July 13. Moyes will need his squad to be in perfect shape fo

It will be of little consolation to an England team smarting from defeat in the short term but, in years to come, when they look back on this match, they may reflect with some gratitude that they were involved in one of the more compelling Tests of recent times.Four days of enthralling cricket, featuring patches of brilliance, moments of awfulness and several shifts in the balance of power were watched by full houses who applauded the achievements of both sides. In a country that has been divided and against a team that, on their last visit, made few friends, it was a hugely encouraging, restorative experience. In the grand scheme, these things matter a great deal more than results.Pakistan didnt just beat England: they charmed their supporters with their flair and joy. Responding to dropped catches and near misses with smiles, they demonstrated outrageous skills at times - Yasir Shah and Wahab Riaz, in particular, were wonderful on the final day - as well as unity and good humour. They may have left Lords in 2010 in disgrace. But their rehabilitation is complete. They are impossible not to like and admire.But while it is no disgrace to lose to such a side - a side who may well have the best bowling attack in Test cricket - England will know that their batting let them down in this match. Not for the first time, their vulnerability was exposed but this time, with no Ben Stokes and both Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root pushed a place up the order, they lacked the depth to rebuild. It has been an accident waiting to happen for some time.Alastair Cook called the batting naive. Reasoning that England were 100 runs light in their first innings, he blamed poor shot selection for his teams low totals and admitted frustration at losing six wickets to legspin on a first-innings pitch offering Yasir Shah little assistance.It was a 350 or 400 wicket, Cook said. So for a legspinner to get a six-for on day two is frustrating. We allowed Yasir to get six wickets when he wasnt turning the ball. It cost us.We played too many bad shots. There was some poor shot selection and we played some na?ve shots at times. Nobody scored a hundred for us in this game and you dont win too many games when you dont score hundreds.Perhaps the key moment - and certainly one of the defining moments - of the game came when England were well-poised at 118 for 1 in their first innings. With the opportunity to build an imposing first innings, Root attempted a slog-sweep and top-edged the ball to midwicket. Englands inexperienced middle-order was exposed and what could have been a first-innings lead became a deficit.It was a moment that goes a long way to summing up the current character of this England side. They are inventive and brave, for sure. And when it comes off, they are a joy to watch.But they are also, as Cook put it, naive. While the best sides show a ruthlessness to shut opposition out of the game, England are still struggling to find the balance between the positive cricket that reflects the natural style of their game and the disciplined cricket that characterises the best sides. Instead of seeing off bowling and accumulating, there is still a tendency to try to hit bowlers out of the attack. It was demonstrated again in the second innings. Root, ignoring the man placed for the stroke, fell pulling, Alex Hales went cutting and Moeen Ali was bowled after he skipped down the pitch to his fourth ball and attempted to hit Yasir back over his head. It was oddly reckless batting for a side that had almost 180 overs to score 283.While Gary Ballance looked reassuringly solid in contributing 43, James Vinces streaky 42 was less convincing. As well as being dropped on 9, the result of reaching for a drive well outside off stump, he survived a sliced drive off Yasir that flew just over point and another edge of Wahab that passed between slip and gully.Though his cover drive is pleasing, his inclination to play it against the swinging ball with limited foot movement is not. He is likely to win another chance at Old Trafford but, bearing in mind he has also dropped four chances (albeit tough ones), he might consider himself fortunate to be playing under the current selection regime.Despite the batsmen letting England down, it will probably be two bowlers who are dropped for Manchester. Steven Finn and Jake Ball are the most vulnerable as England look to make space for the return of James Anderson (whose absence here is a red herring; England lost because of weak batting not the absence of another good swing bowler) and Stokes.While there may be some concern about including two men coming back from injury in a four-man seam attack, the return of Stokes would lengthen the batting order. Chris Woakes emergence means there is no need to hurry him, though. Adil Rashid may also replace Moeen, or perhaps join him in the squad.Another option would be to select a solid top-order batsman in the mould of Cook. With the selectors unlikely to go back to Nick Compton - who is expected to return to cricket with Middlesex in the next few days - there might be some wisdom in looking to Sam Robson, who has been one of the most impressive batsmen in county cricket this season. That would allow Hales to move to No. 3 and Root back to No. 4 and provide a little of the ballast that England seem to be missing.It is unlikely to happen, though. This England team appears so committed to picking positive players and playing aggressive cricket, that it is in danger of overlooking players who might help provide the best chance of winning. The flair of Root et al is wonderful, but only if it is tempered by a bit of restraint and patience will it be fulfilled. Devils Jerseys China . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Cheap Devils Jerseys . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. http://www.customdevilsjersey.com/custom-ken-daneyko-jersey-large-77z.html . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Custom Devils Jerseys . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Cheap Custom Devils Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast.MANCHESTER, England -- As a new era began at Manchester United on Monday, a lingering problem from the final days of Alex Fergusons trophy-laden tenure was casting a shadow over David Moyes first official day in charge of the English champions. Nearly two months after being hired as successor to Ferguson, Moyes was met by a row of photographers under grey skies when he arrived at Uniteds training ground to start his planning ahead of the new season. Moyes has already put his stamp on the new role, bringing in three coaches from former club Everton to join his backroom staff, but its the future of Wayne Rooney that will be the Scots biggest priority this week. Speculation over where the England striker will be playing next season has been dominating the sports pages in British newspapers this off-season -- and will continue to do so until he sits down with Moyes and the pair decide where Rooneys future lies. Rooney, who isnt due in for the first day of training until Wednesday or Thursday, sat out the final matches of Fergusons 26-year tenure after putting in a transfer request because he was frustrated at being substituted in some matches last season, notably the Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid. Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the burly striker, even though Ferguson insisted before he ended his time at United that Rooney wouldnt be leaving. The situation is even more delicate because it was Moyes who sold Rooney to United back in 2004, when manager of Everton, and then launched successful legal action against the striker over allegations in Rooneys autobiography that the Scot leaked details of a private conversation to the media about the factors behind the move from Everton. The pairs relationship has improved since then, but Moyes has to decide whether to persevere with a player who has tested the patience and loyalty of United fans after putting in two transfer requests in 2 1/2 years. If there is no official announcement regarding Rooney over the next week, the make-up of the United squad to tour the Far East from July 10 will make interesting reading.dddddddddddd Life at United will be much different compared to Moyes 11 years at Everton, where he was heralded as one of the brightest managers in English football despite never winning a major trophy. Silverware will be demanded at United in the first year of his six-year deal, with the northwest club having been accustomed to capturing titles under Ferguson. Moyes will also be under the spotlight much more off the pitch. Uniteds global appeal was further underlined Monday when it added True Corporation Plc, one of Thailands leading telecommunications companies, to its growing array of commercial sponsors on a three-year deal. True will become Uniteds official mobile partner for Thailand, the clubs official in-house TV broadcaster in the country and also be the associate match sponsor for the Bangkok leg of the preseason tour, when United plays Singha All Stars on July 13. Moyes will need his squad to be in perfect shape for the start of the new Premier League season, with United having been given a tough early fixture list that includes games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the opening five matches. Steve Round will be Moyes assistant, replacing Mike Phelan, after being the Scots No. 2 at Everton since July 2008. Former England international Chris Woods also arrives from Goodison Park to be goalkeeping coach and Jimmy Lumsden will be another coach on Uniteds books. "I have worked with Steve, Chris and Jimmy for a number of years and I am delighted they have decided to join me at this great club," Moyes said. "They bring great qualities in their respective fields and I know that, like me, they feel that this is a challenge to relish. "I have great faith that, together, we can build upon the success this club has enjoyed over many years." Ed Woodward, Uniteds executive vice chairman, said: "This is an exciting and challenging time for the club and I have great belief that David and his team will have all the energy and attributes needed to help this club continue in its long-standing traditions." ' ' '