trast to a league that is becoming increasingly focused on passing. Scarcity means

Two very tall blokes, one very short one, someone with slicked back hair, another with none on his head but a fair amount on his face; ten more men of different shapes and sizes. No, this is not one of those jokes about what happens when they all walk into an eatery. This is a story about what happens when they play for the same sports team - South Africas cricket team.Ask them what they believe was the most important factor for their third successive series win in Australia and they do not talk about runs, wickets, catches or even specific personnel. They put it down to culture. If you believe Bo Hansen, a three-time Olympic medalist from Australia and author of the book Team Culture - Is it making or breaking your team?, that makes complete sense.Culture is a critical factor in the success of any organised group, whether that be a corporate organisation or a sports team. It is one of the most important factors to get right to enjoy sustained success, Hansen writes.Hansen defines culture simply as the way we do things around here. For a long time, that way in South Africa was brash and bold. Allan Donald bursting through; Graeme Smith batting with a broken hand. Then, after the 2015 World Cup semi-final, which sucked the soul out of the system, South Africa forgot what their way was.It was a low point for everyone. Not only the players but I think the whole country. At the time, we didnt quite know what to do, Kyle Abbott, who found himself at the centre of controversy after being left out of the team, said.South Africa meandered through a series in Bangladesh, met their match in India and against England, and melted under the heat of off-field issues. Lets not deny it: transformation was seen as a game-changer. Some said it would prompt a player exodus. Others said it would promote mediocrity over meritocracy. Almost everyone agreed it would be divisive before they considered that it would also provide a window to a much deeper talent pool than South African cricket has ever had access to before.Maybe that was one of the things discussed at the culture camp the team held before the New Zealand series in August. The exact content of the conversations will not, and should not, become public, but whatever it was, it united South Africas cricketers.Abbott is the embodiment of it. Hotly sought after in county cricket, he stuck it out at home and hoped for a chance, knowing that when he got one, he would bowl his heart out. He did so in the fourth ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth last month, and he did it again in Hobart today. He said his fire came from the new culture the team has created.I was lucky to be in that first team, led by Graeme. That culture was great but times move on and players move on, Abbott said. What we have come to now as a team and our values are totally different to what it was 18 months ago. It was tough for us. We set down our goals and what we stand for and we walk it and we talk it every day. Thats how you turn things around.Faf du Plessis has also referred to living the new culture. It cant be something you pay lip service to, he said. You might start to understand some of what they are talking about if you look at how they live. Many of the players are deeply religious, many are also tied to charity work and are doing everything they can to be just as normal as the common people in their country. The new culture is perhaps about representing their people more than themselves and that shows, not just in the fact that they are more diverse now, more than ever, but in the way they chase excellence.South African sport, in all its colours and guises, has always aimed to be among the best, because sporting prowess is seen as a measure of the countrys worth. The setting of that standard is among Hansens nine characteristics of high-performance culture.His other criteria include personal accountability, clearly defined goals and genuine care, words you will hear coming out of the South African camp. But the qualification that stands out most, because it goes against the grain of the machismo usually associated with sport, is relationship-building and communication. This South Africa team has taken that to a different level.From du Plessis jokes about sharing a bed with his champion bowlers to Abbotts confirmation that all squad members know where they stand, the team is in a good space, which also means some of the drivers of the cultural change are the backroom staff. Incidentally, Hansen places responsibility on the coaches to deliberate on, determine and drive a teams culture.Russell Domingo has flown under the radar so far, speaking only once after the Perth Test, when he confirmed the players had recommitted to the countrys cause. He does not have the profile of his predecessor Gary Kirsten, or make the headlines as much as his counterpart Darren Lehmann does, but he has an astute cricket brain and is well stocked with support staff. Adrian Birrell is as down to earth as they come, Charl Langeveldt has moulded the attack into a skilful and scary pack, and Neil McKenzies reputation as one of the nicest men in cricket with one of the best work ethics speaks for itself.Crucially, the selection panel has also made the right calls, like including Keshav Maharaj on this tour, picking Abbott in Hobart, rewarding Rilee Rossouws form with inclusion. Naturally they will make decisions that will be debated and calls that will go wrong, but they have earned confidence and trust with what theyve done so far, from the public and from the players.We are happy off the field, du Plessis said. And it shows.You only need to compare those words against Steven Smiths angst to see how a team can get stuck in an unhappy rut. Smith said he was embarrassed, and said he needed players who took pride in wearing the baggy green, and that he was tired of saying the same things. That was South Africa a year ago. It took immense introspection to get to where they are now but theyve shown it can be done. And they want to keep doing it.Its important to stay with it and stay nice and humble, and dont think the world has changed now that we have won a few series, du Plessis said. We want to keep working hard and making sure we can get better. We want to go special places. Hydro Flask Coffee Mug Canada . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Hydro Flask Straw Lid Canada . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. http://www.hydroflaskombrecanada.com/ . 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. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Canada . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Hydro Flask Coffee Sale . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. The Oakland Raiders set an NFL record Sunday by committing 23 accepted penalties in their 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The penalties accounted for 200 yards, which is the third-most all time for yards penalized in one game.Luckily for the Raiders, Derek Carr had himself a day, setting a franchise record with 513 passing yards. Cotton Davidson held the previous team record with 427 pass yards on Oct. 25, 1964. Carr also tied Phil Simms for 10th all time in single-game yardage. ?That total number of penalties does not include ones that were declined or offset. The previous record of 22 had been hit three times, most recently in 1998 by the San Francisco 49ers in a game against tthe Buffalo Bills, according to ESPN Stats & Information.ddddddddddddhe Raiders were a good bet to break the record. Since the start of the 2001 season, they have been the most penalized team in the NFL. Their 1,961 accepted penalties during that span (through Week 7 of 2016) is 207 more than the next-most-penalized team. Another 313 penalties have been declined or offset during that period. They also lead the league in accepted penalties this season with 86 accepted penalties.?Even so, they are atop the AFC West with a 6-2 record at the midpoint of their season. ' ' '