The old-school Test match draw is not quite an endangered species, but is certainly seen less often than in its mid-to-late-20th-century prime, those not-especially-glorious days when 17 out of 26 Ashes Tests were drawn in five series from 1962-63 to 1970-71, when 33 of the first 44 Tests between India and Pakistan ended in stalemate, when Ravi Shastri played 80 Tests and drew 49 of them, partly because 100% of those matches involved Ravi Shastri.The first India-England Test was a good-quality draw - bowlers were competitive despite the high-scoring, individual stories and collective subplots emerged that may shape the series, and a positive result hoved temporarily into view on the final day. As Disc One of a five-DVD box set, it was an intriguing slow-burner, rather than a rampaging all-action gore-fest.England could have accelerated sooner than they did, given the depth and potency of the batting they left unused, but constructed a fine team performance to which almost everyone made a strong contribution. Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad took only a wicket apiece, but were constantly probing and controlled. Ben Duckett was the only batsman to fail, but, in his short innings, helped convey the sense that England were not going to be supine against the Indian spin. India began with possibly the worst display of fielding ever seen in the first six overs of a Test.All in all, as bat-dominated draws go, it was excellent, especially from an English point of view. And there were stats. There are always stats. But there were some seriously succulent stats to start the series.Among them:● Five different England players made scores of 80 or more in the match - only the 14th time that five players on the same team have made 80-plus scores in a Test, and the first achieved by a visiting team in Asia. (Full lists here and here).● Three different England spinners took three wickets in the match for the second time in three Tests - Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Gareth Batty did so in Chittagong, and the first two plus Zafar Ansari in Rajkot. Unsurprisingly, three different spinners taking three wickets in a Test for England has been a rare occurrence, given that three different spinners playing in the same Test for England has been a rare occurrence, and, at times, one England spinner taking three wickets would have been considered the height of exoticism. There have now been five such three-tweakers-taking-three instances since the Second World War - Brian Close, legspinner Robin Hobbs and Ray Illingworth took four, five and six wickets respectively in a victory against India at Edgbaston in 1967; John Mortimore, Fred Titmus and Don Wilson took three expensive wickets each in a drawn Test in Delhi in 1963-64; and Jim Laker (four), Tony Lock and Johnny Wardle (three each) took ten between then in victory over West Indies in Guyana in 1953-54.● Rashid became the first English legspinner to take seven wickets in an overseas Test since Doug Wright took nine at the SCG in 1946-47. (Wardle, the left-arm spin wizard who mixed fingerspin and wristspin, took seven or more three times in the 1950s.)● Joe Roots century was the seventh time in 11 series since his recall after a one-match dropping in 2014 that he has scored 80 or more in the first innings of the series. He has also had a couple of 40s, and followed his only two first-knock-of-the-series failures (24 v South Africa, 0 v Sri Lanka) with scores of 73 and 80 in his second innings. Roots scores in the first innings of his five most recent Second Tests Of Series are, in reverse order: 56, 254, 80, 50, and 88. Ten of Roots 11 Test hundreds have been in the first innings; as have 11 of the 13 tons Virat Kohli has scored in five-day cricket, 14 of Steve Smiths 15, and 10 out of Kane Williamsons 14.● Indias bowlers had a collective match average of 59.5, their worst in a home Test since February 2010, when South Africa scored 558 for 6 in an innings victory.● This was the 35th time that six or more hundreds have been scored in a Test. Cooks 130 was the highest of those six - only once previously had six tons been made without anyone passing 130, when Frank Woolleys 123 was the highest of six hundreds at the SCG in the 1924-25 Ashes. Rajkot was only the fifth Test in which six scores of 115 or more have been made.● Woakes became the fifth pace bowler to bowl 30 or more wicketless overs in a Test innings in India, whilst conceding under two runs per over. The last man to do so was Pakistans Fazal Mahmood in January 1961.● In their four and half Tests in India since being bowled out for 191 in the first innings of the series in Ahmedabad in 2012-13, England have now scored 2920 runs for 60 wickets, an average of 48 runs per wicket, and have lost a wicket every 100 balls.● Alastair Cooks 30th Test hundred was the 12th that he has scored in the third innings of Tests, tying him with Kumar Sangakkara for most third-innings Test tons. Cook has scored seven hundreds in the opening innings of Tests, nine in the second innings, and two in the fourth. It was the third time in four First Tests Of A Series In India that Cook has scored a third-innings century. He also did so on his debut in Nagpur in 2005-06, and in Ahmedabad four years ago, an innings that, although it failed to avert defeat, was a critical factor in shifting the series Englands way.Cooks statistics are, as with most players who have played a vast amount of cricket, full of quirks and curiosities. Since the start of the English summer of 2010, when England have batted in the opening innings of a Test, Cook has averaged 32.5 in 37 first innings, with three centuries; and he has averaged 32.3 in 33 fourth innings, with a highest score of 79. In the second innings of Tests in that time, he averages 62.2, and in the third, 63.9.His middle-innings average since May 2010 (62.9 in 77 innings) is second only to Adam Voges (68.1, from only 14 innings). Counting only players with a minimum of 20 innings in the top seven in the batting order, Cook is top out of 68.His first-and-fourth innings average in this period - 32.4 - is the 51st best of the 61 players who have batted at least 20 times in those innings in the top seven. Undeniable, a curiosity of considerable quirk.Before May 2010, Cook had averaged 50.4 in the opening innings of Tests, and 46.6 in the fourth innings; and 40.5 in the middle two innings. An even more curious curiosity, in the curious context of the first curiosity.● England appear to have rectified their problem of starting away series badly. They are now unbeaten in five first Tests away from home (draws against West Indies and Pakistan, and wins over South Africa and Bangladesh, preceded this Test). They had lost four and drawn one of their previous five away series openers, and since 2005, had won one, drawn four and lost ten of their last 15 away first Tests.****A straw at which Australia might like to clutch following their merciless dismemberment by South Africas Steyn-and-Morkel-less seam attack is that the last Australian team to lose by an innings against an opposition score of under 350 consisted of: Justin Langer, David Boon, Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Allan Border, Ian Healy, Merv Hughes, Shane Warne, Jo Angel and Craig McDermott. Angel, admittedly, did not the cricket world ablaze in his four-Test career. The other ten range from the very good to the unquestionable all-time greats of Australian cricket. Seven ended with more than 100 Test caps, and all ten scored at least 4000 runs or took 200 wickets. At the time, many of them were still some years from their peaks, but even so, that is a good side to be pancaked twice in under 60 overs, even in Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop were the main destroyers. This is not to say that Joe Burns is the new David Boon, or that even if Joe Mennie goes the same way as Jo Angel, then necessarily Callum Ferguson will prove to be the new Shane Warne. (A long shot.) However, as South Africa themselves have shown, two or three players emerging, or re-finding lost form, can rapidly transform an apparently fracturing team.One of the prime agents in South Africas fast-acting recovery from a dismal 2015-16 has been Quinton de Kock. After only three innings, he has become only the sixth visiting wicketkeeper to make three or more half-centuries in a series in Australia, and the only one of those six to end the series on the winning side. (English glovemen Alec Stewart (2002-03) and Alan Knott (1974-75), and West Indians Deryck Murray (1975-76) and Gerry Alexander (1960-61) were each part of a losing team; Englands Jim Parks played in the drawn 1965-66 Ashes.)De Kock is also only the sixth visiting player to reach fifty three times in a series in Australia batting at 7 or lower (after Murray, Knott and Alexander; plus Fred Titmus (England, also in 1965-66) and West Indies Gerry Gomez (1950-51)).It has been a bumper year for No. 7s. De Kock, Moeen and Jonny Bairstow have all scored more than 400 runs at averages above 50 in the position - prior to this year, only Ian Healy in 1996, Chris Cairns in 2000, Adam Gilchrist in 2001 and 2002, and Sarfraz Ahmed, in 2014 had done so. Sevens are averaging 39.75 so far this year - their highest collective average in any of the 74 years in which at least ten Tests have been played. Seven is the second highest-averaging position in the Test batting order this year so far, behind Six (average 40.70). Truly, nothing is as it should be in this strangest of years for this most baffling of planets. Middle America, Middle England, and Middle Orders have risen up. Adidas Shoes Sale .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Air Max Sale .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/yeezy-380-sale/ . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Air Jordan 6 Sale . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Air Jordan 28 Sale .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana staggered Miami with one more big punch Saturday night. Now the Pacers have a fighting chance to pull off a stunning playoff upset. Roy Hibbert did everything but pull out the boxing gloves in Game 6, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and continually contesting Miamis shots to help Indiana stave off elimination with an emphatic 91-77 victory over the defending champs. Paul George scored 28 points, had eight rebounds and five assists, and the Pacers held Miami to 36.1 per cent shooting as they booked a trip back to Miami for Game 7 on Monday night. "Myself and David (West), we throw ourselves in the fray, in the paint. We like to muck it up," Hibbert said. "Paul and myself, we wanted to make sure we got this for him as well. We didnt want this to be our last game." It wasnt. Instead, after winning their first division crown since 2004, the Pacers are one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history. They lost to the Lakers 4-2 in 2000. They havent played a decisive seventh game in the conference finals since losing to Chicago in 1998. And amazingly, theyve done it this time against the defending champions who many considered virtually invincible after winning 27 straight during the regular season, finishing with a franchise-record 66 wins and having won 23 of their last 24 road games before losing Games 4 and 6 in Indianapolis. But the Pacers have pushed four-time MVP LeBron James and his high-scoring, high-profile teammates to the brink of elimination by punching back, and Game 6 followed a familiar story line. The Pacers had a 53-33 rebounding advantage, outscored Miami 44-22 in the paint and limited Miamis shooters to 16 of 54, 29.6 per cent, from inside the arc. James led the Heat with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Nobody else scored more than 10. How have the Pacers done it? With Hibbert controlling the inside after adding MMA training to his off-season regiment. "Roy Hibbert is making extraordinary plays in the pocket, poise in the pocket we call it," coach Frank Vogel said. "Hes getting paint catches and just having great poise, great reads. Hes not plowing over guys. He had a charge in Game 5, but has been under control." It was everything an elimination game should be. The teams traded baskets and jabs, sometimes literally, and players ignored the bumps and bruises of yet another wrestling match that has made this tough-guy series compelling. Both teams attacked the basket, sometimes with problematic results. Indiana missed about five dunk attempts in the first half and a series of short jumpers, too, costing them precious points. The Heat struggled, meanwhile, starting the game just 3 of 22 from inside the 3-point line. Miamis Big Three -- James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- went just 14 of 40. Excluding James, Miami managed only 16 baskets -- eight 3s and eight 2s. With Chris "Birdman" Andersen suspended for the game because of a shoving incident with Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough on Thursday, the Heat couldnt keep up with Indianas big rebounders inside. Even Lance Stephenson, who was not effective at Miami, finished with four points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Indianas loud crowd created a hostile atmosphere, too. Fans chanted ";Heat Are Floppers!" sporadically throughout the second half, urging the Pacers to play harder, to defend better and to make another trip home.dddddddddddd The only way to do that is to win Game 7 and avoid a second straight playoff elimination at the hands of the Heat. For Miami, the stakes were so high that when James was called for an offensive foul midway through the fourth quarter, he lost his cool. James protested by running from one end of the court to the other, drawing a technical foul, and when Miami assistant coach David Fizdale showed his support for the leagues four-time MVP, it drew another technical. George Hill answered by making free throws and Hibbert followed that with a layup, ending any chance of Miami making a late comeback. James said he was trying to avoid an ejection and would up spending the last 66 seconds sitting a few seats down from the Heat bench cheering on his teammates. "Explain it? You seen it. It was total domination by the Pacers in the third," James said when asked what happened to the leagues most dominant team on Saturday. "They made a lot of shots, we didnt get too many stops and we missed some very, very easy shots." It was a complete reversal from Game 5, when Miami took control by outscoring the Pacers 30-13 in the third. This time, against one of the leagues top offensive teams, the Pacers gave up only six points in the first eight minutes of the quarter, using a 14-2 run to turn a 40-39 halftime deficit into a 66-49 lead with 1:15 left in the quarter. Hibbert scored nine in the quarter. Miami did close to within 68-55 after three, but it was too big a deficit to overcome -- even with James running the show. "They just flat-out beat us in every facet of the game. They just outclassed us in that (third) quarter," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Heat rallied early in the fourth, taking advantage of Indianas 1 for 6 start from the field. When Mike Miller hit back-to-back 3s, the Pacers lead was down to 70-64 and when James scored on a layup with 5:54 to play, the Heat were within 72-68. But the run ended abruptly when George hit a 3, Miamis Joel Anthony was called for a loose ball foul on the offensive end and David West grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a dunk to extend the lead to 77-68. Then came the technical flurry that finished it off. West scored 11 points and had 14 rebounds despite playing with an upper respiratory infection that prompted Vogel to send him home early from the Pacers morning shootaround. He played with a fighters mentality and gave the Pacers one more shot at the champs. "Weve come too far not to play," West said. "Im not feeling good now although this win helps. Im sure Ill be better tomorrow and Ill be ready for Monday." Notes: Miami matched its season-low point total (77), which also occurred against the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Jan. 8. ... Miami finished the season 1-4 at Indiana, losing twice in the regular season and twice in the playoffs. ... After the game, Hibbert criticized the media for not recognizing the Pacers as a good team -- using a foul two-word expletive that will almost certainly draw a fine from the league. ... Former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine performed the National Anthem on a harmonica. ' ' '