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Glen Motchall, Calmore’s lanky Australian left-arm pace bowler, took a career-best 8-87, yet finished on the losing side as BAT Sports turned a likely defeat into an improbable 35-run victory over their arch Southern Electric ECB Premier League rivals at Southern Gardens.BAT emerged from a gruelling morning session at 64-6, but revealed an abundance of character to turn a pulsating match, full of attacking cricket, around in quite dramatic style.Lower-order pair Adam Hayes and Dave Adams, relishing a rare opportunity to shine, were largely responsible as BAT advanced to 171 all out before Dan Goldstraw used his high trajectory to great effect and blew over Calmore’s top order.Calmore’s reply in many ways mirrored the BAT innings, with five wickets falling for 46 runs before teenage duo Paul Cass and Mark Archer launched a determined but ultimately unsuccessful bid to turn the tide again.The youngsters added 61 in a heartening sixth-wicket recovery, but when Cass toe-ended an intended pull into the deep, Calmore’s prospects disappeared back into the pavilion with him.They were eventually bowled out for 136 – 35 runs adrift of BAT, whose 21-point victory has nudged Havant off the top of the Premier One table.Motchall, who plays for the Carlton Grade club in Melbourne, described the dry Southern Gardens pitch as a "bit more like bowling back home.""I was able to get a lot more bounce than I’ve previously been accustomed to here. I certainly got a fair bit of movement, especially when the ball was hard and new," he said.The 6’5" Victorian had five wickets in the bag by lunchtime, but Hayes, whose unbeaten 42 would have been worthy of any ‘man-of-the-match’ tag, and Adams (35) gave the Australian notice of their fighting intentions.The pair added a precious 55 before Motchall ripped out Adams’s leg stump at 123-8.Realising how important another quick 20 or so runs could be, Goldstraw didn’t hang about – pulling Motchall for two huge sixes, and dumping the argumentative James Hibberd on to the adjoining railway track..Goldstraw’s cameo and Hayes’s carefully constructed innings lifted BAT to 171 all out – a testing total for Calmore to chase.Calmore made it to 21 before Richard Taylor (of local rock band fame) had Paul Draper taken down the leg side by Banks.Then Goldstraw, effectively using his height at the same end as Motchall earlier, had Tom Pegler caught by a diving Richard Kenway at second slip.And when the ex-Lymington in-swing paceman rearranged Jez Goode’s stumps and trapped Hibberd smack in front for a first ball duck, Calmore were neck deep in trouble.Then Rob Budd located the bucket hands of Mark Page, to become Taylor’s second victim.Calmore sagged to 46-5 …and were seemingly out for the count.But Cass and Archer, the two 17-year olds, showed maturity beyond their tender years to haul Calmore back into the contest.The pair showed an effective form of defence and produced a selection of fluent shots in a gutsy partnership of 59, which ended when Cass miscued a long-hop from left-arm spinner Dave Carson into Page’s waiting hands at deep square-leg.But Archer, using the occasion to give Hampshire YCs selectors a timely nudge, took Calmore’s reply on to 124-7 before he lifted Richard Dibden into the deep … only to be quite brilliantly caught by Carson, in front of an enthusiastic clubhouse gathering.Archer’s dismissal effective marked the end of Calmore’s challenge, Goldstraw ending the resistance at 136 to give BAT a hard-earned victory.Calmore skipper Tom Pegler, who alongside Dave Banks maintained his attacking options throughout, wasn’t overjoyed with the end result."We won the game wit the ball – then lost it with our batting," he groaned.

The Wolves fans in the Transfer Tavern have been delighted with their club’s activity in the transfer market so far this summer, and recent reports regarding Adama Traore have given them further reason to be optimistic. 

The Breakdown

Nuno Espirito Santo has been busy in the transfer market this summer as he attempts to lay the foundations for a successful survival bid in the Premier League. With the signatures of three strikers and a winger already secured, it seems that Santo is adopting a wise strategy by placing extra emphasis on improving his attacking options.

But despite his initial movements in the market, Santo doesn’t appear to be finished bolstering his forward line just yet if reports in The Sun are anything to go by. According to the report, Wolves and Huddersfield are leading the race to sign Middlesbrough’s promising right-winger Adama Traore this summer.

The Spanish U21 international struggled to impress on his debut season for Middlesbrough as he failed to find the back of the net in 27 appearances and managed to provide just a solitary assist.

However, the Barcelona trainee began to deliver on his promise last season with some eye-catching displays for Middlesbrough during a Championship campaign in which he scored 5 goals and provided 10 assists from 34 appearances – clearly, a huge improvement on his previous effort.

At full flow, Traore (valued at £7.2 million by Transfermarkt) posed an extremely menacing prospect for defenders to deal with last season as he used his blistering pace and ability to either cut inside or run to the byline to devastating effect.

Consistency and decision-making are two qualities which have eluded Traore during his career so far, but his success last season suggests that he has turned a significant corner in his development and could be ready for the step up to the Premier League.

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The fact that Traore has only managed to prove himself for one season whilst playing at a level below the Premier League will certainly give Santo cause for concern regarding a potential deal, but if he is willing to adapt his system to suit the 22-year-old and trust in his ability, Wolves could pull off a masterstroke deal by bringing him to Molineux.

Wolves fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

	James Hopes could well turn out to be Punjab’s trump card © Getty Images

Match facts

Monday, April 21, 2008
Start time 20:00 local time (14:30 GMT)

The Big Picture

Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals are both looking to open their account in the IPL after coming up second-best in Saturday’s matches. Punjab were undone at home by the brilliance of Michael Hussey but their abundance of riches means they are overwhelming favourites to win in Jaipur. Rajasthan, on the other hand, are enduring a frustrating wait for five of their foreign recruits. To add to their problems their less established players are not showing the mettle required to survive in this cut-throat competition, as was evident during their nine-wicket thrashing by the Delhi Daredevils.With this being the first IPL match on a weekday, after Friday night’s opener, the size of the crowd will perhaps indicate whether the tournament has truly captured the imagination.

Watch out for …

… Punjab taking the early running, regardless of the outcome of the toss. If they bat first , they have the versatile James Hopes to give their innings a lift-off. With Kumar Sangakkara slated to walk in at No. 3, and captain Yuvraj Singh to follow, Rajasthan’s boundary riders are in for some hard work. Punjab’s opening bowlers, Brett Lee and Sreesanth, did not pose too many problems for the Chennai Super Kings, but they will be an entirely different proposition for Rajasthan. With Hopes and Irfan Pathan to follow-up, the going might just get tougher. An intriguing sub-plot to the contest will be a potential face-off between Irfan and his half-brother Yusuf, an aggressive presence in Rajasthan’s top order.Meanwhile, Rajasthan will be eager to prove the critics wrong. They will be looking to Shane Watson and Darren Lehmann, and to Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Salunke, both of whom gave a good account of themselves in Delhi, to bring out the big hits. Mohammad Kaif may be a livewire in the field, but he needs to come good with the bat to have a real impact on the contest. Not many players will be queueing up to take the place of seamers Munaf Patel and Siddharth Trivedi, both of whom face a huge test with the ball.

Team news

Punjab’s line-up looks pretty settled and the only question of interest will be whether Mahela Jayawardene gets a game. With each team having a cap on four foreign players, the axe could fall on Simon Katich. Ramesh Powar may replace seamer Wilkin Mota if there is something in the pitch for the spinners, and Pankaj Dharmani can consider himself unfortunate if he misses out as he is yet to bat.Punjab (probable) 1 Karan Goel 2 James Hopes 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk) 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt) 5 Mahela Jayawardene/Simon Katich 6 Irfan Pathan 7 Pankaj Dharmani 8 Brettt Lee 9 Piyush Chawla 10 Wilkin Mota/Ramesh Powar 11 Sreesanth.Rajasthan, more due to circumstance than choice, will be forced to retain most of the team that played in Delhi. Graeme Smith may not be back from South Africa in time for the encounter, while Dimitri Mascarenhas, the England allrounder, will only be with the team for two weeks starting as late as May 12. The Pakistan trio – Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, and Sohail Tanvir, will fly to India on the day of the match after completing their Twenty20 international against Bangladesh on Sunday, and it is highly unlikely that any of them will play.The home side struggled to get a move on at the beginning of their innings in the first match, and may draft in Niraj Patel, who averages 50 at a strike-rate of 132.74 from eight domestic Twenty20s, in place of Taruwar Kohli. Jaydev Shah possesses an equally impressive strike-rate of 159.25 in four matches, and he also may get a look-in.Rajasthan (probable) 1 Niraj Patel 2 Yusuf Pathan 3 Shane Watson 4 Mohammad Kaif 5 Darren Lehmann 6 Ravindra Jadeja 7 Mahesh Rawat (wk) 8 Dinesh Salunkhe 9 Shane Warne (capt) 10 Siddharth Trivedi 11 Munaf Patel.

Stats and trivia

Salunke was the winner of the first season of the reality television show ‘Cricket Star’, as a result of which he got an opportunity to represent Leicester’s second XI

Punjab’s first game in the IPL produced a match aggregate of 447 runs, which is only two short of the record in a Twenty20 game

Quotes

“Graeme Smith is joining next week. The Pakistanis – Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal – are joining. The Englishman, Dimitri Mascarenhas, is an exciting player, and he is also joining soon. So, I am pretty confident that we will give tougher competition to other teams in the tournament.”
Warne keeps the faith after the Delhi loss

Cooking up some intrigue – Emma Sayle and Alastair Cook pose for the cameras © Kieran Galvin

It’s a dull grey Thursday at Chelmsford. Alastair Cook is on the pitch taking part in a photoshoot at his home Essex ground, all in the name of work.In exactly a week’s time he could be trotting down the Lord’s pavilion steps with Andrew Strauss to face West Indies, that intent gaze no doubt etched onto his ever-serious face. You know his look: the face of a thousand bland TV interviews, of the media-trained top-class sportsman.But today… well, today the seriousness has been replaced by a broad beam; then again there are two naked women flanking him. And there are more surprises in store. After the shoot – for a charity calendar – he reveals himself to be, contrary to the anodyne Henman-alike character on the small screen, naturally charming and surprisingly engaging. It’s all a little surreal.More unexpectedly still, he actually enjoys talking to the media and is cheerful as we sit down in the pavilion. “I don’t normally get to do interviews,” he says, with enthusiasm, while chomping away on some sandwiches from M&S. “I’m quite laidback.” I’d noticed. Anyway, it’s not as if he reads pieces about him – then there is a pause as he realises what he’s said. “I do, but I don’t pay too much attention!”But what is he doing at Chelmsford on his day off? As a centrally contracted player Cook’s busy enough without arriving to be snapped leaning on a lawnmower or dressed as an umpire while the two models Emma and Natalie, painted in the ECB colours, giggle suggestively. He finds it all brilliant, though. “Having to stare at naked women they didn’t have to twist my arm too much!”In the background, the Essex PR, Greg, shakes his head gently. Unfazed, Cook merely clarifies: “Better being honest than trying to make up some rubbish!” You can’t argue. And of course it’s all in a good cause, for the CHASE Ben Hollioake Fund, set up to remember Ben, Adam’s brother, who died in car crash in 2002. Cook didn’t know Ben, but he met Adam last year, and he’s happy to do his bit to help.

It was hard seeing the lads out there and wanting to be there

He’s a breath of fresh air, in the way that his batting breezed new life into England stage the day he strode onto the international stage in India in 2006, making 60 and 104 not out in his first two innings. But importantly, he’s confident, not arrogant – and he feels he’s far from the finished product.”I think you always have something to prove, always to yourself, especially at the start of the season, with a new coach coming in.” Three first-class centuries to kick off this season weren’t enough proof for him, then. “Shame there wasn’t a double hundred,” he flashes back. When pressed he does stretch to “I feel as if I’m hitting the ball quite cleanly”. He’d done more than enough to keep his England spot, particularly given Michael Vaughan’s absence.It’s not just about proving, though, it’s about constantly improving: “Your place is never certain.” That’s the hallmark of a future champion, that Warne-like desire to learn. Then again, Cook actually did have to improve.The winter wasn’t a high point: he was found out Down Under – with just one century, at Perth – and then left out of the one-day set-up from January. He admits missing the World Cup in particular was tough. “It was hard seeing the lads out there and wanting to be there. I didn’t watch too much. I just tried to get away from it and do my own thing.”

Cook struck the first century of the summer, with a ton for MCC © Getty Images

That thing was focussing on his shots on and around off-stump. “I’d be stupid not to. The Aussies got me out that way.” Still, he didn’t go overboard on correctional work: “It’s as much mental as it is technical.” He’s candid, though, about his need to improve on certain aspects. “Practising catching a ball always helps!” he says, alluding to his less-than-perfect fielding. But again he’s worked hard and it’s all made him tougher.He’s hungry, too, for more bites at the one-day cherry. In his two ODIs to date he showed an unexpected aggression, but he insists it’s part of his natural armour. “I’ve always got the shots. In Test match cricket you’ve got time to bat. You don’t want to play an aggressive shot and get out. In one-day cricket you’ve got to be more aggressive.”He wasn’t always so calm. “I was a fiery youngster,” he says, as if he’s now way beyond his 22 years. (He does look older, though, with his square jaw and mature frame, and he acts it, too. Only, it’s no act.) “I had a bit of a temper. That’s where you’ve got to learn to bat. Everyone makes mistakes, you play and miss. It’s playing the next ball. That’s Goochie’s thing, play the next ball.”That’s Graham Gooch, of course, head batting coach at Essex – who he won’t be seeing much of if he continues with England. Happily, though, he’s just been reunited with two old acquaintances, England’s new coaches. He can’t wait to work with Peter Moores, who he knows from Academy and England A days (Moores recommended him for the India call-up) – “I know he will put his heart and soul into it” – and then there’s the assistant, Andy Flower, who he played with at Essex.Flower provided an example of never-say-die on the pitch and the pair shared many successful partnerships. “It was the way you watched him batting at the other end and he wouldn’t get out, so you thought you couldn’t get out, either”.England’s first challenge in their brave new world is West Indies, about whom he’s guarded, “They’re massive wounded animals”. He’s warier still of India, whose bowlers he played so well in his debut series. “They really have world-class players.” Not to mention a point to prove. “That will be a tough battle.” He will be battle-ready.He’s looking no further, though – the India series is far, far away in his mind as it is, so there’s not much room for talking about him as a future England captain. “You can get too ahead of yourself. That would be great but it’s not something I’m going to chase. I’d rather keep my place in the England side and try to win for England.” England, as ever, will keep expecting.

Afghanistan will tour England, playing Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire 2nd XIs during their 18-day trip which kicks-off on June 11.”This year is very important for our cricket,” Taj Malik Alam, their coach, told the BBC. “I think it will be a turning point and if we win all the matches then we can get the attention of the international cricket community. We have a long way to go but we really want to participate in the World Cup and become one of the best teams in the world.””It is a great honour to play in England,” said Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai, one of the squad. “Everyone is waiting for us to go, they want to see what we can do and we want to make the most of this opportunity.”In March, the Afghan side beat an MCC XI, skippered by Mike Gatting, in a game played at Mumbai.Cricket is now Afghanistan’s third most popular sport, behind buzkashi and football.Money raised from the tour will be used to help fund the building of a cricket ground in Kabul.Tour itinerary
June 11 – Hoddesdon
June 14 – Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
June 15 – Glamorgan 2nd XI, Swansea
June 19 – Loughborough UCCE
June 20 – Essex 2nd XI, Billericay
June 21 – Leicestershire 2nd XI, Hinckley Town
June 22 – Ditchling CC, Sussex

Sanath Jayasuriya eyes a stint in English county cricket© AFP

Sanath Jayasuriya could follow Muttiah Muralitharan to England next summer having been approached by the Scottish Saltires who are looking for a top-quality overseas star for their third season in the Totesport League Two.”There are one or two big names who are interested in coming over. Jayasuriya is one of several we are talking to,” Saltires skipper Craig White was quoted as saying on BBC Online. Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka’s skipper, had also been approached. Sri Lanka are taking a break from international cricket from February to mid-July next year creating a window of opportunity for their players to play a half-season in England. Sri Lanka’s cricket board is encouraging the players to go to gain valuable experience.The main stumbling block to the Jayasuriya deal will be money. Scotland lack the financial muscle of the counties and a deal with Rahul Dravid in their first season was only clinched after assistance from the Indian expatriate community in Scotland.Scotland are keen to wrap up the deal as soon as possible: “Obviously we would like to be able to make a decision as soon as possible, because it would encourage season-ticket package sales and create a buzz,” admitted White.Muralitharan signed for Lancashire earlier in the week for a third season after stints in 1999 and 2001 and Mohan de Silva, Sri Lanka’s cricket board president, hopes that it will pave the way for more players securing county contracts in the coming months.”I hope Murali’s signing paves the way for more Sri Lankan cricketers to have stints with counties,” said de Silva. “The contrasting conditions could only make a player better.” Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are both being sought contracts by former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, who works with a leading sports agency called International Sports Management, the UK agents for Muralitharan.

Arjuna Ranatunga believes that Shane Warne will struggle in Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain and serial Warne-baiter, haslabeled Shane Warne as a potential liability for the forthcoming Test seriesagainst Sri Lanka and described Australia’s current team as “unimpressive.”In an interview with Australia newspapers, Ranatunga, now a politician,believes Sri Lanka’s batsmen have little to fear if, as expected, Warne isnamed in Australia’s Test squad on Friday for the first time since aone-year drugs ban.”I feel that they will struggle, especially under these conditions,”Ranatunga is quoted as saying. “The present Australian team areunimpressive, when you look at the teams they used to have with the Waughsand Glenn McGrath.””Sri Lankan sides are quite good with spin … and Warne might have anissue here. Warne has been out a long time and he might struggle to getthrough the Sri Lankan batting line-up.” Ranatunga added, “The Australianspin attack is not impressive at all when you see that we have Muraliand others on our side.”Ranatunga had made a pastime out of baiting Warne ever since, on the eve ofthe 1999 World Cup, Warne suggested that the Sri Lankan team would be betteroff without Ranatunga.Ranatunga urged Sri Lanka’s current team to stand up to Australia in thefield. “I don’t know about this team but we used to feel when we gave it[verbally] back to the Australians they would crumble. I was one person whowas always against sledging but that was how it seemed. I’m not sure whatthis [Sri Lankan] team will do.”

There will be a News Conference with South African batsman Graeme Smith atthe Sandton Sun at 5pm today. All media are welcome to attend.WHO: GRAEME SMITHWHERE: JACARANDA ROOM – SANDTON SUN HOTELWHEN: 5pm – FRIDAY 14TH FEBRUARY

New Zealand’s Level III cricket coaches will be receiving their latest round of training over the next month.With about 70 Level III coaches spread over the six provincial associations, New Zealand Cricket’s director of coaching development John Howell and the director of player development Ashley Ross will be visiting each association to conduct the two-day courses.Coaches at this level are required to attend a new course every four years to maintain their certification.Among some of the Level III coaches are: Sir Richard Hadlee, Tony Blain, Allen McLaughlin, Matt Horne, Llorne Howell, Ann McKenna, Denis Aberhart, Gary MacDonald, Lee Germon, Michael Sharpe, Dave Hadfield, Mark Greatbatch, Scott Briasco, Alistar Jordan, Paul Unwin, Brendon Bracewell, Chris Kuggeleijn, Cliff Dickeson, Karl Treiber, Mike Wright, Grant Bradburn, Michael Austen, Julie Harris, Sarah Kelly, Vaughn Johnson, Kristy Van Dyk.Also taking part will be Lyn Kidman of the Christchurch College of Education who will be discussing the subject of player empowerment, the subject of a book she has recently written.This relates to players being more responsible for their own decision-making.New Zealand national coach David Trist will work with Howell on what is a team culture while Howell and Ross will also discuss the role of decision-making.They have just completed a course in Auckland which dealt with learning styles and Howell said the role of decision-making was becoming a big thing in cricket.It was an area with a lot of debate and said there was great interest in the type of decision-making that saw less orthodox batsmen like Nathan Astle and Andrew Jones play a ball a certain way and survive while more orthodox players played it another way and got out.”People in pressure situations often react differently to an event than they would in normal life,” Howell said.There would also be tactical and strategic discussions on things such as whether a spinner like Sri Lankan Mutiah Muralitharan should be played in front of the pad in the way Martin Crowe preferred or behind the pad as John Reid preferred.As part of the programme, regional under-19 high performance squads will be working with Ross at each venue on skills practices with the coaches observing.Another part of the course will involve Bruce Blair working on Digi-Cricket, the coaching programme designed by former Australian women’s cricket coach John Harmer, who is now the England women’s coach. Blair will also deal with what makes the tough, elite athlete.Ross will also discuss whether athletes should have their styles changed or should they be left alone?The first session will be held in Hamilton on June 27-28, the second in Wellington on July 1-2, the third at Palmerston North on July 3-4, the fourth on July 5-6 in Auckland, the fifth in Dunedin on July 9-10 and the final session in Christchurch on July 11-12.From August 1-3, development workshops will be held at Lincoln University with the first-class coaches and other invited coaches. The programme will be slightly different to that for Level IIII coaches.

Xabi Alonso believes his former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard has the ability and technical skill to play for Real Madrid, Barcelona or even for Spain, according to Liverpoolfc.com.

Gerrard made his 600th appearance for Liverpool on Sunday against Newcastle, and played many of those games in a midfield partnership with the Spanish playmaker, who was at Anfield from 2004 to 2009. During that time, the Reds won the Champions League and the F.A. Cup.

Alonso used the landmark occasion to speak for his admiration for the England International on Real Madrid TV.

We are great friends and we still keep in touch,” said the Spaniard.

“He was a great influence to me. When I arrived at Liverpool I was 22 and he was the captain, he was the main man at the club. For me he was a reference, the way he behaved with his teammates and with the supporters as well. I learned a lot from him.

Alonso, aged 30, continued by discussing some of Gerrard’s on-pitch attributes.

“He could play in any national team in the world because he has so many great qualities. He is flexible. He can play at the English pace or he can associate with the ball very well.

“He is a very intelligent player, so he could play anywhere – not just any national team but any club in the world.

The Real Madrid midfielder believes that despite not winning international trophies, the England Captain will go down in history as one of Football’s greatest players.

“He’ll absolutely be remembered as one of the greats. For me he is already one of the greats.

“He has achieved great things and in very important moments he has been the man for Liverpool. We had great European nights and he was the main man. For me he’s a great player.

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“Hopefully he will reach 700 games” he added.

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