vMaybe, as Haseeb Hameed suggests, there really is an element of fate in his selection for his Test debut?In an ideal world, he may have gained some experience at this level in Bangladesh. Adidas NMD Femme Pas Cher . And, in an ideal world, he might have graduated through a Lions tour and another season of county cricket before facing the No.1-ranked Test side and the No.1-ranked Test bowler in conditions in which he has limited experience. A year ago, after all, he had never made a first-class century. Gareth Batty, his England team-mate, made his first-class debut in 1997, the year Hameed was born.But, as he looks forward to make his Test debut in Gujarat, the state in which his family have their roots and where, last weekend, his brother, Numan, was married, it is hard to avoid the conclusion he would have it no other way. He will have family here to support him - he had family in Bangladesh to support him when all he was doing was running drinks on to the field - and he will be playing both with and against his heroes. He gleams with joy at the thought.Hameed will become Alastair Cooks tenth opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss at the end of the 2012 English season when he walks out to bat in the first Test of the series against India this week in Rajkot. It is a statistic that reflects, by and large, a catalogue of failure. In the end, the England management have decided they should not reward success in county cricket so much as pick a talent out of it and mould them in the manner they require.We need not look far for examples of such selections bearing fruit. Cook was only 21 when he made his Test debut. Joe Root, too. James Anderson and Steven Finn were both 20. The idea that England are more reluctant than other sides to blood young players is based partially in myth and partially in some suspect birth certificates.Hameed has, therefore, been picked with a long-term view. If all goes well, England hope his career will follow a similar pattern to Cooks. It would be unreasonable to expect so much of him at this stage, but the fact that he will be the youngest man to debut for England as an opening batsman and the fifth-youngest of all time does underline the belief held in him. He hasnt been picked just on potential; he has been picked because they believe he is the best man for the job right now.Perhaps it underlines Englands desperation, too? Its not as if they havent tried almost everyone else. Hameeds county coach, Ashley Giles, had suggested that, in an ideal world, a Lions tour might come before a Test debut. But these are not ideal times. And so taken was Andy Flower - not officially a selector, but a hugely influential figure in English cricket - with Hameed that he has been fast-tracked.How much Trevor Bayliss had seen of him before the tour remains unclear. He had been sent footage during the season, but it is quite possible that the Rajkot Test will represent the first time he has seen him bat in a first-class match.At first glance, it may seem a slightly contradictory selection. Bayliss, has previously spoken of his desire for dynamic players at the top of the order and Hameed is a player in a more old-fashioned mould. It is not accurate to refer to him as a blocker, though. While he is most unlikely to demonstrate the reverse-sweeps we saw from Ben Duckett in Dhaka, Hameed is an unusually elegant player with a wide range of strokes. He will build his innings, certainly, but he will put away the loose ball too.He has two other key assets. A temperament described as unflappable by Cook and some experience of these conditions gained when his father, Ismail - a huge cricket lover who has clearly played a huge part in his sons development - arranged for him to spend time playing in Mumbai as a 13-year old. There he worked with the coach, Vidya Paradkar, and spent a couple of months playing on the citys maidans and learning to combat spin.He returned ahead of the England Under-19 visit to Sri Lanka, spending a month developing his game, learning to use the crease and adding options to his game to ensure he wouldnt be tied down by spin bowling. It may take him a while to adjust - this is a huge jump in quality - but he should be able to rotate the strike better than many.One of the qualities you can say has been instilled in me is to not get too high or too low, Hameed says now. Cricket is a very up-and-down game. You can be on top of the world one minute and come down quite quickly, so its important to stay level-headed and take things in the short term, day by day, ball by ball, as it comes.I have been to India a couple of times on my own. I have trained a bit in Mumbai, where I was fortunate that a coach, Vidya Paradkar, helped me get used to conditions.Spin plays a massive role here, but its not just spin, there is more reverse swing than back home in England, I guess the more time you spend out here playing and batting and get used to it, you learn things about yourself and what the ball will do. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to come out here before and its helped me get used to it.He recalls watching the 2012 series on TV and marvelling at Cooks prolific form - he recorded centuries in the first three Tests of the series - and Kevin Pietersens remarkable innings in Mumbai. But Sachin Tendulkar, who posed for a photo with a seven-year-old Hameed in Mumbai, and Virat Kohli, whom he has never met, were every bit as much his heroes.That is one of the amazing things, he says, but I try not to think about it too much and take it in my stride. There are guys on both sides I can watch and learn from. I have to do a job as well, but its important to pick up things as Im young and starting my Test career. It would be amazing to speak to a guy like Virat.I guess a lot of things are meant to be. The fact that it is against India in the home state of my parents - they are from a small village near Bharuch and my dads village is called Umraj - the way it has fallen in to place is amazing. My brother has just had his wedding in Gujarat. I see it as fate.There is another lesson from that 2012 series that may be relevant.I remember England were underdogs and India were favourites, but England pulled off a remarkable victory, Hameed says. We can take confidence: likewise, we are underdogs here and coming to India is the biggest challenge in cricket.But weve prepared well and its time to crack on now. I see it as an exciting challenge. Its nothing to be afraid of. Im 19, coming up against the best bowler in the world and the best team in the world. It will be a great experience and Im sure at the end of the tour Ill be a better player. Asics Gel Lyte 3 Noir . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Adidas NMD Runner Blanche ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition.http://www.chaussuresdesport2016.fr/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Trevor Knight and the Texas A&M offense took some time to get started Saturday, but when the Aggies got going, they were tough to slow down.Knight threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in a 67-0 rout of Prairie View A&M.Knight finished 21 of 37 and threw touchdowns of 8 yards to Speedy Noil and 34 and 64 yards to Christian Kirk in the second quarter as the 20th-ranked Aggies (2-0) built a 38-0 halftime lead. Knight also ran for a 78 yards on seven carries in just over one half of play.We didnt start as quickly as I hoped we would, Knight said. Theres not a lot of explanation for that besides execution. We have to execute better out of the gates. We settled in obviously and got some big plays going, especially in that second quarter and to start the third quarter.Noil made his debut after missing last weeks game serving the second game of a two-game suspension he received before A&Ms bowl game last season.The Aggies extended their home non-conference win streak to 23 games and are 2-0 for the fourth straight season.As a coach, when you set out and have a plan -- not necessarily Xs and Os plan but what you ask guys to do -- and that happens, you feel good about it, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. The key to any successful team is to be able to duplicate that week in and week out.Texas A&M outgained the Panthers 672-205 in earning its largest shutout since defeating Missouri 73-0 on Sept. 18, 1993.Shutouts are hard to come by, Texas A&M cornerback Nick Harvey, who also had a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown, said. Getting a shutout doesnt happen every day. We feel great right now, but we made some mistakes.Texas A&M managed a 22-yard field goal in the first 10 minutes before busting the game open over the final 18 minutes of the half.Keith Ford, who had two touchdowns, had an 11-yard scoring run with three minutes left in the opening quarter before Knight tight-roped the sideline for the final 5 yards of a 32-yard TD scamper to end the first.With us, its getting up to our tempo, Kirk said. All we need is oone explosive play to get us going. Adidas Gazelle Og Pas Cher. Once we get that first explosive play, we take advantage of the tempo and get right back on to the ball and start running our plays.Prairie View (1-1), which plays in the FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference, had a 38-yard field goal blocked and missed a 42-yard field goal in the first half.We knew going into it that we were going to have to play above ourselves to have a chance against a top 20 SEC program, Prairie View coach Willie Simmons said. I thought they competed for 60 minutes. They didnt quit. We have them our best punch, and thats all you can ask for.Trey Green threw for 160 yards on 13 of 39 passing, but the Aggies defense had pressure on Green throughout the game.TAKEAWAYTEXAS A&M: The Aggies played well in every facet of the game ahead of their SEC opener. The first-team offense was balanced, while the defense kept pressure on Prairie View throughout. The one miscue was a Knight interception in the end zone to end a drive in the second quarter.BY THE NUMBERSPRAIRIE VIEW A&M: Demarquo LaStrappe caught six passes for 88 yards. The Panthers totaled 32 rushing yards led by Dawonya Tuckers 28 yards.TEXAS A&M: Kirk had 106 yards receiving on five catches to go with his two touchdowns. The Aggies had 30 first downs. The defense finished with two sacks, including a safety.THEY SAID ITWe put 67 points on the board and pitched a shutout on the defensive side, Knight said. Thats about us. Do I think we can still improve in so many different areas? Yes. We didnt play our best game of football today.POLL IMPLICATIONSAfter entering the top 25 last week, the Aggies should maintain their spot in the poll after their resounding win over this FCS opponent.UP NEXTPRAIRIE VIEW A&M: The Panthers will travel to Alabama A&M Sept. 17.TEXAS A&M: The Aggies start SEC play with the first of three away from Kyle Field when they go to Auburn Sept. 17.---AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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