Despite the advice of one or two team-mates, Ive always felt the toss was a completely random affair, lacking in both technique (It always falls on the side facing up) or pattern (Tails never fails). Even so, the toss was often the start of me being blamed - sometimes for simply losing it, at others for making the wrong decision - so occasionally Id shift this burden back on to the mouthier players by canvassing opinion and suggesting that since Id followed their lead, they better bloody get it right.The significance of the toss is hard to know - enough, evidently, for the odd opposing captain to pick up the coin before Id had chance to check the outcome - although its weight in club cricket is to a large degree determined by the low quality of the pitches and the format of most Saturday-afternoon games, which necessitate ten second-innings wickets being taken for a win.As Jon Hotten blogged here a couple of months back, it isnt clear how much of an advantage winning the toss actually comprises. A recent Numbers Game column showed (apropos a suggestion of Darren Lehmanns that the away team should be given the toss in Test cricket) that this eventuality has of late increased the chances of victory in England and Sri Lanka, but not in Australia and India - although one must be wary of drawing causal conclusions from these bare facts, since a teams capacity to exploit the toss is dependent on the bowling resources at their disposal.In higher standards and the longer formats of the game, the toss shouldnt be all that significant. Optimally, the advantage of bowling on the first morning, while the pitch still contains moisture, should be counterbalanced by the notional disadvantage of having to bat last. Of course, perfect balance is unattainable - if only because of crickets essential asymmetry: two direct antagonists, yet each doing different things at different times in different, ever-evolving conditions - yet should be pursued nonetheless.It is the lack of another type of balance in the prevailing conditions of County Championship cricket - conditions that rarely favour spin over seam - that has in part led to this years somewhat radical experiment with the toss, whereby the visiting captain, if he so wishes, can opt to bowl first, otherwise there will be a contested toss.The change has been designed to stop teams producing result pitches (in an English context, greentops), and thus to prevent mediocre bowlers being as penetrative as they currently are, which, in turn, will help, it is hoped, reverse the decline in English spin bowling, in both numbers and quality. Discussing the rule changes in an interview on this site, former England batsman Robert Key said: My original view was that we should have tougher penalties for poor pitches. But that is so hard to police. It just becomes a minefield. But what I still think is that the stigma over spinning pitches has to end. If we see 15 wickets fall to seam bowling on the first day of a game, nobody bats an eye. But if the ball turns on day one, people start to worry. That has to stop.It is undoubtedly an ambitious tweak to the county cricket ecosystem, but in many ways it leaves the basic understanding of the character of that ecosystem - that its always seam-bowler friendly - unchallenged. The options presented to the visiting captain only reinforce that bias.As it stands, the away captain can either bowl first (presumably to take advantage of excessive moisture in the pitch) or can contest the toss, the inference being that he would either prefer to bat first or is a pathological gambler. In other words, if the advantage lies in bowling first, then that advantage is automatically handed to the visitors. Again, this is to disincentivise the home groundsman from preparing pitches too favourable to medium-pacers, whichever team they play for.But what about the spinners in all this?Taking the opposite view to Key, Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale was against the experiment, arguing that it removed the potential exploitation of home advantage. But that isnt strictly true. What if your team has two excellent spinners, the visitors dont, and the groundsman prepares an ultra-dry pitch, perhaps one on which there has already been a 50-over and T20 game? Clearly the advantage at the toss would be to bat first, since the pitch is only going to get worse. So why isnt that option available to the visiting captain? (Perhaps the options at the toss could switch on July 31, the start of the English summer, although most clubs have only four or five Championship games remaining by then.) If the foregoing scenario panned out under this summers regulations, the home team captain would know for sure he had a 50-50 chance of being able to get the best out of this pitch (batting first, bowling last) and might thus instruct the groundsman to take the gamble to make a spinning pitch. On a green pitch, he almost certainly knows that he will be batting first, in the least advantageous conditions, and so probably wont. So the new rules arent an automatic advantage for the visitors.It could be argued that, either way, English cricket still gets the net result of more spinner-friendly surfaces, simply by virtue of them being less green. But why not have the odd home team-favouring dustbowl, for varietys sake? After all, Englands two best Test spinners of recent times, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, learnt their trade by bowling plenty of overs on helpful Northampton strips.Anyhow, its clear that any beneficial long-term changes to the character of county cricket - in particular, the percentage of overs bowled by spin - will take time to emerge, although this seasons number of draws (52 out of 79 games, already more than last years total, with 65 games remaining) and double-hundreds (13, compared to 16 in total last year) already suggests the pitches are flatter.Ultimately the whole problem with pitches is bound up with the consequences of losing. It is competition - the jeopardy of the two-divisional structure; the omnipresent threat of settling in to second-rank status, second-rank budgets, young talent forever seduced by greener (or browner) grass elsewhere - that creates the doctoring and distortions. A short-term outlook for the county takes precedence over long-term benefits for England.The ECB taking macro decisions to seed conditions in which spinners might flourish is a hugely complex affair without any guarantees. When all is said and done, perhaps centrally contracted groundsmen would offer the best solution, alongside universal recognition that English cricket is diminished without encouragement and opportunity for its spinners.Time will tell how the experiment with the toss changes things, but a recent ESPNcricinfo poll revealed that 54.64% of 1583 respondents thought offering the visiting team the option to bowl first was a good idea, which, given the reaction to a recent high-profile vote, is tantamount to unanimity. Authentic Jordan Thomas Jersey . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Authentic Keke Coutee Jersey . 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It is a sweltering Georgia summer day, with the temperature creeping into the triple digits and the humidity hanging in the air like an oppressive, invisible force.Sonequa Martin-Green and Andrew Lincoln are tasked with sprinting up and down a hill on this day -- over and over again.They both pull muscles in their legs, but cant stop, no matter how much it hurts. Not until everything is perfect.This is a typical scenario on the set of one of televisions most beloved shows, The Walking Dead. While one day can be radically different from the next, for Martin-Green, who plays the fierce and determined Sasha Williams, its all part of the regular challenge that makes her love her job so much -- pulled muscles and all.The series, which focuses on a group of survivors and their struggles to stay alive and adapt in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, debuted on AMC in October of 2010 and has since become a ratings juggernaut, drawing more than 17 millions viewers for its season premiere on Oct. 23. Martin-Green, who initially auditioned for the role of Michonne (Danai Gurira), was cast as Sasha beginning in Season 3 and has been a series regular ever since. Now in its seventh season, its filmed annually on location from May to November in Atlanta and the surrounding area.The scene above, which was part of Season 4, included the two stars (Lincoln plays protagonist Rick Grimes) culling walkers -- or zombies, for those unfamiliar with the series -- to the fence of the prison, in which the characters were living. When called by another character for help, the duo runs to the rescue. And while the final result is only a few minutes of the episode, it took hours of blood, sweat and tears. We just had to keep doing that -- up and down, and up and down the hill, said Martin-Green by phone from Los Angeles this week.It felt like it was 500 degrees that day. It was excruciating, and Andy and I both randomly ended up pulling our quads. We both kept going to the medic and saying Give us more of that rub!However, while the show is clearly physically grueling, its something she inadvertently spent her whole life preparing for. Starting in gymnastics at 8 years old, Martin-Green later got into softball and volleyball -- two sports in which she excelled in at Russellville High School in Alabama. As a theater major at the University of Alabama, she channeled her athleticism into stage combat and even received proficiency certifications from the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) in eight different weapons disciplines, including single sword, quarterstaff and knife.While the casting process didnt include a specific combat or stunt audition, nor did she do any specific training after being cast, the 31-year-old was immediately game for everything thrown her way on set.I do as many of my stunts as they will let me, she said. Thats the same for everyone on the show. Everyone is always down. We all push the limits as much as we can -- up until its to the point where its truly unsafe, I will do my own.From battling walkers to shooting guns to jumping over obstacles, Martin-Green has put her physicality on full display during her time on the show. An avid weightlifter, she remembers a time when she was trying to bulk up and increase her muscle mass but was unable due to the extreme cardio exercise she had on set. I was basically just running off all the muscle I was gaining, she explained.While every season presents a unique set of challenges, Season 5 was particularly tough for Martin-Green as she was pregnant with her first child (with husband and TWD acctor Kenric Green, who plays Scott) throughout its duration.dddddddddddd When the season wrapped in November of 2014, she had passed the eight-month mark. While her expanding stomach was regularly covered with weapons and various other props, she couldnt shy away from the action her character had grown to be known for.Martin-Green fought through morning sickness, fatigue and the elements, and maintained the same level of intensity she had previously. During a shoot near the end of the season, she recalls filming a fight scene on a bridge which required her to be constantly moving all day in the direct sunlight. Calling it one of the most difficult stunts she had ever done, she was unsure if she would be able to get through it, but she somehow managed.And while pregnancy is unique on the set, injuries are not. She and all of her co-stars have dealt with their fair share of bumps and bruises during the years.?A lot of stuff goes wrong, she said. Its such an intense show physically. Things are happening all the time. So whether someone passed out from heat exhaustion, or someone twisted their ankle, or accidentally stabbed themselves, or got hit in the head with a prop gun, the medic is just around all the time, and always needed.But, despite the risks and exhausting shoots, Martin-Green loves to be tested every day by the role. And shes grateful to have the opportunity to play such a strong character. Citing Sashas realistic evolution throughout the series, her development allows her to fully challenge herself as an actor. And as difficult as the fight scenes are, the emotional, dialogue-laden scenes are equally demanding --- something that she relishes.Its just so fun whenever I get a new script, she said. Especially because my character isnt in the comic (the show is based on a comic series by writers Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore), so I have this sort of infinite landscape to look at and to look forward to. I love it, and I love the way stories are told on the show.I love all the prevailing themes on the show -- one of them being female empowerment. And I love that its told in such a way that it doesnt beat you over the head with it, which I think is invaluable. Its presented in a way thats authentic and organic, and in that way, I think its much more inspiring.Martin-Green has been able to experience the rabid reach and impact of the show firsthand at various fan-centric events like Comic-Con and Walker Stalker Con, and thinks of everyone involved with the show, from the cast and crew to those watching at home from their couch, as one big family. While shes occasionally confused by an approaching fan at the grocery store (Im always thinking at first, do I know this person from somewhere?), she is thrilled when someone tells them how much they enjoy the show, or when a young girl on the street greets her with a, Hi Sasha!With the mid-season finale airing Sunday night, Martin-Green, like all of her castmates, is notoriously tight-lipped about what viewers can expect, but does promise an epic 90 minutes. So much so, she whistled emphatically about it for about 15 seconds after being asked about it.?Everyone will be embarking on their own kind of path, and youll see how theyre coping with this whole new world, she shared. Everyone is on their own [journey] in doing that, and well see where those paths lead. Its so tough because I really cant say anything. I have to really be creative with my words! ' ' '