rcelona title Broady suffers first-round loss Verdasco triumph

David Lloyd on the England squad for the first Test with Sri Lanka, rubbing shoulders with the stars at the BAFTAs and riding on steam trains with Bob Willis and Paul Allott. Rasual Butler Jersey ... The England squad was predictable. Another option would be that Jonny Bairstow bats five and Jos Buttler keeps wicket but Buttlers still at the IPL so thats put to bed.James Vince is a good pick, hell probably bat five. Theyve been looking at him for a while, hes got a century this season and hes a player whos improving all the time - a good pick. Then theres Jake Ball. I watched a championship game down at Lords, Middlesex versus Nottinghamshire and he bowled really well there, even though he didnt get any wickets when I watched him. But another lad who caught the eye was Toby Roland-Jones, he had a good solid action - very, very similar to Jake Ball and both of them bowl with good discipline. Toby Roland-Jones impressed Bumble at Lords As for the series as a whole, I would think that England are deserved favourites. Youve always got to factor in the weather and delays in the game but Id expect England to win this series comfortably and to win the Pakistan series comfortably too. That means they can get to work moving up the ICC Test rankings, theyre fourth and by the end of this Id expect them to have made a big move forward.This week also sees Mark Butchers documentary England in the 90s go to air and things have certainly changed since then. Wed had enough of playing catch up and central contracts were a vital part of the England Test team moving forward. Theyre now England players, I think everybody has accepted that now. It was difficult at the start, certainly in the 90s, David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, almost had to go cap in hand to the counties and ask if they could rest a player. Understandably, the counties said well were employing him but thats changed now and the England contracted players are exactly that.It wasnt the most successful decade for England but we were up against some wonderful opposition. We had a good side, make no mistake about it. In the late 90s England were a very good side but we were up against some world class performers. Shane Warne was part of a formidable Australian side in the 90s You look at the Australia team who were carrying all before them at that time with McGrath, Gillespie, Fleming, Warne - they had a wonderful attack. Then you had Pakistan with Waqar and Wasim, South Africa with Donald and Pollock, youve Ambrose and Walsh at the West Indies, there were some fabulous teams around.We had a really good team and sometimes wed come out on top, we had some good wins and we probably had some predictable losses. The disappointing loss would be losing in the West Indies 3-1 when I thought we were a better team than that performance, I thought we should have won that series - I was a bit disappointed at that.We did beat South Africa 2-1 in a five-match series, we hadnt played a five-match series for a long, long time and so to win that was a real highlight. We also manoeuvred away from the idea that Test team plays one-day cricket, we were trying hard to establish a one-day squad, a specialist one-day team. Back to the present day and Ive seen a couple of matches and Ive been really impressed by the cricket that Ive seen in County Championship Division One. There are some wonderful players, some really good teams, some potent bowling attacks and youve got to play really well now in Division One.Lancashire have had an excellent start with a good attack. Every team would say we need a good attack - well youve got Anderson leading the attack, Wagner, Jarvis and Kerrigan - thats a damn good attack. The top two teams are Lancashire and Yorkshire and theyve both got really good bowling units.Warwickshire will be round about too, I think theyre an excellent team and if I was making a favourite then Warwickshire would be my favourites. James Anderson has led the Lancashire attack so far this season Accrington Stanley have their first play-off match this weekend but Im still profoundly disappointed with the Stevenage result, we just couldnt get that ball in the back of the net - we just kept hitting the bar! We were all over them like a bad suit but we couldnt score and it was heart-breaking for the lads.John Coleman and Jimmy Bell will work hard to lift the players again and whats gone is gone, thats it. Our next game is Wimbledon on Saturday so we go again. We know what is expected of us as a team, we dont lie down and we will come again. Sky Sports won a BAFTA for the coverage of the 2015 Ashes series Elsewhere, we won a BAFTA last Sunday which was fabulous - mixing it with the stars! Walking up the red carpet, waving to people and they hadnt a clue who I was and rubbing shoulders with Lenny Henry, Mark Rylance, Peter Kay, Alesha Dixon. Oh by jingo, Ill never be the same again!I also went to the Sports Book Awards, Im short-listed for that, and then myself, Bob Willis and Paul Allott caught a train from London to north Wales and weve been riding on steam trains and walking. It was a bit like Last of the Summer Wine - Foggy, Compo and Clegg. Im the scruffiest so Im Compo.As well as that I was interviewed by Michael Parkinson at Lords for the Taverners this week and tomorrow Im going to the racing, a horse that Ive got an interest in is running at Thirsk. Im not telling anybody what its called though because itll stiffen the odds! Also See: Great challenge for Sri Lanka Watch England in the 90s Who is Jake Ball? David Lloyd Peja Stojakovic Jersey . Bowditch, the 30-year-old Australian seeking his first PGA Tour title, shot a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar and Andrew Loupe were tied for second. Kuchar shot 65, and Loupe had a 70. JJ Redick Jersey . Pearce had a career-high four hits and drove in two runs, and Wei-Yin Chen shut down Texas again as the Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the Rangers with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night. https://www.cheappelicans.com/275u-demarcus-cousins-jersey-pelicans.html . Messier, who had been a special assistant to Rangers general manager Glen Sather, announced Thursday in a statement that he is resigning in order to "expand the game of hockey in the New York area by developing the Kingsbridge National Ice Center.Rafael Nadal has filed a defamation lawsuit against former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot after she accused him of covering up a failed drugs test. Nadal has also written to the president of the International Tennis Federation and asked for all of his drug-test results and blood profile records to be made public as he looks to draw a line under the matter.Through this case, I intend not only to defend my integrity and my image as an athlete but also the values I have defended all my career, said world no 5 Nadal.I also wish to prevent any public figure from making insulting or false allegations against an athlete using the media, without any evidence or foundation.Bachelot, who served as sports minister between 2007 and 2010, made the comments in March on French television when asked about five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapovas admission that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open.She alleged that Nadal faked an injury in 2012, when he missed the final six months of the season due to knee problems, in order to hide a positive drug test. Former politician turned television show host Roselyne Bachelot I am tired about these things. I let it go a few times in the past. No more, the 14-time Grand Slam champion said at Indian Wells last month.The Spaniard, who turned professional as a 15-year-old, has never failed a drug test on the ATP Tour and has always vehemently denied ever using a banned substance.In a further development, Nadal wrote a lletter to ITF President David Haggerty, saying: Please make all my information public. Jamaal Magloire Jersey. Please make public my biological passport, my complete history of anti-doping controls and tests.He also asked for all his future test results to be released. Nadal wants the ITF to make public all of his previous and future drug tests Major sports stars came to Nadals defence when the allegation surfaced, including Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.I feel bad for Rafa Nadal because he is a gentleman, a person that has shown the values he has and that everyone loves, he said of Nadal, who is an honorary member of Real Madrid.He is a professional and I know him a little. I feel bad for what they have said. He has to leave all this to one side and think that everyone who loves sport, loves Rafa Nadal, whether they be French, Spanish or American.In his statement, the 29-year-old tennis star said that if the court considered there had been wrong-doing and awarded him damages, all money would be given to an NGO or foundation in France.I ask for total respect regarding the legal procedure just started and would like to express my complete trust in the French justice system who will be judging the legal case, he added. Also See: Nadal claims Barcelona title Broady suffers first-round loss Verdasco triumphs in Romania Kerber defends Stuttgart title ' ' '