Leicester Citys NGolo Kante has been named in the France squad for the first time. The talismanic midfielder has been called up for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia.Dimitri Payet of West Ham has also been included in Didier Deschamps 23-man selection. Kante has been an integral part of Leicesters unlikely rise to the summit of English football this season; he has made more tackles and interceptions (247) than any other player in Europes top five leagues.His selection came on the same day Roy Hodgson called up Kantes midfielder partner Danny Drinkwater to the England squad for the first time. Danny Drinkwater included in England squad for first time Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri feels that international call ups are just reward for the efforts of his previously unsung players.He said: NGolo Kanté understood immediately the tempo and rhythm of the Premier League. He is a strong player. This is another step. Some players who havent been with their national teams now start to get called up.Its good because it means were working well. He (Drinkwater) deserves it because all season hes working well with good quality and is now scoring goals.Hes always available for his team-mates. He has the personality to command a game and has a very good partnership with Kante. France manager Didier Deschamps Kante takes the place of Manchester Uniteds Morgan Schneiderlin in Deschamps squad.NGolo Kante is putting in high-level performances, Deschamps said.As for Schneiderlin, Deschamps added: Its not that I dont have confidence in Morgan, I know what he can do, but before making final decisions (on the Euro 2016 squad) its important that NGolo comes with us to get more answers. Dimitri Payet of West Ham is also included for the two friendly matches West Ham forward Payet moved to London last summer and has scored 11 times as Slaven Bilics side enjoy one of their best ever Premier League campaigns.Fellow English-based stars Hugo Lloris, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Olivier Giroud and Anthony Martial are all in the squad for the pair of March friendlies.France 23-man squad: Goalkeepers: Benoît Costil (Rennes), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)Defenders: Lucas Digne (Roma), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Jérémy Mathieu (Barcelona), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid)Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Lassana Diarra (Marseille), Ngolo Kanté (Leicester), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle) Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres de Monterrey), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Dimitri Payet (West Ham) Also See: Ligue 1 fixtures Ligue 1 table Bet £5 Get £20 Free Eddie Rosario Jersey . -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. Devin Smeltzer Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. https://www.cheaptwins.com/872t-jose-ber...ey-twins.html.C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. Miguel Sano Jersey .com) - Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist both scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings denied the Minnesota Wilds comeback bid with a 5-4 win on Tuesday. Ryan LaMarre Twins Jersey . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Pistons will try and crack the win column Saturday when they play their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets at The Palace at Auburn Hills. The Pistons opened their season with back-to-back losses in Minnesota and Denver. They play their next four in the comfy confines of The Palace. Both setbacks were winnable games, but the Pistons couldnt get it done. On Wednesday, Detroit fell, 89-79 at Denver, then dropped a tough one to the Timberwolves, 97-91. That game particularly frustrated new head coach Stan Van Gundy. You can get blown out in games. Teams can go on runs. Youre missing shots, theyre knocking down shots. That can happen, he told the teams website. But to get outcompeted and melting down and losing it and lose concentration and get discouraged, that has absolutely nothing to do with whos out there. Thats just a matter of whether or not you want to compete. The Pistons began the season with Greg Monroe serving a suspension for driving while visibly impaired. He should be back on Saturday night, but he may come off the bench. Against the Wolves, Caron Butler tallied 24 points and eight rebounds off the bench to lead the Pistons. D.J. Augustin provideed 20 points and six assists, while Andre Drummond put up 11 points and 12 boards in defeat.dddddddddddd Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also managed 11 points, followed by 10 from Josh Smith. After Butlers triple tied the game at 88-88 with 1:43 left in the fourth, Minnesota outscored Detroit 9-3 the rest of the way. We just absolutely melted down, Van Gundy said. The Nets began the 2014-15 campaign under new head coach Lionel Hollins and got blown out in Boston, 121-105, at the hands of the Celtics. Mirza Teletovic shot 8-of-11 off the bench to pace Brooklyn with 20 points in the setback. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams netted 19 apiece. Jarrett Jack scored 11 off the bench and the venerable Kevin Garnett added 10 and six rebounds. We have to play harder, said Garnett. First game, we have something to build off of. Brook Lopez missed the season-opener with a sprained foot and hes not expected to play on Saturday. The Nets open the campaign with two road tilts, but play their next four at The Barclays Center. The Pistons won three of four meetings last season, which halted a four-game winning streak by Brooklyn. Detroit has won 15 of the last 18 against the Nets as the host. ' ' 'ton and complained of a headache. Initially, Jaso was placed on the seven-day concussion list the following day, then transferred to the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 8. Jaso batted .271 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 70 games. He was among seven Oakland players who filed for arbitration. ' ' '