Clanregeln » Vuelta last year he showed a good thing in the last week.

Either side of the disastrous Australian tour of India in 2013, much comment passed within and outside the team about the lack of experience contained in the first touring squad chosen after the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.Among the points raised by certain Cricket Australia figures by way of a response was to say, A lot of these guys have experience in India, they play in the IPL. This was a little bit like saying that a belief in Father Christmas equates to a working knowledge of the North Pole: some vague geographical crossover but little else.Similarly, Australias forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka has been knitted into a wider story about Project Asia, and the need to adapt to subcontinental conditions in order to succeed here. While it is undoubtedly true that Australia must lift in this part of the world, and that Sri Lanka is a part of the region, a closer reading illustrates that it is too simplistic to suggest the right formula here will work in other parts of Asia.Even a cursory glimpse at Australias record when travelling to face their three major subcontinental opponents bears this out in the most stark of terms. Since 1971 they have won only once - in 2004 - away to India, and only twice away to Pakistan - in 1998 and 2002 - since 1960. Yet over 13 Tests across five tours of Sri Lanka, the hosts have been victorious in just a solitary match, against Australias six victories. That win came after the Australians were left two players short via the horrible collision between Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie on day two of the 1999 Kandy Test. Rain then curtailed matches two and three, gifting the series to Sri Lanka.It must be said that Australia have not always won their matches in Sri Lanka by vast margins, and, notably in Colombo in 1992 and Kandy in 2004, recovered narrow victories from most unlikely positions early in the game. There is also the fact that numerous Australians have produced something close to career peaks on these tours, in ways many of the same players did not manage elsewhere.Shane Warne was seldom better with the ball than on his return from a drugs ban in 2004, Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann likewise with the bat. In 2011, Hussey scooped a hat-trick of match awards to help deliver a win for Michael Clarke in his first series as Test captain.But there are undoubtedly other factors at play on Australian visits to Sri Lanka that go beyond the vagaries of individual matches or combatants. These range from matters of climate, mentality and history to the demography of the island nation. All have raised their heads repeatedly, and Steven Smiths men may well capitalise on them once more this time around.Sri Lankas climate and pitches offer just enough assistance to seamers Where India and Pakistan have broken the spirits of numerous Australian pacemen, Sri Lankas tropical climes have always provided that little bit of extra encouragement, whether through the air or off the pitch. Warnes path was often smoothed in 2004 by early wickets to Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. In 2011, a deck in Galle prepared ostensibly for spinners was used grandly by Shane Watson and Ryan Harris, who made use of reverse swing and up-and-down bounce respectively.Perhaps the most telling examples actually come from when the tables are turned: Tom Moody never played another Test after being unable to handle the moving ball as an opener in 1992; on the same tour Mark Waugh made four consecutive ducks, earning the sobriquet Audi. Sri Lankas lone victory was set up not by Muttiah Muralitharan but Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa, who dropped the tourists to 5 for 40 on the first morning before any wickets fell to spin.Australia seldom lose the patience battle with bat or ball It isnt hard to recall subcontinental days when Australias bowlers have been bereft of ideas on how to claim a wicket: think Dravid and Laxman in Kolkata in 2001, Sachin Tendulkar in 1998 or 2010, or Shikhar Dhawans assault three years ago. But those junctures never seem to come in Sri Lanka, with a wicket seldom more than an hour or two away. That is borne out by the indifferent records of Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara against Australia. In 2011, Sangakkara was out to Nathan Lyons first ball in Tests and also managed to be winkled out by Hussey. Equally, Sri Lankas spinners have been unable to swarm over Australia in the manner of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin or Yasir Shah. Muralitharan took plenty of wickets in 2004, but was outpointed by the combination of Lehmanns daring and Martyns doggedness. There is something mental to all this, doubtless linked to…A history of Australian success plays on the minds of both sides Repeatedly, it has appeared that when matches get tight, Australian self-belief overwhelms Sri Lankan combinations briefly but critically afflicted by doubt. Arguably this began in Colombo in 1992, when a mighty first innings should have paved the way for a home win. But Allan Borders team scrounged a narrow lead, before Sri Lankas effort to rush to the target was undermined when a skittish skied one from de Silva was held by a running Border. From there Greg Matthews and a young Warne engineered a great escape, and Australias first win anywhere in Asia for 22 years.Lehmann has spoken on this trip about the need to get a first-innings lead before the pitches deteriorate, but he can also recall winning 3-0 in 2004 after falling behind on first innings in all three Tests. Even the solitary Sri Lankan win only arrived after their shaky chase of 95 was helped by some exceedingly conservative umpiring to deny Colin Miller a clear caught-and-bowled and then a very adjacent lbw appeal. Sri Lankan Test crowds are small A great many spectators filed into the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy as that victory in 1999 crept closer, but most of the time the atmosphere at Sri Lankan Tests is sorely lacking the sort of noise-inducing claustrophobia that can amount to a major competitive advantage. An Australian player once noted the contrast between sparsely attended South African grounds, where Australia have done well, and heaving English venues, where they have not. The same is true of Sri Lanka, where batsmen can hear each other call, bowlers can hear themselves think, and captains can plan in relative peace. Small wonder Sri Lanka Cricket are committed to raising their Test series attendances above 100,000 by paying attention to venue choices and ground facilities; touring teams eager to silence crowds in India rarely need to worry about doing so here.This time around, Australia should be heavily favoured to win the series anyway as the worlds No. 1-ranked side. Sri Lanka have some sizeable holes in their line-up, given a present dearth of fit pace bowlers and the abiding problem of how to cover for the loss of Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara, who are now ubiquitous on billboards rather than scoreboards in this part of the world.But just as Sri Lanka must look hard into the reasons why they so rarely taste Test success against Australia, so the visitors must weigh up what works here and nowhere else. All victories away from home have meaning, but a win for Smiths men in Sri Lanka may mean less in terms of next years trip to India than some might think. Chandler Jones Cardinals Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Arizona Cardinals Jerseys .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Christian-Kirk-Jersey/ . 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VILLARS LES DOMBES, France -- Nairo Quintana must seize every chance in the Tour de France to gain time on race leader Chris Froome -- starting with Sundays 15th stage -- to keep his winning hopes alive, believes former world champion Maurizio Fondriest.Quintana, 26 and runner-up to Froome in 2013 and 2015, has perplexed many with his race so far in light of his scintillating form coming in to the Tour.Some believe the Colombian is biding his time for the third and last week in the Alps to strike -- such an approach might be fraught with danger as he could run out of time. However, there is now growing belief that Quintanas form may possibly be dipping.Such a prospect was triggered Thursday by his laboured attacks on Froome in stage 12 to Mont Ventoux. They came before Froome, Australian Richie Porte (BMC) and Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) broke away, only to crash into a French television motor bike blocked by the crowds, which allowed Quintana and the others to catch and pass them.Then in Fridays stage 13 time-trial from Bourg-Saint-Andèol to La Caverne du Pont DArc Quintana lost 2:05 to Froome, who was second at 1:03 seconds to Dutch winner Tom Dumoulin (Trek-Segafredo). Quintana fell from third to fourth overall at 2:59 to Froome.The top overall places remained unchanged after Saturdays 14th stage, 208.5km from Montélimar to Villars les Dombes where British flyer Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) claimed his fourth stage win this years Tour and the 30th of his career; this time outsprinting beating German Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) and Slovakian Peter Sagan (Tinkoff).Froome still leads overall by 1:47 over second placed Mollema and 2:45 over Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), who is in third and also has the white best young riders jersey.Like many, Fondriest, who won the 1988 world road title in Ronse, Belgium, believes Froome is box seated to win a third Tour when the race finishes in Paris on Sunday week.I think so because we saw him [make] a move in the descent [of the Col de Peyresourde to win stage eight], on the flat stage [stage 11 to Montpellier where Froome was second] and [on] Mont Ventoux, Fondriest told ESPN Saturday. He is the strongest rider in the Tour.Yesterday [Friday] he gained two minutes against Quintana. I think hes the favourite for this Tour.But Fondriest will not discount Quintana, so long as he makes inroads into his time deficit.He must try something. Maybe tomorrow, Fondriest said,, referring to Sundays 15th stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz that includes six categorised climbs, among those the Hors category Grand Colombier and Lacets du Grand Colombier inside the last 60 kilometres.ddddddddddddHe [has] to try because the last week is very tough ... a lot of mountain stages and one time trial, but the time trial is uphill. He [has]to try because otherwise his Tour is finished. But ... the Tour de France is three weeks and until the end you dont know whats happened.Meanwhile, Fondriest was less optimistic about the opportunities for fellow Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) who made the Tour his main goal this year, hoping to make the podium.Aru, who won the Vuelta a Espa?a last year after finishing second in the Giro dItalia, was placed 10th overall at the start after stage 14, at 5:16 to Froome and 3:29 off the podium.Aru is confident he can come strong next week in the Alps, but he realises that he needs others who are placed higher than him to have bad days as much as he requires good days.Asked if the podium was out of reach for Aru, Fondriest said: I dont know because he lost time yesterday too. Maybe it is difficult. But at the Vuelta last year he showed a good thing in the last week. I guess he can try. He can try to dot he podium but its not easy for him.Fondriest was more optimistic about how -- or where to -- Nibali is tracking in this Tour. After winning the Giro on May 29, the Sicilian took 10 days off without even riding the bike.The reason was not just to recover from his taxing efforts in the Giro, but also to allow him re-build towards another form peak for the Olympic Games road race at Rio next month. Nibali, the 2014 champion, came to the Tour to help Aru.Nibali, 33rd overall at 50:47, helped Aru in stage nine to Andorra Arcalis in the Pyrénees. After Aru was dropped, Nibali helped him limit his time loss to Froome to one minute.But Nibali, who has also suffered a back complaint, has otherwise been unable to provide Aru with the consistent optimal help that had been intended throughout the Tour so far. Still, Fondriest is also confident that Nibali will come strong in the third week of the Tour.He is not in good form, but he can find the form in the last week, Fondriest said. He can try to gain ... to win a stage and prepare the Olympic Games. This is the main goal. ' ' '