, were going to get killed, Boudreau said. | Forum

Writing after Englands excellent win at Edgbaston, I highlighted the inspirational way in which Alastair Cook had played the match. Cheap Jets Jerseys . It was as if England fed from his optimism. There were only three days between then and the toss at The Oval, when he had the chance to bowl first on a pitch that looked perfect for the job. He chose to bat, a positive move in most circumstances.England reached 69 for 1 without undue alarm but were bowled for 328, a score well below expectation, never mind par. During his raft of post-match interviews, Cook pointed out that the pitch was anything but a minefield while at the same time admitting that, in hindsight, he wouldnt mind another crack at the game bowling first.My first thought is that Edgbaston took more out of England than they, or anyone else, realised. Much of their cricket at The Oval was lacklustre. The catching was atrocious. More often than not, catching is about concentration - assuming the talent is there in the first place. Even Cook, a naturally animated figure, lacked something of his usual brightness. My guess is that he chose to bat on local advice and on stats provided by Englands data analyst. Misbah-ul-Haq would have elected to bat too but more on hunch that history. Proof, then, that the old cricket saying Its a good toss to lose has traction.Worryingly, England were quickly derailed by the catch claimed by Yasir Shah at square-leg about half an hour into the first mornings play. The batsman, Alex Hales, took issue with the umpires at the end of the day, wanting to know why they gave it a soft out before referring it to the third umpire. Because they thought it was out, probably.Then, a tweet from Stuart Broad suggested something untoward from Yasir, which was unfair. Television evidence was inconclusive and the third umpire had no option but to endorse the original decision, which may well have been the right decision. Cricket is a game of rough and smooth. It was odd that England, or some of the England team, were so incensed by that decision. Their reaction did not follow the pattern of the summer, which has been to take rough and smooth as one. Irritable behaviour never serves a sportsman well because it distracts from the job at hand. Confronting umpires is beyond irritable.Back to Cook for a moment. He also said the defeat was a salutary reminder of how far the team had to go and that talk of being No.1 in the world was clearly premature. By this, he meant that only two of the front five batsmen are pulling their weight; that Moeen is a very handy off-spinner but not up to being the spinner; and that the two frontline seamers looked a little jaded. And if he didnt mean exactly that, the rest of us could see it.He spoke brightly about the series in general and emphasised the spirit between the teams. The captains are good men, which sure helps. Misbah spoke about the legacy of Hanif Mohammed and, indirectly, dedicated the victory to him. He also cheered the fact that it came on Pakistans Independence Day.Misbah is a formidable man, whose batting has improved out of all recognition since he emerged on the Test scene as a late-enough developer 15 years ago. His calmness is a lesson worth absorbing for it reminds us that very little comes from over-reaction. In Urdu, Misbah means the lamp or light and fits Misbahs ability to lead other men with his serious but always considerate nature. Asked if he might retire, he simply said that he would do what is best for the team and for Pakistan cricket at large. Let us hope he sees that he is needed in New Zealand and Australia come November and December. He is 42, so running out of years, but he cleverly manages his limitations in the field and appears each day as if he has slept well.Pakistans achievement cannot be understated. The hammering in Manchester and the crumbling at Edgbaston on the final afternoon were hard to take. Perhaps the need to get back on the horse so soon was an advantage. On the one hand, the longer you dwell on failure, the harder it becomes to avoid. On the other, getting away from the game can be a tonic. My guess is that Misbah was eager to immediately go again because he could sense the vulnerabilities in Englands game. The quicker he could get at them, the quicker Edgbaston would be forgotten. After all, Pakistan had led by more than hundred on first innings in that match - a position they should not have let slip.Come The Oval, come Misbahs turn to provide the inspiration - of thought rather than deed this time. He chose not to dwell on frailties, but to pay attention to the strengths that had given Pakistan the advantage in the first place at Edgbaston, and at Lords. It was around these strengths - strong-willed batting, varied bowling and huge hearts - that his team constructed a famous performance and deserved to level the series.He stoked Younis Khan, who is an exceptional batsman and who found his best game in the nick of time. He promoted Asad Shafiq, who is a natural batsmen with a wit and charm for the business of making runs. He encouraged Sarfraz Ahmed, who is feisty and tasty - an amalgam of the best of Pakistans stumper-batsmen - to go harder. He recalled and wound up Wahab Riaz, who is fast and uncomplaining. He chivvied Yasir Shah, who is alive, interactive and involved. These men shone brightest at The Oval.It is the coach of each team who picks the opposition Man of the Series. Tellingly, Trevor Bayliss picked Misbah-up-Haq. Dont go Misbah, not yet. There are young men who need your light. Authentic Nathan Shepherd Jersey . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Authentic Trenton Cannon Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. http:///...chris-herndon-jersey . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. PITTSBURGH -- The Minnesota Wild, after a long layoff, were admittedly a little rusty early on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.But Eric Staal provided the spark offensively to allow the defensive-minded Wild to settle down.Staal had a three-point night, including the game-winning goal in the third period, as the Wild defeated the Penguins 4-2 on Thursday night.Ive scored a few against (Pittsburgh) and Ive felt the pain against them in the playoffs a few years, too, Staal said. It was nice to get the win tonight.Staal has spent 11 of his 12 NHL seasons in the Eastern Conference, and last season, he played for the Rangers, a team the Penguins eliminated in the playoffs en route to the franchises fourth Stanley Cup.Still, Staal has experienced success against Pittsburgh and the trend continued Thursday. Staal scored his fifth of the season and added two assists, giving him 51 points in 50 career games against the Penguins.Charlie Coyle scored his fourth of the season on the power play, while Nino Niederreiter added his third and Jared Spurgeon his second into an empty net for the Wild, who won for the fourth time in six games.Devan Dubnyk, who made 39 saves, allowed fewer than three goals for the eighth straight game, which includes a streak of three straight shutouts. The Wild defeated the Penguins for the first time in five games, including four straight in Pittsburgh.This was a great challenge going against the Stanley Cup champions who hadnt lost in regulation at home, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. I think they were up for it.Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist both scored power-play goals for Pittsburgh, which lost in regulation for the first time in eight games. It was also Pittsburghs first regulation home loss this season.Crosby has nine goals and 11 points in eight games since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for the first six games of the season. Crosby opened the season with a six-game point streak. Phil Kessel had two assists for Pittsburgh, which allowed a season-high 43 shots.Marc-Andre Fleury made his first start in a week on Thursday and stopped 40 shots. He backed up Matt Murray the previouss two games. Authentic Sam Darnold Jersey. Especially in their own zone, (the Wild) are really good at having different layers, Crosby said. They collapse five guys pretty close to the puck, so you have to find ways to win your battles and play in their end a little bit more and we werent able to do that.The Wild, playing their first game since a one-goal loss against Colorado on Saturday, started slow as a giveaway led to a chance for Crosby alone in front of Dubnyk, while Evgeni Malkin later hit the post during a 2-on-1 with Kessel.(Crosby) is not the guy you want to see standing in front of you that early in the game, Dubnyk said. Anytime Sid wants to backhand it into my chest Im fine with that because his backhand is as hard as many forehands. They came out real hard and sometimes you need a couple bounces to get going.Staal was the catalyst, with a second assist on Coyles power-play goal and then the primary helper on Niederreiters tying goal in the second period.Staal put Minnesota in front for good early in the third period. Coyle put a shot on net following a Penguins turnover behind the goal and Staal backhanded the rebound behind Fleury.The first five minutes, I think we were a little nervous and we started throwing the puck away, and I thought `Uh-oh, were going to get killed, Boudreau said. Once we settled down, a lot of good things happened and I thought we competed really hard.Game notes Minnesota entered with five goals in its previous 34 chances with the man advantage. . Kessel has a seven-game home point streak. Malkin has a point in five straight home games for Pittsburgh ... Wild F Erik Haula returned after missing seven games with a foot injury. ... Minnesota F Zack Mitchell made his NHL debut. ... The Wild placed D Marco Scandella on long-term injured reserve on Wednesday. ... Minnesota F Zach Parise remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered last month.UP NEXTWild: Continue a stretch of three road games in four nights Saturday against Philadelphia.Penguins: Complete a three-game home stand Saturday against Toronto. ' ' '