• Gros Islet: Fast bowler James Anderson was taken to hospital with a suspected broken finger Wednesday, putting him in doubt for England’s opening Group C match against New Zealand. Anderson hurt the little finger on his left hand in a fielding drill, Britain’s Press Association reported. Anderson, who has struggled with a back injury, bowls with his right arm but is a left-handed batsman. He is one of four seamers vying for two places in the England XI for Friday’s match against New Zealand.Dwayne is mother’s pride• Port-of-Spain: The mother of giant Bermudan spinner Dwayne Leverock has warned his World Cup rivals to stop making fun of her son’s size. The British tabloids, in particular, have been merciless. Headlines such as ‘Bermuda Pie-angle’, ‘Lard Before Wicket’ and ‘Owzfat’ greeted his display.“They are more focusing on his size than his achievements. I have been angry about it,” said Allison Leverock, the mother of the player nicknamed ‘Sluggo’. “Some of them have been very cruel. They had a reference to Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor. I don’t think that’s necessary. Numbers do matter: Smith• Basseterre: South Africa skipper Graeme Smith opened the psychological battle with Australian rival Ricky Ponting today by insisting that being the best in the world does matter. Ponting has been keen to stress that his team’s demotion from the top of the world rankings for the first time since the system was introduced over four years ago was irrelevant. Smith, however, is adamant that his team’s rise to the top of the pile is reward for years of hard work. “Quite naturally we are extremely proud of the number one ranking, but that was built up over two years of playing good and tough cricket,” said Smith.Carrying inspiration around• Gros Islet: Every time England seamer Liam Plunkett wants inspiration, he just reaches for his iPod. The England cricket team has downloaded clips of the greatest moments of its players onto their digital music players and portable game consoles, as well as their laptops. Plunkett’s inspiration is the dismissal of Adam Gilchrist in England’s 92-run win in the tri-series.
