coaches made some really good adjustments in the second half an

Its the first week of December and Christmas trees are being put up in houses all over Australia. Excited kids are waiting for the morning of the 25th. Some wont have the patience. Theyll go hunting for presents hidden in wardrobes, or lift the sticky-tape on a piece of wrapping paper, take a peek at whats inside. And on Christmas morning theyll regret it. A moment of impulse and everything is spoiled.It feels a little like that in Australian cricket right now. What do we want? Pat Cummins. When do we want him? Now! And indeed, Cummins is ready to play his first internationals in nearly 15 months, as part of Australias attack for the Chappell-Hadlee campaign against New Zealand. These three ODIs mark his international return from yet another long lay-off due to stress fractures of the back. At most, he will bowl 30 overs across six days with a white ball.And yet there are rumblings that he should be rushed back into the Test side, perhaps for Februarys tour of India, but maybe even in the pink-ball Test against Pakistan at the Gabba. On Inside Cricket this week, Brad Haddin was adamant that Cummins should be in contention for Brisbane if he came through the Chappell-Hadlee series fit and in form.If he gets through these three one-dayers ... traditionally these day-night games [Tests] havent been going five days and the quick bowlers might only have to bowl 16 overs in a day, Haddin said. If you use him right in a Test match, he only has to bowl four-over spells.Darren Berry, the former Victoria captain and ex-coach of South Australia, voiced a similar opinion on SEN radio on Friday morning: Surely he plays the three days and if hes up, and he fires, straight into the Brisbane Test.Notably, those who are closer to the Australia setup are more measured. National selector Mark Waugh, on the Inside Cricket panel alongside Haddin, said that while Cummins had performed well during the Matador Cup, and bowled at good pace in club cricket and two Futures League games this summer, he still had something to prove.Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, lets just see him get through these three games, Waugh said. Look, Id love to pick him for Australia in Test match cricket, who wouldnt? But hes got to show that hes ready and hes fit.And captain Steven Smith, asked this week whether Cummins might be a chance for the Test tour of India in February-March, conceded that it was possible, but added hes obviously got to play some Shield cricket first and see how he goes. And heres the thing: Cummins hasnt played Shield cricket for a long time. A really, really long time. When Cummins last played a Sheffield Shield game, not only was Smith not yet the captain of Australia, Michael Clarke wasnt either. It was March 2011, and Ricky Ponting was leading Australia at the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.When Cummins last played a Shield game, Jackson Bird had not even made his first-class debut. Bird now has nearly 250 first-class wickets.When Cummins last played a Shield game, the Big Bash League didnt exist.In fact, since that time Cummins has played only five first-class matches. One was his memorable Test debut against South Africa in November 2011, when he took seven wickets and was Man of the Match in Johannesburg. Then came a bone stress injury in his foot. Then came stress fractures of the back.In mid-2013, he added two more first-class games for Australia A on a tour of Africa, before once again being sidelined by a back injury.In mid-2015, he was sent to England to replace the retired Ryan Harris in Australias Ashes squad, despite not having played a first-class game for two years. He played two first-class tour matches, and lo and behold, suffered another back injury.So long ago was his spectacular Test debut, and so often has he been in and out of Australias short-form squads since then, that it is easy to think Cummins is older and better prepared than is the case. In fact, he is still only 23 - still of an age where fast bowlers are susceptible to bone injuries - and in his entire career has played only eight first-class matches.Rushing him back for the Pakistan Tests - or even for the India tour, given he may have only one Shield game before the squad is chosen - would surely be a short-sighted selection. Does anyone really believe the dry pitches of India, where the fast men will toil long and hard for any reward, would be the smartest way to bring Cummins back?Its great to be back, Cummins said in Sydney on Friday, ahead of his ODI return. Longer-form cricket, Id say its pretty unlikely. I havent played first-class for a while. Certainly hopefully I can play some first-class this year. Im sure itd need to be Shield before I start thinking about anything else.Notably, Cummins also said that on this return from injury he felt more comfortable as he was not being rushed on to an Australian tour: Knowing I wasnt going to fly straight back onto the next tour and having to bowl as well as I was 12 months ago - just having a bit more time has made a big difference.It is exciting that Cummins will be back in Australian colours over the coming week. But back in Australian whites? How about getting him through half a Shield season first? If Australian cricket wants Cummins playing the long game, it may have to play the long game itself. Cheap Adidas Shoes Wholesale . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. 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Nike Basketball Shoes Clearance Sale . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. LAWRENCE, Kan. -- For a moment during the third quarter, the Oklahoma State Cowboys more resembled a rugby club than an American college football team.Mason Rudolph threw for 220 yards and one touchdown, Jalen McCleskey caught six passes for 129 yards, Justice Hill ran for 162 yards and Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) extinguished Kansas homecoming excitement, winning 44-20.The rugby act came after Kansas Montell Cozart tossed a deep pass, intended for wide receiver LaQuvionte Gonzalez, but the ball ricocheted up and Oklahoma State free safety Jordan Sterns brought it down. Sterns scrambled up the field for 21 yards and then lateraled the ball to defensive tackle Vincent Taylor.Weve become the lateral kings, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.And the play wasnt over.Taylor ran for 14 yards before lateraling to defensive end Jarrell Owens. Owens ran for another 29 yards before being brought down by Gonzalez at the Kansas 16.Gundy didnt know how many laterals were thrown during that play, but he knew more than one was enough.I was OK with one, Gundy said. ... Three times? I vote for one lateral and then tuck it away and get what you can get.Oklahoma State chipped in a 25-yard field goal a few plays after the chaos.With less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Kansas (1-6, 0-4) Cozart was pressed on third-and-7 deep in Jayhawk territory and threw an interception straight into the hands of Oklahoma State defensive tackle DeQuinton Osborne. Osborne, standing at 6-foot and weighing 310 pounds, ran down to Kansas sideline to the 1-yard line.Cozart said he, as a film junkie, hadnt seen where Oklahoma State has their nose guard drop back in coverage.They got us on that one. They got me, Cozart said of the Osborne interception. They had seven guys walk up. I knew one of those guys was going to be free. I had a high route to the righht and I knew.dddddddddddd They got us on that one.On the following play, Oklahoma State running back Rennie Childs punched in the ball to put the Cowboys up 31-20.Kansas started off hot, scoring first halfway through the first quarter by a Cozart-to-Gonzalez 68-yard pass. The Jayhawks held a lead until three minutes before halftime when Hill inched in a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-13.Kansas came close to getting within one point, attempting a 59-yard field goal as time expired before halftime. With five seconds remaining in the half, Oklahoma States Motekiai Maile blocked the kick. Kansas couldnt recover, scoring only one more time before the game ended.Our coaches made some really good adjustments in the second half and the players did a nice job of taking it out on the field, Gundy said.Cozart threw for 250 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, Keaun Kinner rushed for 145 yards, and Gonzalez hauled in six passes for 106 yards in the Jayhawks 21st-straight loss to FBS opponents.THE TAKEAWAYKansas: The Kansas defense sacked Mason Rudolph five times, the most a Jayhawk squad has brought down a Cowboy quarterback in program history. Dorance Armstrong sacked Rudolph once, extending his sack streak to five-straight games.Oklahoma State: The Cowboys scored 17 points off Jayhawk turnovers.STATLINE:With 14 points on Saturday, Oklahoma State kicker Ben Grogan is the new career scoring leader at Oklahoma State. He tied former Cowboy kicker Dan Baileys record with his first extra point of the day and surpassed Bailey on the first field goal of the day. Grogan currently has 383 career points.UP NEXTKansas travels to Oklahoma to play the Sooners on Oct. 29.Oklahoma State hosts West Virginia on Oct. 29. ' ' '