t Saturday. ... With rookie RF Wil Myers getting a | Forum

 Bob Willis was impressed with an out of character innings from Alex Hales on day one of the first Investec Test between England and Sri Lanka. Angelino New York City Jersey . The opener was 71 not out from 154 balls when the rain came down to curtail Thursdays play at Headingley with England 171-5.Having struggled in South Africa over the winter, Hales appears to have learnt from his mistakes, according to Willis. Its always tough batting at Headingley under leaden skies and it was no surprise that England were put in to bat, he told Sky Sports.It was a quite out of character innings by Alex Hales, who you expect to be looking to hit fours and sixes all the time but he left the ball pretty well. It was a conscientious, rather slow but important opening stand.I think Hales has had to think about a lot of things. He started off trying to play Test cricket like he played one-day cricket and he found the bowling at the top level was far too good to try and do that. There are very few players who manage to go in and play shots at the top of the order and get away with it. Watch the pick of the action from the first day of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka Hes been a bit more circumspect, I think he knows hes probably got these three matches to convince the selectors that he is qualified to open the batting for England in Test cricket. Youve got to hand it to him for the way he played today.I dont think we want three players at the top of the order batting at the same pace as Compton and Cook so if the ball is there to be hit on a sunny day, on a flat wicket, Im sure hell hit it.Willis also praised Jonny Bairstows contribution and saw shades of an Australian great in the wicketkeepers innings. The Verdict discuss Jonny Bairstows knock on day one against Sri Lanka and his rising status in the England team, drawing comparisons to Adam Gilchrist Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow seemed to be given license to play their strokes, he said. It didnt work out for Stokes but Bairstow played a Gilchrist-like counter-attacking innings and the partnership with Hales has got England part-way out of the mire.Mahela Jayawardene was in agreement and felt Bairstow changed the whole complexion of the England innings.From ball one, he showed intent, said the Sri Lankan legend. Hes been batting really well this summer, hes got runs behind him and the use of his feet, playing spin, being aggressive - he changed the tempo of that England innings. Bairstow looked in good touch against Sri Lanka Sri Lanka were on top but he came in, played mostly controlled shots, but it was more like a one-day innings that he played and it probably helped Hales to come out of his shell again.Watch live coverage from day two of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley, live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30am on Friday. You can also catch highlights from day one at 8pm on Sky Sports 3, with The Verdict following immediately after at 9pm. Also See: England fight back against SL WATCH: Story of Day One Sky Cricket Podcast England v Sri Lanka on Sky Sports Patrick Mullins New York City Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Kwame Watson-Siriboe New York City Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. http:///...ew-York-City-Jersey/ . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Archer is young, confident and also unbeaten against the Yankees. Just dont suggest the Tampa Bay rookie pitcher might have New Yorks number. "Dont want to go there," manager Joe Maddon said Friday night after the Rays topped their AL East rivals 7-2, with Archer winning three times with a 1.23 ERA in three starts against the Yankees. "Were not going to canonize the guy. Well just let him keep pitching," Maddon added. "Hes doing a great job. Hes a young man and hes very focused; I want to keep him on this path. He looks good." Jose Lobaton homered and drove in four runs in support of Archer (7-5), a 24-year-old right-hander who won twice earlier this season at Yankee Stadium, including a two-hit shutout on July 27. He gave up four hits over seven innings this time. Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist also went deep for Tampa Bay, hitting solo shots off Hiroki Kuroda (11-9), who tied a career high for homers allowed -- the first given up by the Yankees starter in nearly two months. The loss stopped a five-game winning streak for New York, which had won 10 of 12 to climb back into the AL playoff race. "Its one game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Weve just come off playing extremely well. You have to turn the page and go win tomorrow." Archer, who also won in New York on June 23, yielded a run-scoring single to Alfonso Soriano in the first inning and Brett Gardners triple and Robinson Canos RBI grounder in the sixth. In three starts against the Yankees, hes allowed three runs, 12 hits and struck out 14 in 22 innings. "The defence was incredible. We made play after play, so I was just getting more comfortable out there. ... I really didnt feel like I could fail," Archer said. Alex Rodriguez, playing while appealing his 211-game suspension, was booed every time he came to the plate and went 0 for 4 with a strikeout for the Yankees. Eduardo Nunez had two of New Yorks four hits off Archer, including an infield single. Archer walked two, hit a batter and struck out four to win ffor the first time since beating the Yankees 1-0 last month. Andrew Jacobson Jersey. Over his next four starts, he went 0-2 with a 4.79 ERA. Before the game, the Rays honoured Mariano Rivera, whos making his last regular-season visit to Tropicana Field, by unveiling a sand sculpture of the Yankees closer near the main entrance of the domed stadium. The team also presented him with check for $3,150 for the Mariano Rivera Foundation -- $50 for each save hes earned against Tampa Bay during his career. Meanwhile, newly acquired outfielder David DeJesus made his debut for the Rays, going 1 for 3, scoring a run and making a nice running catch up against the wall in left field. Tampa Bay obtained him from Washington earlier in the day for a player to be named or cash. "Thats why we picked him up," Archer said. "Hes a great defensive player and a clutch hitter." Lobatons three-run, second-inning homer off the right field foul pole was the first off Kuroda since June 30, when the 38-year-old right-hander gave up three in a loss at Baltimore. Longoria and Joyce homered in the third for a 5-1 lead. Lobaton added a RBI single in the fourth and Zobrist homered in the fifth to make it 7-1. "When you get in a hole like that, its tough to get back out of it, especially when somebody is throwing the ball as well as Archer," Gardner said. "It just wasnt our day." Kuroda allowed a season-high seven runs over six innings. He also matched a season high by yielding nine hits. "It was really strange," Girardi said. "He just didnt have his stuff tonight." NOTES: Girardi said SS Derek Jeter (strained right calf) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre through at least Saturday. ... With rookie RF Wil Myers getting a night off, Matt Joyce moved to right field and DeJesus was inserted into Tampa Bays lineup in left field. To make room on the roster for the 33-year-old DeJesus, the Rays designated OF Jason Bourgeois for assignment. ... New York 1B Lyle Overbay was out of the lineup due to flulike symptoms. 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