Match factsAugust 27-31, 2016 Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)Big PictureThis is South African crickets week to find out what the countrys other two big sports experience all the time. Rugby and football are used to one-off encounters with other countries.Although the cricket teams have spoken about the winner-takes-all fixture in slightly different tones, with New Zealand calling it exciting and South Africa admitting it definitely adds to the pressure of the occasion, they both agreed that more matches would be better. Faf du Plessis explained how a three or four match rubber would allow for a better ebb and flow, and Trent Boult said he wanted to test himself against the best for longer periods of time.They will both have to wait until March next year to meet again. This series will be decided on the next five days. At least, they could not have asked for a better place for the crunch clash.SuperSport Park has laid out a green carpet, with a re-laid outfield that will not pose the same problems as Durbans because it underwent the process much earlier. The pitch underwent almost three weeks of preparation and the groundsman predicts an even, if slower than usual, contest between bat and ball. The Highveld winter, meanwhile, has reached its balmiest stage, the one that would be called summer in many parts of the world.Du Plessis expected the contest to be between two high quality, bowling attacks, who he said left Durban happy, which puts both line-ups under pressure. South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better this time, will take the series.Victory for South Africa will see them climb a place on the Test rankings to No.6 while a win for New Zealand, who will remain at No.5 regardless of the result, will give them a first-ever series triumph over South Africa.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa: DWLDLNew Zealand: DWWLLIn the spotlightSouth Africas new opener Stephen Cook scored a century on debut at SuperSport Park in January and will want another big performance to cement his place at the top of the order for the rest of the Test summer. Cook played out the first hour of the Durban Test with Dean Elgar before falling to a delivery he was forced to play at from Boult. Cook has a solid technique but will want to get more on the front foot to assert himself on New Zealands attack.Before moving to New Zealand Neil Wagner played his domestic cricket in Pretoria but, like everyone else, he would not have played it in winter. Conditions will be as alien to him as to both camps but his team-mates are still hoping to tap into his knowledge of the ground as they go in search of South African wickets. Wagners short ball could be one of their key weapons, even on a surface that may not have as much bounce and carry as usual. He showed in Bulawayo that he could still use the strategy with success and will want to show it at his former home ground.Teams newsSouth Africa are considering some changes based on conditions, which du Plessis summed up as a soft and moist. They are toying with the idea of playing an extra seamer or an allrounder, which could bring Wayne Parnell into the team, ahead of either Dane Piedt or JP Duminy. Should Duminy miss out, it would leave South Africa a batsman short; there may not be enough room for Stiaan van Zyl - the only reserve batsman in the squad.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Stephen Cook, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 JP Duminy/Wayne Parnell, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Dane PiedtNew Zealand, on the other hand, are likely to go in with the same team from the Durban Test.New Zealand(possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditionsIf you are nervous about the chances of play after what happened in Durban, you can exhale. Although SuperSport Parks outfield, like Kingsmeads was relaid, the work in Centurion took place in April, more than two months before it did in Durban. In the days leading up to the match, the outfield appeared lush, with its new winter grass coating promising to help the ball to the boundary. All the focus on the outfield has taken eyes off the pitch, which is likely to be less lively than a traditional Centurion strip, although du Plessis said he spotted some moisture. Beautiful days are forecast for all five days, with temperatures in the high 20s and cloudless skies.Stats and triviaOf the 21 Tests they have played in Centurion, South Africa have only lost two - one against Australia in February 2014 and the other against England in January 2000. They have played New Zealand twice at the venue, in 2006 and 2007, and won both by big margins of 128 runs, and an innings and 59 runs respectively.Ross Taylor has not been dismissed on New Zealands African safari so far. He has batted in four innings and scored 366 runs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.QuotesThe great thing for us is that weve got a great record here; so we can rely on that and have the confidence of going into a match knowing that we play well on this ground. We trust that.Faf du Plessis is banking on home advantage in the Centurion TestIts not looked at very closely. Its about us playing our cricket, improving and learning.Kane Williamson on the prospect of winning a first-ever series in South AfricaBillige Schuhe Schweiz . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Nike Air Max 97 Günstig . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. https://www.schuheshopschweiz.ch/gunstig-kaufen-nike-air-max-schweiz-outlet-bestellen-d126.html . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Schuhe Kaufen Schweiz . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Air Max 270 Billig . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005.The Cleveland Browns are keeping some dubious company, though they arent as hapless as the 1983 and `84 Houston Oilers.Not yet.At 0-10, they are the 17th team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to reach that low level, according to Pro Football Reference. They have joined the 2014 Raiders, 1997 Colts, 1993 Bengals, 1971 Bills and those back-to-back losers in Houston with 10 losses to begin a season.Those Oilers finished 1983 at 2-14, then went 3-13 the next year.Should the Browns lose to the Steelers on Sunday, they would join the 1975 Chargers, 1984 Bills and 2000 Chargers with 0-11 records. San Diego wound up 2-12 in `75 and 1-15 in 2000, while Buffalo was 2-14 in `84.Next up -- make that down -- the ladder are the 0-12 squads, Tampa Bay in 1977 and Detroit in 2001. The Bucs wound up 2-12 in their second season of life, while the Lions went 2-14 in `01.Should the Browns get to 0-13, they will have equaled the futility of the 2007 Dolphins and 2011 Colts. Miami wound up 1-15 and Indianapolis went 2-14.The 1976 expansion Bucs lost all 14 of their games. Four years later, the Saints went 0-14 before winding up 1-15.No NFL team has lost its first 15 games in a season and then won. Indeed, the only club to drop the first 15, the 2008 Lions, fell into infamy by also losing its finale.The folks in Cleveland dont want to hear anything about 0-16.---COACH BEARING GIFTS: Jack Del Rio is bringing gifts when the Oakland Raiders travel to Mexico City to take on the Houston Texans.Del Rios foundation will donate backpacks, school supplies and playground balls to needy kids on Sunday, a day before the Raiders play the first regular-season game in Mexico since 2005.I was inspired by the Sport in the Service of Humanity Conference in Rome, says Del Rios wife, Linda. After speaking with my fellow delegates, who all do amazing charitable work in the world of sport globally and in Third World countries on a daily basis, I believed that this would be a fantastic opportunity to give something sustainable back to Mexico City within the world of sport.The foundation and NFL Mexico will also give $10,000 to the charitable organization Mano Amiga, and the foundation will give $8,000 to Mano Amiga for the purchase of athletic uniforms.Students in Mano Amiga will also participate in a free football clinic facilitated by the Raiders on Sunday.---GRIESE REMEMBERS: Bob Griese will be reacquainted with an old friend on Sunday when the Dolphins play the Rams: the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.I havent seen that place in a long time and Ive got some great memories, says Griese, a member of the Dolphins broadcasting crew.Griese was Miamis quarterback when the Dolphins capped the only perfect season in NFL history in L.A. by defeating the Redskins, 14-7, in Super Bowl 7.We never talked about going undefeated, Griese says of that 1972 team. We talked about winning the Super Bowl in L.A. versus the Washiington Redskins.dddddddddddd There was nothing in the locker room after the game like, `Hey, were undefeated! It was, `Hey, we finally won the Super Bowl. Because we had lost the year before to Dallas.Its going to be nice to go back. There is going to be a flood of memories going back to the Coliseum.Griese says hell reflect on that game, but also teammates that are no longer alive.Im going to walk around the field a little bit and that will be nice because I will remember all the guys and coach (Don) Shula, Griese says. Some of the guys are passing away. Its going to be nice to remember those guys, and especially Garo Yepremian -- remember that play?Who doesnt?Yepremian, who died in 2015, nearly cost the Dolphins the game when he attempted a pass after having his field goal blocked. Washingtons Mike Bass grabbed the wobbly heave and returned it 49 yards to pull the Redskins within 14-7.We never went through that in practice, Griese says with a laugh. We never went through the scenario that, `OK, Garo, if you ever get the ball in your hands, dont try to throw it. Just fall down, you know. Or throw it into the ground.The other thing was when they were running down the sideline, (Garo) had a chance to throw his body and knock (Bass) out of bounds and he just kind of waved at him. We kidded Garo about that for a long time. There was a few (teammates) that were pretty upset with him. But we won the game so everything was fine.And no team has been perfect since.---GETTING READY FOR RODGERS: There are two particular tricks that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers loves to use: hard counts that draw a defender offside to allow for a free play, and quick snaps that catch a defense with 12 men on the field.Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry is well aware of those moves, of course, and spent time preparing his players for them before Washington (5-3-1) hosts Green Bay (4-5) on Sunday night.Its something that you preach, you prepare for, you talk about, Barry said.To avoid getting caught on the hard count, Barry said, defensive linemen need to worry about watching for when the ball is hiked, rather than listening to Rodgers voice.And as for avoiding penalties for too many men, he said, Youve got to sub with urgency. And its not only the guy running onto the field subbing. Its, more importantly, the guy running off the field, because (Rodgers) looks for it. And I dont know if its truly just him looking for it or if the coaches on the sideline see it and give him the green light through the headset. But hes outstanding at it.---AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner and Howard Fendrich, Sports Writer Josh Dubow and freelance writer Jay Paris contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
