Australias recent failings have raised questions over the effectiveness of Cricket Australias highly-proclaimed high-performance system. Steven Smith, writes Mike Coward in Fox Sports, now needs to ensure that the game returns to the dressing room, because even the very best need timely reminders of how to occupy the crease and build an innings.How did it come to this? Of course, there are other factors at play. There is the hypocrisy of administrators who speak of the primacy of Test match cricket while busily devaluing Sheffield Shield cricket and devoting all their time and energy to short-form tournaments most notably the crudely but aptly named Big Bash League. There is the naked avarice of the same administrators who pay scant regard to the physical and mental welfare of their finest players by planning much too much cricket. And now there is this mad obsession with the need for day-night Test cricket with a pink ball. Good luck to any newbies who must begin their Test careers under lights at Adelaide and Brisbane over the next few weeks.Athletics Jerseys 2019 . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Athletics Jerseys China .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Oakland Athletics Store . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Athletics Jerseys 2020 . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad.Until this season, Brittany Force would typically dismiss questions about whether she could win a championship in the NHRAs marquee Top Fuel category.I was like, Just let me get my first win, she said this week. Let me get over that hurdle first, and then well go from there. Now, the No. 3 daughter of drag racing legend John Force can look at things differently.The most outstanding female performer in a strong year for women in drag racing, Force scored her first Top Fuel victory in 2016 and then added two more. She has set career highs for round wins with 33 and final-round appearances with five, and if she holds onto fourth place through this weekends Auto Club NHRA Finals, shell record the highest finish by a woman in Top Fuel since Shirley Muldowney in 1982.Brittany Force cant win the championship this year -- Antron Brown clinched his third title two weeks ago at Las Vegas -- but her breakout season positions her as a championship contender for next year.Muldowney won Top Fuel titles in 1978, 80 and 82, and no woman has won a championship in the NHRAs two fire-breathing nitro categories since. Angelle Sampey won Pro Stock Motorcycle titles in 2000, 01 and 02, and Erica Enders captured Pro Stock championships in 2014 and 15, but in Top Fuel and Funny Car, nada.Its definitely not out of our reach, and its something were going for, Force said. Obviously, Shirley was the one who opened the door for women in NHRA drag racing. This sport is still male dominated and always will be. But its growing for the women, and I think it will continue building.The NHRA billed this season early on as the Year of the Women, and it has indeed been a pretty good season for the handful of female drivers who make a living in the sport. Six female drivers in four divisions made it to The Countdown, the NHRAs version of the playoffs, and five of them won races.In Top Fuel, Leah Pritchett earned her first career victory early in the season at Phoenix -- beating Force in the categorys first all-female final since 1982 -- and shes seventh in the points after advancing to the semifinals in two of the last three races.Courtney Force, Brittanys younger sister, and Alexis DeJoria each made The Countdown in Funny Car. Courtney picked up her eighth career victory in May at Houston and won the Traxxas Shootout special event in September, and she sits seventh in points. DeJoria earned her fourth career victory early in the season at Las Vegas and ranks 10th, although she missed the eliminations in the last race and wont race this weekend because of a concussion.Sampey picked up her first Pro Stock Motorcycle victory since 2007 and raced to two runner-up finishes, and shes fourth in the points, with the three men in front her separated by only three points.Enders has been the enigma amoong the group.dddddddddddd After winning 15 times in 2014 and 2015, she and her team struggled to adapt to Pro Stocks 2016 rule changes and a switch from Chevrolet to Dodge, and she has gone winless. She did qualify for the Countdown, and she ranks 10th heading to Pomona.Brittany Force hasnt looked back since getting her emotional first win at Gainesville, Florida, in March.We made a lot of changes going into 2016, and we were able to able to finally bring home that first win, she said. That will probably still be one of the biggest moments in my career. It was something I was going after for so long and to finally get there, it was just a really proud moment. But to win in Charlotte [the 4Wide Nationals] not too long after that and then in Brainard [Minnesota], its been an outstanding year for us and Im really anxious to see what well do next year.Eighteen months ago, she was facing the prospect of not being able to finish the season for lack of sponsorship. John Force Racing was trying to rebound from the loss of longtime sponsors Castrol Oil and Ford, and Brittanys dragster had no primary sponsor.Thats when Brittany and Courtney drew on their marketing and people skills to try and make something happen with Monster Energy Drink. Wed been to Monster a few years earlier, 2011 or 12, and spoke to them, and they just werent interested, Brittany said. They just werent ready to get back into the drag racing.But maybe the company could be convinced. After all, Monster had sponsorships in 26 motorsports divisions, and was located near the Force shop in Yorba Linda, California.So Courtney and I just happened to meet their vice president of motorsports marketing [Mitch Covington] at a wedding, and we pushed on him all weekend, Brittany said. It was just by chance he happened to be there, and we pushed all weekend long on him, and hes like, Nope, we are done in drag racing. But persistence paid off, and the Force sisters were invited to the Monster corporate offices the following week to make a pitch.Once we got in there, they just kind of changed their mind and decided to take a chance on us, Brittany said. I hope theyre happy. Weve brought home three wins for them, and theyve been awesome to work with. Its just by chance we met [Covington] at a wedding, and we got into the board room and met with the bosses, and they really liked Courtneys and my personality, our passion or driving.We were girls in the sport, and they said they had a lot of female athletes, but none in their motorsports division, and I think that was the key.And now the pieces are in place -- just maybe -- for Brittany Force to make a run at the championship in 2017. ' ' '