that he is not good enough to start from Everton and that his career could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t change his attitude.

Moshiri could save £10m this summer by axing Alli, as part of the deal required the Englishman to make 20 appearances for Everton before the club would be required to make any payment to the Lilywhites, with a reported instalment plan in place worth up to £40m, but if the reports are true and the player’s time at Goodison Park is cut short, then this could save the club millions ahead of the summer transfer window.

Everton are currently in a particularly vulnerable position despite beating Newcastle United last week in an explosive 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, the side are still unstable just three points safe from the drop zone and still in 17th in the Premier League table.

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With that being said, Frank Lampard cannot afford to take any risks or leave room for error, which further reflects in Alli’s lack of selection as the Toffees boss obviously doesn’t feel the player is trustworthy enough to make a positive impact in the team as they fight for their place in top flight football for next season.

In other news: Everton make contact with “complete” £16.2m-rated star, Lampard desperately needs him