Lara’s illness overshadows West Indies win It was a match that Brian Lara should never have played. But once in the middle, the West Indies master, helped by a few lucky breaks, battled illness - he was later diagnosed to be suffering from suspected hepatitis - and indifferent form to notch up his 15th ODI ton, spurring the West Indies on to a 29-run win over Kenya. The eventual scoreline did not do full justice to the men from Africa who - with skipper Stephen Tikolo leading from the front - made a spirited chase of the target of 261. Tikolo made 93, Brijal Patel 35 and Ravindu Shah 27, as the Kenyans gave themselves a realistic chance of pulling off an upset. But with the rest of the batting failing, their chase floundered in the end overs, allowing the West Indies to salvage some of their pride. Carl Hooper’s men will now need a miracle – Kenya beating the South Africans by a big margin – if they are to make it to the semi-finals. Home team Sri Lanka, meanwhile, took matters into their own hands, crushing Netherlands by 206 runs on Monday to to confirm their place in the semi-finals.

Zimbabwe are a dangerous side, warns Duncan Fletcher England coach Duncan Fletcher warned his inexperienced team to be on their guard ahead of Wednesday’s vital encounter against a hard-working Zimbabwean unit better acclimatised to Sri Lanka conditions. "They are a very dangerous side with players like Andy Flower in the side and you can never under-estimate them," said Fletcher, speaking after the team's final training session at Premadasa Stadium. England captain Nasser Hussain has already complained of exhaustion, but Fletcher was more concerned about Sri Lankan conditions. "The main condition you have got to worry about is the heat," he said. "The wickets will be slower than in England and you've got to get the judgment right. They (Zimbabwe) have played on this wicket already, so they have a slight advantage going into the match." England will be going into the match without several key players, including talismanic fast bowler Darren Gough, all-rounders Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood and Craig White, as well as in-form opener Michael Vaughan. "We probably have one of the most inexperienced England sides," Fletcher admitted. The absence of these stars will provide an opportunity for Ronnie Irani and Ian Blackwell, the big-hitting uncapped Somerset batsman who has come in for Flintoff. England have an excellent record against the Zimbabweans in recent times having beaten them in their last eight games, including a 5-0 whitewash in Africa late last year. But for Zimbabwean coach Geoff Marsh this is an ideal opportunity to turnaround that losing run. "We lost to England 5-0 last year but had a good look at the players and are looking forward to rebounding as we have a tour there next winter," he observed.

Lara may miss India series if hepatitis is confirmed Brian Lara, who was admitted to a Colombo hospital with suspected hepatitis on Tuesday afternoon, might miss the upcoming West Indies tour of India if the initial diagnosis is confirmed. The premier West Indies batsmen was hospitalised after his condition worsened following his innings of 111 made in sapping heat against the Kenyans. "Brian had discoloured eyes, they were yellowy-orange, there was weakness and he was de-hydrated," West Indies manager Ricky Skerritt told Reuters on Tuesday. "He's gone to hospital for a series of tests including blood tests and they have started already. We should know more at some stage on Wednesday." Skerritt said that it was, though, too early to say whether Lara’s condition would rule him out of the India series, adding, "We have three of the five selectors here, so we would be in a position to choose a replacement (if the need arose)."

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