advised by Saqlain Mushtaq. Their most recent head coaches have included two Zimbabweans and an Australian. Knowledge flows across borders in a different way. Technology means any batsman or bo

Englands baptism in Rajkot ended in curious triumph, mid-over, and with the visitors if not ascendant then floating happily above expectations. Alastair Cook glowed, a 30th Test century in the books. We proved to everyone else we can play… he said. He called Ben Stokes golden and reckoned Haseeb Hameed was pushing me close to retirement.Was all of this good humour some form of survivor high? Or perhaps he was demob happy, having set in motion the idea that he will, in the not so distant future, pass on the captaincy and devote himself even more ascetically to batting.Someone somewhere will one day write a thesis on Cooks public pronouncements, comparing them to actual events on planet Earth. Until that day, all we can assume is that the captain was about as pleased as hes ever been with a drawn Test match.England, like most of the teams hovering around the top of the rankings, are a decent side. They have the potential to be better than that. Their work ethic is one thing about them that cannot be questioned, and perhaps its that sense of effort that felt most impugned by the many predictions after their defeat in the Dhaka Test that they may lose 5-0 in India.That particular catastrophe has been averted, but theres a wider pattern in evidence this year that runs contrary to the trend of teams having been stronger at home this decade than in any other over the last half-century or so. In 2016, England have won in South Africa, and been part of a drawn series at home to Pakistan. India won in the West Indies, Australia won in New Zealand, South Africa have swatted aside Australia in Australia. England have drawn in Bangladesh. The hostility of overseas conditions was once a given. Cricketers travelled less often: England, for example, may go to Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies and so on in rotation. A fine Test player might tour each country twice in a career. It is a long way removed from the current high-volume, multi-format, multi-franchise life, in which a player can appear in India, Australia, England and West Indies in a single year as a matter of course. The opposition are less foreign too. Kevin Pietersen was the first England player to speak of the benefits of the early years in the IPL, the great exchange of information and knowledge that took place between new team-mates, and the way that franchise cricket broke down international boundaries. The nature of reputation changed. It was hard to hate a guy youd spent two months in harness with. There is a new familiarity to it all.Coaching has changed. England, after a spell with Mushtaq Ahmed, are being advised by Saqlain Mushtaq. Their most recent head coaches have included two Zimbabweans and an Australian. Knowledge flows across borders in a different way. Technology means any batsman or bowler can be dissected frame by frame, match by match. A lot of the mystery of touring has been taken away. Five-star hotel rooms are the same wherever you are.For England, the weather - specifically the heat - has been an enemy too. Yet we have never known more about how much the England captain sweats than we do now. Every possible disadvantage is minimised in advance.Conditions too have homogenised. Australia, once the home of the much-feared WACA, now has drop-ins at many grounds. West Indies have lost the sheen of Sabina Park in favour of new stadiums constructed with outside dollars. Asia still has its turners, but Englands captain has played often and well enough to have compiled nine Test centuries there. It is all more familiar.The disparities now are in finance and political clout. The best teams are often the richest, either as countries or as individual players. Test crickets inequalities are many, but they are no longer all about geography. A tour that goes wrong early seems to stretch into infinity, and teams will always boom and bust in cycles (just ask Steve Smith). A long Test tour is the toughest undertaking in cricket, but like so much else in 2016, it all feels far less certain than it once did. 03:16:38 GMT, November 17, 2016: The article originally said there have only been two comprehensive home series victories this year. That sentence has since been deleted Wholesale NFL Jerseys . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. http://www.cheapoutletnfljerseys.com/ . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Authentic NFL Gear Store . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Cheap Detroit Lions Jerseys . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Highlighted by Leonard Fournette of LSU and Alabamas Derrick Henry, the eventual Heisman trophy winner, the Southeastern Conference boasted some of the nations top rushing attacks in 2015.Missouris was not one of them.In the wake of back-to-back division championships, the Tigers struggles in 2015 were historic. Tallying 1,385 rushing yards and only five rushing touchdowns, Missouri finished the season ranked 127th out of 128 Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring -- the worst finish in school history.The offense was riddled with setbacks seemingly every week. From nagging injuries on the line to running back Russell Hansbroughs ankle sprain in the season opener to the suspension and eventual dismissal of quarterback Maty Mauk, the Tigers never found a rhythm to their season.A 1,000-yard back in 2014, Hansbroughs injury gave way to Ish Witter as the Tigers primary ball carrier. He rushed 126 times for 518 yards and a touchdown in 2015.Witter said the team wouldnt simply forget about what happened in 2015, but it wont dwell on it, either.Its in the past, said Witter, a junior from Tampa, Florida. We cant look back. Weve got to worry about whats going on in the future. Its definitely going to change this season, I think, so Im looking forward to it.Weve got to do a great job as a coaching staff creatively finding ways to run the ball, said first-year coach Barry Odom said. Its all 11 of them, and us together as a staff, putting together a plan schematically of what our kids can do. If youre able to run the ball, that opens up some other things for you.One of the newest additions to Missouris coaching staaff, offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, will be tasked with guiding the run game back on track.ddddddddddddRunning back) is one of the positions that maybe Im most excited about, said Heupel, who served as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma from 2011-2014. Just seeing the competition unfold. Ultimately, were going to need a few of those guys to be able to pound the ball to be successful and chase a championship.Missouri added three new running backs to its roster during the offseason, including graduate transfer Alex Ross from Oklahoma.I feel like well be able to run the ball effectively, said Ross, who rushed 123 times for 786 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons as a Sooner. Weve got a lot of guys that can run, the offensive line is looking good, but the defense is what really helps us. Its good looks all the time.Heupel used words like fast, strong, explosive and mature to describe Ross, who also returned 53 kicks for 1,363 yards and two touchdowns at Oklahoma.He has the ability to take it the distance when hes got some open grass, Heupel said. Hes played at a high level. Hes played a lot of football, so I think its a welcome addition to our backfield.Freshman Demarea Crockett and junior college transfer Nate Strong add depth to the backfield, which already has the look of a rush by committee attack.Those were answers that we were trying to get fixed as we finished spring practice, Odom said. 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