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Steven Smith leans down the wicket to a Steve OKeefe ball drifting towards leg stump. Australias captain closes the face to whip through the leg side but does so too early, drawing an edge in the direction of slip. It is three days before the start of the first Test against Sri Lanka.As OKeefe celebrates his little victory in the Pallekele nets, Smith chides himself tersely. Thats shit batting, he blurts. Later, he runs past a Nathan Lyon delivery angled across him from round the wicket, and later still cops a blow to the inner thigh from a Mitchell Marsh effort ball that pops off the surface.These moments are apt showings of Australias vulnerability in subcontinental conditions; moments they must avoid to win this series, and next years in India. Smith has preached adaptability since he was formally appointed captain after the loss of the Ashes in England last year. Now he and his team face the first real test of their resolve to do so. Save for a series win over lowly Bangladesh in 2006, Australia have won one of 15 Asian Tests since 2004.Wed like to turn that around, Smith said in Pallekele. I think weve won one game out of our last 15 in the subcontinent. Its about making sure you have a plan from ball one as soon as you get out there and each individual is different. Ive seen a lot of the guys practicing the sweep shot, guys coming down the wicket, batting deep in the crease and things like that. Its about making sure youre doing it from ball one and not waiting until youre 15 or 20, because you can make a mistake before that.So its about doing it from ball one and making sure you have that plan and youre doing it the whole time. I think thats how you have to play in the subcontinent. You have to take different parts of the game, different tempos of the game along with you as well. Therell be times when they want to attack and you might get more scoring options and times when they want to be a bit more defensive. You have to be patient with that at the same time. The guys know what to expect, weve trained really hard being here the past two weeks and were ready to go.It cannot be said that the Australians are underprepared. They have been in Sri Lanka for two weeks, with some players adding further to their acclimatisation by spending time in Chennai beforehand. They have played two tour matches, an internal trial and a comprehensive win over a Sri Lankan invitational side. They have been actively assisted by the advice of Muttiah Muralitharan, to the evident chagrin of the hosts. They have a squad tailored to the conditions, with OKeefe offering a style of bowling not dissimilar to that of Rangana Herath. And they are playing the first Test of the series at Pallekele, which will offer a more equable surface than the spinning top expected in Galle. All bodes well.I think he has always improved, each year hes played he has improved, Smith said of OKeefe. Looking back to the UAE tour [against Pakistan in 2014], we bowled first on both of those occasions and were behind the game quite often. Its always a different game when you get in front of the game and theres a bit of pressure on the batters to score runs and play with guys around the bat and those kinds of things.I guess we never really got in that kind of position so we never saw that side of Stephen. But I think he has progressed really well. Hes probably bowling as well as Ive seen him bowl. In the tour match he bowled beautifully. He bowled the same ball and some skidded on and some spun. Quite similar to Rangana Herath, the way he bowls in these conditions. So if he gets an opportunity, Im sure hell do well. Another important role player will be Marsh, the allrounder who has made a promising start to his Test career without making the runs expected of a No. 6 batsman. Smith is hoping his top order can dig in for the long, substantial innings that can allow Marsh to give free rein to his expansive hitting power later on. Equally, he is looking forward to using Marshs lively fast medium for impactful spells of the kind seen in the recent triangular series final against the West Indies in Barbados last month.Hes a big strong lad and he plays best when hes looking to hit the ball, Smith said. He gets himself in a little bit of trouble, as weve seen in one-day cricket, when he sort of just noodles them around. When he looks to hit the ball and he gets the man at long-off back and hit down the ground for one and have that intent to score, hes been pretty successful. So theres no reason why he cant do the same in Test cricket.There is a second variable to Australias fortunes over the next three Test matches, that of Sri Lankas transitional team. While the conditions will pose challenges for Smiths men, he is also conscious of making sure the visitors assert themselves at the right times. As the worlds No. 1 Test team, they have the capacity to dominate at times, provided they are the right ones.They are in a bit of a transition, as are we in a way, Smith said. Weve had a lot of retirements recently as well. Theyve lost a lot of runs in Mahela and Kumar, they were incredibly experienced players. Angelo [Mathews] is probably the only one now who has played over 50 Tests in their top six. Theyve got a pretty inexperienced line-up and well try to get on top of that as much as we can.As for Smiths own batting, there is something to his style that appears suited to these conditions, as he showed with a series of useful scores on Australias ignoble 2013 tour of India. By match eve he had ironed out those earlier kinks and misjudgments, nailing his drives, cuts and defensive dead bats with far greater surety than a couple days before.I enjoy playing cricket in the subcontinent its always a great challenge, Smith said. The ball generally does something quite regularly in the game, whether its reverse swing or spin. Its a great challenge to try and bat for long periods and get big scores. I havent got a hundred [here] yet so it would be nice to tick that off - this week would be good. Its going to be a tough series but were all looking forward to it, and hopefully I can have some success along the way.Grant Dayton Braves Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Ender Inciarte Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. https://www.cheapbraves.com/1813o-jerry-royster-jersey-braves.html .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Grant Dayton Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Sonny Jackson Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night.CLEVELAND -- Any other year, against any other team, the Cleveland Indians would be the sentimental choice in this years World Series.You know, because of that long championship drought and all.But not against the Chicago Cubs.The lovable Cubbies, who captured the nations heart by exorcising curses and winning their first NL pennant since 1945 on Saturday night and are aiming for their first Series title since 1908, are a popular pick.The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have pegged the Cubs as heavy favorites going into Game 1 on Tuesday night.Heck, even First Fan Barack Obama, a die-hard White Sox supporter, said he was happy to see the North Side of Chicago rocking.Well, all the love toward the NL champions has left the Indians as underdogs -- a role theyve embraced this October.We believe in each other, first baseman Mike Napoli said Sunday before the Indians held a workout and simulated game at Progressive Field. We believe that if we go out there and play the game the right way, play as a team like weve done, we can win a game on any night. Weve shown in the past two series we cant be taken lightly. We play as a team.Were a confident group.And that assuredness has only grown. Cleveland wasnt supposed to beat Boston, but the Indians swept Big Papi into retirement and the Red Sox into their offseason sooner than expected. Clevelands pitching staff followed that by whittling Torontos big bats down to toothpicks in the AL Championship Series.Now on deck are the Cubs, who won 103 games during the regular season, have three aces at the top of the rotation and a flame-throwing closer and seem to have a date with destiny.The Indians, though, know they can match up with anyone.Theyre a good team from top to bottom, said supreme setup man Adam Miller, who has spent the postseason toying with hitters. They have three guys that might be Cy Young (winners). Were going to be going against a good team, thats not a surprise. If you want to count us out, that works for us.Many of the Indians watched Chicagos historic win, which was followed by a street party outside Wrigley Field that nearly lasted until dawn.As it unfolded, Napoli found himself pulling for former Red Sox teammates Jon Lester, John Lackey and the Cubs. The more he thought about a Cleveland-Chicago series, the more he liked it.I was rooting for them, Napoli said, wearing one of his popular Post Party At Napolis T-shirts.dddddddddddd. I thought it would be one of the coolest World Series to be a part of.The Indians are looking to end their own 68-year title drought, and they spent the past few days resting while the Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers finished their series. The down time has allowed Cleveland to get healthier, but manager Terry Francona revealed a new injury for his team, which has spent much of the season dealing with sprains, strains and even a few stitches.Second baseman Jason Kipnis hurt his left ankle following Game 5 in Toronto.Some of the guys had a tough time getting through the celebration, said Francona, who added Corey Kluber would start Game 1 at home. He went over to embrace (shortstop) Frankie (Lindor) and he rolled his foot on Frankies foot. So hes got a low ankle sprain. The good part is its not a high ankle sprain. You hear that all the time and I never know what it means, but it doesnt sound good. Hes going to be OK.Thankfully we had some time off, which is good. Hes not moving yet like he can, but Im guessing with another 48 hours and 37,000 screaming fans, I bet hell be OK.Kipnis took grounders as head athletic trainer James Quinlan watched. Later, Kipnis didnt appear to favor his ankle while hitting against several Cleveland pitchers during the simulated game, which included crowd noise being pumped into the ballpark.Nothing could replicate Tuesdays anticipated ambience when fans in both cities will hang on every pitch, knowing that each win moves their club closer to a coveted championship.Before the first batter even steps to the plate, this World Series already has the potential to be a classic.Two Midwestern cities separated by roughly 300 miles. Two teams with heartbreak in their pasts.One team will end its lengthy title quest, while the others will linger.Napoli cant wait for it to get started.The Cubs have a lot of history. We have a lot of history, he said. The big things are the droughts. Thats why I wanted it to be us versus them because I think it will probably be the coolest thing ever to be a part of that -- going to Wrigley on the road to see that atmosphere.Thats something I live for. ' ' '