award. She also averaged career highs in scoring (19.7), rebou

It might not quite be the Ashes or India-Pakistan, but a series between Australia and South Africa has its own appeal. The two sides are competitive, intense, evenly matched, and bring the best and worst out of each other.Over the last eight years, Australia-South Africa contests have been especially epic: both teams have overcome the others home advantage, legendary captains have retired, and records have been made and broken.Heres a quick recap.2008: South Africa successfully chased 414 in Perth and won again in Melbourne - their first series victory in Australia.2011: Australia were bowled out for 47 in Cape Town, before sneaking to a two-wicket win in Johannesburg to draw the two-Test series.2012: A stonewalling in Adelaide that has become the stuff of legend.On the day, it was a show of defiance. In the context of the series, it shifted the momentum. For the players involved, it was defining. It was where Faf du Plessis showed the character that led to him becoming a stand-in captain. It was where Peter Siddle learned to lead an attack. It was where Nathan Lyon played his first real Test.I realised I was playing Test match cricket and teams dont just roll over, Lyon told ESPNcricinfo.Far from it. Usman Khawaja, who was not playing in that Adelaide Test, admitted what a lot of people would have been thinking. I was expecting Australia to win.South Africa finished day four on 77 for 4 in their chase of 430. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla were out. Jacques Kallis was injured. Du Plessis was on debut. Even though Australia also had a casualty in James Pattinson, they thought themselves halfway home.When youve got debutants coming in, you know they might perform well because the reason they are getting an opportunity is because they are skillful, Siddle said. You think he might bat for a little while but then you might get him out. Hes nervous, its his first test, it wont last.But it did. And partly because of who du Plessis had at the other end. His childhood friend, AB de Villiers; the inventor of some of the most ingenious strokes in the modern game was not interested in anything other than the block. De Villiers scored 33 off 220 balls at a strike rate of 15 - a run every seven balls he faced - and did not breach the boundary once. It was an incredible show of restraint from a player who is known for scoring quickly.When Lyon called their partnership unbelievable, he was not saying so in the way the word is casually used. He really meant it.Australia tried everything under the sun, as Siddle remembers it. Michael Clarke bowled first change and went on to deliver 18 overs. Du Plessis was given out twice off him, both times lbw, both times overturned on review.Rob Quiney bowled, Ricky Ponting bowled, David Warner bowled. Nathan Lyon bowled more than anyone else, but in the absence of Pattinson, the responsibility fell chiefly on Siddle. He bore it bravely, even when it became difficult and even as he knew he was probably bowling himself out of contention for the final game.The first thing I learned was that I hope none of your fast bowling buddies go down injured again, Siddle joked. But personally, the biggest thing is putting yourself through that and knowing you can do it. Even though it cost me in the end. I didnt end up playing in Perth.Four years and a few injuries later, Siddle can see beyond the exhaustion of that day and reflects fondly on what the match did for Test cricket. People always talk about Test cricket dying and all those types of things, but that was exciting. They are the challenges you love about Test cricket. You dont get to see stuff like that in other forms of the game.Thats the great thing about Test cricket. The different challenges, the tactics, how it goes up and down from one side to the other. You dont mind if teams have to play defensively sometimes, thats also what Test cricket is about. Its not about trying to win every match. I am a traditionalist. I have always loved the longer form.Like Siddle, Lyon also appreciates the experience, although he certainty does not want to relive it.It helped me grow as a person and it helped our bowling group grow as well, he said. I have much better memories of 2014 though.2014: That year, Australia traveled to South Africa with revenge on the agenda. Mitchell Johnson was, in Khawajas words, terrorising everyone in world cricket at the time.South Africa had stayed No.1 all through that period, information that didnt mean much to Johnson. He tore through them at SuperSport Park, a venue where South Africa have been more successful at than any other, before Steyn returned the favour in Port Elizabeth.The series went down to a decider in Cape Town, where Smith announced his retirement mid-match and South Africa threatened another blockathon to save the game.Ryan Harris was the man with ball in hand then, and in the final hour on the final day, he removed a stubborn Morne Morkel to maintain Australias record of never losing a Test series in South Africa post-readmission. South Africa suffered their first defeat since being crowned No. 1. In a way its weird. You dont usually lose on your home soil, and then go over there and win, Siddle said.But thats exactly how South Africa and Australia have played it for the last eight years. South Africa have won in Australia, Australia have won in South Africa, and all the meetings have been intriguing.At a time when world cricket needs introspection over the questions of scheduling, possible expansion, and the place of T20 leagues, to have a rivalry this rich is a reminder of how unique international, long-form cricket is. If the 2016 edition of Australia versus South Africa is anything like the previous ones, theres nothing else youd want to be watching. Nathan Lyon agrees.To have two good teams going at it is exceptional for world cricket and it shows how good Test match cricket is. Adidas Prophere España . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Adidas Ozweego Baratas . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. http://www.baratasnmd.com/ . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Adidas Falcon baratas . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Comprar Adidas Gazelle Baratas .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. There was a moment earlier this season when there was a bit of a strange sound in Nneka Ogwumikes voice when she was asked about the difficulty of facing defending champion Minnesota.Was that a little edge we heard from Ogwumike? She of the perpetually cheerful disposition and easy, bubbling laugh? Yeah, it sounded that way.She wasnt growling or anything like that. But she basically said she was pretty sure the Lynx were focusing on the Lynx, not the Sparks. Thus, the Sparks needed to do the same thing: focus on themselves.Maybe you could call it part of the competitive evolution of Ogwumike, who accomplished a career milestone by being named the WNBAs MVP on Tuesday. She has always been a selfless player, going back to her great career at Stanford, the kind of player who was just concerned with what was best for her team.She has maintained that attitude through her five years as a professional, including some challenging times with the Sparks. Los Angeles has made the playoffs every year since drafting Ogwumike at No. 1 in 2012. But the Sparks have won just one postseason series, 2-0 over San Antonio in her rookie year.Ogwumike has played for three WNBA coaches, if you count executive vice president/general manager Penny Tolers 12-game stint as coach after Carol Ross was fired in July 2014.Ogwumike has had to play out of position at times, especially last year, filling in the gaps depending on the Sparks personnel. She has learned to guard players at different positions, using speed, quickness, leaping ability and those Stanford smarts to try to stop guards, forwards and centers.At 6-foot-2, Ogwumike is what some coaches admiringly call bouncy. Ive compared her to Tigger before, and it seems apt. But there is also an explosiveness to her that seems more refined and effective this year than ever before. Which is saying something, because she has been a very good player from the first time she stepped on a WNBA coourt.ddddddddddddAnd then, of course, theres the making a ton of shots thing. That reached a new level for Ogwumike this season.Her field goal percentage in her first four seasons: 53.5, 56.6, 52.0, and 52.5. All very respectable, as her scoring average climbed from 14.0 PPG her rookie season to 16.5 last year.This season, shes shooting a ridiculous 66.5 percent from the field (244-of-367). Her efficiency as a scorer leads the WNBA. Its at a historical level, and it was a key factor in her winning the MVP award. She also averaged career highs in scoring (19.7), rebounding (9.1), assists (3.1) and blocked shots (1.2).Statistically, Ogwumikes numbers made a very compelling case for MVP. But you can also point to things like the praise-filled note Los Angeles coach Brian Agler sent out to media members urging them to strongly consider Ogwumike because of everything she does, even when its hard to measure statistically.Sometimes on teams, the glue player is someone whos never going to be an MVP or win any other league honor. But shes the best at keeping everyone light when thats needed, making sure there are no gaps in communication between the players or coaches, and generally taking responsibility even for things that arent her fault.Ogwumike has always done that, and then add to it just that little bit of edge that seemed noticeable -- barely, but there -- this season. It has nothing to do with arrogance or irritation; its about honing a kind of fierce competitiveness that Ogwumike knows the Sparks will need to make a title run.Ogwumike is someone that all the Sparks know they can count on. Her impressive stats were the hard data needed to earn the MVP honor. But the winning personality she brings to the Sparks just adds a layer of evidence that this was an honor she definitely earned. ' ' '