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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.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 SLWATCH: Story of Day OneSky Cricket PodcastEngland v Sri Lanka on Sky SportsCheap Nike Tn Trainers Uk . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Air Max 95 Wholesale Uk . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. http://www.fakeairmaxukoutlet.com/best-max-200-trainers-cheap-uk.html . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale Uk . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Air Max Shop Uk .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach.Hull City will finally have a permanent manager at the helm when they travel to the south coast of England to face Bournemouth on Saturday.Mike Phelan has been in charge of Hull (2-1-4) on a caretaker basis for the opening seven games this season, but agreed to a full-time contract with the Humberside club on Thursday to end this managerial uncertainty.Its exciting to step over that threshold into management, and Im looking forward to working with this group of players that has done so well so far, Phelan said. It has taken time, but things have to be done correctly with these matters.What is important now is that we move forward and help this squad of players be successful for this football club. Im looking forward to what is to come now, so roll on the next few games.The deal is a just reward for a coach who sparked an unexpectedly bright start to the season for the Tigers, who beat both Leicester City and Swansea City in their opening two games.As surprising as that six-point opening was, it was also necessary given the daunting nature of the clubs following fixtures. A draw with Burnley is the only point Hull have picked up since matchday 2, with Phelans side being beaten in four of their last five -- albeit against big-hitters Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.Having ridden out that rough run of games and sunk back down to a much more expected 15th-place position in the table, Hull now have the opportunity to start racking up wins in this crucial busy period of the season before the relegation race really starts to heat up after ChristmasWeve got six or seven big games coming up against teamms that are likely to be in and around us in the table, rather than the run we had recently when we were up against a lot of the big teams in this league, full-back Andy Robertson said.ddddddddddddAnd he isnt wrong.Hulls upcoming run of games represents an important period of the season, and -- crucially -- this trip to Bournemouth (2-2-3) will feel like a fresh start for the players after their two-week break from club football due to the international fixtures.Im really looking forward to the weekend and its always good when the group gets back together after an international break, Scotland international Robertson added.It has felt like a long two weeks since we last played, so were all looking forward to traveling down to Bournemouth and we hope to come back with a positive result. We need to be at our best to take something from the game at Bournemouth and that is what we are aiming to do.In contrast, hosts Bournemouth have very few players with international commitments, which has given highly-rated young manager Eddie Howe a fortnight to continue developing his teams tactics and style after a run of positive displays that saw the Cherries lose just one of their five matches before the season interlude.I always view it as an opportunity, the Bournemouth manager admitted last week, when asked about the international break. Its a chance for us to really work with the players individually and collectively.This meeting will be the first ever between the teams in top-flight history. ' ' '