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Michael Lumb believes Alex Hales will be out to silence his critics when Nottinghamshire take on Yorkshire in the Specsavers County Championship this weekend, live on Sky Sports. Hales, who has impressed at international level in limited-overs cricket, was given his chance in the Test arena for Englands tour of South Africa over the winter and while Alastair Cooks side emerged victorious, the Nottinghamshire batsman struggled.However, Lumb, a team-mate of Hales at Trent Bridge, is confident the 27-year-old has what it takes to succeed at Test level and is backing him to provide a reminder of his ability in the build up to Englands first Test of the summer against Sri Lanka next month. Hes been great, he came to Old Trafford [during Nottinghamshires Championship game with Lancashire] for a couple of days and had a couple of hits so I know hes looking forward to getting going and silencing some of the critics he had over the winter, Lumb told Sky Sports.He is raring to go and wanting to show the critics and other people that hes world class and hell be working hard to keep his place in the Test team and play the first game. Its great to have him back. Hales struggled at the top of the order for England in South Africa Hales wont be the only England player in the Nottinghamshire ranks for the game with Yorkshire. Stuart Broad is also set to play for Mick Newells side and Lumb feels his presence is a significant boost.Its huge, hes the No 1 Test bowler in the world and having him in the side is awesome, he said. He helps out the younger bowlers and hes a leading influence in the field so to have him in these opening games, hopefully he can find some form and help us to win some games as well.One of those younger bowlers sure to benefit from playing alongside the England seamer is Jake Ball. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a fine start to the season and Lumb has high hopes for the England Lions quick.Jakes had a great start, said the 36-year-old. He had a good winter with the Lions, I think he impressed with them, and hes come back and got out of the blocks really well.Hes put on a bit of pace, hes bowling quick and hes a good lad. Theres big things for him in the future, hes started really well and hopefully thatll continue for a while. Jake Ball has started the season well for Nottinghamshire However, while Ball has begun the season in fine style, it has been an indifferent beginning to the 2016 campaign for Notts as a whole - victory over Surrey was followed by defeat at newly-promoted Lancashire. Lumb though, is not overly concerned.Obviously, we got out of the blocks really well, winning the first game, we played some good cricket and then unfortunately we went to Lancashire and got outplayed there, he admitted.It just shows the rollercoaster of Championship cricket, we were on a bit of a high and then you go and get beaten. Theres stuff that we can still work on, which is good.Everyone says the same things early on: We want to win the Championship and this and that but I think this year were more about just doing our little process, getting our basics right and if we look after those things hopefully results will come for us in the end.Division One is very strong, there are some strong sides knocking around and so, for us, its just taking each game as it comes and as long as we stick to our basics and our game plans then hopefully thatll take care of itself. Michael Lumb admits Notts were outplayed by Lancashire in their last outing The forthcoming game with Yorkshire, perhaps more than most, shows the strength of the top flight this season with both teams boasting numerous players who have performed well consistently in recent years and thats before you even get to England regulars such as Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, all of whom are expected to play.You look at the two sides on paper and its almost like a Test match so the boys are up for it, said Lumb, who spent the early part of his career at Headingley.All the pressures on Yorkshire and were just trying to knock them off. Its exciting to be part of and thats what you want in these County Championship games, strong games, strong competitions. Were up for it, theyll be favourites, well just go out and enjoy the game and try and get one over on them.You can watch Nottinghamshire take on Yorkshire in County Championship Division One live on Sky Sports 2 HD. Coverage starts at 10.30am on Sunday May 1. Also See: CC Div One table Yorkshire up for challenge County XI of the week Get Surrey tickets! Wholesale Custom Jerseys . Teams one through twenty competing in Englands top flight are each fatally flawed. A wide-open, highly competitive and mistake-filled season has followed. Wholesale Jerseys Online . HEROES Alex Ovechkin – Scored a pair of goals in Washington’s 4-0 win over Pittsburgh. With 13 goals in the past 13 games, Ovechkin now has 29 goals on the season to lead the league. https://www.wholesalejerseys2020.com/ . -- Derek Jeter spoke for 25 minutes, 44 seconds and answered 26 questions about his decision to retire at the end of this season. Cheap Jerseys From China . At times during a solid but not spectacular season, they looked all three. Still the defending AFC champions persevered, riding their top-ranked defence and key contributions from younger players to a 12-4 record and their eighth playoff appearance since 2000, remarkable consistency in a league where change is the only constant. China Jerseys . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman insists the Atlanta Braves have no special insight when playing the Washington Nationals. "I dont know if its about getting in their heads," Freeman said. "You just want to go out there and win series. It doesnt matter who its against." Freeman and Justin Upton each hit a two-run homer off Gio Gonzalez and the Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Nationals with a 10-2 victory on Sunday. Beating Washington for the 18th time in the last 25 series matchups, Atlanta is hoping to use another fast start against the Nationals to win a second straight NL East title. The Braves have won five of six against the Nationals this year. "We have a 19-game stretch against division opponents," Freeman said. "This is where you can get off to a good start and get off to a good lead and hopefully well keep playing well when we get to" Philadelphia to begin a four-game series Monday. Washington began the day by placing third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right thumb. Hell be out four to six weeks. With Zimmerman and leadoff hitter Denard Span sidelined, the Nationals lineup managed just five hits off Aaron Harang (2-1), who allowed one run, one walk and struck out five in six innings. Gonzalez (2-1) continued his struggles against the Braves, giving up nine hits, six runs and four walks and striking out six in six innings. Despite ranking second in the majors among left-handers with 34 wins since the start of 2012, Gonzalez is 2-7 with a 5.31 ERA in 10 starts against the Braves during that span. He hasnt received more than one run of support in any of his seven winless starts against Atlanta. "We were catching bad breaks," Gonzalez said. "We were making some big mistakes, and as a starting pitcher youve got to learn to adjust and keep the ball down." Harang, making his 322nd career start and third with the Braves, improved to 2-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 10 starts against Washington. Gus Schlosser, Atlantas fourth pitcher, gave up Adam LaRoches third homer in the ninth to make it 10-2. Ross Detwiler, Washingtons second pitcher, allowed four unearned runs in the eighth on Freemans RBI double and Andrelton Simmons first homer, a three-run shot that put the Braves up 10-1. Gonnzalezs struggles began in the first.dddddddddddd. After walking leadoff hitter Jason Heyward, Gonzalez made an errant underhanded throw to first baseman LaRoche on B.J. Uptons bunt single. The ball rolled away from LaRoche, allowing Heyward to advance to third and B.J. Upton to second. Freemans sacrifice fly scored Heyward, and Justin Upton homered to make it 3-0. Over his last six games, Justin Upton is hitting .590 with four homers in 22 at-bats. "We know what were capable of and what we want to achieve," Justin Upton said. "If everybody can contribute every day, I think well be fine." Atlanta added three more runs in the second. Tyler Pastornicky led off with a triple and scored on Heywards RBI double. Freeman followed with his fourth homer to give the Braves a 6-0 lead. Washingtons first run came on Jose Lobatons RBI groundout, scoring Kevin Frandsen from third to make it 6-1 in the fifth. Freeman, who has hit .470 in his last 34 at-bats, avoided a scare in the fourth when Gonzalezs 92 mph fastball hit the outer right side of his right hand. Like the rest of the day, everything seemed to go Atlantas way. "It pinched my pinkie into the bat," Freeman said. "It was more a scare than an injury. I got really lucky. I think if I didnt choke up, Im done. By choking up, it got some fat right there. I kind of lucked out, I think." NOTES: Washington RF Jayson Werth returned after a sore groin forced him from the lineup on Saturday. Werth went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and stranded three runners. ... Simmons hit in the No. 5 spot for the first time in his career, going 2 for 5 with three RBIs. ... Nate McLouth was supposed to start in CF and bat second for Washington, but manager Matt Williams said he tweaked his left knee while shagging flyballs during batting practice and was held out. ... Nationals LF Steven Souza Jr. made his major league debut in the seventh as Frandsen moved to second base and Danny Espinosa left the game. Souza struck out in the eighth. ... The Nationals called up INF Zach Walters from Triple-A Syracuse to take Zimmermans spot on the 25-man roster. Walters struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the game. ... Span, on the seven-day DL with concussion symptoms, missed his second straight game. ' ' '