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And just like that, the lights came on for English cricket. For months it had been mooted, only to fade from likelihood as the season turned to autumn and the opportunity to fine-tune a radical concept came and went.But now, at the eleventh hour, with tickets for the 2017 season due to go on sale in two working days time, the ECB has taken the plunge on the strength of a three-day 2nd-XI fixture between Warwickshire and Worcestershire, some pioneering work from the MCCs World Cricket Committee and with Cricket Australias enthusiasm for the format rather forcing their hand ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes.A floodlit Test match at the height of the English summer holidays in the nations second most populous urban area will now take place at Edgbaston next summer against a team, West Indies, that might once have been considered the biggest drawcard in the sport.If you thought the ECB had made enough agenda-seizing announcements for one close season, you thought wrong. But following hot on the heels of last months fast-tracking of the city-based T20 format, and with Durham still cowering after their horse-whipping earlier this week, you scarcely needed to analyse the tone of Tom Harrisons ECB statement to recognise this move as the final panel of a very modern triptych.Its a great opportunity to attract more fans to the game and see how staging Test cricket in the afternoon and evening fits with working patterns and modern lifestyles, said Harrison. We think it can help attract different fans and families to Test cricket.Retrenchment on the one hand, re-evaluation on the other, the boards every move at present has, at its heart, the battle for crickets soul. It will be coming up on the 40th anniversary of Kerry Packers World Series Cricket when England and West Indies take the field at Edgbaston on August 17, and like children of the revolution, it is as if Packers most famous utterance, may the devil take the hindmost, has become the motto of the sports current rulers.That doesnt have to be taken as a criticism, by the way, although Durham in particular may be reluctant to see it in any other light right now. Packer, after all, was reviled for his rampant anti-establishmentarianism, but it barely needs pointing out how many of his innovations remain market-leading norms to this day, not least the notion of playing cricket under lights. The wonder is that it has taken half a lifetime to persuade the sports marquee format to countenance the same direction of travel.Reaction is destined to be mixed, for opinions and predilections have rarely been so fragmented in the modern game. For the record, there is no doubt in my mind that floodlit Test cricket has to be embraced, for the sake of a sport so defiantly behind the times that it sometimes seems to be volunteering itself for redundancy.But equally, it would be blasé to ignore the doubts that many of the worlds best players harbour when it comes to messing with the sports oldest and purest format. Alastair Cook, to name but one significant naysayer, is not enamoured, although his reservations stemmed specifically from the prospect of a pink-ball Ashes Test.A lot of the games have really good attendances, he said of the prospect of facing Australia under lights next winter. Its probably not a series where you need to do it.But therein, with apologies for taking Cooks words somewhat out of context, lies the point. The health of the Ashes is no barometer for the overall well-being of Test cricket, and that means it cannot be the rivalry by which to judge the merits of floodlit cricket either.And nor is the health of Test cricket in London - as evidenced by regular sellout crowds at Lords and The Oval, and referenced recently by MCCs president, Roger Knight, at the clubs AGM - any reason to extrapolate the sports rude health elsewhere in England.In fact, in 2012, Glamorgan - an Ashes host three years earlier - found the following years tourists, West Indies, such a hard sell that the club instead offloaded its fixture to Lords. The crowd for that rescheduled Test, Knight pointed out, ended up being larger than those at the other two grounds for the three-Test series - Trent Bridge and, yes, Edgbaston - added together.With that in mind, you can understand Harrisons enthusiasm for using a non-London venue as his day-night guinea pig. Cricket may be faring better in this country than in many other Test-playing nations, but that is all the more reason to shore up the sport while its strongest markets are still viable.But unfortunately not all non-London venues are equal in the current climate, and panel two of the ECBs triptych - their brutal and punitive treatment of one of the best cricket-playing clubs in the land - reveals the realpolitik at play in their recent chain of decisions. If the dangers of relying too heavily on one big payday were scrawled in red lettering across Durhams finances, then the reasons why the ECB chose to make an example of their struggles were tucked more subtly into the small print.Durhams inability to diversify - in particular to attract non-cricket activities, such as conferences and concerts, to supplement their income in the long winter months - was cited as the biggest reason why their debts became so unmanageable. But it also signed the Riversides death warrant as a venue of any merit in the ECBs brave new world. Whereas Birmingham City Council felt it worthwhile to offer Warwickshire a repayment holiday on debts in the region of ￡20 million - no doubt recognising the benefits to the local economy from major match-day tourism, among other perks - Durham County Council had no similar reasons to offer leniency on debts a fraction of the size.Notwithstanding the huge value that Durham retains as a production line for emerging talent, and as a first-class team of rare pedigree - and for all the beauty of the Riverside as a venue - it has failed the one test that no amount of revision could have enabled it to pass. Namely, it lacks the ability to attract passing trade. To be at the centre of an epoch-seizing buzz. To be relevant to more people than the 990,000 who currently attend cricket matches in England and Wales.In other words, it is not a city - let alone one with a population of 1.1 million that is about to host Englands first floodlit Test match in the height of the English summer, let alone one that has already preemptively rebranded its T20 team in the anticipation of future upheavals to the sport.Whether you accept or abhor the direction of travel, this particular gravy train is just pulling out of Birmingham New Street. There seems little option but to get on board. Clayton Thorson Eagles Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Clayton Thorson Womens Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. http://www.theeaglesshoponline.com/Youth-desean-jackson-eagles-jersey/ . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Andre Dillard Womens Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Wes Hopkins Womens Jersey . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Working the waiver wire is crucial to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the season, we need to source stats from free agency in order to maximize our imaginary rosters.In this weekly series, we identify players available in more than 40 percent of ESPN leagues at each position. Some nominations are purely specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. Either way, we believe the names below-ordered by ownership rate at each position-can contribute positively to fantasy rosters.Point guardJeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets (Owned in 54.3 percent of ESPN leagues): With coach Kenny Atkinsons up-tempo scheme in place, the Nets lead the Eastern Conference and are second in the NBA with 103.9 possessions per 48 minutes. This inflated pace drives increased opportunities for the teams lead guards. Lin has missed the past 14 games with a lingering hamstring ailment, but becomes a valuable ball distributor once he returns to action. In his small sample at the helm of the offense this season, Lin ranks 14th in the NBA in drives per game and fifth in both touches per game and in pull-up points per game, suggesting a rich offensive role waits for patient investors.Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks (32.9): He doesnt offer strong or even average shooting efficiency, but with J.J. Barea still sidelined, Williams has averaged 30.4 minutes and 11.5 assists over the past two starts and is a worthy option for those in need of dimes and 3-point production. We dont trust Williams for more than a few weeks, or even games, but hes a fine streaming asset given his ball-dominant role.Andrew Harrison, Memphis Grizzlies (19.5): Mike Conley is sidelined for well over a month, which means this Kentucky product is positioned as a rising fantasy asset now that hes the teams lead distributor. Even before Conleys injury, Harrison was enjoying an uptick in minutes, as he has averaged 31.7 minutes over his past six games as of Sunday morning. With 1.7 3-pointers, 5.3 dimes and a steal per game over his past three starts, Harrison is a meaningful acquisition in deeper fantasy formats.Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets (10.9): Available in a massive majority of ESPN leagues, Beverley has averaged 30 minutes, 1.2 3-pointers, 1.3 steals, and nearly a block in his past six games, all starts.Shooting guardSean Kilpatrick (53.0), Brooklyn Nets: Getting shares of the Nets pace-drive scheme is entirely intriguing this season. This rising combo guard has averaged 22 points, five boards and 3.7 assists over the past six games thanks to a rich usage rate of 29.2 percent. Kilpatrick is a surging scoring weapon for the Nets who merits more interest on the fantasy market.J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers (37.0): Not only to get to enjoy his postgame pressers a bit more, you also net elite production from beyond the arc (2.4 made per game) and in the steals (1.3) department with Smith.Will Barton, Denverr Nuggets (29.dddddddddddd6): Rich drive rates and steady usage fuels rewarding fantasy results for Barton, who is only this widely available based on a stretch on injury issues. With at least 37 points over his past two appearances, scoring has never been an issue for Barton.Wayne Ellington, Miami Heat (8.3): With Dion Waiters busy offensive role sidelined, Ellington has averaged 32.7 minutes and 6.8 3-point attempts per game over the past four. Minutes and shots -- thats all we can ask for when chasing cheap shares in free agency.Small forwardMaurice Harkless, Portland Trail Blazers (50.4): A fixture of the Blazers small-ball driven approach, this stretch forward has scored in double digits in eight straight and is averaging 15.6 points, 1.6 3-pointers and nearly six boards in just over 31 minutes per outing. In a league with an increasing reliance on 3-and-D assets, Harkless is an intriguing depth addition for fantasy investors.T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns (42.7): The crowd must move on from injuries sometimes, but its always wise to revisit an enduring injury scenario like Warrens to scoop him up as hes on the mend. Reports suggest we should see Warren return to action soon, while he ranks 12th in points per touch (minimum 20 minutes per game) and should resume a busy offensive workload upon his return.Bojan Bogdanovic, Brooklyn Nets (24.5): Its a Nets-centric waiver edition given the number of underappreciated the roster claims. Bogdanovic is essentially a shooting and scoring specialist, as hes produced at least 13 points in nine of the past 10 games.Power forwardMarkieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (46.3): Morris is one of those fantasy contributors whose sum of production is stronger than any individual category, as hes productive enough in points, boards, steals and 3-pointers to provide a meaningful collective of production for us to consider.Jon Leuer, Detroit Pistons (27.7): A strong complementary cog off the bench for Detroit, over the past nine games Leuer has averaged 26.6 minutes, 10.9 points and nearly seven boards at this thin fantasy position.JaMychal Green, Memphis Grizzlies (22.3): Conleys high-usage game doesnt splinter solely to the backcourt, as some of the void is also consumed by guys like Green, who has enjoyed increased offensive freedom and delivers a steal rate.CenterTyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns (40.2): Seventh in the NBA with 19.3 rebounding chances per game, Chandler remains a strong option on the glass.John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks (15.2): Greg Monroe isnt seeing the court much, which means Henson serves as the teams top rim protector. With 15 blocks over his past five games and swats proving so entirely scarce, Henson is a strong specialist to consider streaming over the coming weeks.Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets (22.7): On a team in need of rim protection, Zeller is seeing steady minutes and has eight blocks over his past five outings. ' ' '