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Crystal Palace have shown that they are capable of spending substantial amounts of money to bring new players to Selhurst Park who can strengthen their squad, particularly during last summer’s transfer window.

However, one of the Eagles’ most valuable assets at this moment in time is a player on whom they didn’t need to spend a penny to bring to the club.

Following in the footsteps of players like Gareth Southgate and Wayne Routledge in graduating from the club’s youth academy, Wilfried Zaha made his senior debut for the south London club back in March 2010 during a 2-1 defeat against Cardiff City in the Championship under former Eagles manager Paul Hart.

Since then, the Ivory Coast international has gone on to make 420 appearances for Palace across all competitions, scoring 78 goals and providing 73 assists along the way, showing how important a figure he has been for the club.

This season has seen the winger score nine goals and provide one assist in 24 Premier League appearances, racking up a higher average of shots per game (1.9) than any other Palace player, showing that he has been one of Patrick Vieira’s deadliest figures and a real handful for opponents.

The 29-year-old – who is currently earning £130k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has also made 10 successful dribbles which have led to a shot at goal, putting him in the top 10 of players in the Premier League for that statistic ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling among many others.

In October 2010, just a few months after he burst onto the scene at Palace with his senior breakthrough, Transfermarkt had Zaha’s market value listed as £675k. It now stands at £36m, highlighting a vast increase of 5,233%, making him by far the most valuable player at Selhurst Park and among the top 50 most valuable players in the Premier League.

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Described as a “game-changer” for Palace by former Eagles manager Roy Hodgson, Zaha has undoubtedly made himself an icon for the club and a crucial figure for the team in terms of his consistent goals and assists. The south London outfit certainly hit the jackpot by unearthing and developing him from a young prospect to a fully-fledged Premier League figure.

In other news: Palace could’ve had their own Yaya Toure in “special” 26-year-old whose value has rocketed 300%

Dale Steyn will be looking for more scalps in the Tests against West Indies © AFP

South Africa have retained the same 12-man squad from the two-Test series against New Zealand for the first two matches against West Indies.Graeme Smith, who missed the Makhaya Ntini benefit match and the Twenty20 international against the visitors, has been included in the team.The side thrashed New Zealand 2-0 in the Tests, but veteran Shaun Pollock was continued to be left of the playing XI in favour of Dale Steyn.Steyn is likely to feature in the upcoming series as well, having wrecked New Zealand with ten-wicket hauls in both games.Morne Morkel, whose injury paved the entry of Dale Steyn into the XI during South Africa’s tour of Pakistan, will join the team in Port Elizabeth to continue his rehabilitation. However, he won’t be considered for either of the Tests.The Test series between South Africa and West Indies gets underway with the first starting December 26 at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, while Cape Town will host the second Test from January 2-6.Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.

Shaun Pollock didn’t know it then, but his superb form over the last season helped his side knock Australia off the top spot © Getty Images

South Africa have replaced Australia at the head of the ICC ODI rankings following Australia’s five-wicket loss to New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland. It is the first time Australia has slipped from the top spot since the rankings began, in October 2002.Australia’s defeat was their fourth consecutive loss – the first such sequence since 1997 – and fifth in their last six matches. South Africa on the other hand, have been in stunning form, having won seven of their last eight ODIs (with one washed out). Even if Australia win the final match of the Chappell-Hadlee series, in Hamilton on Tuesday, it will not be enough for the side to regain top spot.The rankings do have little more than just bragging rights at stake: the side that leads the table on April 1 stands to win US$175,000, with US$75,000 going to the second-placed team. With the World Cup starting in the Caribbean on March 13, there is still time and opportunity for Australia to regain top spot ahead of that cut-off date.There is little doubt that over the last year, South Africa have been the form team in world cricket. They have won 15 of 21 ODIs since failing to qualify for last year’s tri-series in Australia. The run includes a memorable 3-2 series win over Australia, sealed with a world record-chase at Johannesburg.In that time, South Africa’s ratings have increased by ten points while Australia’s have slipped by seven points. New Zealand’s win has lifted them to 111 points and they only trail third-placed Pakistan on decimal points. If they complete a clean sweep against Australia, they will move ahead.

A controversy-riddled season for Delhi took a new turn yesterday when Arun Jaitley, the President of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), sacked the senior selection committee and appointed a new one for the remainder of the domestic season.The DDCA resolution said: “In view of the fact that some recent decisions of the selection committee of the Ranji Trophy lack the appearance of fairness and are not being taken on cricketing considerations alone, the Executive Committee hereby decides to supersede and dissolve the selection committee with immediate effect.”The committee comprising Vivek Razdan, Bantu Singh and Sunil Khanna, with Anil Jain as its convenor, was shown the door after Delhi barely managed to avoid relegation from the Ranji Trophy Elite Group and started disastrously in the domestic one-day competition. Maninder Singh Jaggi, the assistant coach, was also shown the door.The new committee has Chetan Chauhan, the former Test player, as its chairman along with Surender Khanna and Vinay Lamba. Sunil Dev has been appointed its convenor, a senior DDCA official said. At its first meeting on Wednesday, the new committee made two changes to the side that suffered a debacle against Himachal Pradesh by replacing Yogesh Sachdeva, the offspinner, and batsman Gaurav Chhabra with Kuldeep Rawat, the allrounder, and offspinner Victor Wilkins.Jaitely was reportedly enraged at the way in which the selectors included Navdeep Tomar as the 16th member of the squad for the last two matches. Speaking to the Sneh Bansal, the DDCA general secretary, said, “The name was added without permission of the Executive Committee and the player was from outside the 21 picked for the season. This was the reason for this unprecedented action.”It has been a winter of troubles for Delhi. Mithun Manhas had declined to lead the team against Punjab and Aakash Chopra took charge. Delhi went on to lose that match and things started on a downward spiral. In a manner that would have rivalled any Bollywood plot, the selectors were reportedly threatened by the supporters of Tomar, which had the selectors scampering for police security.Manhas and Chopra both refused to lead the team and Manhas relented only after Jaitley had a talk with him on the issue. However, Delhi subsequently suffered a humiliating 141-run defeat against a lowly-placed Himachal Pradesh. Under pressure and allegedly facing threats the selectors picked Tomar again, including him in the list of 16 that was sent to Jaitley.”We had told the selectors not to yield to outside pressure. We were concerned at the happenings and were convinced that Delhi cricket’s interest was not protected. We pledge to improve the image of Delhi cricket. We are aware of wrong doings in the junior teams too but will need time to cleanse the system. A beginning has been made,” Chauhan said.

Jeff Wilson is expected to play his fifth one-day international against Australia at Christchurch tomorrow© Getty Images

Ground security will not be increased for tomorrow’s one-day match at Christchurch after Martin Snedden, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, reassured the Australia team they would not be under threat from unruly spectators. But the match will hold extra interest for local fans as Jeff Wilson, the former All Black, was named in the starting line-up to replace Scott Styris, who was ruled out with a recurring knee injury.Wilson played four ODIs against Australia in 1992-93 before embarking on an international rugby career and is the only change to the side that lost the opening match by 10 runs. James Marshall, the twin brother of Hamish Marshall, will be 12th man and the squad for the final three matches will be settled after the game tomorrow.Snedden said the crowd’s behaviour during the second innings of Saturday’s match was “unacceptable”, but he was satisfied with the security and police numbers at Christchurch. “All we wanted to emphasise was the need for security to be more proactive, which I don’t think was the case in Wellington.”Ricky Ponting had requested more policing throughout the rest of the tour following the ugly crowd behaviour that briefly stopped the opening match. Matthew Hayden said he was spat on while Simon Katich and Glenn McGrath argued with security guards after plastic bottles were thrown at them. “I assured Steve [Bernard, the Australia manager] we are taking it seriously and he has acknowledged it’s not a major issue,” Snedden told NZPA. “I’m confident there won’t be a problem.”New Zealand 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Mathew Sinclair, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Hamish Marshall, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Jeff Wilson, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Daryl Tuffey, 12 James Marshall.

Adam Gilchrist: up off his sickbed © Getty Images

Steve Waugh has dropped a hint that Stuart MacGill is likely to be named in Australia’s XI for the first Test against India at Brisbane which starts tomorrow (Thursday).Although the Gabba track is green and widely expected to favour the seamers, Waugh argued that it was vital to have a balanced attack. And he added that MacGill will still get turn even on a grassy pitch.Waugh’s views were shared by Kevin Mitchell, the groundsman, who said there was a “real good even grass coverage” that should produce “good bounce and pace”. But he added that there would be enough in the pitch for the spinners.MacGill’s inclusion would probably mean that Nathan Bracken would be left out of the side.Australia were boosted by the sight of Adam Gilchrist at training after he missed Tuesday’s session because of a viral infection. “He’s a bit run-down but he should be fine,” Errol Alcott, the team’s physiotherapist, told reporters.And Brett Lee joined in the practice, although he is unlikely to be fit until the third Test. He has recovered from strained stomach muscles and ankle surgery, and will make his return for New South Wales at the weekend.Australia (probable): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Simon Katich, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Andy Bichel, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Stuart MacGill, 11 Brad Williams.

Tony Lewis, the 63 year old former Glamorgan and England captain, is to become a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours List.Tony, who this year led the successful bid to bring golf’s Ryder Cup to Wales in 2010, receives his CBE for services to sport, broadcasting and Wales.He has had a lifetime in sport and the media – the first Welshman to captainEngland in Tests, he also led Glamorgan to the County Championship in 1969. He has remained actively involved with the club, as Chairman, and currently President, in addition to serving as President of the M.C.C,, and during his term of office, Lord`s hosted the 1999 Cricket World Cup final.A founder member of the Sports Council for Wales, Tony has also worked as acricket commentator and presenter, and from 1992 until 2000, he served as chair of the Wales Tourist Board. In 2000, Tony took on the chairmanship of Wales’s Ryder Cup bid, funded by Sir Terry Matthews, the wealthy owner of the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, and he was rewarded with confirmation a couple of months ago that the Newport course will stage the 2010 Ryder Cup.Naturally, Tony was extremely pleased with the news of his honour, and said it was a great honour for his whole family. “It’s a very warm feeling, and a lovely surprise. My family are basking in it, which is only right I suppose. It is an honour which is very well accepted, but often you depend on so many people. I have been very lucky.”Although he does not know who nominated him, or why, he said he felt his work in promoting Wales, and Welsh sporting organisations was instrumental, especially the success of the Ryder Cup campaign. “I’m sure it’s been a major contribution, especially as it was such a terrific success for Wales and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a team effort, everything has knitted together well and it had a very happy conclusion at the end of the day when Wales won the Ryder Cup bid.”

Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente is expected to miss the upcoming international break after picking up an injury in the stunning 3-2 win over Wolves last night.

The Lowdown: Llorente injured in Molineux win

The Whites secured arguably their most important victory of the season on Friday night, winning 3-2 at Molineux in a thrilling Premier League clash. However, it was another crazy night on the injury front for Leeds, who lost Patrick Bamford early on and then Mateusz Klich just before half-time.

Llorente was another Whites player who was forced off through injury after hurting his back, being replaced by Robin Koch shortly before Klich left the field, as fitness issues continue to be problematic throughout the squad.

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The Latest: Hay provides injury update on Llorente

Taking to Twitter after the match, Hay claimed that Llorente is not expected to play for Spain during the international break taking place over the next few weeks.

Posting an update on the multitude of aforementioned injuries, the journalist said of the 28-year-old: “Back spasm, likely to miss Spain duty.”

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The Verdict: Hopefully back next month

The hope is that Llorente’s injury is only a short-term issue which isn’t worth risking for Spain, as his injury-plagued Whites career shows little sign of changing.

Jesse Marsch needs as many players as possible available to him during the remainder of the season in what promises to be a nerve-shredding relegation battle if last night’s dramatics are anything to go by.

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Llorente’s experience could be crucial in these remaining eight league matches – he has won eight caps for Spain, which is no mean feat – as he looks to help steer the Whites to safety.

Based on Hay’s update, the saving grace is that it may have come at the best possible time for Leeds, with the two-week international break possibly encompassing most, if not all, of the Spaniard’s enforced absence.

In other news, one Leeds player has claimed he will stay at the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan may have formed a solid opening combination at the top of India’s batting order, but Rohit feels that comparisons with the prolific Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly duo are premature.Rohit and Dhawan have put up 2763 runs from 63 innings across formats at an average of 44.56, with eight centuries and 10 fifties between them. While that is still a fair bit away from the 6609 runs Tendulkar and Ganguly put up together, Rohit has “immense satisfaction” that people are already drawing comparisons between the two pairs.”Comparisons with India’s most successful opening pairing [Ganguly-Tendulkar] gives you immense satisfaction. Comparisons are a piece of joy,” Rohit told . “It would be great if me and Shikhar as an opening pair can achieve the success that these two accomplished in their illustrious careers.”We are still not there but both of us would like to entertain the fans and win as many matches as they have won for India.”Rohit, who was named Player of the Series in the recent ODIs against Australia for his 441 runs from five matches, also felt that even his personal best was yet to come.”This is not the best. Whatever I achieve, I would always tell myself that my best is yet to come. I have scored 441 runs in the ODI series in Australia. In the next big series, my target will be to score more than 441 runs. If I am satisfied with my past achievements, I will never be able to set higher benchmarks.”It is a fact that you need to get the basics right. The straight six over fast bowlers’ head is a shot which I play with my batswing being the extension of my arm. It is about timing and position of the body negligible power element in it. But when MS Dhoni bats in the 45th over with the ball going soft, you need those wrists and brute power to clear ropes. That’s why MS is special.”Despite Rohit’s heroics in the ODI series, India went on to lose 4-1, though the visitors sealed a historic 3-0 whitewash in the T20Is that followed. However, Rohit said that the T20 win could not be put on the same pedestal as India’s victory in the 2007-08 tri-series, owing to the quality of Australia’s bowling attack back then.”I agree that their bowling attack is not same as it used to be but does one expect that Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath would have played on forever? You can only score runs off the bowlers that you play against,” Rohit said. “Every win counts as that’s what you are supposed to do while playing for the country.”[2008] was so different. I was a 20-year-old on my second or third tour. The new captain [Dhoni] was just settling down. Imagine their bowling attack. Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and a far younger Mitchell Johnson. The batting line- up was Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting and Clarke. So that tournament win can’t be compared to this win but this is also special in its own way.”

Shane Harwood led Victoria’s attack with four wickets © Getty Images

ScorecardVictoria were well on the way to first-innings points at stumps on the first day after Shane Harwood led a fast-bowling demolition of Tasmania. Harwood collected 4 for 53 as the Tigers were bundled out for 168, justifying the decision by Victoria’s stand-in captain David Hussey to send Tasmania in.At the close the Bushrangers had eased to 1 for 111, trailing by 57 runs with Rob Quiney on 55 and Michael Klinger on 4. If Victoria overtake the Tigers’ score it will be the sixth time from as many games this season that Tasmania have been behind on the first innings.The competition’s leading wicket-taker Gerard Denton (ankle) was missing from Victoria’s line-up but Harwood and Peter Siddle proved just as dangerous. Harwood bowled Michael Di Venuto with the third ball of the innings and Siddle, who was returning from a shoulder injury, removed Michael Dighton and Travis Birt in his first spell.Tasmania were 6 for 85 shortly after lunch when Harwood picked up Luke Butterworth and Tim Paine in one over, and only George Bailey’s 40 and a late 27 from Chris Duval nudged the Tigers past the embarrassment level. Dirk Nannes took 2 for 45 and Siddle grabbed 3 for 33, meaning he has more wickets from his two games this summer than the Australian-contracted Ben Hilfenhaus has from five outings.Hilfenhaus was tidy with 0 for 26 from 13 overs, however Quiney and Nick Jewell were reliable for Victoria, adding 100 for the first wicket. Jewell was lbw to Jason Krejza late in the day for 42 but Tasmania need a dramatic turnaround on the second day to put their title defence back on track.