NEWS » and just kind of concede the game.A trio of Mets relievers co

Before this Test match, one of the last snapshots of Jeetan Patel in international cricket was that of him on the way to square leg when facing Dale Steyn with the score on 62 for 8 in Port Elizabeth in January 2013. With BJ Watling fighting at the other end on 25. Patel was bowled.If you are a New Zealand cricketer, you are known for making the most out of the limited resources available, through acumen, through spirit and through courage. The last thing you want to be known for in New Zealand is a soft dismissal. The tag just sticks. It is no surprise then that when three-and-a-half years later Patel was remembered again, he had almost given up on wearing that black cap again. Even New Zealand hadnt thought of him until Mark Craig got injured.In this second life, which might not extend to any cricket outside India, Patel first showed improvement as a spin bowler. A wiser and fitter man now, leading wicket-taker in this years county championship, he bowled at an optimum pace for a spinner in Indian conditions without overly sacrificing his length. Ajinkya Rahane said he was the toughest bowler to face on the first day of the Test in which fast bowlers have done most of the wicket-taking. It was with the bat, though, that he had come a full circle. Once again walking out to join that fighter Watling, once again during a collapse, out to face a hat-trick ball in fading light.How was Patel going to react to this déjà vu cricket had given him? He went after the hat-trick ball, but didnt move away from the stumps. Still he came pretty close playing what could be seen as a soft shot in a time of strife. When he drove at the next ball - this one was slightly fuller and hence he connected properly - it seemed like there might have been a plan to look for runs because the pitch was doing too much and might have undone the defence of a No. 9 anyway.Patel had to survive only one more over before the light faded enough for the umpires to take players off the field. This morning, the same intent was clear as he punched the first ball down the ground, between bowler and mid-off for four. Watling kept his vigil going at the other end, and Patel looked to keep scoring. If a drive went gracefully through cover, an edge would fly wide of slips. Once in his 20s, Patel began to rely less on luck and more on finesse.Ravindra Jadejas first ball of the day was driven through cover for four. A sweep for four soon followed. Then came three boundaries in the same Jadeja over. A short ball cut away, two full ones flicked wide of mid-on. He was going with the spin, against the spin, and everything was connecting. With Watling solid at the other end, with runs flowing from Patels end, with Virat Kohli getting increasingly impatient, New Zealand fans would have just started wondering if this side was going to pull off another scarcely believable escape.Cricket was about to play a cruel joke now. Playing back to a ball from Jadeja with flatter trajectory but still on a full length, Patel was caught so plumb he almost started to walk. It turned out Jadejas front foot had failed to stay behind the line, though. This was a man who had bowled three no-balls in 4446 deliveries in Test cricket before this series. It just so happened that Patel caught Jadeja on a streak during which he had just bowled a fourth no-ball in 480 deliveries this series. Cricket was smiling. It was giving Patel yet another chance. Cricket was obviously only going to snatch it away again.R Ashwin was Kohlis fourth choice on the day. Perhaps, while others were doing the damage, Kohli wanted to rest the finger of his main weapon; Ashwin has been bowling with some discomfort thanks to a corn on the middle finger of his right hand. Thirteen overs into the days play, Kohli finally went to Ashwin. Jadeja had already bowled four overs for 25 runs. He had been attacked right away. There was no reason to not look to attack Ashwin if Patel got one in his zone. This is how he had got so far, and he now had his eye in.The first ball was full enough, outside off, the seam rotating towards fine leg, an offbreak. Patel looked to play it with the turn, but the ball pitched and almost changed direction. The ball straightening is enough to defeat you once you have committed to a shot, but this one did more than that and lobbed up for an easy catch. A commentator on air wondered if Patel had played a bad shot in his anxiety to get to his fifty - he was three short. It might have looked like that on first viewing, but Patel had been unlucky here. He was playing the way he had played until then, but Ashwins natural variation did him in.****It is quite possible Ashwin didnt know this ball was not going to turn, but he had given it the best opportunity to not turn. Therein lies the skill of Ashwin and Jadeja. Natural variation is a part of the game. You are bowling on soil, over five days, with a leather ball stitched with a hard seam. It wont always behave as expected. India have derived more natural variation simply because they have put themselves in a position to do so. And that has not just come through accuracy. If you look at visiting spinners, the seam position on their offbreaks is at 45 degrees, or one to seven on a clock. Asian finger spinners have the skill to bowl an offbreak with the seam parallel to the ground, or three to nine on the clock. This gives them the possibility of landing the ball on the leather and bringing in the possibility of that variation. If it lands on the seam it turns.It is not a matter of just flipping the seam in the hand and bowling the way Ashwin and Jadeja do. It takes hours of practice and strong wrists. Watch Ashwins instructional video on bcci.tv. His offspinning action is like turning a doorknob. Try sending a leather ball across 22 yards with that action. It is bloody difficult. Both Ashwin and Jadeja can keep doing this seemingly tirelessly. With Ashwin it becomes even more difficult because he doesnt bowl all his balls this way. Sometimes the seam comes out at 45 degrees, sometimes parallel. He bowls the seam-up arm ball. He bowls carrom balls. He bowls them all accurately. Dont undermine the role of drift in Patels dismissal either. Ever since he has sorted his action out, Ashwin gets beautiful drift and dip on his offbreaks.Cricket is a game of luck where you cant leave things to luck. All you do is try your best to eliminate it as a batsman, and try to put yourself in the best position to catch some luck. The more you try to understand it, the more it can drive you to insanity. Sometimes you just sit back and watch the drama. Anthony Martial Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. James Wilson Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. http://www.jerseymanchesterunitedsoccer.com/womens-marcus-rashford-manchester-united-jersey/ . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. Ashley Young Manchester United Jersey . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. Chris Smalling Jersey . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. NEW YORK -- If rookie Ryan Schimpf keeps hitting home runs at this pace, he could play a key role in the Padres future.The 28-year-old second baseman homered twice and drove in six runs as San Diego beat the reeling New York Mets 8-6 on Friday night.I want him to kind of get lost in the game hes competing in and the day and not think about what it means in the future, Padres manager Andy Green said. I think if youre worried about your future, you dont do nearly as well in the present.Fellow rookie Jabari Blash and Christian Bethancourt also homered early for the Padres, who handed the Mets their fourth straight defeat and sixth in seven games. The defending NL champions (57-58) fell below .500 for the first time since April 17.One day after getting swept at home by last-place Arizona, the Mets again failed to look like legitimate wild-card contenders. Beneath a dark sky with lightning flashing, the Padres lineup provided quick thunder against starter Logan Verrett (3-8).San Diego, which has alternated wins and losses since July 26, jumped out to a 5-0 lead six batters into the game -- including a grand slam by Schimpf.Travis Jankowski opened the game with a single, and Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte walked to load the bases.After a popout to left field, Schimpf sent a 1-0 fastball just over the center-field wall for his first career slam.Its just one game, but Im just trying to go up there and put together a good at-bat, said Schimpf, who has spent parts of eight seasons in the minors. Just trying not to do too much and not think about numbers.As Mets fans began to chant Rainout! Rainout! hoping for a reprieve, Blash hit an opposite-field homer into the visitors bullpen to make it 5-0.The threatening clouds passed, and inclement weather couldnt save New York.Travis dArnaud, who had three hits, got the Mets on the board in the second, lining a two-run homer to left off Padres starter Paul Clemens.San Diego answered immediately in the third. Schimpf sent a two-run shot into the right-field upper deck, his 12th home run in 47 games.I was just up there trying to get a good pitch to drive and I got two of them, so its good to do something and get the win, Schimpf said.Two batters later, Bethancourt chhased Verrett with a solo home run, putting the Padres up 8-2.ddddddddddddThe four homers allowed by Verrett, who gave up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings, were the most by a Mets starter since Bartolo Colon also served up four in April 2014.Im disappointed in the game today, Verrett said. I put our team in a hole.Clemens (2-2) pitched five innings of three-run ball, and Brandon Maurer worked a flawless ninth for his fifth save.Jay Bruce had an RBI single in the fifth, and New York rallied in the sixth against San Diegos bullpen.After dArnaud led off with a single, Alejandro De Aza was hit in the neck by Buddy Baumanns 87 mph fastball. De Aza was OK, and Matt Reynolds followed with an RBI double. Ty Kelly had a run-scoring single to make it 8-5.Left-hander Brad Hand struck out Curtis Granderson, and pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores grounded into a fielders choice that scored Reynolds.They did not roll over at all. They fought and made it a heck of a baseball game, Green said. A lot of teams easily roll over when theyre down 8-2 and just kind of concede the game.A trio of Mets relievers combined for 6 1/3 perfect innings with eight strikeouts.SHUT `EM DOWNThe Padres have won 133 consecutive games when leading after eight innings, the longest active streak in the majors.TRAINERS ROOMPadres: RHP Tyson Ross (right shoulder, right ankle) will throw a bullpen Friday or Saturday. He is inching closer to pitching live batting practice. ... CF Jon Jay (right forearm) will return to San Diego on Sunday and have tests done on Monday. Green hopes Jay will then be cleared to begin swinging a bat.Mets: INF Jose Reyes (oblique) continued his rehab assignment with Class A Brooklyn, going 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs while playing seven innings at third base.UP NEXTPadres: RHP Jarred Cosart (0-1, 5.79 ERA) makes his third start for San Diego since being acquired from Miami. He has allowed five runs on 11 hits and six walks in 8 1/3 innings with the Padres.Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (7-5, 2.35) goes for his fourth straight quality start. He is 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA since the All-Star break. ' ' '