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The reaction to defeat at Lords speaks volumes for the febrile atmosphere in English cricket at present.With a couple of newspapers calling for the selectors to be sacked, you would think defeat at Lords, or defeat against Pakistan, was an unprecedented disaster. But actually England lost at Lords in 2015 and 2014 and Pakistan beat them 2-0 barely six months ago.So quite why the defeat at Lords has caused such shock is puzzling. Pakistan are a fine side with, arguably, the best bowling attack in the world. They are rated above England in the rankings and Lords (and The Oval and Manchester) offer England little home advantage. Anyone surprised by Pakistan playing well - or Englands batting looking fragile - really hasnt been paying attention.The consternation over the absence of James Anderson is puzzling, too. The decision not to risk him at Lords - a not unreasonable decision bearing in mind he had yet to play a game after sustaining a shoulder injury - was not responsible for the defeat. Englands na?ve batting, as Alastair Cook termed it, was.Its certainly not a selection fiasco in the grand traditions of English cricket. Take the Major Nigel Bennett episode, for example. Major Bennett popped into The Oval in 1946 to renew his county membership after the war, but was mistaken for Major Leo Bennet - who had represented the British Empire XI during the war - and offered the captaincy. He took up the offer before anyone realised a mistake had been made and went on to lead Surrey to what was, at the time, the worst season in their history. He averaged 16 with the bat.Still, Andersons return to the squad - he bowled in the nets on Wednesday and looks fully fit - is welcome. So, too, is Ben Stokes, who admitted he required the bowling he gained in the Championship match he played against Lancashire instead of the first Test to regain match fitness. Both of them are highly likely to play though the selectors have given the captain and coach - a coach, it should be remember, who has barely seen a weeks county cricket in his life - every option with an unusually large 14-man squad.With Stokes and Woakes available as allrounders, England have plentiful options here. One of those is to field a second spinner (Saqlain Mushtaq worked with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in training on Wednesday) and either drop one of the batsmen (probably James Vince, but perhaps Gary Ballance) or play only three of Stokes, Woakes, Anderson and Stuart Broad.Bearing in mind Pakistans excellence against spin and Englands record of success fielding a two-man spin attack in home Tests - they have not won a game in England using a two-man spin attack since 1985 - and that looks both an unwise and unlikely scenario. England have only fielded a two-man spin attack at home six times in the last 20 years. The last time - at The Oval in 2013 - saw Simon Kerrigans unfortunate debut. The time before that was in 2009 when Monty Panesar helped James Anderson bat England to what had seemed an unlikely draw against Australia in Cardiff.It seems more likely that England will pick the four-man seam attack with one spinner. Whether that is Rashid or Moeen remains to be seen, though Rashid does look the favourite at this stage. Pakistan look likely to play only one spinner though, as Stokes remarked on Wednesday, Yasir may well be the best legspinner since Shane Warne.As well as a few Lancashire players, Glen Chapple and Steve Rhodes attended England training on Wednesday with a view to taking coaching tips back to their counties. Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, will again bowl in the nets on Thursday (he was with the England squad at Lords) and Mason Crane, the Hampshire legspinner, will do the same at The Oval. The England camp also hope to continue to engage with former players and create situations where they can pass on their tips to the current team. Andy Caddick is expected to speak to the squad at Edgbaston and Darren Gough will do so later in the summer.Although the outfield at Old Trafford is not especially pretty - the result of staging lucrative Rihanna and Beyonce concerts here in recent weeks - the pitch is expected to be good. It should offer some pace, bounce and spin as the surface wears; in short, it should reward good cricket.Lancashire played two spinners in their last Championship match here. One of them - Parkinson - took a five-wicket haul in the first innings. The groundstaff are using the cannabis hot lamps we have seen previously at Edgbaston to promote grass growth on the outfield (either that or they have moved into a most unorthodox sideline) but, unless heavy rain hits, it should only be a cosmetic problem.Cheap USA Soccer Jerseys . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Fake USA Soccer Jerseys .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. USA Soccer Shirts . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue.A roundup of the past weeks notable boxing results from around the world:Saturday at Las VegasAndre Ward W12 Sergey Kovalev --?Fight recap Wins unified light heavyweight title Scores: 114-113 (three times) Records: Ward (31-0, 15 KOs); Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In the most significant match of the year -- an HBO PPV showdown between undefeated top-5 pound-for-pound fighters -- fans got the exciting fight they deserved but the decision was controversial as former unified super middleweight world champion Ward, 32, of Oakland, eked out a questionable nod to take three world title belts off Kovalev, 33, the heavy-handed Russian who was making his ninth defense. Although Kovalev hurt Ward with a jab in the first round, dropped him with a right hand to the forehead in the second round and was in total control through the first half of the fight, Ward did make a nice comeback by finding the right range and making adjustments. But he got every possible benefit of the doubt from the three judges, two of whom gave him rounds 7-12 and one who gave him five of the last six rounds.Ward was the favorite of the crowd of 13,310 at T-Mobile Arena, so they were generally happy with the decision, but the vast majority of media had Kovalev winning. Kovalev has a rematch clause and his team said it will exercise it immediately, so expect to see to see this fight again next year.Darleys Perez D10 Maurice Hooker --?Full undercard recap Junior welterweight scores: 97-93 Perez, 97-93 Hooker, 95-95 Records: Perez (33-2-2, 21 KOs); Maurice Hooker (21-0-3, 16 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Perez, 33, of Colombia, a former lightweight world titleholder moving up in weight, deserved the clear and wide decision. It was a bad and boring fight but that was mainly because Hooker, 27, of Dallas, did basically nothing but back up and miss tons of wide punches. He certainly did not come close to living up to his pre-fight boasts of a knockout. Now its one thing not get a knockout if you predict one. Fine. Happens all the time. But to talk the smack Hooker talked and then not even attempt to press the action is bad form. While Hooker ran, Perez went after him throughout the fight and the judges took a win from him. According to CompuBox statistics, Perez landed 146 of 413 punches (35 percent) while Hooker connected on 104 of 485 shots (21 percent). Perez also outjabbed the taller Hooker (69-42).Oleksandr Gvozdyk TKO8 Isaac Chilemba -- Full undercard recap Light heavyweight Scores: 96-93 (twice), 95-94 Records: Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KOs); Chilemba (24-5-2, 10 KOs)Rafaels remarks: The 29-year-old Gvozdyk is not your average prospect. He was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine who had around 250 amateur fights, so he was already pretty advanced. But he was nonetheless taking a major step up in competition against Chilemba, 29, the Malawi native living in South Africa. Some thought Gvozdyk was biting off more than he could chew but he was not. He looked sharp, especially with his jab, in a dominant win, the best of his career.Although Chilemba, who was being trained by the great Roy Jones Jr. for the first time, ultimately retired on his stool following the eighth round because of a right elbow injury he said he suffered in the third round, he was well on his way to defeat as all three judges had Gvozdyk, by far the heavier hitter, ahead 79-73 at the time of the stoppage. Gvozdyks dominance was illustrated by the CompuBox punch statistics. He landed 140 of 533 punches (26 percent) while Chilemba connected with 80 of 354 blows (23 percent). Usually, when a fighter throws more, lands more and lands at a higher rate than his opponent he wins the fight.Curtis Stevens W10 James De La Rosa -- Full undercard recap Middleweight Scores: 98-90, 96-92 (twice) Records: Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs); De La Rosa (23-5, 13 KOs)Rafaels remarks: For three rounds this was a fun fight. The rest of it was dreadful but Stevens, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, had matters well in hand against De La Rosa, 29, of Harlingen, Texas, who lost his third fight in a row. Stevens, a good puncher, started very fast and looked like he might end it quickly when he scored a solid knockdown with a left hand with 20 seconds left in the first round. Stevens kept up the pressure, cutting De La Rosa over the left eye in the second round and engaging him in a wild and extended exchange in the third round that gave you the feeling this was going to be a tremendous brawl. But then all the air went out of the fight. Both guys were perhaps a bit tired or maybe wary of the other mans power. Whatever it was, it turned into a dreadful fight but one that Stevens, a knockout victim to Gennady Golovkin in a 2013 world title bout, won with ease.Claressa Shields W4 Franchon Crews -- Full recap Super middleweight Scores: 40-36 (three times) Records: Shields (1-0, 0 KOs); Crews (0-1)Rafaels remarks: The only bright spot of the entire horrific Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward undercard was this exciting slugfest between Shields and Crews, who gave fans a tremendous show despite Shields legitimately winning every round. It was an absolute travesty that it was not part of the pay-per-view and that is not just because it was an exciting slugfest. It was because Shields, 21, of Flint, Michigan, desserved the exposure for her pro debut following winning her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in August as she culminated her incredible 77-1 amateur career as the best female boxer in the world.dddddddddddd Crews, 29, of Baltimore, was no pushover either. She was a decorated amateur as well with numerous accolades, despite losses to Shields in the unpaid ranks. They came out swinging like Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in the opening round and rarely let up. Shields, however, was quicker, stronger and her punches were straighter. If there is going to be someone to bring more interest to womens boxing in the United States, Shields is the one.Saturday at Hanover, GermanyMarco Huck W12 Dmytro Kucher Cruiserweight Scores: 119-109, 117-111 (twice) Records: Huck (40-3-1, 27 KOs); Kucher (24-2-1, 18 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Huck, 32, of Germany, was the dominant cruiserweight in the world from 2009 to 2015, making a division-record tying 13 defenses before getting knocked out in the 11th round of a big upset by Polands Krzysztof Glowacki in August 2015. Huck, typically in exciting fights, has won two fights in a row since, including this lopsided but entertaining affair against European champion Kucher, 32, of Ukraine. There were several close rounds in the fight but Huck did what he always does, which is to grind out a tough, physical fight. Kucher fought well but Huck landed the cleaner, harder punches throughout the fight. In the eighth round, an accidental head butt left Huck with a cut over his left eye. Later in the round, Huck rocked him with a right hand and then tossed him to the mat. Kucher was in trouble but got through it and went the distance but it was a clear loss.Friday at LondonGeorge Groves W12 Eduard Gutknecht Super middleweight Scores: 119-110, 119-109 (twice) Records: Groves (25-3, 18 KOs); Gutknecht (30-5-1, 13 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Groves, 28, of England, is a three-time world title challenger, having lost twice to Carl Froch by knockout and by split decision to Badou Jack. Groves won his fourth fight in a row since the defeat to Jack in September 2015, but it had an unfortunate ending. Groves pounded out a one-sided decision against two-time world title challenger Gutknecht, a 34-year-old Kazakhstan native living in Germany, who took a lot of punishment and suffered a cut left eye in the ninth round. After the fight, Gutknecht collapsed in his dressing room and rushed to the hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. He is reportedly in stable condition. As unfortunate as Gutknechts situation is, the victory probably will propel Groves into another world title opportunity in 2017.Friday at Indio, Calif.Pablo Cesar Cano W10 Mauricio Herrera Welterweight Scores: 97-91 (twice) Cano, 95-93 Herrera Records: Cano (30-5-1, 21 KOs); Herrera (22-7, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In Golden Boys Estrella TV main event, Cano, 26, of Mexico, shook off a split decision loss to Alan Sanchez in May with this good victory in an entertaining scrap against fellow former interim junior welterweight titlist Herrera, 36, of Riverside, California, who lost his second bout in a row. Before the fight Herrera, who many thought outpointed then-junior welterweight world champion Danny Garcia in a controversial loss, said his career might be on the line with another defeat and now he will have some soul searching to do as he looked old. The more aggressive Cano was quicker, stronger and beat him to the punch throughout the fight. Cano, aided by the right hand he landed all night, won rather handily but the scores wound up a bit closer because referee Ray Corona docked points from Cano in the fourth and eighth rounds for repeated low blows.Friday at Kissimmee, Fla.Christopher Diaz W8 Fernando Vargas Featherweight Scores: 79-83, 78-74, 77-75 Records: Diaz (19-0, 11 KOs); Vargas (30-11-3, 20 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Diaz, a 22-year-old prospect from Puerto Rico, got in some good work in a decision win against Mexican veteran Vargas, 28, in the main event of Top Ranks Solo Boxeo series on UniMas. Diaz used his quicker hands and solid combinations to work Vargas over en route to the decision. It was the fifth win of the year for Diaz, who is moving along nicely and positioned for a possible breakout year in 2017.Also on the card, Julian Rodriguez (15-0, 10 KOs), 22, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, rolled to a decision win against steppingstone opponent Jerry Belmontes (21-10, 6 KOs), 27, of Corpus Christi, Texas. Rodriguez, known as Hammer Hands, knocked Belmontes down twice (in the first and second rounds) on his way to shutout scores of 80-70 on two scorecards and 78-72 on the third.In another bout on the show, former middleweight world title challenger Matt Korobov (27-1, 14 KOs), 33, a 2008 Russian Olympian fighting out of Saint Petersburg, Florida, scored an eight-round shutout of journeyman Scott Sigmon (27-10-1, 15 KOs), 29, of Lynchburg, Virginia. Korobov won 80-72 on all three scorecards in his third victory in a row since he got knocked out in the sixth round of a fight he was winning easily by Andy Lee for a vacant middleweight world title in December 2014. ' ' '