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have confirmed Ashley Young is set to be out for the next fortnight after sustaining an ankle injury.

The former Aston Villa star limped out of the United’s 2-1 derby defeat to local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Monday.

After being assessed by the club’s medical staff at their Carrington training ground this week it has been confirmed he faces a spell on the sidelines, though it is not believed to be too serious.

“Ashley is out,” said boss Sir Alex Ferguson at a press conference on Friday. “He took a whack on his ankle. He will maybe miss two weeks.”

As well as the trip to Stoke, Young will also miss the trip to West Ham and Premier League home clash against his former club Aston Villa.

However, there is some good news for the Red Devils as captain Nemanja Vidic returned to full training on Friday while fellow centre-back Jonny Evans is also fit again after a hamstring injury.

Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes is also in contention after recovering from a knee injury that has kept him out since the end of January.

Ferguson added: “It will be a terrific boost to get his [Scholes’] football intelligence back in the squad.

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“He has been out for a few weeks so we need to get him back out training with us.”

[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”grid”]

ScorecardSarah Taylor and Claire Taylor both made fifties to help England to a six-wicket victory with 11 balls to spare and push them ahead for the first time this series. They are now 2-1 up with two to play after hunting down their required 200 runs thanks to Sarah Taylor’s 86 not out and Claire Taylor’s 70 to follow up her unbeaten century last match.England’s surge continues apace, well marshalled by Katherine Brunt’s 2 for 18 from seven overs in her first series since recovering from back problems. There were two each for Jenny Gunn and Charlotte Edwards too, the visitors bowling out New Zealand with an over to spare.Ingrid Cronin-Knight (36) and Sarah Tsukigawa (37) helped to boost them to a competitive total in this closely fought series but England paced their reply too well after losing Beth Morgan early. Charlotte Edwards was out for a rare duck and Tsukigawa also bagged Lydia Greenway for 12, but Gunn fired them home along with Sarah Taylor who made her first fifty of the tour.Sarah Taylor said after the game: “I made sure I was in and I knew I had to stay there towards the end. All credit to New Zealand – they bowled in good areas today. We’ve got a day off tomorrow and then two back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday, so we’ll prepare ourselves accordingly.”Acting head coach Mark Lane added: “We’re improving in all areas of the game. Different players are stepping up and contributing to the team performance, which is great. These have been two terrific victories against a quality New Zealand side.”We now have a day off to regroup and our intention is to come back on Sunday and try and improve on the last two performances to wrap up the series.”

Dwayne Leverock looked completely out of place in the World Cup environment until he rippled up to the crease and removed Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen © Getty Images

If only we were always this helpful, courteous and efficient in dealing with each other. Monday morning around the UWI St Augustine Campus was like being in a whole different country.Police everywhere, not buffing you up, but politely moving the traffic along. World Cup volunteers, bedecked in brightly-coloured uniforms befitting a Caribbean event, positioned every 50 metres or so, on the route to UWI SPEC to guide motorists and pedestrians alike in the right direction.My direction was towards the Accreditation Centre in the main building, and despite the trouble-free journey thus far, I was still anticipating some sort of hiccup, in keeping with decades of being conditioned by a don’t-care-damn culture that makes almost any interaction with any public service department an exercise in frustration.Yet less than five minutes after walking into the office (open since 5.30 am), I was back outside with the precious pass and a lovely bag containing a press kit (we media types really enjoy any kind of freeness). The experience left me with a hollow, anti-climactic feeling for I had prepared myself mentally to deal with at least some form of administrative bungling, or officious hostility, or both.On the way back out, there were no vehicles parked indiscriminately on either side of the road, no litter strewn across the lawns and no one stopping just so to pick up passengers. In fact, it was reassuring in a strange sort of way to see normal life resumed as I hit the Eastern Main Road: horns blaring, drivers cussing and doubles vendors serving a sizeable clientele, some of whom didn’t seem to care that they were standing directly in the path of oncoming road hogs.On this week of warm-up matches before the real business begins, we are seeing just what our citizens are capable of when properly motivated. Money is what usually prompts the required change, but remember, these are volunteers, who just want to be involved in the once-in-a-lifetime experience of a World Cup in the West Indies.For most of the players among the small fry of this tournament, this event is also more than likely their one and only chance to sample life in cricket’s Big Yard. The manner in which the predominantly amateur players of Ireland pushed South Africa all the way, at the same time that the much more experienced Kenyans were giving the West Indies a bit of a scare up in Trelawny, suggests that there is a real desire to make the most of this opportunity.Who knows how much the stinging criticism about too many sub-standard teams in the sport’s premier event might be turned into a motivating factor? It is still more than likely that the Irish and Kenyans will be joining the Bangladeshis, Zimbabweans, Dutch, Scots, Canadians and Bermudians on flights back home in three weeks’ time, but it’s entirely within the realms of possibility that they could have their moments against some of the really big fish.One player who is already enjoying his moment in the sun is an unlikely character who overshadowed the efforts of two West Indian namesakes- Bravo and Smith- on Monday.Dwayne Leverock’s Bermuda gave a pathetic batting effort against England in St Vincent, being shot out for just 45 runs. Yet the jovial, bulky slow bowler more than held his own when England batted first.Given the intense focus on producing finely-chiselled athletes at the highest level of the game, Leverock – all 270 lbs of him – looked completely out of place in the World Cup environment, even in what amounted to a 13-a-side training session at Arnos Vale. That is, until he rippled up to the crease and delivered ten overs of better-than-ordinary left-arm spin, removing Paul Collingwood to a catch at the wicket and having Kevin Pietersen smartly stumped.Obviously, he is more than a few notches below world class, but his willingness to use flight and guile, complemented by impressive accuracy, presented accomplished batsmen with a real challenge to get him away. It will probably be a different story when he comes up against the Indians and Sri Lankans at the Queen’s Park Oval from next week, but I really, really hope that Leverock does well in those Group B matches, if only to show the West Indies selectors that even the Bermudians are ahead of us in the appreciation of what classical spin bowling is all about.Successful or not, he will surely be a favourite for Oval fans who, in an earlier era, never hesitated to let Rangy Nanan have it whenever he looked a bit more heavy-set than usual.This is really what the Caribbean cricketing experience is all about. The International Cricket Council’s all-encompassing rules for their World Cup may prevent all sorts of seemingly harmless items from being brought into their grounds. Inappropriately branded shirts have to be turned inside-out, unauthorised liquids must be consumed outside or dumped, and written permission must be had before a conch shell gets past the turnstiles.But long before there were flag-wavers, face-painters, deafening amplifiers and a never-ending supply of winer girls, West Indians enjoyed themselves armed with nothing more than a wonderful sense of humour and a genuine appreciation of good cricket, whether it was exhibited by visiting players or their own heroes.They can’t take that away from us, even with the very best security screening systems known to man.Send in your comments here

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

Yuvraj Singh’s unbeaten 82 was just one of four dominating innings in a comfortable win © Getty Images

A scorching 105-run opening stand between Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, and a glorious unbeaten 82 from Yuvraj Singh were instrumental in India’s emphatic seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second one-day international at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Having bowled Pakistan out for 265 in the final over, thanks to some disciplined bowling, sharp fielding and less-than-perfect shot selection, India chased down the target with 41 deliveries to spare.Shoaib Malik’s 110-ball 95 and a pugnacious 81 from Younis Khan had revived the Pakistan innings after Irfan Pathan’s early blows, but the eventual target proved to be no challenge at all once Sehwag and Tendulkar set about an attack that was missing the pace and menace of Shoaib Akhtar. Yuvraj piloted the pursuit in its latter stages, playing some dazzling strokes in an 89-ball knock. He struck eight fours, and two sixes over long-on off Malik as Pakistan’s hopes evaporated in the afternoon heat and sunshine.Rahul Dravid was also on top of his game, picking off 56 from just 61 balls before a sharp return catch from Malik sent him back when within sight of victory. The real damage though had been done at the top, with Sehwag – so out of sorts after that 254 in the first Test – careering to67 from 60 balls before a remarkable throw from Umar Gul shattered the stumps from deep fine leg.After a sedate start, Sehwag exploded to life in the fifth over of the innings, carving Naved-ul-Hasan over point for six, and then thumping him for three fours in an over that cost 22 runs. Emboldened by that little burst, he then concentrated his attention on Mohammad Asif, soimpressive in the Test at Karachi and the opening ODI at Peshawar. A clip through midwicket, and a superb square-drive followed, as India reached 64 in the first 10 overs.Tendulkar had been content to tick along at the other end, but with the bowling and fielding fraying at the edges, he too joined in, with a meaty off-drive off Asif and three crisp fours against the errant Gul. The run-rate climbed to seven, and it was looking all too easy when Tendulkar,who had eased to a run-a-ball 42, tried to be too cute with an Abdul Razzaq delivery that deviated a touch off the seam.When Sehwag soon followed, Pakistan might have glimpsed an opening. And had Razzaq held on to a difficult caught-and-bowled chance at short square leg after Yuvraj miscued a pull horribly, it might well have been game on. Having had their wake-up call though, and with Inzamam-ul-Haq calling for the third Powerplay, India quickly put the game out of reach.Dravid and Yuvraj, with such a platform to build on, cruised along, stealing the singles and putting away the loose deliveries with a flourish. Yuvraj laced three lovely fours in a Razzaq over, and Dravid cut and drove powerfully when afforded width. With pace and spin being treatedwith an equal measure of comfort, the partnership quickly assumed match-winning proportions.

Rahul Dravid hit 56 in a 118-run stand for the third wicket as India levelled the series with almost seven overs to spare © AFP

When Malik and Younis were batting with aplomb earlier in the day, Pakistan had been in a similar situation. With Malik deflecting and nudging the ball at will through the gaps, and Younis providing an energetic foil, Pakistan had recovered impressively from a strife-ridden 68 for 4. Malik, after easing to 50 from 66 balls, opened out with some fabulous strokes, especially through midwicket, as the Indian fielders were harried in the middle overs. Younis too played some punchy drives and crafty cuts as the rate rose to five an over, and the partnership wasworth 102 from just 119 balls when disaster struck.Two runs were certainly on when Malik struck one to deep point, but the batsmen had reckoned without S Sreesanth’s magnificent throw from the deep. Initiative lost, Pakistan stuttered thereafter, despite cameos from Shahid Afridi, Razzaq and Gul. Sreesanth bowled wonderfully well in the final stages, conceding just 11 in four overs, and with Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar also producing fine spells, the innings was reined in. When Younis played a premeditated shot to Mohammad Kaif at cover, it was apparent that Pakistan would finish well short of the total that had been on the cards when Malik and Younis were going full pelt.For India, it was a satisfying way to finish a day that began so well, with Salman Butt getting the faintest off edges to Pathan’s second delivery of the match. After a brief period of consolidation, Kamran Akmal hacked one on, and Mohammad Yousuf – who started the innings on 6998 runs- was needlessly run out going for a non-existent second off a misfield. Inzamam then miscued a pull off the hips, and though Malik and Younis restored parity, Sreesanth’s bolt from the deep and India’s batting depth proved decisive.How they were outIndia
Sachin Tendulkar c Akmal b Razzaq 42 (105 for 1)
Virender Sehwag run out (Gul) 67 (123 for 2)
Rahul Dravid c and b Malik 56 (241 for 3)
Pakistan
Salman Butt c Dhoni b Pathan 0 (0 for 1)
Kamran Akmal b Pathan 14 (43 for 2)
Mohammad Yousuf run out (Tendulkar) 1 (46 for 3)
Inzamam-ul-Haq c Sreesanth b Zaheer 8 (68 for 4)
Shoaib Malik run out (Sreesanth) 95 (170 for 5)
Abdul Razzaq run out (Raina) 14 (234 for 7)
Younis Khan c Kaif b Agarkar 81 (242 for 8)
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan c Raina b Agarkar 6 (257 for 9)
Mohammad Asif run out (Sehwag) 2 (265 all out)

ScorecardWellington defeated Central Districts by an innings and 33 runs in their fifth round match at Napier to move second in the table. Central resumed on their overnight total of 106 for 8, but could only muster one more run for the final two wickets.They were made to follow on, with a deficit of 295, but they were soon in trouble at 53 for 4. Half-centuries from Geoff Barnett (56) and Jarrod Englefield (61) temporarily halted their decline, while Brendon Diamanti (33) and Andrew Schwass (35 not out) chipped in with flighty cameos. But all of these innings were not enough to arrest the inevitable slide as they slumped to 262 all out. The medium-pacer Iain O’Brien and the offspinner Jeetan Patel each took three wickets as Wellington climbed the table.
ScorecardAuckland cemented a strong position against Otago on the third day at Eden Park. Resuming on their overnight total of 318 for 4 – 30 behind Otago – Auckland went on to post 528 for 8 before declaring with a lead of 180.Andre Adams was Auckland’s main steer on Day 3, posting 53. In their second innings, Otago inched to 33 from 16 overs by the close, but they are still 147 runs behind with all ten wickets remaining.

Billy Taylor has completed his expected move to Hampshire from Sussex, signing a three-year deal with the club where he began his career.Taylor played for Hampshire’s 2nd XI but was never an offered a contract and so went to Sussex to further his career. He took 21 wickets last season and even though Sussex made it clear they wanted him to stay next season, he insisted on leaving, and has now gone back to where it all started.Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s Director of Cricket, said: “He is former Hampshire Schools and Hampshire 2nd XI player, a wholehearted cricketer who has improved a lot during his time with Sussex.” He added, “He is a bowler who is always willing to learn and he is looking for a new challenge in the hope of playing regular first-team cricket. It is nice to get him back.””This is a wonderful opportunity for myself”, Taylor told the press at The Rose Bowl today. “I always wanted to play for Hampshire, and it feels like coming home. I was disappointed at not being offered a contract all those years ago, but hopefully I have proved my worth at Sussex. I am much fitter and able to bowl long spells with more pace. I hit the seam much more so I like to take the new ball.” He added, “Coming to the Rose Bowl is fantastic, what a magnificent stadium."

Had someone suggested to Nasser Hussain that he would encounter inIndia a pitch that was virtually undistinguishable from the outfield,the English skipper would probably have scoffed and asked him to gethis head examined.Yet, in Jaipur, for the final tour match ahead of the first Test, thatis exactly what Hussain did encounter. On a green-top that beckonedseamers and medium-pacers almost seductively, Hussain won his thirdtoss in a row and had no hesitation in opting to field.Richard Johnson, in for Matthew Hoggard, took it upon himself to provehis captain right. In his very first over, he had opener Vinayak Manecaught behind and Yere Goud bowled. Before the sparsely dispersedspectators could blink their eyes in disbelief, Johnson struck againin his next over, removing Gautam Gambhir leg-before. Newly inductedAndrew Flintoff, hoping for a Test berth, decided that he wanted hisshare of the spoils and promptly had Rashmi Parida caught behind.India ‘A’ were 8/4, and the English attack suddenly looked sharperthan a freshly minted guillotine.It took some obdurate batting from local lad Gagan Khoda and AbhijitKale to blunt the bowlers. Plumping for caution, the batsmen refrainedfrom strokes with any element of risk, which helped the run-rate asmuch as the abominably slow outfield. Even the appearance of spin, inthe form of Ashley Giles, did not stir their blood; Giles, hoping toprove match fitness ahead of Mohali, bowled with nice loop and someturn, but he did not get the bite that is so essential on the subcontinent.India ‘A’ went in to lunch at 88/4, a reasonable recovery but by nomeans all that was needed on a pitch that looked increasingly doublepaced. Khoda fell to that very vagary of the track when a Flintoffdelivery stayed low and, to compound matters, squirmed eel-likethrough the bat-pad gap to uproot off-stump. The dismissal endedKhoda’s innings of 64 and a partnership of 114 runs.Three overs after Kale reached his own half-century, Flintoff packedReetinder Singh Sodhi off to the pavilion, caught behind off thefaintest of edges. The twin strikes did little to disturb Kale’sconcentration; shrugging off edges and appeals, he hit the bad ballsand defended stoutly otherwise. He was especially pleasing to watchagainst Giles, exposing the left-arm spinner’s lack of variation byrepeatedly dancing down the track to play him on either side of thewicket.Resuming at 178/6 after tea, Kale and Ajay Ratra plodded their waypast the 200-run mark. The only sign of aggression in their standresulted in a six over mid-on that took Kale to his century, off 192deliveries.Having crossed that landmark, Kale retreated into his shell, emergingonly when he was caught at short-leg off Richard Dawson. His partnerRatra fell in the very next over and, once Dawson had skipper SunilJoshi trapped in front, the latter declared his side’s innings closedat 233/9.If India ‘A’ started catastrophically, the visitors could not havebeen more comfortable if they were asleep. Both Michael Trescothickand Mark Butcher, the latter in particular, motored along unfazed byany pitch vagaries, perceived or real. The Indian seamers, for theirpart, did not seem to know how to bowl on a pitch that, surprisinglyin India, was loaded in their favour. Pitching either too short or toofull, Iqbal Siddiqui and Dodda Ganesh gave Butcher many chances tofree his arms, allowing him to race to 32 off 39 deliveries.Although England will be pleased on the whole with their bowlingperformance today, they will look askance at their spin attack which,on pitches more placid and against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar andVVS Laxman, will be about as effective as a candle in a typhoon.Giles, Dawson and Martyn Ball, if they are to make an impression inthe Tests, will have to maintain impeccable line and length, andperhaps bowl with more variation. Hussain, however, will sleep easiertonight, with the burly images of Flintoff, Johnson and Hoggard, redcherry in hands, etched comfortingly in his mind.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s planned return to first-class cricket has been delayed after he was admitted to a Dhaka hospital on Friday morning with dengue fever.Mashrafe was supposed to travel to Khulna on Friday to play the division side’s third round match in the National Cricket League against Rangpur Division but at around 2:30am, he was taken to Apollo Hospital in Dhaka with high fever. His son Sahel has also been suffering from fever over the last few days.Mashrafe, whose previous international game was in mid-July, has been training hard to get back into competitive cricket and has also expressed optimism about a return to Test cricket, a format he last played in 2009. He would have had to wait till the Bangladesh Premier League in mid-November for his next assignment but decided to play at least two matches in the NCL this season. His previous first-class appearance was in January 2014.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the impact of Jonjo Shelvey during his side’s 3-2 Premier League victory against West Ham.

The Reds came back from 2-1 down in the final 20 minutes to claim the three points.

Shelvey played a big part in the winner, with his movement forcing defender James Collins to divert the ball into his own net.

In the absence of talisman Luis Suarez, the 20-year-old was forced to play in a central attacking role, and his manager was delighted with the performance he saw:

“He was outstanding. But you see there are two different ways in which you can play the number nine role.” The Northern Irishman told SkySports.

“In this country it is always a very traditional target man, a clear number nine. Give credit to Carlton Cole, I know him form my time at Chelsea, he is a real handful and was outstanding today.

“But you see young Jonjo at 20 years of age playing the number nine role in a different way – dropping into midfield and combining with the midfield players to make the fourth man, being a threat when he is in around the box, showing great feet and I thought he was outstanding today the kid.

“It was great credit to him because there was a lot of pressure on him because people have been trying to compare him to Luis Suarez.

The Anfield chief also backed the former Charlton star to improve in the future:

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“He is only 20 and has a big future ahead of him.”

Liverpool took the lead through Glen Johnson before a Mark Noble penalty and Steven Gerrard own goal swung the score line.

Joe Cole equalised after 76 minutes, before Collins put the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Scotland have made one change to their squad for the ICC World Cup qualifiers in South Africa next month from the one they had announced for the tournament in Pakistan last November with Caroline Heron being replaced by Paula Ritchie.Heron underwent an operation and is not yet fit to make it to the squad. Vari Maxwell, who was part of the squad in November, will not be able to make it to South Africa because she is a Royal Navy employee and her ship is still at sea.Fiona Urquhart will lead the side in what will be Scotland’s first international tournament since July 2003 when they played in the International Women’s Cricket Council Trophy in Netherlands. Six players from their last match of that tournament – Kari Anderson, Kathryn White, Fiona Campbell, Urquhart, Caroline Sweetman, Sahar Aslam – will be travelling to South Africa next month.Scotland play their first game of the qualifiers against Zimbabwe on February 18 at the Van der Stel Cricket Club in Stellenbosch. “Qualifying for the World Cup would be an absolute dream for all the girls in the squad and, although this tournament is going to be very demanding, I don’t think I’m being unrealistic in saying it’s not out of our reach to qualify,” said Urquhart.Simon Smith, the Scotland men’s side wicketkeeper, will coach the team for the tournament. “I’m very pleased to be working with Fiona and the girls in this adventure,” said Smith. “They are all determined to do their level best to represent Scotland with some good performances. If they do succeed, it will be no more than they deserve.”Scotland squad:
Fiona Urquhart (c), Kari Anderson, Kathryn White, Charlotte Bascombe (wk), Abbi Aitken, Catherine Smaill, Fiona Campbell, Caroline Sweetman, Leigh Kasperek, Sahar Aslam, Charlotte Farr, Diane Pedgrift, Paula Ritchie