2012 » more resources into training.Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias has 11

Alastair Cook has kissed a few frogs in his search to find a new opening partner, but will now be hoping that either Haseeb Hameed or Ben Duckett turns out to be his prince.If all goes to plan, one of them will become his 10th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss (at the end of the 2012 season) when the first Test against Bangladesh starts in Chittagong on October 20.They are far from like-for-like selections. While Hameed is a fairly classical looking player - he is no blocker, but he has a solid defence and pleasing armoury of conventional strokes - Duckett is a bold choice in the modern sense that he seems naturally inclined to attack and has every shot in the book, as well as several that are not. While he has scored his 1,338 Championship runs this season at a strike-rate of 79.45 - a rate that, not so long ago, was considered respectable in List A cricket - Hameed has scored his 1,154 at a strike-rate of 39.33. Hameed, however, has been opening in Division One, while Duckett has been opening in Division Two.Duckett will have the first opportunity to impress. He is expected to open in the ODI series that precedes the two Tests and it is possible that he will convince the management in those games that he has the character as well as the skills to win selection for the Test side. James Whitaker, the national selector, is clearly a huge admirer, referring to Duckett as a special player and a point-of-difference player. Not since the elevation of Joe Root as a debutant been spoken of in such terms.After the ODI series, the pair will go head to head in the red-ball warm-up games. With Cook absent on paternity leave, they will open in both the two-day warm-up games that precede the Tests, and though the captain is expected to return in time for the first Test, there has to be a possibility that Duckett and Hameed will open together; the first pair of debutant openers for England since 1937 when Jim Parks senior and Len Hutton did so against New Zealand at Lords.While it has been presumed that Hameed is in pole position to open - testament to his incredible ascent, really, given his age and lack of first-class experience - it may prove that Duckett is more Trevor Bayliss type of player. Bayliss has gone on the record previously as stating his preference for quick-scoring players and, while he has retracted that a little, he may be hesitant at positioning Cook and Hameed together at the top of the order. While Cook has certainly increased his scoring range and Hameed is not the out-right blocker some suggest, it is not impossible to envisage a scenario where progress becomes sluggish with the two of them together. Whether that should matter is another point entirely.Duckett, speaking shortly after his selection was announced, promised to continue to play his natural, positive game and suggested his aptitude against spin bowling might play to his advantage.I do play aggressively in first-class cricket and that has worked for me at the minute, he said. But there is plenty for me to learn in the Test game.Im still learning with the red ball stuff and havent nailed my game in that format just yet. To watch the likes of Cook out in Bangladesh it will be amazing for me to learn a few things.One thing I do have is my ability to play against spin. I think in Bangladesh they could bowl spin first-change so that is something Id be confident in facing and if I was given a chance then Ill try and be as positive as I can be and, fingers crossed, it pays off.I played hockey at school so the sweeps, reverse sweeps and quick hands might have come from that.The main thing about playing spin is that a spinner wants to bowl six balls in the same spot and you could just block it. But my main thing is about putting them under as much pressure as I can and whoever that guy is bowling at me, whether it is Shane Warne or whoever, I just have to put them under as much pressure as I can.If you can find ways of scoring then theyll be on the back foot straight away.Hameeds skills are, perhaps, not as obvious, but they are substantial nevertheless. Blessed with an apparently unflappable technique, he has made a huge impression at Lancashire in recent months. Not only is he their leading run-scorer in the Championship season - an astonishing achievement for a teenager - but he has become the youngest man to be capped by the club since World War Two. He has, as Whitaker put it, run-scoring in his DNA.We think hes got loads of technical qualities, Whitaker said. He has a really good, solid technique and a great temperament.Were excited. Im sure hell bring lots of quality to the team. Hes passed every test so far in his young life, and hes really hungry for success.He plays the ball late. Hes got good discipline and defence as well. But make no mistake, hes got the shots. Weve seen him take on some good-quality county bowling, with cuts and pulls. Hes got the shots in the locker; hes just very shrewd as to when he uses them.Whitaker also confirmed that a decision had been made to drop Hales from the Test squad before it became apparent that he was unwilling to tour Bangladesh. While he is likely to return for the ODI series in India - there has been no date set for when the India squads will be named, but it is expected to be a 16-man Test squad - he will not be considered for the Test series there.It seems the non-selection of Jack Leach, Somersets left-arm spinner, owed something to the experience of Simon Kerrigan in the Oval Test of 2013. While Kerrigan had played some A team (or Lions as it is now known) cricket before that Test, he was still something of an unknown quantity and perhaps hadnt spent enough time around the rest of the squad to feel completely comfortable.As a result, it is thought Kerrigan was not in the best position to do himself justice. He conceded 53 runs from eight first-innings overs and did not bowl again in the match. The experience seems to have scarred him and he has never quite recaptured the excellence of his bowling before it. The selectors are keen not to expose Leach to the same experience. It was noticeable that his county captain, Chris Rogers, said earlier this week he felt Leach emotionally still has a bit of a way to go before he was ready for the top level.The flaw in such an argument comes with the realisation that Hameed has not played any Lions cricket, either. Is the discipline of spin bowling so different mentally to that of opening the batting? Perhaps. Or maybe Hameed is simply a more phlegmatic character. Either way, expect Leach - and Ben Foakes, who was another to narrowly miss out on selection in the Test squad - to feature in performance squads named on Monday.NBA Jerseys China . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Authentic NBA Jerseys Wholesale . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. http://www.wholesalejerseysnba.com/ . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. China NBA Jersyes Cheap . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off.RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Paralympic Games have hit the big time.Theres serious money for a few through performance and sponsorships, and wily ways to get an edge. There are also heated debates about the intricate classification system, levels of impairment and whether athletes are placed in the wrong classes.If the classification is too high, an athlete may not be able to compete fairly; too low and the athlete could gain an unfair advantage.And then, of course, theres doping.When something is competitive, there are revenues that are linked with that, Peter Van de Vliet, the medical and scientific director of the International Paralympic Committee, told The Associated Press. We have athletes with professional managers. We have athletes who make their living out of the sport. Going home with a medal can make a whole lot of difference in certain countries, in certain cultures.About 4,350 athletes are in Rios Paralympics, each with unique differences that have to be classified. Lines have to be drawn to group similar impairments, or impairments that yield similar results.Thats when the disputes begin.Tanni Grey-Thompson, an 11-time British Paralympic gold medalist, has been critical of incorrect classification with athletes trying to get an advantage by misrepresenting an impairment, which she has said amounts to cheating.An example is American swimmer Victoria Arlen, who won a gold medal and three silvers in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. But the IPC disqualified her a year later, ruling her paralysis from the waist down was not permanent.Earlier year this she began to walk again without assistance.There are other ways of getting an edge:BOOSTING: This is a method for inducing autonomic dysreflexia , which boosts blood pressure and blood flow -- and hence performance. It is often used by athletes with upper spinal cord injuries. The IPC has outlawed the practice and monitors systolic blood pressure over 160.DOPING: Four athletes tested positive during the London Paralympics four years ago. The IPC said about two dozen more were detected in the days leading up to the games and were banned. The practice occurs mostly in powerlifting. The IPC is now storing samples for re-testing, following the lead of the IOC, and will do 1,500 blood and urine tests in Rio.INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY: In the most famous case, the 2000 Spanish basketball team was forced to return a gold medal when it was discovered that team members did not have intellectual disabilities.There are 10 impairment groups -- physical, visual and intellectual. But the 22 Paralympic sports adjust the groups to suit their sport, swelling the classifications to hundreds. Athletes complain theyre not always fair.Take the case of American Allison Jones, an eight-time Paralympic medalist in cycling and skiing. She was born without a right femur (leg), but competes in cycling against women with two legs, but who have neuromuscular diseases.Its hard for a lot of my family and friends to watch me compete against girls with two legs, she said. They dont get it. They dont see why thats fair. But the other girls have to have such neuromuscular issues -- lower body, upper body -- that puts them in my classification.She agrees there must be classes, but can dispute the logic or science behind it.ddddddddddddAt the end of the day youre stuck with whatever they classify you, she said. So at that point you either step up, or bow out.The Paralympics are more than a benign version of the Olympics. In fact, a few performances are better than the Olympics.The top four finishers in the mens 1,500 on Sunday -- in the T13 class for visually impaired -- all had better times than the Olympic champion in Rio, American Matthew Centrowitz. Abdellatif Baka of Algeria won in 3 minutes, 48.28 seconds. Centrowitz ran 3:50.00 in an admittedly slow, tactical race.German amputee long-jumper Marcus Rehm, who jumps with a carbon fiber blade, holds the Paralympic world record of 8.40 meters. This is better than the winning Olympic jump of American Jeff Henderson, at 8.38.Van de Vliet, the IPC medical director, said the largest classification disputes involve athletes with loss of function -- spinal cord injuries, spina bifida and cerebral palsy -- rather than physical impairment like missing limbs of physical deformities.No matter where a classification line is drawn, athletes nearest the top border are likely to benefit most. Teams are even known to recruit athletes in that range, and often younger athletes.If you walk in and youre missing your leg, youre missing your leg, Van de Vliet said. People tend to question this way less than one who comes in and has a problem with coordination impairment, like cerebral palsy.Television is starting to drive the coverage and revenue.British broadcaster Channel 4 is telecasting non-stop daily live coverage. Dan Brooke, the head of marketing, declined to say how much the network paid for the rights, but called it a successful commercial operation. We make money out of it.Brooke expected ratings to fall in Rio compared to the 2012 London Games, but he got a surprise.Weve been amazed to find the audiences for young people are up very slightly vs. London, he said.Gareth A. Davies, who covers the sport for Britains Daily Telegraph and Channel 4, said big money is changing the landscape with countries like China, Britain and Ukraine pouring more resources into training.Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias has 11 sponsorships, and that could increase as he adds to the 10 gold medals he won in the last two Paralympics. Bladerunner Marlou van Rhijn has become a marketing giant in the Netherlands, the way Oscar Pistorius was in South Africa.The big sports manufacturers want to associate themselves with these stories, Davies told AP. They are about the triumph of the human spirit. So there is marketability here. Not for all of them, but for a clutch of them.Davies said the classification system is basically fair.Youll never get away from these competitive athletes trying to get an advantage to be at the top of their classification, or get into the classification below themselves, he said. There are advantages that able-bodied athletes have, too, in certain events, and there are advantages that disabled people have in certain events.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade ' ' '