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Twenty-two maidens on the trot. One scoring shot in 176 balls. And no, the match didnt take place during the fearful 1950s or the soporific 1960s but in Pallekele less than a fortnight ago.Then there was Roston Chase at Sabina Park the following week, capping five wickets in an innings in his second Test with a match-saving century against India that coaxed beams aplenty from King Vivi himself. And then there was that thrilling climax at Edgbaston.As for what links these geographically and contextually disparate feats, need we say any more? Put it this way: had the Saatchi brothers been commissioned to produce an advert promoting the merits of the five-act play, they couldnt have done any better.Lets rewind 50 years, to Garry Sobers summer of summers. Record crowds thronged to Lords and Trent Bridge; come the end of Englands four-day dead-rubber stroll at The Oval, aggregate turnstile clicks had swollen to more than 400,000. This, though, was profoundly untypical of the times. The year before and the year after, interest in the dozen Tests against New Zealand, South Africa, India and Pakistan was such that the only attendances deemed fit for public consumption in Wisden were for the two Lords Tests of 1965.In keeping with its status as guardian and defender of the games principles, the yellow brick road led the prosecution. Englands Ashes tour of 1962-63 and the Indian venture of 1963-64 were summed up, respectively, as grim and drab. In 1965, editor Norman Preston fulminated against 1964s commonplace [and] flat home Ashes series, one that placed far too much emphasis on the determination not to lose. True, noted Preston, the buoyant West Indians of 1963 did not, for the most part, score any faster, but they certainly conveyed the impression of enjoying themselves. The solution was radical: Why not try shorter Tests?Nor did the call for brighter cricket let up. In the 1967 Wisden, the Editors Notes were headlined English cricket at the crossroads. The paucity of turnstile action was blamed on pretty much everything: poor pitches, low standards, lack of personalities, an absence of vigour and variety. Hell, even an enterprising if ludicrous proposal for a one-day County Championship (the first limited-overs tournament had sputtered into life in 1963) was seriously discussed.The most significant omen, nevertheless, could be found in the bottom line: despite the Great Garfield, despite Wes and Charlie and Lance and Rohan and Basil and Conrad and Seymour, despite those historic crowds, profits for that 1966 tour were barely half what they had been for the previous West Indies visit.Fast-forward half a century and what do we find? A world where tours are more accurately described as long weekends and profits are about as newsworthy as an AB de Villiers play-and-miss; a world where bums on seats are often in inverse proportion to the drama and quality of the cricket - and about as relevant as broadcasting fees were in 1966.And so to the latest wheeze - a Test championship, formally proposed by ICC chief executive Dave Richardson and supported by Anil Kumble and his star-studded ICC Cricket Committee. If it wasnt quite the centurys most promising fillip for the planets most anachronistic and scorned exposition of excellence, that was only because the news broke during a remarkable week that also saw MCC announce that, however belatedly, it was considering regulating the depth of bats and the thickness of their edges.Those determined to find fault with the attendant plans for promotion and relegation have been predicting an end to West Indies tours of England, but if what Sobers successors do best in the remaining four-fifths of the century is hit sixes to extraordinary parts, uproot multiple stumps and catch the uncatchable, does it really matter what format they excel in? Caribbean youngsters emboldened by non-cricketing achievers such as Usain Bolt and Trinidads footballers are now more likely than ever to be inspired by joy, self-expression, immediacy and dynamism than patience, stoicism and cussedness - as Junes ODI defeats of South Africa and Australia reaffirmed. As he lounged on his cloud, the late Tony Cozier, whose final years were dominated by despair, would surely have beamed with approval.Since crickets not-so swinging sixties, of course, spectator sport has been radically transformed by technology and money, going from being a cheap, reliable schedule-filler to the very foundation stone of the planets media empires. Its reach has increased an unimaginable number of folds, bringing the very best of the competitive arts to poor villages, far-flung towns and war-ravaged nations, while reducing the actual eyewitnesses to walk-on roles. Indeed, the very notion of spectating has been redefined. And once those clever virtual-reality people get their act together, food and booze proceeds will doubtless go the way of the tour profit.All in all, then, things could be a great deal worse for the Test match, whose 140th birthday next March makes the old boy the longest-running popular show in the annals of intercontinental ball games, not to mention the most historically multiracial (hard as it is to countenance these days, the British Empire did have the odd redeeming feature), yet simultaneously the most profoundly un-21st century. That it survives at all is a minor miracle.Let us return, then, to the latest proposed remedies. Understandably Bangladesh have raised objections to a two-division Test circuit, likewise Sri Lanka, even though the quality of the new generation of batsmen and spinners led by Kusal Mendis and Lakshan Sandakan suggests that fears of relegation will prove short-lived. Joining the naysayers is the BCCI, on the basis, as new president Anurag Thakur explained, politicians hat firmly in place, that the smaller countries will lose out and the BCCI wants to take care of them. Just as it wants, presumably, to take care of business by changing tack and inviting Bangladesh for regular tours. There are worse ways, one supposes, to ensure the minnows continue to vote with India. As for the baggy greens, David Peever, the Cricket Australia chairman, has thrown his not inconsiderable weight behind two of the cornerstone proposals for revitalisation, the two-tiered structure and day-night contests, yet not, significantly, the notion of four-day Tests. This column is inclined to nod its support with considerable zest.Switching to 100 overs per day and 400 per match is by no means a preposterous idea. Even for those of us to whom dilatory rates are only irksome when the fielding team is striving to halt a fourth-innings chase, the subtraction of 50 overs need not necessarily be detrimental. Besides, however natural it is to feel irate at being short-changed - and the 120 balls delivered by England in two hours at Edgbaston certainly pushed even us tolerant apologists to breaking point - perhaps too much is made of them in the age of the DRS.By the same token, however, the elements tease, taunt and torment cricket like no other sport, and unless we actually crave a revival in the number of stalemates, to voluntarily shed a day - particularly when so many Tests are now played during the northern hemispheres wettest months - sounds a lot like a suicide note.Which brings us back to those mesmerising passages in Pallekele and Kingston: in neither case - thanks to rain - would the concluding events have occurred had either contest been confined to four days. Come to think of it, all of the most gripping encounters in the annals of Test cricket - Sydney 1894, Brisbane 1960, Headingley 1981, Madras 1986, and Kolkata 2001, each of which resulted in a tie or else victory after following on - have required at least five days. By way of ramming the point home, all bar the Leeds affair required the equivalent of more than 400 six-ball overs.For further evidence, consider this: of the 60 Tests that have begun since the start of 2015 (up to but not including this weeks Zimbabwe-New Zealand affair), 32 have gone into the fifth day. Of the remaining 28, five have involved the three lightweights, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.Here in Limeyland, needless to add, climatic considerations are always uppermost. There is, nonetheless, a faint hint of irony that, while there had never been any need for timeless affairs, this was the last nation to formally extend Tests from four days to five - a reflection of the havoc wrought on uncovered pitches by unseasonal weather. The first season of five-dayers, furthermore, was in 1948 - somewhat surprising given that the previous summers series against South Africa had produced three decisive results in four days or fewer. That a couple of cracking matches saw time run out doubtless motivated the change.In the event, three of 1948s five Ashes Tests spanned five days, and although there was a patronising reversion to three for New Zealands visit the following year - Walter Hadlees tourists duly repaid such arrogance by drawing all four Tests - five became the norm when West Indies calypsoed into town in 1950 and took the four-set rubber 3-1.Small wonder, all in all, that a poll published in the latest issue of the Cricketer found 87% of readers voting against the 20% reduction. The stats may not lie about the rise in scoring rates or the prevalence of early finishes, but why take the risk?Despite shortening attention spans and alternative attractions, as Mike Brearley reasoned in the Times, classical music thrives and grows, books are still printed. And the Test match still captivates. Bring on the day-nighters, a formal championship and even two divisions by all means, but do us all a favour and leave the five-act play intact. Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Chicago Blackhawks Gear . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. https://www.cheapblackhawks.com/ . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Wholesale Blackhawks Jerseys . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Blackhawks Jerseys 2020 . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. EVANSTON, Ill. -- Justin Jackson ran his way into the Northwestern record books in just three seasons and could finish his career as the schools all-time leading rusher.Still, he is content right now to share the running back position with emerging newcomer John Moten.Jackson rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns, Moten added 128 yards and two touchdowns and Northwestern became bowl eligible with a 42-21 victory over Illinois on Saturday.Its cool, Jackson said. I think Johns come a long way. Hes obviously shown the player he can be. Its pretty exciting.Clayton Thorson completed 13 of 20 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats improved to 6-6 and 5-4 in the Big Ten.Im excited that I get one more opportunity to be with them on the field in a game, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.The first couple of weeks certainly didnt look good, but its a credit to the seniors we were able to come back.Wes Lunt completed 28 of 54 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns (with one interception) for Illinois (3-9, 2-7), which closed out its first season under coach Lovie Smith with three straight losses.We have an idea of what we need to do and what direction we need to go in all areas, Smith said. This is the start. You dont like to be in this situation, but thats normally how it happens.After trailing 21-0, Illinois rallied for two touchdowns to pull within 21-14 at halftime and appeared headed for a game-tying score on its first possession of the second half when things fell apart.First, running back Reggie Corbin fumbled at the 8-yard line and safety Godwin Igwebuike recovered to give the ball -- and momentum -- back to Northwestern.Two plays later, Illinois safety Stanley Green was ejected after a targeting penalty for a hit on wide receiver Flynn Nagel. The 15-yard penalty (on top of the 10-yard completion) advanced the ball to the NU 46. Jackson then broke a 54-yard scoring run to make it 28-14 with 9:24 remaining in the third quarter.Leading 35-21 early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern put the game away on a 4-yard TD run bby Jackson.dddddddddddd The score was set up by a 66-yard interception return by Montre Hartage to the 5.THE TAKEAWAYIllinois: The Illinis 28 first-time starters this season heading into Saturday were the most in the nation, which is a sign the program is in the early stages of a rebuilding plan. To have any chance of flipping the record next season, more consistent offensive production is a must. Lunts 19-yard TD pass to Malik Turner in the second was the Illinis first TD in nine quarters.Northwestern: Although its a far cry from last years 10 wins, winning two of the final three games to become bowl eligible is an accomplishment for a program that doesnt take winning for granted -- especially after losing to Western Michigan and Illinois State to start the season.MOVING UPJackson moved into second place on NUs all-time rushing list -- passing Darnell Autry (3,793) and Tyrell Sutton (3,886) -- with 3,905 yards. Jackson, who has 27 career rushing TDs, trails only Damien Anderson (4,485).Its pretty cool, Jackson said. Theres obviously a history of good running backs coming through here. Im just glad we could get a win on a day like this.1-2 PUNCHMoten, a redshirt freshman, set the tone with two first-quarter touchdowns, including a 43-yarder. Jackson answered with three of his own, including a mesmerizing 54-yarder.He said his long run was aided by watching. Sometimes you can see stuff from the sidelines you dont necessarily see on the field, he said. I saw some things from his long runs and applied it when I was on the field.INJURIESIllinois running back Kendrick Foster suffered an apparent right-leg injury on the third play from scrimmage and did not return. Foster took the handoff and immediately dropped to the ground -- without being touched -- for a 1-yard loss.UP NEXTIllinois: The Illinis season is over.Northwestern: The regular season is over, but the Wildcats will make a second straight bowl appearance. ' ' '