Cricket: Mike Hussey, the Durham batsman, will make his long awaited Test debut for Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane tomorrow against West Indies (Pat Gibson writes). He replaces Justin Langer, who has a broken rib.

No Australian has played as many first-class matches (176) or scored as many runs (15,313 at 52) before making his Test debut, and Hussey, 30, said: “It has been a long time and a lot of hard work.”

West Indies have lost 15 of their past 22 Tests, but Brian Lara, who needs 316 runs to overhaul Allan Border as the highest runscorer in Test cricket, believes they can win if they “play the sort of aggressive cricket that England played”.

Gold target

Olympic Games: The British Olympic Association (BOA) will next month produce its seven-year funding plans to meet its target of winning 18 gold medals at the 2012 London Games. Lord Moynihan, the BOA chairman, told MPs yesterday that “consistent funding” is essential if Britain are to fulfil these ambitions.

Coach in trouble

Drugs in sport: A canoeing coach to Great Britain’s national development squad is being investigated over allegations that he called for all competitors to be allowed to take drugs so that no athlete would have an unfair advantage. Krassimir Ivanov is claimed to have made the statement in an interview with a newspaper in Belgium.

National calls

Cricket: Andrew Hall and Albie Morkel have replaced Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje in the South Africa squad for the final two one-day internationals against New Zealand. Gibbs and Boje are not going to India because they were not promised immunity from prosecution for their alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal.

No six appeal

Golf: A par-six measuring 878 yards is being played on the Asian Tour in Thailand this week. The hole is one of two par-sixes at St Andrews Hill but the other has been reduced to a par-five for the Double A International Open. Wisut Artjanawat, the Thai player, said: “It’s too long. Golf should only have par-three, par-four or par-five holes.”

Hussein promise

Boxing: Nedal Hussein, the Australian who is challenging Scott Harrison for the WBO featherweight title in Glasgow on Saturday, stayed on the offensive yesterday. “Harrison has become a predictable fighter,” he said. “That wasn’t the case early on in his career when he was a good boxer and counter-puncher. I’m not going to run or pose for him.”