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South Africa promised to throw the first punch as part of the new approach to Test cricket and they did. But they didnt land nearly as many as would they have wanted as they staggered through the first day of their first Test in seven months sans a major contribution from anyone in the line-up.It may have been a little easier for South Africa to stomach where they sit now had New Zealands attack been a little more aggressive. Although Trent Boults bowled two threatening spells, Tim Southee found movement and Neil Wagner got his short ball going, New Zealand were not a constant threat. In their attempts to assert themselves, South Africa brought on their own demise to some extent and will have to find other ways of being forceful upfront.With an overhead cloud, warm air and two of the best swing bowlers on the circuit, Southee and Boult, to face, Faf du Plessis made his first statement of intent when he chose to bat. Conventional wisdom still favours putting runs on the board before allowing the opposition to, but with South Africa, by their own admission scarred from last summer and specifically their tour of India in which only AB de Villiers - not playing this series because of injury - crossed the fifty mark, it was a brave decision.The first ball drew the immediate gasps of the few hundred people in the ground when it seemed to swing violently. Stephen Cook looked to play to square leg but his outside edge ended up bobbling through gully. But the ball had not danced around a corner, Cook was just early on the shot. Thats not to say there was no movement. Southee found enough to keep the openers watchful but it was Trent Boult who properly challenged them, with deliveries that moved late.Picture a puppy whose owner teases him by pretending to throw a ball. The puppy cranes his neck, even begins to run after the imaginary object, only to find that the ball is still in the mans hand. Dean Elgar was that puppy. Sometimes he played too late, others times he was beaten and he never looked entirely comfortable.Much like Graeme Smith used to, Elgar survived through will rather than technique, which only made the way he got out look worse. He allowed Doug Bracewell to tempt him into the drive twice in the over. When Bracewell did it a third time, Elgar bit again and nicked a catch to second slip.Hashim Amlas response to the loss of the two openers was to send the ball to the boundary seven times in the next five overs but its not as though New Zealand werent asking for it. Southee had offered several spank-me deliveries, often after he had strung together some better ones, and Amla spanked. Overpitched? Four. Short and wide? Four. Bracewell? Four. Four. Four.Who was this man and what had he done with the Amla who averaged less than 19 at the ground that was his home for more than a decade before he chose the Cape Town-based Cobras as his domestic team? He was a man making a statement. So was the person who decided to send in JP Duminy at No. 4, perhaps to keep the left-right hand combination going, but also to allow a man who is experienced enough to be taking more responsibility. Duminy squandered the chance. Although he looked better than he did through all of last summer, especially on the front foot, his first sign of uncertainty came when he swept in the penultimate over before lunch. A short leg was in place for that exact shot and Duminy almost played the ball into his hands. It was hardly surprising then, that Duminy fell into another trap after the break when a fine leg was waiting for a mistimed pull and, on cue, Duminy top-edged Wagner straight to the man. His shot selection would come into discussion about his future in the Test side.Duminy has now failed to pass fifty in 10 completed innings dating back to August 2014 in Zimbabwe but whether South Africa have the depth to replace him still needs to be examined. For now, Temba Bavuma has shown he can hold his own. He began in the same aggressive vein as Amla but then followed du Plessis lead and shut shop mid-way through the second session.In 14 overs before tea, South Africa eked out just 15 runs but not because New Zealand forced that on them. The bowling was not particularly miserly, Kane Williamson had spread the field and the scoreboard needed runs. Du Plessis and Bavuma showed they had perfected the leave and the block, which may come in handy on another day, but only served to stall a decent start on this one.When du Plessis innings was ended by a headline-grabber of a catch from his opposite number, he had spent an hour and 53 minutes at the crease and faced 84 balls and all he had to show for it was a demonstration of why an overly defensive approach does not always work. In this situation, the reality was that if the watchfulness did not turn into something worthwhile, it would be in danger of being a wasted effort. So it was.Quinton de Kock was never in danger of doing that. He top-edged the first ball he faced and not even the realisation that he only got away because the fielder was too square to take the catch could force him into a more conservative style of play. De Kock took advantage of a New Zealand attack that went searching with width, and played some of the shots of the day. A full-blooded drive to long-on, a carve through the covers and then two charges to drill the ball over mid-off and through midwicket off Mitchell Santner. Like Elgar, de Kock went one strike too many. The third time he ran down the pitch to Santner, he did not get the contact he wanted and skied the ball to mid-off to end an innings that could have gone on to better Amlas.So, South Africa find themselves on the ropes again, a position they are used to fighting back from. In pre-match build-up, du Plessis even went as far as to say there was a stage when South Africa were the only team around who were willing to take the time to dig themselves out of holes. They did not want to have to call on that skill but they have left themselves no choice. If things are to go their way in the rest of this Test match, they will have to counterpunch. Patrick McCaw Raptors Jersey . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. Fred VanVleet Raptors Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Og-Anunoby-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Sagaba Konate Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Marc Gasol Jersey . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. SAN DIEGO -- Major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks pitched six effective innings and the Chicago Cubs finished off a three-game sweep, beating the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Wednesday.Hendricks (12-7) gave up two runs and four hits, striking out eight and leaving with a 2.19 ERA. He has allowed no more than three earned runs in 17 straight starts.There Cubs relievers took over for the NL Central leaders, with Aroldis Chapman pitching the ninth for his 29th save in 32 chances.Willson Contreras homered and Ben Zobrist drove in two runs to help the Cubs win for the 22nd time in 27 games. At 81-45, they are 36 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 1945 season at 98-56.The Padres have dropped nine of their past 12. Paul Clemens (2-3) took the loss.YANKEES 5, MARINERS 0SEATTLE -- Rookie Gary Sanchez kept up his torrid stretch with his seventh home run in the past nine games, and Masahiro Tanaka won his fourth straight start in New Yorks victory over Seattle.Tanaka (11-4) threw seven shutout innings and got the better of the Mariners and former Japan League teammate Hisashi Iwakuma (14-9).The Yankees won their third straight road series. They took two of three from the Mariners, one of the teams theyre chasing in the AL wild-card race.Sanchez homered into the second deck in left field in the first inning on the first pitch from Iwakuma, his ninth home run in 18 games since joining the Yankees lineup Aug. 3.Sanchez added a double and his intentional walk in the seventh inning led to Mark Teixeiras RBI single for a 4-0 lead.RANGERS 6, REDS 5CINCINNATI -- Yu Darvish hit only the second homer by a Texas pitcher and Adrian Beltre had a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning in the Rangers 6-5 victory over Cincinnati.Darvishs solo shot to center field was one of three homers by the Rangers, who wasted a three-run lead before rallying late. Beltres double off Blake Wood (5-2) snapped a 5-5 tie.Nomar Mazara had a three-homer, and Ian Desmond followed Darvishs homer in the fifth with one off Tim Adleman. The Reds have given up 10 homers in the last three games, including four sets of back-to-backs.Darvish let a 5-2 lead slip away. He walked a season-high five batters and hit a batter in six innings. A passed ball and an error led to two unearned runs.Jake Diekman (4-2) went one inning and got the win. Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his 28th save.RAYS 4, RED SOX 3, 11 INNINGSST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- David Ortiz hit his 30th home run in the first inning, but Tampa Bay came back from a three-run deficit to beat Boston to prevent the Red Sox from taking sole possession of the AL East lead.Luke Maile doubled with two out in the 11th and scored after Red Sox pitcher Heath Hembree (4-1) dropped a throw to first base on Kevin Kiermaiers grounder.Brad Boxberger (2-0) got the win with one inning of relief.Boston has won 10 of its last 13 games and remained tied for first with Toronto.Bidding to become the majors first 18-game winner, Rick Porcello allowed Evan Longorias tying homer in the eighth before leaving. It was Longorias 30th homer.ANGELS 8, BLUE JAYS 2TORONTO -- Albert Pujols moved into sole possession of 10th place on the career home run list with 584, Matt Shoemaker pitched six shutout innings and Los Angeles beat Toronto to snap an 11-game road losing streak.Pujols finished 4 for 4 with three RBI. After he and Mike Trout hit back-to-back homers in the first, Pujols hit a sacrifice fly in the second, singled in the fourth and sixth innings, then capped his night with an RBI double in the eighth.For Pujols, the homer broke a tie with Mark McGwire on career list. A three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star, Pujols is two home runs shy of tying Frank Robinson for ninth place.Two pitches after Trout hit his 24th home run, Pujols did the same. Both shots came off Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada (7-6).Shoemaker (8-13) allowed three hits, walked one and struck out three.ORIOLES 10, NATIONALS 8WASHINGTON -- Baltimore closer Zach Britton saw his remarkable streak of 43 straight games without allowing an earned run end, then shut down Washingtons ninth-inning rally.The Nationals scored five times in the ninth, one of them charged to Britton. But after his own mistake helped Washington put runners on first and second with one out, Britton got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a double play.Manny Machado and Matt Wieters each homered and drove in four runs for the AL wild card-contending Orioles. Baltimore has beaten the NL East leaders three straight times this week.dddddddddddd.Daniel Murphy hit a grand slam for the Nationals in the ninth, making it 10-7 and bringing Britton into the game with one out in a non-saved situation.Wade Miley (8-10) allowed two runs on seven hits in five-plus innings. Tanner Roark (13-7) gave up five runs in five innings and hit three batters.MARLINS 3, ROYALS 0MIAMI -- Jose Fernandez pitched seven innings and appeared to avoid a serious injury when he tweaked his right leg on his final pitch, helping Miami snap Kansas Citys winning streak at nine.Fernandez (13-7) pulled up after striking out Christian Colon to end the seventh, and rubbed his right knee before limping to the dugout. The Marlins pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the seventh.Fernandez had nine strikeouts to increase his season total to 213, breaking the Marlins record of 209 set by Ryan Dempster in 2000. Fernandez also had the Marlins first two hits, hiking his average to .286.Fernando Rodney pitched around two singles and walk for his 25th save and eighth with Miami.Dillon Gee (5-7) took the loss.CARDINALS 8, METS 1ST. LOUIS -- Matt Carpenter, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty homered off New York starter Jacob deGrom to power St. Louis.Carpenter set the tone, hitting a leadoff home run in the first inning. The Cardinals went on to win for the seventh time in nine games.Piscotty and Yadier Molina each had three of the Cardinals season high-tying 19 hits.Carlos Martinez (12-7) gave up one run and four hits over eight innings. He also got two hits himself.Roughed up for the second straight start, deGrom (7-7) allowed five runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He was tagged for a career-worst eight runs and 13 hits in his previous outing against San Francisco.ATHLETICS 5, INDIANS 1OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kendall Graveman pitched into the seventh inning to become Oaklands first 10-game winner this season, and the Athletics beat Cleveland.The As took two of three games from the AL Central leaders. Cleveland went into the day with the best record in the American League, but was held to one run for the third consecutive game.Khris Davis tripled and scored as part of Oaklands five-run second inning off Trevor Bauer (9-6).Roberto Perez homered, and Jose Ramirez and Lonnie Chisenhall had two hits apiece for Cleveland.Graveman (10-8) extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings before Perez homered in the seventh.Graveman allowed six hits in 6 2/3 innings and won for the ninth time in his last 11 decisions.ASTROS 5, PIRATES 4PITTSBURGH -- Evan Gattis hit his 20th home run, leading Collin McHugh and Houston over Pittsburgh for the Astros fifth victory in six games.McHugh (8-10) gave up three runs in five innings, ending an 0-4 rut in his last five starts. Ken Giles closed for his fifth save. Gerrit Cole (7-9) allowed five runs in five innings.Jordy Mercer homered for Pittsburgh.BREWERS 7, ROCKIES 1MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun hit two home runs and Milwaukee tied a season high with its fourth straight victory, beating Colorado.Braun hit a solo drive off Tyler Anderson (4-5) in the fourth inning. He connected for his 24th homer, a two-run shot, off Chad Qualls in a four-run seventh.Colorados Nolan Arenado hit his NL-leading 34th homer in the first. The Rockies went on to load the bases, but Zach Davies (10-6) escaped further trouble.TIGERS 9, TWINS 4MINNEAPOLIS -- Miguel Cabrera hit his 28th home run and had four hits, Justin Upton added a three-run homer and Detroit beat Minnesota.Matt Boyd (5-2) tied his career high with seven strikeouts in six innings to win his fifth straight decision.Cabrera had his fifth four-hit game of the season and was a triple shy of the cycle. He opened the scoring with a deep blast to straightaway center field in the first inning.Brian Dozier hit his career-high 30th homer for Minnesota, but starter Tyler Duffey (8-10) allowed six runs in three innings. The Twins have lost sixth straight.PHILLIES 5, WHITE SOX 3CHICAGO -- Tommy Joseph and Cesar Hernandez homered to back Jerod Eickhoff, and struggling Philadelphia beat Chicago.Joseph and Hernandez each had two hits and went deep against James Shields (5-16). Aaron Altherr added two RBI singles.Eickhoff (9-12) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings. Jeanmar Gomez worked the ninth for his 34th save in 38 chances. ' ' '