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Alastair Cook has said that England will seek to park all of the off-field hype surrounding Mohammad Amirs comeback to Test cricket, despite reiterating his belief that players who get involved in corruption ought to be banned for life.However, he also admits that the distractions may help to galvanise a Pakistani team that is eager to make amends for the controversies of their 2010 tour.Well spend a lot of time talking about it in the build-up, Cook told ESPNcricinfo during a Yorkshire Tea event at The Oval, but once we get out there well just be thinking about playing.Obviously its more of a distraction on the Pakistan side, but we know they tend to get united behind distractions. But all that stuff off the field, weve just got to park it, and were pretty good at that.Nevertheless, ignoring the hype of Amirs comeback is not the same thing as ignoring the threat that he will pose in his first Test appearance since the lifting of his five-year ban for spot-fixing, and Cook in particular remembers the challenge he posed as a teenaged prodigy that summer.Cook was dismissed three times each by Amir and his then new-ball partner, Mohammad Asif - who was also implicated and jailed in the News of the World sting, as he mustered 57 runs in six innings, either side of a cathartic and career-changing century at The Oval in the third Test.It was warm and humid, it was muggy, Cook recalled. When the sun was out it was hot and there was rain around. The ball swung.He bowled brilliantly as a youngster on his first tour, in good conditions he was an absolute handful, he added. But a lot of water has gone under a few bridges since then, so itll be interesting to see how he copes and see the crowd reaction is.But as an England side, weve got to stay away from that sideshow. Whether you agree with him playing or you dont, thats not for us to say as players. Its down to us to play him as a fantastic bowler.Nevertheless, memories of the 2010 Lords Test are sure to come flooding back when the players take the field for the first Test next week, and Cook admitted that the atmosphere on that fourth and final day six years ago, on the morning after the newspapers revelations that Pakistans bowlers had been bribed to bowl no-balls to order, was one of the most peculiar he had ever experienced on a cricket field.It was very surreal, horrible, he said. Did Swanny [Graeme Swann] get a five-for? I dont think anyone celebrated any wickets. It was a disappointing day as we were on the verge of what we thought was a genuine win.And thats the problem when you fix games of cricket, or spot-fix, you tarnish games of cricket for the players, the crowd, everyone. The punishment should be befitting of someone who does that.Guys who are paying a lot of money to watch us want to see a genuine spectacle, they want to know the 22 players, and the two umpires, are trying their best, and nothing should distract from that.My feelings are clear, if you get caught matchfixing, you should be banned for life.England come into the Test series off the back of a convincing 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka but with recent memories of their own 2-0 loss against Pakistan in the UAE last winter - when a near-miss in the first Test at Abu Dhabi gave way to two comprehensive defeats at Dubai and Sharjah. Cook, however, is confident of setting that record straight.They are massively different conditions, he said. Misbah scored about 95% of his runs against spin, I dont think hell be facing as much spin as he did there.Theyve got a very good bowling attack, with a lot of variety, backed up by good spin. But it was a very close series. I dont think 2-0 quite reflected the sides. We are a bit more comfortable in those conditions, but we were unlucky in that first Test. Jacob Evans Jersey . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Cheap Golden State Warriors Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapwarriorsjerseysstore.com/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Cheap NBA Jerseys . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Cheap Warriors Jerseys Authentic . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. LUBBOCK, Texas -- Justin Gray and Shadell Millinghaus scored 14 points apiece to lead Texas Tech to a 69-48 win over Incarnate Word on Wednesday night.Zach Smith finished with 13 points and six rebounds for the Red Raiders (6-1) and Keenan Evans added 11 points and five assists.I thought tonight, about half our baskets were on assists, Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. So, that means were playing unselfish basketball. I thought we drove the ball well tonight, made enough free throws to win.Simi Socks and Jorden Kite scored 12 points apiece for Incarnate Word (2-3), which shot 37 percent from the floor and lost the points off turnover margin 23-9.Entering the game, Texas Tech had four players averaging double-digit scoring. It continued its varied scoring by matching that total and having eight players score.The Red Raiders, which outrebounded the Cardinals 36-26, committed 12 turnovers and caused 22 Incarnate Word turnovers.Texas Tech dominated frontcourt play, scoring 40 points in the paint to Incarnate Words eight.I thought we had a really nice shot chart in terms of where the baskets were coming from other than the 3-point line, Beard said. Thats an objective of ours.Texas Tech jumped out to a 15-4 lead before the Cardinals climbed back into the game, 19-11. Millinghaus had 11 points in the first half, which ended with the Red Raiders up 38-25 as the Cardinals went scoreless for almost five minutes.After shooting 43 percent in the first half, the Red Raiders, who have shot 53 percent for the season, shot 54 percent in the second half to pull away. They did that despite finishing 1 of 11 behind thhe 3-point line.ddddddddddddIncarnate Word, which lost to then-ranked No. 21 Texas by five points earlier this season, was within eight points early in the second half before Texas Tech pulled away.Shawn Johnson entered the game as Incarnate Words leading scorer with 23 points per game. He was held to six points.They bodied him up, Incarnate Word coach Ken Burmeister said. Hes not the kind of player that can take it off the dribble. He has great athleticism. They boxed him up pretty good.BIG PICTUREIncarnate Word: 2016-17 is the final season in Incarnate Words transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. Next season, it will be eligible for Southland Conference and NCAA Tournaments.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are playing without standout forwards Norense Odiase and Aaron Ross. Both are rehabbing injuries. In their absence, graduate transfer Anthony Livingston has provided quality frontcourt minutes.TREY TROUBLEThe Red Raiders entered the game first in the Big 12 with a 43.6 3-point percent shooting percentage. Wednesday, they finished 1 for 11 (9.1 percent).Youre not going to shoot it great every night, but I have a lot of confidence in our shooters, Beard said. Weve got a lot of guys that put in a lot of time. Between classes. Early morning. At night. I think the 3-point shot is going to be a great weapon for us this year.UP NEXTIncarnate Word starts a three-game homestand Sunday when it hosts LIU Brooklyn.Texas Tech hosts Conference USA-member Rice on Saturday. ' ' '