Joe Root insists he is ready to bat at No 3 when England take on Pakistan in the first Test at Lords, live on Sky Sports, on Thu

Joe Root insists he is ready to bat at No 3 when England take on Pakistan in the first Test at Lords, live on Sky Sports, on Thursday. Martin Perez Jersey . England were left searching for a new No 3 following Nick Comptons break from the sport and the selectors appear to have settled on Root, who has an average of 52.92 from 42 Test matches.Regarding his elevation up the order, Root said: We had a few discussions throughout the season that it could be a possibility moving forward. I think the fact I had quite a long time to think about it, and to chat it over with the selectors, it probably made it a bit easier, rather than being thrown into the role.The way theyve dealt with it has been really good and its given me time to get my head around it.I feel pretty comfortable going into the series and its now just about trying to make sure that moving forward thats something I feel comfortable with and I can keep making big scores and contributing to winning Test matches.However, Root does not believe his promotion in the batting order will weaken the team in any way, claiming it gives other players a chance to flourish in the middle order. Root bats in Centurion earlier this year Someone like Jonny Bairstow would consider himself a middle order batsman anyway, and hes taken his game to another level, Root added.This series here now is a great opportunity for guys to stand up and really put some strong performances in.Guys like James Vince will really be looking forward to getting back out playing red-ball cricket again. Hes got a little bit of experience under his belt and will gain confidence from that. Also See: David Lloyd Bob Willis Ballance surprised by recall Finn a big player for England Kirby Puckett Twins Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Jorge Polanco Twins Jersey . Reimer told TSNs Mark Masters on Tuesday that he doesnt know if he will be moved leading up to the March 5 trade deadline but added he wasnt interested in discussing it. "Who knows whats going to happen on the horizon here and right now I dont know if I want to talk about it too much. http://www.twinssale.com/twins-marwin-gonzalez-jersey/ . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday.ARLINGTON, Texas -- The sight of the Texas Rangers pitching staff does wonders for Kyle Seager. The Seattle third baseman had three hits, including a two-run single that sparked a four-run third inning as the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 on Tuesday night. A career .256 hitter in four seasons, Seager is hitting .329 against the Rangers. "Ive always seen the ball pretty well here," Seager said. "Its a good park to hit in." Robinson Cano, Dustin Ackley and recent call-up Nick Franklin added two hits each as the Mariners, last in the American League in hitting, had every member of the batting order reach base during the first four innings, That backed the pitching of right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (3-0), who allowed both runs and six hits through eight innings. Iwakuma had a streak of 17 consecutive scoreless innings end with a home run by Adrian Beltre leading off the second inning that made it 1-0. Seattle has won two consecutive games for the first time since early May. "Hes phenomenal," Seager said of Iwakuma. "Hes got great tempo and seduces ground balls." Iwakuma began the year on the disabled list with a torn tendon in his right middle finger and made his first start on May 3. He threw a season-high 99 pitches on Tuesday night. "Im not obsessed with going nine innings," Iwakuma said through a translator. "I want to go out there and do my part, and I feel like I did my part today." Rangers manager Ron Washingtons take on the Seattle starter was: "Same Iwakuma. Sinking the ball. Cutting the ball. Hitting his spots. Changing speeds. Working fast. Having early contact." Mariners catcher Mike Zunino told manager Lloyd McClendon that he thought Iwakuma was finished after throwing 90 pitches in seven innings. McClendon decided to see what more his starter had, and Iwakuma retired Texas in order in the eighth on nine pitches. &quuot;Were hoping to get him built up," McClendon said. Kirby Puckett Jersey. "He ran out of gas again." The loss in the opener of a two-game set means the Rangers have either lost or split six consecutive series. Texas Colby Lewis (3-3) started on seven days rest and allowed five runs on nine hits through six innings, the longest of his seven starts this season. Lewis debuted in the starting rotation in mid-April after missing the previous 21 months following elbow and hip surgeries. Franklin was called up from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Corey Hart, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list after straining his left hamstring on Sunday. Franklin was leading the Pacific Coast League in hitting. A Texas lineup that has yet to feature second baseman Jurickson Profar or catcher Geovany Soto this season because of injury played Tuesday without first baseman Prince Fielder and centerfielder Leonys Martin. The Rangers hoped Fielder would return after sitting out two games because of neck stiffness that was recently attributed to a herniated disk. But after an early batting practice session, Fielder said he wasnt ready to play. Martin was removed from the original lineup because of stiff neck. Cano has reached base in 27 consecutive games, a career high for the five-time All-Star who signed with the Mariners as a free agent following nine seasons with the New York Yankees. NOTES: The Rangers replaced Robbie Ross in the starting rotation with Scott Baker, who will pitch Friday at Detroit. Ross, a first-year starter, was 1-4 with a 4.78 ERA. McClendon said LHP James Paxton (latissimus dorsi) and RHP Taijuan Walker (shoulder) both threw well during game-simulated sessions on Tuesday afternoon. Texas optioned C J.P. Arencibia to Triple-A Round Rock, purchased C Chris Gimenez from Round Rock and moved LHP Martin Perez from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day list. ' ' '