Meister der Farbe » nd the surging Giants (10-4) are at No.

Halfway through his maiden Test double-hundred, against India in Ahmedabad in 2008, AB de Villiers told Jacques Kallis about a shot he had mastered. He referred not to a cut or sweep, lap or ramp, not to one of those outlandish pick-up shots that a hockey player would try if handed a tennis racquet. No. De Villiers was talking about the far more humble defensive block.A helmeted de Villiers, bat in hand, pink pads on, ready for a hit in an indoor net, recounts the moment via a video clip on cricketyard.com. If I could have my career over again, he says, this will be the first shot that Ill teach myself: the late block. Once you can play this shot, everything else will come naturally to you… Every shot I play, I set up to play a really late defensive stroke.De Villiers goes on to demonstrate how he shapes up for each ball - bat pointing to first slip, backlift raised high at the point of the bowlers release, set to meet the full ball with a late block, before letting his reflexes take over. If the ball is wide, he will allow his hands to flow. If short, he will cut or pull as per instinct. I dont have a defensive mindset when I do it, he says of setting up for the defensive block. All I know is, that is my best chance of getting into a really, really good position for my other strokes. And if its a really good ball, I will sort of succumb to the bowler and say, Listen, well bowled, Im going to do the late shot. And I might still get off strike if it runs down to third man.Process that for a second. The most versatile shot-maker in the game - with the capacity, it seems, to hit any ball, of any length, in any format, to any part of the ground - has a method rooted in a textbook forward-defensive. The shot that results may go against the dictums of cricketing geometry - not to mention the laws of physics - but until the ball is delivered, de Villiers adopts a tried-and-tested approach. Only when he is ready to defend - visualising a box in front of him, within whose boundaries he keeps his bat, feet and head - does he consider the possibility of attack.The world of batting abounds with such contradiction. Most of the analysis (from commentators and writers) is little but informed guesswork. A lot of it is convenient categorisation. Spectators may term a firm push back to the bowler as a defensive shot, but a batsman may think differently. For him, picking the ball out of the hand, reading length early, taking a purposeful stride and finding the middle of the bat may all be signs of aggression. Similarly, commentators may assume a batsman is confident when he strides out, but he could be putting on an act when actually being wracked with insecurity. A batsmans body language, his strokes, his response to a bowler mouthing off, all this is only one part of the story. When one observes said batsman at practice and listens to him deconstruct his method, when one speaks to his team-mates and coaches, keeping in mind past batting successes and failures as well as critical junctures in his career, only then does the full picture emerge. And that too is often work in progress.There was a time when journalists (and players) explored these themes in books (and autobiographies). The amount of time available between tours allowed for deep analysis, and the terrific rapport between cricketers and writers enabled colour and insight. These days there is barely time to hammer out match reports, let alone examine spells and innings. Journalists have to make do with press-conference mutterings and the occasional one-on-one. Backroom access is almost out of the question.Which brings us to this months cover story: Ed Smiths meticulous exploration of technique and coaching in the age of the dazzling bat. Smith is a former Test cricketer who draws upon his technical and tactical know-how. He is an aesthete who is well versed with the games evolution, able to link a Virat Kohli cover drive to an image of Geoff Boycott taking his stance.Earlier this year, Smith worked as a consultant to Royal Challengers Bangalore, getting a ringside view of some of the finest limited-overs batsmen of our (and all) time. Which put him in an enviable position - not only because he was able to watch batsmen of the calibre of de Villiers and Kohli from close range but also because he could shadow them at practice, observe them at team meetings and listen to what team-mates had to say about them. Inside knowledge isnt always right, Smith cautions. But about pure talent, people close to the subject tend to know. Ask cricketers to name the games freak, theyll say AB. When de Villiers walks into a room, you sense exactly that. He does not signal this pre-eminence himself. It is written on everyone else.There is much else to savour in this issue: a cracking history of Pakistanis in the north Staffordshire leagues, the little-known story of Don Bradman meeting Kerry Packer, a Garry Sobers retrospective, and five writers on how cricket broke their hearts.SWell Flasche Kaufen . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Swell Bottle Schweiz . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.swelltrinkflascheschweiz.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Swell Flasche Holz . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Swell Schweiz .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed.NEW YORK -- Once again, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are AFC East champions.The Patriots won their eighth straight division title with their 16-3 win over Denver.The Patriots (12-2) have won five games in a row and are closing in on the top seed in the AFC going into the playoffs.Looking to make another deep postseason run, the Patriots are also the unanimous choice for the top spot in the AP Pro32 poll released on Tuesday.New England received all 12 first-place votes for 384 points from balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL.Tom Brady is looking more and more like this years MVP, and the Patriots are punching their ticket to home-field advantage in the AFC and a likely run to Super Bowl 51, Newsdays Bob Glauber said.The Cowboys (12-2) remained No. 2 with 371 points after edging Tampa Bay 26-20 on Sunday. Dak Prescott was 32 of 36 for 279 yards to quiet critics of his recent struggles.Dak proves his worth, Fox Sports John Czarnecki said.The Raiders (11-3) and Chiefs (10-4) switched spots at Nos. 3 and 4. Oakland clinched a playoff spot with its 19-16 win over San Diego. Kansas City lost to Tennessee 19-17.The next four teams in the poll: the Giants, Seahawks, Steeelers and Falcons, each of whom moved up a spot.ddddddddddddEli Manning and the surging Giants (10-4) are at No. 5 after handling Detroit 17-6 for its seventh win in eight games. The Giants open Week 16 by traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on Thursday night.Steve Spagnuolos suddenly dynamic defense has Giant fans recalling the 2007 and 2011 units that gave Tom Brady fits in the Super Bowl, said Ira Kaufman of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Seattle (9-4-1) is at No. 6 after clinching the NFC West by pounding Los Angeles 24-3.Pittsburgh (9-5) moved to No. 7. The Steelers host Baltimore in a key AFC North matchup on Christmas Day.Atlanta (9-5) inched to No. 8 after routing San Francisco.The NFC North rounds out the top 10. The Lions (9-5) dropped four spots to No. 9 after the loss to the Giants, and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers jumped two spots to No. 10. The Packers (8-6) have won four in a row to move within a game of the Lions. The teams meet in Week 17 to close the regular season.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '