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Englands selectors seemingly had two paths they could follow in filling the vacancy in the batting order for the first Test against Pakistan. They could have gone the x-factor route - throw convention out the window and recall Jos Buttler based on his limited-overs form - or reward heavy scoring in the County Championship.In the end they have done neither. Instead, they have recalled Gary Ballance who is now set to return to Test cricket for the first time since last years Ashes but in the middle order rather than at No. 3.Timing certainly appears to be everything. This week Ballance made 132 against a Middlesex attack that - it turns out - included two members of the Test squad, Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones, which followed 78 against Durham the match before. Scott Borthwick, heavily tipped a few weeks ago, made his third single-figure score in his last three Championship innings.Still, Borthwick has 585 runs at 58.50 with three hundreds this season and Ballance 471 runs at 33.64. Ballance was the spare batsman in South Africa, but he was not deemed ready for a recall against Sri Lanka earlier this season, instead James Vince filling the middle-order spot created by James Taylors retirement.Selection, though, is more than about the numbers on a page. What he does have is that hard edge, Alastair Cook said. Gary is mentally strong, added national selector James Whitaker. That cannot be doubted. On debut he stood up to Mitchell Johnsons pace at the SCG and in his next Test, against Sri Lanka at Lords, reached his maiden century with a six in the final over of the day.Blooding an uncapped batsman against Pakistans attack would have brought its own risks; this was the conundrum England had left themselves after the gamble to stick with Nick Compton - while it was not without reason - backfired as he limped through the Sri Lanka series. Ballance knows the Test game and should not be overawed by the occasion; a test of technique more so than temperament.And it was not as though the runs had completely dried up when he was left out after the second Test against Australia last summer. The match before, he made a vital 61 on the opening day in Cardiff, in a potentially series-defining partnership, to help England recover from their early wobble and set up what would be a match-winning total.Yet nagging doubts remain, particularly because of the make-up of Pakistans attack. It was the full length and late movement of New Zealands Trent Boult which began Ballances problems - removing him three times in four innings - and over the next few weeks he will face Mohammad Amir and, most likely, Wahab Riaz which will provide him with a similar challenge.The selectors could have reinvented the thinking of Test selection by recalling Buttler without any first-class cricket since October but ultimately have stuck with convention and decided he needs some red-ball matches. Even with this squad there are rumblings about the value of County Championship runs with the leading scorers around the country ignored, so skipping the system completely would have raised further questions. The narrative now divides with the spotlight remaining on Jonny Bairstows glovework while Buttler returns to domestic cricket for Lancashire.Trevor Bayliss has got his way over the No. 3 spot with Joe Root being elevated. He would want to do it, Bayliss said a few days ago. Alastair Cook revealed he had a few beers with Root after the Sri Lanka series and that he was keen to make the move. There is no reason why Root, one of the most adaptable batsmen in the world, should not be able to make a success of first drop. It makes more sense for him to be there than Vince, who had a lean series against Sri Lanka and could soon be the under-pressure batsman in the side.But there remains a sense of uncertainty around the Test top order. In the last four series there have been significant changes; Ballance dropped in the Ashes, Bairstow for Buttler in the UAE, Compton and Taylor in for South Africa, Vince called up against Sri Lanka and now back to Ballance. England will hope that by the end of this series there is a bit more clarity, although Amir and Yasir Shah may have something to say about that. 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NEW ORLEANS -- A jury will begin deliberating Sunday to decide the fate of Cardell Hayes, the man accused of murdering former New Orleans Saints standout Will Smith and attempting to murder Smiths wife, Racquel, on the night of April 9, 2016.Hayes, 29, is claiming self-defense.During his nearly two-hour testimony Saturday, Hayes painted a picture of Smith, 34, as an angry, aggressive and possibly drunk attacker who was about to kill Hayes before Hayes shot Smith eight times, including seven times in the back.I didnt want to kill Will Smith. I didnt want to kill nobody, said Hayes, who insisted he didnt begin firing at Smith until he saw a black weapon in Smiths hand and heard a pop.Hayes was the only witness to place a gun in Smiths hand that night. Police say a loaded gun was found in Smiths SUV. Prosecutors say it was never fired that night and that Smith never grabbed it.Hayes also testified that he did not shoot Smiths wife, Racquel, who was hit once through both of her legs before Will Smith was shot. Hayes said he did not know who shot Racquel, who he said was attempting to hold her husband back and yelling something to the effect of No, baby, no as Smith reached into his vehicle to retrieve a gun.Hayes insisted he feared for his life after Smith addressed him with a racial epithet and told him, ... you got your gun. Well, Im going to get mine, and Ill show you what to do with it.What else could I think? I think hes gonna show me what to do with it. I think hes about to kill me, said Hayes, who said Smith threw a cup containing some type of alcohol at him and repeatedly punched him in the face before threatening to grab his gun. I knew I was gonna be shot. I probably wouldve died. I knew for a fact I was gonna get shot.Hayes also testified that his .45-caliber handgun fired several times rapidly and that he didnt expect it to go off that many times and tried to stop it.?Asked why he didnt turn and run, Hayes said he wasnt going to leave his friend Kevin ONeal behind and that he was sure he would have been shot while trying to flee.The prosecution, meanwhile, spent most of the day poking holes in Hayes claims, including pointing out that no other witnesses, including ONeal, saw Smith retreat into his vehicle, heard Smith threaten to get his own gun or saw Smith hit Hayes.Prosecutors pointed out that Hayes never told investigators that he saw a gun in Smiths hands that night, nor did he mention that detail in two conversations he had that were recorded on the scene immediately following the shooting. Hayes repeatedly replied that he never gave a full statement to anyone.Prosecutors also called a rebuttal witness, a firearms expert who said there was no evidence that Smith had fired a gun when he died.According to the prosecution, Hayes claims about where he was standing when he shot Smith didnt match ballistic evidence or account for how a shell casing woound up inside Smiths vehicle.dddddddddddd?Hayes said he couldnt account for what others saw and heard, but he insisted he was telling the truth.The defense has hinted that someone might have removed evidence from the crime scene. Earlier this year, defense attorney John Fuller said a witness claimed to see Smiths friend and former New Orleans police captain Billy Ceravolo reach into the car. But those claims were proven false, as Ceravolo was not yet on the scene at the time the witness claimed to have seen him.The fatal confrontation began that night after a pair of traffic incidents. The first happened when Smith appeared to bump Hayes, then drive away; the second occurred when Hayes crashed into Smiths Mercedes SUV after pursuing him a couple blocks away.Hayes insisted the crash was accidental -- that he was looking down to unlock his phone and call 911 while ONeal was trying to get Smiths license plate number. An expert testified Sunday that the crash appeared to be intentional.Hayes said that following the collision, he was immediately rushed by a Spanish guy who was a passenger in Smiths SUV, later identified as Richard Hernandez. Multiple witnesses have testified to Hernandezs being the most aggressive person on the scene, removing his shirt and acting ridiculous.Hayes testified that he saw Hernandez remove a shiny object from his pocket -- possibly a knife -- and wrap it in his shirt before Hayes decided to retrieve his gun from the car. Hayes said Hernandez was the first one to yell out that Hayes had a gun, but he would be afraid to use it.Hayes later testified that Hernandez ran away with his wife way before shots were fired.Saints coach Sean Payton made his first appearance in court Saturday and sat next to Racquel for part of the morning. Payton had offered Smith a job as a coaching intern this summer, before he was killed.Payton left in the middle of the proceedings to catch the team flight to Tampa. Its possible the Saints could be on the field against the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon when the verdict is reached. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET.Hayes, who played semi-pro football and played on the defensive line like Smith, said he did not know he had killed Smith until later that night, when he was in jail. But when asked Saturday if he was familiar with Smith, Hayes replied, Yes, I really was. Not personally, but I knew him as a good football player. Hayes said he tried to incorporate some of Smiths game into his own.Hayes appeared comfortable and focused throughout most of his testimony, directing many of his answers to the jury. He got choked up multiple times, especially when talking about his 6-year-old son, Cardell Jr.Information from The Associated Press was included in this report. ' ' '