Join us » Vettel and Ricciardo all set their fastest times in Q2

Moeen Ali really isnt the sort to roar for his inclusion in a team or storm into the coachs room demanding explanations.When asked earlier in the tour whether it was an arm ball that had earned a wicket, he answered, Nah, just one that didnt spin. When he found himself praising the number of maidens he had bowled, he added I dont do that very often.When asked to describe his dismissals in Mohali he uses the word crap and when asked whether he and Adil Rashid can replicate the success of Englands spinners in 2012 (when Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar took 19 wickets between them) he responds by laughing out loud. Indeed, when asked whether Rashids improved performance with the ball could put his own position under pressure, he agreed: Its just a matter of time.He is as modest and unassuming as international sportsmen come. He will never have a nickname like The Big Show (even if he does have more international centuries than Glenn Maxwell).So perhaps it is relevant that, very gently, very politely, even a little bit apologetically, he has suggested he might like to have a settled batting position.Moeen has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 9 in the Test team. He has opened the batting and the bowling. He has been pushed down the order to accommodate others and then promoted to cover for their failures. He has been asked to thrash for quick runs, block for draws, see off the new ball and shepherd the tail. His versatility is, no doubt, his greatest asset, but it might also be a bit of a curse. It is hardly a surprise that he has looked confused at times.Close in the future, he said, reiterating the point that he is not demanding anything, just expressing an aspiration, Id like to have a position I can try to nail down.Almost immediately, he corrects himself.Obviously, I dont mind. I just get on with it. Whatever they tell me.But then the elaboration hints at his frustration a little more.I was down to bat five from Bangladesh onwards, he said. But form or balance of the side meant I was pushed up to four and then three in the last innings. I dont have a clue where Im batting here yet. Ill probably find out tomorrow.Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the conversation occurs when he is asked if his modesty, his humility, his niceness counts against him at times. He smiles.Probably, yes, he said. Ive been told sometimes thats not a good thing. Once my dad pulled me out of a club game when I was told I was batting seven. He said No, youre not, youre not batting seven.I was about 13 and I made the first team, and they told me I was batting seven. He said, No, youre not playing ... lets go. But since then Ive just got on with it.While the floating role is a frustration, Moeen enjoys the approach of this England side. He appreciates the encouragement to attack and the lack of consequences when it backfires. He enjoyed the opportunity for a few days away from the tour, too - something that would have been unthinkable a few years ago - and admits he never thought about cricket once over three days chilling out in Dubai.He certainly hasnt been beating himself up for the way he was dismissed in Mohali (caught at fine leg and mid-on). He doesnt feel he has to be less attacking, he just has to attack better.I naturally play in quite a positive way anyway, he said. I just need to try to go back to how I batted in the first Test and try to replicate that. Sometimes it can go a bit too positive. We want to be positive, but in the right manner.I felt all right in Mohali. I know it was a crap way to get out, but it was just the execution in both innings. Im not too down about it. In the second innings, I was going to go over the top. I just wanted to send one of the guys back on to the boundary, but I didnt execute it well.His praise for Rashid is as warm as it genuine. Recognising both the contribution of Englands spin consultant, Saqlain Mushtaq, and the benefits of playing more regularly, Moeen even started to make a case for Rashids inclusion ahead of his own.Hes a quality spinner, Moeen said. Hes obviously bowling really well, and Im really happy for him. He deserves it and I think his confidence is going to grow, the more he plays.Saqlain has been brilliant for both of us - the confidence he gives us both - and Adils confidence has definitely grown as a bowler.The three back-to-back games were good for him, because hes got into a rhythm, and now he just comes out, doesnt think about it too much and lands it on a spot pretty much straightaway.Theyve played him quite well, but hes picking up wickets. Hes bowling really, really well. Is he snapping at my heels? Yes. Its just a matter of time, really.For most cricketers such a situation might create some unease. But Moeen, speaking after meeting a group of young female athletes from under-privileged families in his role as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust, has a refreshing sense of perspective over such matters.Pressure to me is people who cant afford food or who are struggling to live, he says. This is just a game of cricket. Ill give it my best shot. But if I dont play well, I dont play well. Theres no point not sleeping at night over it.These under-privileged people... it puts everything in perspective, doesnt it? This is just a game of cricket. You give your best, but thats all you can do. Pressure is to survive in certain areas. Theres more to life than bat and ball. Stitched NBA Jerseys . 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. Cheap NBA Jerseys . 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SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Nico Rosberg beat Red Bulls Max Verstappen to pole position by 0.149s on a weekend where he is looking to capitalise on teammate Lewis Hamiltons grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix.Rosberg set the fastest time with a 1:46.744, but the margin to Red Bull and Ferrari was smaller than expected on a day when few drivers improved on their second attempt in Q3. Kimi Raikkonen secured third on the grid for Ferrari, 0.166s off Rosberg, with Sebastian Vettel a further 0.198s off after complaining of a lack of traction out of the final corner.Daniel Ricciardo had to settle for fifth after sailing well wide of the apex on his final attempt and ended up with a 0.323s deficit to teammate Verstappen, who nailed his first attempt in Q3 to the delight of a large crowd of travelling Dutch fans. Force India will line up sixth and seventh ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who was down on power due to an engine software issue in his Williams.Jenson Button qualified eighth in the updated McLaren, proving the progress Honda has made with its engine and turbo updates on a power-sensitive circuit. Felipe Massa rounded out the top ten after suffering from the same software issue as Bottas and locking up into the first corner on his single flying lap in Q3.Rosberg, Raikkonen, Vettel and Ricciardo all set their fastest times in Q2 on the soft compound, meaning they will start on yellow-striped tyres while the rest of the top 10, including Verstappen on the front row, will start on the more delicate super-softs.Romain Grosjean will start 11th on the grid ahead of Kevin Magnussen, who secured Renaults best qualifying position of the season in 12th.dddddddddddd. Esteban Gutierrez qualified 13th but faces a five-place grid penalty for impeding Pascal Wehrlein in a dangerous manner during final practice. As a result, Jolyon Palmer will be promoted to 13th, his best grid position of the year, Carlos Sainz will start 14th in the Toro Rosso and Wehrlein will move up to 15th in the Manor.Saubers Felipe Nasr missed out on a space in Q2 by 0.048s to Palmer and will start the race ahead of Esteban Ocon, who qualified 18th on his debut and 0.496s off Manor teammate Pascal Wehrlein. Daniil Kvyats run of disappointing qualifying performances continued down in 19th place ahead of Marcus Ericsson, who is due a 10-place grid drop for using his sixth turbocharger of the season this weekend.As expected, Hamilton completed a single lap at a pedestrian pace to ensure he qualified within 107% of the fastest time, as per the regulations, but without burning through any more sets of tyres than necessary.He will be joined on the back row by Fernando Alonso, who has a 35-place grid penalty of his own, but did not set a lap time after exiting the pits and coming to a halt at the top of Eau Rouge. Honda detected an anomaly with his power unit ahead of the session, but believed it was fixed before sending him out on track. Despite failing to set a time within 107%, Alonso is expected to be allowed to start the race based on his previous practice times. ' ' '