defense, which is allowing a league-low 287.4 total yards per g

When Alastair Cook walked out for the toss in Chittagong on October 20, 2016, he became Englands most capped Test player. At the time of writing, he holds every England Test batting record worth holding. He has made more Test runs, more Test hundreds, more Test fifties and played in more Test wins (and scored more runs in Test wins) than any other England cricketer in history.He has captained England in 54 Tests, a record he currently shares with Mike Atherton. Since World War II, only Joe Root, Denis Compton, Ken Barrington and Len Hutton have improved on Cooks career Test average of 47.Cooks Test average matches that of Kevin Pietersen, Ted Dexter, Peter May, Dennis Amiss and Geoff Boycott. No other England player since the war averages better than 45 runs per dismissal. Cook is also the only English player to score more than 10,000 Test runs. In the current England line-up, Root is more than 6000 runs behind.Cook belongs in exalted company. But perhaps the most stunning thing about his career is that it has taken him fewer than 11 years to achieve all these records. Thats less than half the length of Sachin Tendulkars Test career. If Cook plays for as long as Tendulkar did, he will play nearly 300 Test matches, score nearly 24,000 Test runs and 66 Test hundreds, provided he maintains his current rate. At the end, hell be a very tired 45-year-old man.As Misbah-ul-Haq has shown, its possible for an experienced player to be capable of Test-quality play after the age of 40.For the 192 players whose careers have lasted as long as Cooks has so far, the median number of Tests played is 67. Cook has averaged one Test every 29 days during his career. Among players of comparable longevity, those who come closest to this are Mark Boucher (34 days per Test) and Rahul Dravid (35 days per Test). Tendulkar played a Test once every 44 days during his career.Until the turn of the century, the player who most resembled Cooks unusually high frequency of Test caps was Allan Border, who averaged a Test every 36 days. Border played about ten Tests per year during his career. Cook has played 12.5. Until Cook came along, the fastest player to 133 Tests was Boucher and it took him nearly 21 extra months. If Tendulkar had played Tests at the rate that Cook has, then he would have ended up with about 75 career Test hundreds. At first glance, these are doubtful extrapolations. In the case of elite Test batsmen (such as all those who score, say, at least 5000 Test runs), it can be safely assumed that they do not lack the quality to be regular Test players. Further, the evidence suggests that it is extremely difficult to be an elite regular Test player. We can therefore safely assume that barring injury, the risk of one of these elite players suddenly losing the ability to score runs at Test level is small.Injuries are far more likely to interrupt their careers than selection troubles. Michael Vaughan suffered from chronic injury problems that almost certainly curtailed his Test career. Ravi Shastri played 80 Tests for India and scored Test hundreds in England, Australia, West Indies and Pakistan in the 1980s and early 90s and yet played his final Test before his 31st birthday thanks to chronic injuries.But injuries are rare in the case of pure batsmen. Test cricket remains that rare sport in which exceptionally skilled specialist batsmen remain extremely valuable to Test teams even if they are no longer fleet-footed in the outfield.The difficulties England have faced in trying to replace Andrew Strauss at the top of the Test batting order illustrate just how hard it is to find a quality Test batsman. Since Strauss retirement in August 2012, Nick Compton, Michael Carberry, Alex Hales, Adam Lyth, Sam Robson and Moeen Ali have averaged 26 at the top of Englands order. The search for an opening partner for Cook continues with Ben Duckett.Root has been Cooks most successful opening partner since Strauss, but hes too important in the middle order to be considered.Cooks position as the most prolific English Test run-getter is unlikely to be seriously challenged in the near future. Among his contemporaries, only Pietersen and Ian Bell could challenge him and neither is likely to play for England again.Root will probably break many of Cooks records eventually, but Cook is only 31. If nothing else, Root will face stiff targets. Whats more, Cook has already been through a prolonged slump, which most players who enjoy long careers invariably have to endure at least once. Root will have to endure his own slumps.Over 134 Tests, Cooks career is marked by two outstanding series performances. He made 766 runs in Australia in a five-Test series in 2010-11, and 562 runs in a four-Test series in India in 2012-13. These two series account for just over 12% of his career Test runs and a quarter of his career Test hundreds to date in about 7% of his Tests.Of his other five Ashes series, only one, the 2015 series in England could be considered a moderate success. Cook made 330 runs at 36 in this series. The other four series brought him 1020 runs in 20 Tests at 26.5 with a solitary century. His two South African tours have produced contrasting returns - 287 runs at 41 in 2009-10, and 184 runs at 23 in 2015-16. His home series against the visiting South Africans have been similarly contrasting. He made 329 runs at 47 in seven innings without a century in 2008. In 2012 he made 195 in six completed innings - 115 of those came in one innings. Cook has had a happy time in India. His Test debut in Nagpur (60, 104*) was a triumph. After this it took him a further 17 innings to reach a century against India. When he did, it ended at 294, his highest Test score. That innings, like so many of his marathon masterpieces was marked by unerring judgement outside off stump and extremely disciplined treatment of length.When India toured England in 2014, Cook had been through a couple of low-scoring years by the standards of an elite Test player. He did not make a century in that series, but it was clear that his slump was past him. Since that series, apart from a lean tour to South Africa, Cook has been his old prolific self.For all of Cooks accomplishments, it will take a brave cricket fan to select him to an all-time post-World War II England XI today. Is he a better Test opener than Gooch, let alone Hutton or Boycott?What is remarkable about Cook is his age. When Misbah was 31, he had played a grand total of five Test matches. He had never captained Pakistan. Steve Waugh made 20 Test hundreds after his 32nd birthday. Dravid, Tendulkar and Brian Lara made more than 5000 Test runs after they turned 32. Lara had, arguably, the best phase of the Test career after he turned 32.Following Englands triumphant tour of India in 2012-13, there was a great deal of discussion about the near inevitability of Cook breaking Tendulkars all-time record for Test caps, Test aggregate and Test hundreds. While his subsequent slump silenced these discussions, his recent recovery ought to prompt a rethink.If Cook plays 200 Tests, then, provided he does not suffer a slump of the kind Tendulkar suffered over his last 20 Tests, he should be mighty close to Tendulkars all-time aggregate. Tendulkars 51 Test hundreds will be more difficult for Cook to surpass than his aggregate. To play 200 Tests at his current rate of 12.5 per year, Cook will have to play for another six years. He will still only be 37.With the exception of Pietersen, recent England captains - Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Vaughan, Paul Collingwood and Strauss - have retired in their mid-30s. Pietersen and Alec Stewart are the exceptions, each for very different reasons. If this pattern holds, then 200 Tests will remain a doubtful landmark for Cook. But as things stand, Cook could end his career having attained or just about crossed most of Tendulkars all-time milestones. It will be a gargantuan achievement if he does. But even if he doesnt, Cooks place in the history books is assured. Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Dave Winfield Blue Jays Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-paul-molitor-jersey/ . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Jersey . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Paul Molitor Blue Jays Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. One team is hoping to prevent a second-half slide like the one that derailed its season a year ago.The other is just trying to keep its head above water, knowing that one more loss could effectively end any chance it has left of making the playoffs for a third straight year.That and more are on the line Sunday at the Georgia Dome when the Arizona Cardinals (4-5-1) visit the Atlanta Falcons (6-4) in a pivotal NFC battle.This marks the seventh time in the past 11 years that the teams met, with each splitting the previous six meetings.Its a chance for the Falcons to extend their slim lead in the NFC South over the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers. Its a chance for the Cardinals to possibly salvage their season -- at least for another week.Asked if his team had a sense of urgency, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who had to spend a night in the hospital because of chest pains following his teams latest loss -- a 26-20 defeat at Minnesota -- just scowled.Oh yeah, he said. If you dont have one right now you dont belong in the business, and you damn sure dont belong in this locker room.The Cardinals have been searching for answers all season after a 13-3 regular season a year ago in which the offense set multiple franchise records and quarterback Carson Palmer was in the conversation for MVP candidacy upon setting several career firsts.Palmer and the offense, however, went missing in 2016 and other than second-year running back David Johnson, who ranks third in the league in rushing with 863 yards, there hasnt been any of the same consistency Arians and the Cardinals are used to enjoying.Palmer said theres only one thing on the teams mind as it gets ready for the Falcons.To win one game, he said. Cant worry about seeding or standings or division records; nothing matters other than this game. As leaders, as the older guys in the locker room, you just keep everybodys focus on one day at a time, finishing today. Weve got the practice part done. We have a lot of meetings and a lot of tape to watch. You finish day after day after day, and thats the mindset that we have.As for the Falcons, they still have last season on their mind. Atlanta began 6-1, but scuffled their way to a 2-7 finish over their last nine games to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs for the third straight season.Another second-half collapse wouldnt only be punishing, it could lead to more changes once again for a franchise that hasnt been able to finish what it started. Head coach Dan Quinn acknowledged that still resonates across the organization, but that last seasons second-half fail could propel the Falcons moving forward.Well, we certainly hope so, Quinn said. The scars that you get when you finish poorly, they definitely leave a mark. Were a way different team than our 2015 team -- our mental toughness, our resilience; were just tighter, were better, were more complete in that way.Thats, I think, the biggest difference. Although we didnt finish all of them like wed like to this year, I would say were quite a bit different ooutfit than we were at the end of 2015.ddddddddddddtlanta boasts one of the leagues best offenses. Its ranked first in points per game (32.0), yards per play (6.7), passing yards per play (8.9) and touchdowns scored (36). Overall, the offense is ranked third, averaging 416.6 yards per game.Quarterback Matt Ryan is enjoying one of his finest season to date, ranking second in passing yards (3,247), third in passing touchdowns (24) and fourth in completion percentage (68.2). His favorite target, wide receiver Julio Jones, leads the league in receiving yards (1,105) and has been difficult for everyone to slow down.Jones had 10 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown in his last game against the Cardinals two years ago, torching Arizonas All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson. That was the season in which Peterson, however, was dealing with diabetes and it had to be diagnosed, which led to his worst season in the pros.Peterson is a completely different player now, however, and Jones can see that on film.He dropped that weight, looks like hes in better shape, Jones said. Hes always a good athlete, a guy who can make plays. He can pretty much do a lot of great things.Peterson will shadow Jones throughout the game, something other teams have tried and failed to do against Jones this season.Teams have been trying to do that, but theyve been playing a lot of two-man while they were doing it, Jones said. Theyll take their OK corner and put him over me and then just have safety help, and try to put the better corner on the other side, try to let him lock that side down. Pat P, its just usually one-on-one. Its always been great matchups between us.The Cardinals get Tyrann Mathieu, their playmaking safety, back this week after the Honey Badger missed the last two games because of a shoulder subluxation. His addition could make the leagues top-ranked defense, which is allowing a league-low 287.4 total yards per game as well as the fewest passing yards per game (190.2), that much more dangerous.As good as Arizonas defense has been, Mathieu said it hasnt been good enough.I think we could play better, he said. Every game, theres like three or four plays where were just giving up touchdowns or giving up big plays. Weve got to continue to create turnovers, weve got to create more turnovers, weve got to find a way to score and shorten the field for our offense.Mathieu said the Cardinals will have their hands full with Ryan, Jones and Atlantas running back tandem of Davonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who is finally healthy.Theyre a dominating offense, obviously, he said. Matt Ryan is playing tremendous right now, Julio, it goes without saying, and theyve got two running backs that are definitely going to try and hurt us in the run and the pass game, so our front has to play well, our linebackers have to play well and then on the back end, weve got to do a good of containing Julio. ' ' '