Before they took the field, Pakistan had decided this would be their day of zen.The cricket world has sometimes thought of Pakistan as the team that either thrives or perishes in volatility; they are either inside the flaming helicopter spinning toward the ground, or the hero walking away from the explosion in slow motion. They are a Michael Bay movie or an old-school Rajnikanth flick, no depth, no nuance, no steady substance, just a series of electricifying sessions in succession; some glorious, the rest gory.Perhaps there has never really been this Pakistan, and at least in Tests, they certainly havent looked much like this Pakistan lately. Now they play under a captain who has, over time, moulded them in his own image. When Misbah-ul-Haq slams a 56-ball hundred or crashes spin over the infield perhaps there is a sense of the chaos that roils within him, but no one would say it is chaos that defines him; what defines him is zen.Misbah is the man who will bat ascetically for hours and hours, and charge his partners to do the same. He is the guy who will settle into a meditative pursuit of ones and twos, and when he hits out and breaks the spell, make boundaries feel ritualistic. In the UAE, or in Sri Lanka, where Pakistan have played most under him, Misbah will ask his quicks to bowl so dry that if two spells were rubbed together a roaring fire would start.On day three, against New Zealand, Pakistan played like the team that has been shaped by this man for six years. They played with gritted teeth, were sane, and diligent. It just so happened that on this occasion they failed to make it pay off.Rather than deliver gladiatorial spells or swinging super-deliveries in the morning the three quicks merely set out to stick collectively to a plan. They bowled slightly shorter than they had the previous day, and had batsmen playing at more balls. Sohail Khan beat Henry Nicholls inside edge to hit his front pad, and Jeet Raval, BJ Watling and Todd Astle were all out fending to slip.These are not the kinds of performances that bring to mind soaring Qawwali or a verse from the Rubaiyat, but they do feature heavily in Pakistans Test-match days - they are the grain in the bags of the caravan Misbah has led to no. 2.With the bat, Pakistan were unwaveringly diligent. They knew they had played too many drives the previous day, so sought to cut them out. They hoped to bring Yasir Shah - their most consistent match winner - into the fray, and so tried to push the game into the final day.Occasionally, their optimistic application calcified into inertia. Azhar Ali batted like he wanted to be the glue that held Pakistans innings together, but found he had stuck himself to a corner instead. It took him 45 dot balls to move beyond 19. A further 24 balls were spent on 31. Sami Aslam, Babar Azam and Misbah himself all spent considerable time at the crease, but no one mustered a strike rate close to 50. The bad balls they had hoped New Zealand would eventually deliver, never showed up.When we sat down and assessed our batting, we spoke about how we got out and we felt we were too loose yesterday, coach Mickey Arthur said after play. On a wicket like this you need to be hitting the ball straight and you need to make the bowlers come to you, and that opens up the leg side. Hats off to Azhar, he fought extremely hard - he just didnt get anything to score off. Credit goes to New Zealand because they bowled exceptionally well. The plan was to survive, survive, survive and pick up some balls to eventually score off, but New Zealand were relentless. We never ground them down.Ground down instead was Pakistans nerve. Misbah attempted to wrest momentum and was caught, hooking, at fine leg. Azhar lost his long concentration, and was bowled, off his inside edge. Two more batsmen followed soon after, and what could have been a day of steady gains became a sorry one.But even these kinds of days have not been atypical for Pakistan. Unlike some other teams in contention for the top ranking, they arent merely lions at home and losers outside their continent: they can be lions and losers in the same series - whipping Sri Lanka in a Galle Test one week then falling apart against a rookie spinner the next, dispatching West Indies in Abu Dhabi, before being dispatched in return, at Sharjah.This match has almost slipped, but perhaps Pakistan will hit back in Hamilton. Maybe the hunt for the top ranking is still on. What seems clear, though, is that there will be more days like this in their southern summer. There will be more days when the defy stereotype, when they work to plans, embrace caution, and the only inspired bursts have been in backroom meetings. There will be more days of Misbah zen. Nike Air Vapormax Cs . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Nike Air Vapormax Plus Mens . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. http://www.cheapairmaxshoesaustralia.com/cheap-air-max-2018-australia.html . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit Moc . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Air Max 98 Thunder Blue For Sale .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens frustrated longtime nemesis Ben Roethlisberger long enough to build a three-touchdown lead.By the time Roethlisberger finally found his groove, it was too late.Joe Flacco threw a 95-yard touchdown pass to former Steeler Mike Wallace, and the Ravens beat Pittsburgh 21-14 on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak.Baltimore (4-4) moved into a tie atop the AFC North with the Steelers (4-4), who have dropped three in a row.Three weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, Roethlisberger returned well ahead of schedule. Playing for the first time since Oct. 16, the 13-year veteran looked out of sync until the fourth quarter, when he directed a 75-yard drive that got the Steelers to 21-7 with 8:38 remaining.Before that, Pittsburghs offense produced only two first downs and was limited to 69 yards. The Steelers totaled 36 yards rushing, 32 by LeVeon Bell.Roethlisberger ran for a 4-yard score with 48 seconds left, but Chris Boswell botched the onside kick -- barely knocking it off the tee -- and Baltimore closed out its fourth straight win over Pittsburgh (including playoffs).The bottom line is we put ourselves in a big hole with some adversity, some of which was created by us, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.After going 8 for 18 for 54 yards and an interception through three quarters, Roethlisberger finished 23 for 45 for 264 yards.Baltimores only touchdown offensively came on Flaccos pass to Wallace, who was making his first appearance with the Ravens in this bitter rivalry after playing for Pittsburgh from 2009-12.Wallace broke free on the left sideline , caught the pass in stride and outran safety Mike Mitchell to the end zone. It was the longest play from scrimmage in Ravens history during the regular season and second-longest in the NFL this year.The home crowd gasped in the third quarter when Flacco hopped off the field after sliding at the end of an impromptu run. It appeared he had reinjured his surgically repaired left knee, but it turned out that his protective brace broke. He missed only three plays.Flacco completed 18 of 30 passes for 241 yards to help Baltimore earn its first win since Sept. 25, at Jacksonville.The offense off both teams was slowed by a steady stream of penalties.dddddddddddd Pittsburgh had 84 yards in penalties in the first half and only 66 yards of offense, its fewest before halftime with Roethlisberger at quarterback since 2009.Baltimore led 10-0 at halftime and 13-0 in the fourth quarter before Javorius Allen blocked a punt and Chris Moore took it 14 yards for a TD and a 21-0 lead with 13:36 to go.Roethlisberger cut the deficit with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. The Steelers then forced a three-and-out, and Roethlisberger brought Pittsburgh to the Baltimore 13 before a sack created a fourth-and-18.Roethlisberger threw incomplete. Minutes later, he took the Steelers 65 yards for a score in his final shot at the end zone.QUOTEABLESteelers: Tomlin on Roethlisberger: He was healthy to play. He was willing to play. I appreciate his efforts and his display of will.Ravens: We gave up some plays down the stretch. ... We will take the win, but we are not satisfied, linebacker Terrell Suggs said.MR. TOUCHDOWNMoore, a rookie, has scored two touchdowns on special teams in the past two games. I might not be able to catch some touchdowns, but Im still going to score, said Moore, a wide receiver from Cincinnati.MR. SMITH RETURNSRavens WR Steve Smith returned after missing two games with an ankle injury. He had Baltimores first catch, a 30-yarder, and finished with four receptions for 47 yards.INJURIESSteelers: C Maurkice Pouncey (dislocated finger) missed part of the first quarter, returned and left for good with the same injury in the third quarter. ... LB Jarvis Jones was injured making a first-quarter tackle and did not return until the second half. ... S Jordan Dangerfield (groin) left in the fourth quarter.Ravens: RB Kenneth Dixon left in the fourth quarter with a bruised chest.UP NEXTThe Steelers host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Ravens are at home Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns, who entered the weekend as the only winless team in the NFL.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Jerseys 2018 NFL Jerseys From China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '