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Jeet Raval, the lone new face in New Zealand’s 16-man squad for the tour of Africa, hopes to treat the opportunity as a learning ground to pitch for higher honours

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2016Batsman Jeet Raval, the lone new face in New Zealand’s 16-man squad for the tour of Africa, hopes to treat the opportunity as a learning ground to pitch for higher honours.Raval, a 27-year old left-hander, was picked ahead of Hamish Rutherford as the back-up opener for Tom Latham and Martin Guptill, after scoring 780 runs at 55.71 in the 2015-16 Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s first-class competition. He made 202 not out, 139, 90 and 147 in his last five matches.”For me it’s about learning as much as I can and just be myself,” he said after New Zealand’s first training session in Pretoria, where the team will be based for a week before flying to Zimbabwe for the first Test starting on July 28. “The coaches have told me that I’m here only because I love the game and that there’s no need to change anything. So when I get the opportunity, I’ll be ready to go.”Raval, who admitted to being surprised at the call-up, said his induction into the national team had been enjoyable so far. He said it was very different to the culture shock he had to overcome when he migrated from India to New Zealand with his family as a 16-year old in 2004.”It’s a nice and relaxed environment. All the boys have been welcoming, so I’m really enjoying my time so far,” he said. “We moved to New Zealand with the family when I was 16 with mum and dad deciding we wanted a lifestyle change. At the start I completely hated it. It was a massive cultural change.”I couldn’t understand a word of what the teacher said on my first day of school at Avondale College because I couldn’t speak English. I went home and started crying to my mum and said, ‘Mum let’s got back to India because I don’t know what’s going on here.'”But now, I’ve found a new home here in Auckland for the last few years. I’ve scored a few runs, and got a call from Gavin Larsen when I was playing club cricket in UK. I told my wife first, and then called my dad back home in New Zealand. He was over the moon. So I want to just enjoy this opportunity and be myself.”New Zealand start their tour of Zimbabwe with a three-day warm-up fixture in Harare from July 22, before they move to Bulawayo for two Tests. They will then return to South Africa for two Tests.

Steven Croft’s career best, backed up by a blitz from James Faulkner, was too much at Old Trafford for Derbyshire, who have now won only one of their first six matches

ECB/PA12-Jun-2015
ScorecardSteven Croft’s career best sustained Lancashire•Getty Images

Steven Croft hit a spectacular career best 94 not out as Lancashire secured a comprehensive 67-run NatWest T20 Blast win over Derbyshire Falcons at Emirates Old Trafford, leaving Derbyshire with just one win to show for their six matches.The Lightning’s captain smashed nine fours and two sixes in a 51-ball assault to underpin 201 for 3 after they had been in bother at 62 for 3 after ten overs.Croft shared a county record fourth-wicket partnership of 151 unbroken off 80 balls with Australian James Faulkner, who finished 47 not out off 30 with three sixes and two fours.The Lightning then bowled the Falcons out for 134 to complete a third win from five North Division matches and a second on the spin after last week’s victory over Yorkshire at Headingley, which was inspired by Jos Buttler.Croft and Faulkner struck once apiece with the ball, but left-arm spinner Stephen Parry finished with 4 for 16 from his three overs.

Insights

It was difficult to fancy Derbyshire going into this game. They had lost 11 consecutive away T20s and seven of eight against Lancashire. They lost this one – among other reasons – because they were undisciplined at the death. Eighteen in the extras column – a penultimate over including two wides and the six no balls courtesy of Rimmington’s full toss to Faulkner and the five wides White served up in the last – is criminal. – Will Macpherson

This was a Buttleresque display of power hitting from Croft, especially, after the visitors had elected to bowl, although minus Buttler’s trademark reverse sweeps and scoops.Ashwell Prince, Karl Brown and Liam Livingstone all fell inside the first eight overs to Wayne White, Tony Palladino and Wes Durston, leaving the score at 50 for 3.Lancashire went 37 balls without a boundary from the end of the sixth over to the start of the 13th, but Croft and Faulkner hit eleven fours and five sixes in the last eight overs.Twenty one runs came off Palladino in the 13th over before 29 came off Nathan Rimmington in the 19th, including two sixes and six no balls courtesy of a head high full toss at Faulkner which went for four.White then conceded 20 off the last of his former county’s inningsThe Faulkner and Croft alliance continued as Derbyshire made a forgettable start to their reply as Durston edged the Australian left-armer’s second ball of the innings to Croft at slip to leave the score at 1 for 1.Tillakaratne Dilshan top-edged Tom Bailey behind for a brisk 21 – 44 for two in the seventh.The Falcons reached halfway at 79 for 2 with Chesney Hughes unbeaten on 39, but he miscued Aaron Lilley’s off-spin to long-on with the first ball of the eleventh.Bailey bowled Billy Godleman with 99 on the board in the 13th and although the visitors were still ahead on runs in comparison to the first innings, their chances were disappearing.Croft picked up his wicket when Wayne Madsen reverse swept his off-spinners to backward point in the next, leaving the score at 105 for 5.Parry struck to get Scott Elstone and Tom Poynton caught at long-on in the 16th – 117 for 7 – before trapping Shiv Thakor lbw and getting White caught at point in his next.Debutant quick Saqib Mahmood wrapped up the win by getting Palladino caught behind with ten balls unused.

Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2012Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s regular limited-overs captain, is part of the squad but won’t captain because his workload will be managed over the summer.The T20 squad has four new players, including a new wicketkeeper to relieve de Villiers of his burden. Quinton de Kock, who turns 20 on Monday and was part of South Africa’s most recent under-19 World Cup squad, will don the gloves.De Kock is seen as one of the options for a permanent wicketkeeper to replace Mark Boucher in all formats. “We need to find a long-term solution because ultimately we [want] to find a top-six batter in the mould of an Adam Gilchirst to do the job in Tests,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, told ESPNCricinfo.”AB may eventually end up batting No.4 in Tests, when Jacques Kallis is not around, and if he has to take on a more senior batting role, we will need someone else to keep. It will be nice to try Quinton out – he has shown glimpses of talent and we are going to have a look at him in the shorter versions. But, that’s not to say to the other keepers in the country that we have passed them by, the door is still very much open.”But it seems to have closed on Thami Tsolekile. Lions’ gloveman was nationally contracted in February and touted as Boucher’s replacement, but has not played since then. A source close to team management said Tsolekile would be given a run against New Zealand, but the selectors have decided otherwise. He travelled to England and Australia but was left out of the Test squad, which was also named today.Despite all indications to the contrary, Hudson said Tsolekile remains in the plans. “He has not fallen out of favour. If anything were to happen to AB, he will play.” De Villiers has had a history of lower-back problems which recurred after the England series in August, but he has declared himself fully fit.

South Africa squads

Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn.

He played for Titans in their one-day cup playoff match on Sunday, and although he admitted to being “a bit stiff,” he maintained that he experienced no pain. In fact, he said being in the field in that match (Heino Kuhn had the gloves) was harder on his body than wicketkeeping.He will have to embrace fielding in the shorter formats though, with de Kock set to take over that role as part of a more youthful T20 squad. Richard Levi has been retained in the squad but with Hashim Amla rested, could open the batting with du Plessis or new-comer Henry Davids. The Titans limited-overs captain made a name for himself during the Champions League T20 as an aggressive batsman and is second on the one-day cup batting charts.The CLT20 also shone a spotlight on left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. He finished as the joint second highest wicket-taker and bowled miserly spells for the Lions. Phangiso has been picked as an additional slow-bowling option to Robin Peterson. Johan Botha, who has relocated to Australia, was not considered for selection.The Lions reached the final of the Champions League Twenty20, and will also play in the final of the one-day cup, so it’s no surprise that their players are getting recognition. Allrounder Chris Morris, who travelled with the South African squad for the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in June, is also part of the national squad. Morris, also a big hitter, has bowled consistently in the mid-140kph this season and is the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the squad.Wayne Parnell, who has been working on his batting, is also in the squad along with fellow left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe. There has been a recall for middle-order batsman David Miller in the absence of the injured JP Duminy.Hudson said South Africa will use the series against New Zealand to concentrate on their combinations, with an eye on the 2014 World Twenty20. “The mix is going to be key. There will be some of the older players that maybe we will move on from. Going into the tournament in two years’ time, we want to have a mix of core and some youngsters. We need some flair and we need to bring something different to the party as opposed to just a regular side,” he said.The Test squad, though, is focused on consistency, with the same squad that defeated Australia in Perth retained for the two fixtures against New Zealand. Jacques Rudolph, who was dropped for the final match, has been picked but is unlikely to play. “We will probably look to play Dean [Elgar] and Jacques is the reserve batsman,” Hudson said.The only casualty besides Tsolekile is legspinner Imran Tahir, whose performance in Adelaide has left him needing to do some soul searching. Tahir finished with figures of 0 for 260, the most expensive figures without a wicket in Test history and was replaced with Robin Peterson, who took six wickets in Perth. “Robbie has just gone ahead of Imran, but he remains part of our plans in future,” Hudson said.South Africa have two injury concerns. Jacques Kallis is recovering from a hamstring strain, but is expected to be fit to play in the Tests as an allrounder, and Graeme Smith has bruising on his elbow. Smith was hit in the nets in the lead-up to the one-day cup playoff and will not be fit to play in the final for the Cobras, but the team management is confident he will be ready for the New Year’s Test.

Hampshire has awarded development contracts to three players for 2012, including Sean Terry, Adam Rouse and Tim Ravenscroft

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2011Hampshire has awarded development contracts to three players for 2012, including Sean Terry, son of Hampshire stalwart Paul Terry. The other two are Adam Rouse and Tim Ravenscroft, who’ve had their contracts renewed from last summer.Terry, an opening batsman, had represented MCC Young Cricketers, scoring 313 runs in nine matches in the 2011 Second XI Championship. He also had a stint with the Hampshire Second XI. He was brought up in Perth, Australia, where he played for Western Australia junior teams. His father played two Tests for England, in 1984. He served Hampshire from 1978-1996, scoring over 16,000 runs and also coached the county.”Hampshire has been a big part of my life, particularly because my Dad had such a long career here, and to be given the chance to start my professional career at Hampshire means a lot,” Terry said. “I can’t wait to get started next season and be part of a young squad pushing to be back in the first division.”Ravenscroft, a batsman and occasional seamer, has also come through the Second XI ranks. He scored over 500 runs in the Second XI across all competitions.Rouse, the wicketkeeper, has an aggregate of 489 runs in the Second XI. He also took a catch as a substitute during the Rose Bowl Test between England and Sri Lanka earlier this year.

A round-up of the first day of the first round of matches in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010L Balaji’s 12th first-class four-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu bowl Assam out for 184 on the opening day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Assam began cautiously after TN chose to field on a pitch that had plenty of carry, and the openers had seen off 13.3 overs, adding 24 before debutant seamer Sunil Sam made the first breakthrough. Dheeraj Jadhav, Assam’s top-scorer last season, slashed and edged to the wicketkeeper. Sridharan Sriram, the left-hand batsman who hails from TN, could not make an impact against his old team-mates, and became Balaji’s first victim when he cut to gully. Parvez Aziz played offspinner R Ashwin with confidence and had moved to 36 with six boundaries. He also fought through a stream of bouncers before offering S Badrinath a catch off Balaji’s bowling. Badrinath had to dive low and to his left at second slip to take the chance. When star import Amol Muzumdar departed for a duck, nicking Balaji behind, TN sensed an opportunity to shoot Assam out for a low score. The spinners Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin nipped three wickets between them, while a couple of run-outs added to Assam’s woes as they stumbled to a score under 200. TN’s openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha then batted with determination to take their side to 21 without loss by the close.Wasim Jaffer purred along to his 40th first-class century, while Rohit Sharma missed his ninth by seven runs as Mumbai launched their title defence by scoring 340 for 7 on the opening day at the Bandra Kurla Complex against Saurashtra. On a day that would have left both sides reasonably satisfied, there were several important individual performances that stood out. Dropping himself to No. 3 in the absence of the injured middle-order bulwark Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer carried on his penchant for plundering domestic hundreds, after Jayesh Odedra’s double-strike. At the other end, with the selectors’ eye on his fitness and temperament, Rohit launched himself into the Saurashtra attack with typical elegance. His 93 came off 86 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, leading Mumbai to 252 for 2 and in sight of a towering score. Then came the third most significant performance of the day, from another India hopeful. Ravindra Jadeja has had his place in the Indian questioned by all and sundry, and he responded with an incisive spell with the game threatening to run away. He dismissed Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar, leading Saurashtra’s resurgence in the evening session and left them with an opportunity to finish Mumbai’s innings early on the second day.For more on this match, click here.Opener Arindam Das’ seventh first-class century was the highlight of the opening day at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Bengal posted a dominant 313 for 2 against a Delhi attack that struggled for incisiveness. Ten months after the abandonment of an ODI due to an underprepared pitch, the Kotla track was at its benign best as Das settled down for a big innings, in Shreevats Goswami’s company. The pair raised 133 in 37.2 overs, giving the hosts a taste of what was to come before Goswami fell for 68, the first of Mithun Manhas’ two wickets. Abhishek Chowdhury was more cautious, but it did not affect Bengal’s speed of scoring as Das shifted gears upwards. Manoj Tiwary who came in at Chowdhury’s exit kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 47 off 80 balls. At the other end, Das, kicked on after reaching his ton and finished the day unbeaten on 150. His knock included 19 fours, and he looked good for more when stumps were drawn.For more on this match, click here.Yuvraj Singh managed a half-century but, like the rest of his top-order mates, was guilty of throwing away a start, as Uttar Pradesh held Punjab to 279 for 6 on the opening day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Sarul Kanwar began in aggressive fashion after Punjab chose to bat, striking eight fours in his run-a-ball 42. However, after an opening stand worth 56, Praveen Kumar removed Kanwar and Ravi Inder Singh off successive overs, exposing Punjab’s middle order. Uday Kaul rebuilt in Yuvraj’s company, the pair raising 61 for the third wicket before a mini-collapse reduced Punjab to 143 for 5. Karan Goel rose to the occasion, and along with Vishwas Bhalla, lifted his side to respectability with a 72-run alliance. Piyush Chawla prised out Bhalla, but Harmeet Singh counterattacked with four fours and a six in his 29, taking Punjab to stumps along with Goel, who was unbeaten on 56.Gujarat‘s top order gave a good account of themselves without managing to dominate the Railways attack, leaving both sides on par at stumps on an attritional opening day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Every Gujarat batsman got a start in a score of 234 for 4, but only one managed to reach fifty, while most bowlers gained respect without making enough entries in the wickets column. Jay Desai and Priyank Kirit Panchal ground out an opening stand of 58 in 28 overs before exiting on the same score. Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel showed more urgency in a stand of 74, but both failed to kick on, as Gujarat found themselves unable to reap the rewards of solidity. That partnership, however, eased the pressure on the remaining batsmen. Bhavik Thaker, coming in at No. 5, did better than the top four, ensuring he crossed his half-century and remained unbeaten at stumps. His innings included two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faiz Fazal. Debutant Pratharesh Parmar held up the other end with an undefeated 28 and the pair will want to push ahead on the second day. Parthiv praised his batsmen for their effort. “The wicket was green and two-paced,” he told the . “So, it was a challenge to play the first 30 overs and we did it.”Opening bowler Basanth Mohanty completed his sixth first-class five-wicket haul as Orissa bullied Baroda, reducing them to 99 for 9 on a curtailed day at the Barabati Stadium. After overnight rains delayed the start by half an hour, Orissa captain Shiv Sundar Das had no hesitation in bowling after winning the toss in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Baroda’s batsmen, star players Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu included, had no answers against Basanth in an innings where only three batsmen managed to enter double-figures. Things could have been far worse for Baroda if not for Rakesh Solanki’s unbeaten 44. Debasis Mohanty, Alok Chandra Sahoo and Dhiraj Singh complemented Basanth’s efforts with a wicket apiece as Baroda derailed in shocking fashion.Himachal Pradesh‘s bowlers contained Haryana on the opening day, as the visitors crawled to 204 for 4 in Dharmasala. After choosing to field, the hosts started well, with seamer Jitendra Mehta removing Nitin Saini for five, but wickets were hard to come by after that. Rahul Dewan held vigil for 40 watchful overs, his 46 pushing the score to 88, before he perished against Ashok Thakur. Manav Sharma and Hemang Badani carried on in the same vein, their partnership of 74 spanning nearly 30 overs before Manav fell four short of his half-century. Badani brought up his 37th first-class fifty, and the first for Haryana, but more importantly, ensured he was unbeaten till the end.

South Africa Masters saw off a threatening fourth-wicket partnership between Collis King and Jimmy Adams to clinch a ten-wicket win

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009
Scorecard
South Africa Masters saw off a threatening fourth-wicket partnership between Collis King and Jimmy Adams to clinch a ten-run win that handed West Indies Masters their second straight loss in the Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup. Chasing a target of 165, West Indies ended up on 154 for 5 as South Africa held their nerve when it mattered most. The home side, who have won just one match from three attempts, now need a victory to move into Saturday’s final.The chase began well with Stuart Williams (20) and Gordon Greendige (16) adding 45. Williams’ dismissal, picking out deep square leg, was followed by Greenidge having to retire with a hurting left knee. Carl Hooper took ten deliveries for a single run before he edged Fanie de Villiers to Neil Johnson, further putting the blocks on the scoring rate, but West Indies were boosted by King and Adams.King smacked three sixes in his speedy 37, each one effortlessly smacked over the fielders, and the stand was worth 64 when he was dismissed in the 17th over. Looking for another big hit, King was held at long-on by Claude Henderson off Alan Dawson. Adams struck a top score of 42 from 34 balls, after being dropped by Pat Symcox at short fine leg when he was 11. With 19 needed from just four balls, he was bowled by Lance Klusener. Vasbert Drakes had the consolation of hitting the last ball of the match for six.The game began with South Africa opting to bat and putting up 164 for 3, thanks mainly to Dave Callaghan (69) and the captain Dale Benkenstein (58). Their match-winning third-wicket partnership of 109 from 11 overs stunned West Indies after they had sent back the openers inside the seventh over.Callaghan clubbed six fours and two sixes in his 42-balls he effort, one that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. Benkenstein hit three fours and three sixes in his 35-ball innings.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds may sit top of the table but their fans are still a demanding lot.

Understandably so given they’ve been residing in the Championship for so long.

But their performance against Derby last weekend provoked yet more restlessness among the Elland Road faithful.

Marcelo Bielsa was berated for aspects of his team selection while two weeks ago they were dumbfounded that Eddie Nketiah and Helder Costa hadn’t started, urging for them to be included going forward.

However, that wish for Costa to start is set to be granted this weekend. It may not come as they’d have liked but it will be happening nonetheless.

The Argentine claimed in his press conference ahead of the clash with Charlton that Pablo Hernandez would miss the game because of a muscular problem. His replacement? Costa.

It’s an unexpected way for him to come into the team but it could serve as a blessing in disguise to have an energised and more youthful-looking figure on the flanks.

We’ve already analysed how Hernandez’s future might lie in the centre of the pitch and a good performance from the Portuguese on Saturday will further that claim.

But this will be a long-awaited start for the Wolves loanee. Leeds will snap him up for £15m next summer and so far we’ve only caught glimpses of why he might be worth that.

Despite starting just two Carabao Cup matches and appearing from the bench in the league eight times, he’s assisted three strikes and also scored.

His potential at this level is clear to see after netting 15 in two seasons in the Championship but he’ll now be hoping to add to that.

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Initial plans might have seen Jack Harrison drop out of the team for Costa. After all, the 22-year-old has a problem with his creativity and is yet to assist a single goal this term.

That’s unsurprising given the fact he’s managed one accurate cross all season but what is a surprise, is that one of their major summer arrivals will replace Hernandez.

The decision to bring in Costa has come about in different fashion to how many anticipated, but Bielsa is finally granting a big wish.

It’s now down to the 25-year-old to prove he does indeed deserve the hype surrounding him.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sheffield Wednesday have been through just about every footballing scenario you could imagine already this season – and we aren’t even a quarter of the way through yet.

Steve Bruce left them managerless just as pre-season was getting underway as he took the vacant reigns at Newcastle United which left Lee Bullen in caretaker charge for the third time in his career.

Under their former captain, they started the season brightly recording back-to-back victories over Reading and then Barnsley, but that rich vein of form wasn’t to last long as they hit a rough spell, losing three of their next four matches.

That ultimately resulted in the club’s chiefs making a move to appoint Garry Monk as the club’s permanent boss and his new side delivered in front of the TV cameras against Huddersfield last Sunday.

It was the first look at how the Owls will operate for the foreseeable future, but don’t take too much from it as Monk himself has said he will ‘adapt’ as the season goes on.

We did learn one thing though, as he said the following about Adam Reach: “I have already spoken with Adam. He will primarily be a wide player for us and it is where he is most effective.”

On the Chalkboard

With Kadeem Harris impressing the Hillsborough fanbase, it would seem that Magpies loanee Jacob Murphy is walking on a tight rope at the minute.

He’s underperformed so far this season, managing just one goal in six appearances and is yet to even record an assist.

Considering he’s averaging 2 shots per game it’s quite a poor return that he hasn’t found the net.

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The 24-year-old is also dispossessed at least once each match while 1.3 unsuccessful touches on average is certainly below par.

Since his debut, where he picked up an 8.33 rating and that goal, things just haven’t gone to plan, and his inconsistencies led to him being dragged off at half time against Preston North End.

As a consequence, he started the next match on the bench.

He was handed a start under Monk but he failed to impress recording a rating of just 6.48.

With the 40-year-old stating that Reach will be utilised as a winger, it means Murphy could well make way, and that could occur as early as this weekend as Sam Winnall’s winner against Huddersfield means he too is pushing for a starting spot.

Monk frequently used 4-4-2 at Birmingham last season, so the recent exploits of the striker leaves the manager with plenty to think about.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, John Hartson claimed that Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be the answer to Everton’s problems in attack.

The Toffees have struggled on the goal-scoring front so far in the Premier League with five goals in six games, and much of that is due to the rotation of the 22-year-old and Moise Kean, according to the Welshman.

Calvert-Lewin has one goal so far in the league – a towering header against Bournemouth – but he struck twice against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday – a sign that his confidence may be beginning to grow.

Hartson has suggested what Marco Silva needs to do to get the best out of the 6ft 2 striker.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “He needs to play all the time. It’s very difficult being in and out of the team all the time. There’s chopping and changing.

“Get him in the side, make him a focal point, tell him to master the art of playing between the 18-yard box, he doesn’t really need to be running down the channels doing this and that.

“Just be a number nine, get Moise Kean to play off him, get the ball into them, work on the training ground as a partnership, and get something going.”

The method put forward by the former Arsenal striker is one Silva hasn’t implemented yet this season, instead preferring a lone striker to fit into a 4-2-3-1 system. But Hartson’s suggestion could be a suitable solution.

His point about the striker playing regularly is key. After his goal against the Cherries, Calvert-Lewin was left on the bench for the following game against Sheffield United.

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That means neither he nor his teammates are able to find a rhythm or a run of form, and goals dry up as a consequence.

On the rare occasion Kean started for Juventus last season, he often found his best form as part of a two, scoring four goals in five starts alongside a strike partner.

With Calvert-Lewin strong in the air and able to hold up play, he could be able to use Kean’s pace in a way which exploits the opposition.

As a result, Silva’s side would have more variety in attack, and with more support for the front two they could be more likely to get amongst the goals.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Sky Sports, Wolves could attempt to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie in January when the transfer window re-opens after failing with a bid on deadline day last month.

What’s the word?

The Premier League club tried to clinch the signing of the 22-year-old late on in the summer transfer window but were unable to push the deal over the line in time.

Kessie has been at AC Milan since 2017, where he joined on a two-year loan from Atalanta, which included an obligation to buy.

The defensive midfielder has featured twice in Serie A this season, starting their last game, a 1-0 victory against Brescia.

Reports suggest that the club would be open to offloading the Ivory Coast international, who they value at £25m, with Monaco also keen.

Have you heard the strangest chant in the Premier League yet? Hear it in the video below…

Cutrone copy

Nuno Santo pursuing Kessie would be a mistake, especially after rumoured links to Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who is much more used to English conditions having played a total of 149 games in Yorkshire.

AC Milan are seemingly keen to cash in on Kessie due to their Financial Fair Play dealings, which should be a red flag to Wolves.

The Molineux outfit signed Patrick Cutrone from the same club for £16m earlier in the summer and he’s yet to make any major impact, as the Santo boss still favours his familiar strike partnership of Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez.

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The pair have both played a part in all ten matches this campaign whilst last season they played over 33 matches together in the Premier League.

Cutrone has started just two of a possible eight matches and is yet to even get on the scoresheet, per Transfermarkt.

A similar case is likely to follow if Kessie were to make the same switch from Milan to the west Midlands – Ruben Neves is certainly not going to lose his spot in the starting lineup anytime soon unless he’s sold, as he’s normally the first name on the teamsheet for Santo.

The Portuguese anchorman has started all four Premier League games this season and has made a total of 90 in the gold and black since joining the club in the summer of 2017.

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