yed busy and blitzed Pena. He dropped him twice in the second round, first with a right hand and then with a barrage of punches. When Pena hit the deck for the second tim

Shaun Marsh deserves this Test selection. Those are words that have not always been true. At his lowest, at home to India in 2011-12, Marsh was to Test batting what Eric Moussambani was to Olympic swimming. Yet chances kept coming, and now, at 33, Marsh is repaying that faith. When he replaced the injured Usman Khawaja last summer, he made 182 in Hobart. His next Test innings was 130 when recalled in Colombo. Then came a Sheffield Shield ton this week.So yes, Marsh has earned his opportunity this time. He is David Warners incumbent Test opening partner, and has given the selectors no reason to drop him. At the WACA next week, Marsh will face South Africa in what will be his first Test at his home ground since that miserable 2011-12 summer.And when he does, spare a thought for Joe Burns.In Australias last Test before the tour of Sri Lanka, Burns was Man of the Match, his 170 and 65 in Christchurch having helped secure Australia a series win over New Zealand and the No.1 Test ranking. And he was coming off a home season in which he scored two Test hundreds and averaged 45.70, a very encouraging return in his first summer as a Test opener.But on a selection whim, Burns was axed in Sri Lanka, one of two men - along with Khawaja - who paid the price for Australias collective poor batting in the first two Tests. They were, in Khawajas words, scapegoats.At this point, lets revisit the comments made by chairman of selectors Rod Marsh after Sri Lankas win in the first Test in Pallekele. What else can we do really? Marsh said. We send them off to India, we send them to other parts of the world where the ball turns, we played Australia A series in India last year and they batted well against good spin bowling.That statement is worth dissecting.Who is the they of whom Marsh is speaking? Indeed there was an Australia A tour of India last year, during which two Tests were played. Burns and Khawaja were the only two batsmen from that series who also played in the Tests against Sri Lanka. So they must be the they. Did they indeed bat well against good spin bowling? Khawaja batted four times with a high score of 41*. Burns played just one game and batted only once in it, for 8. He barely had a chance.Perhaps Marsh was referring to the one-day portion of that tour, in which both men scored more freely. But since when has 50-over white-ball cricket been relevant to picking a Test side? It is a game of different tempo, different fields, different attacks. Completely different.In any case, consider the one-day game in which both Burns and Khawaja scored hundreds in Chennai. ESPNcricinfos Alagappan Muthu was at the match, and described the situation thus: An India A bowling attack which relied on medium pace and non-turning spinners proved incredibly appetising, and the two batsmen were ravenous. Hardly valuable preparation for a Test series against Rangana Herath and co.It is true that there were Australia A batsmen who performed strongly in the Tests against India A. Cameron Bancroft scored Australias only century, a fine innings of 150, and was one of five men to also post fifties: Callum Ferguson, Marcus Stoinis, Travis Head and Peter Handscomb were the others. But none of those batsmen were in the Test squad in Sri Lanka. If they were the they of whom Marsh spoke, then they were irrelevant. In fact, Burns embarked on the Sri Lankan tour with just a single first-class match in Asia to his name: the game against India A in which he scored 8 in the first innings and did not bat in the second. Before he was a scapegoat, he was a lamb to the slaughter. Still, he warmed up for the Test series with 72 against a Sri Lanka XI in Colombo, and then made 29 in the second innings of the first Test in Pallekele, which earned praise from Rod Marsh.I thought Joe Burns played really well in that second innings after perhaps not looking too sound in the first innings, Marsh said after the first Test. He went to plan B and he looked really good until he didnt hit one. But in Galle, Burns fell in the first over of both innings - first against pace, then against spin - and was dumped. Could his second-innings method of dismissal - driving Herath in the air to cover - have cost him his place?That would seem especially harsh given the batsmen were told by captain Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann not to waste time in their chase of 413. On a Galle wicket that was spinning quite a bit, the skipper and the coach asked the batting group to be a lot more proactive with the way we went about things, Adam Voges recently said of that innings. With those words ringing in his ears, Burns went hard from the first over.In the same innings Khawaja shouldered arms first ball and was bowled, failing to pick a Dilruwan Perera arm ball. Khawaja has now been given quite a few chances in first-class cricket in Asia, including two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2011, yet has passed 50 just once from 15 innings. Burns has just the one fifty, too, but from only six innings. And four of those were in the recent Sri Lankan Tests.But on very scant evidence, Burns was viewed as expendable in Asian conditions. And thanks to Shaun Marshs Colombo century, he remains expendable at home. Like Marsh, Burns made a Shield century this week. Unlike Marsh, he will be playing a Shield game again next week. And probably for most of the summer. Khawaja, meanwhile, is back in the Test team.Yes, spare a thought for Joe Burns, the real scapegoat. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Burgundy . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Nike Tn Shoes 2018 .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. http://www.niketnultraplus.com/ . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Nike Air Max Tn 2018 .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. Nike Air Max Tn For Sale . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. A roundup of the past weeks notable boxing results from around the world:Sunday at New YorkErrol Spence Jr. KO6 Leonard Bundu, Title eliminator Welterweights Records: Spence (21-0, 18 KOs); Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KOs)Rafaels remarks: From the moment Spence, 26, of Desoto, Texas, turned pro following his stint on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team most expected him to blossom into a contender and to eventually win a world title. As his career has moved along, Spence, the 2015 ESPN.com prospect of the year, has become a bona fide contender. It seems not only if he will win a title but when he will, and when he will crash the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings. He has that kind of talent and potential and, boy, was it on display in the Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC. If you thought Spences fifth-round annihilation of former junior welterweight titleholder Chris Algieri in April was impressive, the knockout of Bundu, 41, of Italy, was even more massive as he opened the new Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York, with a big bang.It took Spence, a southpaw, a couple of rounds to really get into the fight but he won every round, showed off a sharp right jab, a strong body attack and knocked Bundus mouthpiece out in the fourth round. Then he obliterated the typically durable Bundu in the sixth round. He floored him with a clean left uppercut but referee Johnny Callas was out of position and ruled it a slip. It was anything but, as Bundu got nailed and was badly hurt. Moments later, Spence hammered Bundu with another left uppercut and a right hand to the chin, and it was good night as Callas stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 6 seconds with Bundu limp on the mat. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution to be examined after the fight, while Spence made a big statement and became the mandatory challenger for the welterweight world title held by Kell Brook, who will either have to fight him after he challenges unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 10 or give up the title. One way or another, Spences next fight will be for a world title and he deserves it.Claudio Marrero?TKO4 Luis Hinojosa Featherweights Records: Marrero (21-1, 15 KOs); Hinojosa (28-10, 17 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Marrero, 27, of the Dominican Republic, was supposed to fight Derrick Murray (13-0-1, 5 KOs), of St. Louis, but he bowed with a hand injury and Hinojosa, 29, also of the Dominican Republic and a former Marrero sparring partner, took the fight on four days notice. It showed as he had nothing to offer Marrero in a one-sided blowout.Marrero, who won his seventh fight in a row since a decision loss in an interim world title bout against Jesus Cuellar in 2013, scored five knockdowns in total en route to the knockout. He floored Hinojosa seconds into the fight with a left-right combination and never was threatened. He scored two more knockdowns in the third round. After the round, the ringside doctor gave Hinojosa a long look. In the fourth round, Marrero dropped him with a powerful left hand to the chin and finished him with a left-right combination that dropped him to his knees in the corner, prompting referee Danny Schiavone to stop the bout at 2 minutes, 55 seconds.Also on the card, Brooklyns Heather Hardy (18-0, 4 KOs) scored a hard-fought decision against Shelly Vincent (18-1, 1 KO), 37, of Providence, Rhode Island, in a womens featherweight grudge match between the two, who had trash-talked each other for years before settling things in the ring in a crowd-pleasing scrap. Hardy got the nod on scores of 99-91 (way too wide) and 97-93, while one judge had the fight 95-95.Saturday at Ensenada, MexicoJose Uzcategui?TKO2 Fabiano Pena Super middleweights Records: Uzcategui (26-1, 22 KOs); Pena (18-6-1, 14 KOs)Rafaels remarks:In 2014, Uzcategui, 25, a native Venezuela fighting out of Mexico, lost a decision to middleweight Matt Korobov in an opportunity to fight on HBO. After the defeat, Uzcategui moved up to super middleweight and has won four fights in a row, including this blowout of Pena, 28, a Brazil native who also fights out of Mexico. Uzcategui is the mandatory challenger for 168-pound titleholder James DeGale but will be waiting a bit for that fight because DeGale is slated for a unification fight this fall with Badou Jack. So Uzcategui stayed busy and blitzed Pena. He dropped him twice in the second round, first with a right hand and then with a barrage of punches. When Pena hit the deck for the second time the referee waved off the bout at 1 minute, 16 seconds.Also on the card, Mexican welterweight Carlos Chema Ocampo (20-0, 12 KOs) dominated countryman Alvaro Robles (19-6, 17 KOs), winning a near-shutout decision, 100-90, 100-90 and 98-92.Saturday at Sanda, JapanKatsunari Takayama?Tech. Dec. 6 Riku Kano Wins a vacant strawweight title Scores: 59-55 (twice), 58-56 Records: Takayama (31-8, 12 KOs); Kano (10-2-1, 5 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Earlier this year Japans Kosei Tanaka relinquished his 105-pound world title to move up in weight, paving the way for Takayama, 33, of Japan, who lost a version of the strawweight title in December, and countryman Kano, an 18-year-old southpaw, to meet for the vacant belt.ddddddddddddakayama, known for shedding blood, suffered a cut over his left eye from an accidental head butt in the third round. The cut got worse as the fight went on, before the bout was finally halted by referee Danrex Tapdasan at 58 seconds of the sixth round and sent to the scorecards for a technical decision. It came as little surprise that Takayama, who kept his hands moving and landed sharp combinations to the head and body throughout the bout, came out on top. Had Kano won he would have set the Japanese record as the youngest world titleholder.Friday at Rochester, New YorkJarrell Big Baby Miller?TKO3 Fred Kassi Heavyweights Records: Miller (18-0-1, 16 KOs); Kassi (18-6-1, 10 KOs)Rafaels remarks: The 6-foot-4, 296?-pound Miller, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, is a mountain of man with a chance to make waves in the heavyweight division. He talks a great game, has a lot of charisma and a fan-friendly style. And he can bang. Headlining on Showtimes ShoBox: The New Generation, Miller was facing a durable veteran with a lot of experience in Kassi, 36, a native of Cameroon living in New Orleans, who was a heavy underdog but expected to at least give Miller a decent workout. That did not happen -- Miller dominated. He pressured Kassi and worked him over with an excellent body attack with a few nice combinations mixed in and looked to be in total control -- and perhaps on the verge of a knockout. However, Kassi, citing a right hand injury suffered in the second round, quit on his stool after the third round to give Miller yet another win, and another opportunity post-fight to call out the top heavyweights, champion Tyson Fury and titleholders Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.Mason Menard?TKO9 Bahodir Mamadjonov Lightweights Records: Menard (32-1, 24 KOs); Mamadjonov (19-3, 11 KOs)Rafaels remarks:?On an April 15 ShoBox card, Menard, 27, of Rayne, Louisiana, scored a sensational knockout of the year contender against Eudy Bernardo. This one was perhaps not as explosive, but it was still pretty sweet. After six competitive rounds, Menard took command with a pair of knockdowns, both on body shots, in the seventh round. Not much happened in the eighth round, but Menard was back on the attack against Mamadjonov, 29, a Uzbekistan native living fighting out of Houston, in the ninth round. He put together a big flurry of punches that left Mamadjonov dazed. When referee Steve Smoger broke them apart along the ropes, Mamadjonov was so out of it from the punishment he had taken during the flurry of shots that he took a step back and collapsed to the mat on a delayed reaction, prompting Smoger to halt the fight at 2 minutes, 26 seconds. Menard was on his way to a win at that point as he was ahead by two points on two scorecards and four points on the third at the time of the knockout.There were two other bouts on the telecast. Bantamweight Antonio Nieves (16-0-2, 8 KOs), 29, of Cleveland, and Alejandro Santiago (11-2-2, 3 KOs), 20, of Mexico, who was a late replacement for injured Nikolay Potapov, battled to a split draw with one judge scoring the fight 96-94 for Nieves, one by the same score for Santiago and one 95-95. Santiago, who landed a lot more punches, appeared to have gotten a raw deal from two of the judges.In the opener, welterweight puncher Bakhtiyar Eyubov (11-0, 10 KOs), 29, a Kazakhstan native based in Brooklyn, New York, was forced to the go the distance for the first time (and past the third round for the first time) in a debatable split decision victory against veteran Karim Mayfield (19-4-1, 11 KOs), 35, of San Francisco. Two judges scored the fight 95-94 in favor of Eyubov, while one had it 95-94 for Mayfield, who dropped his second fight in a row and his fourth in his last five. It was a tough loss for Mayfield because the fight easily could have gone his way with few complaints.Friday at Los AngelesVyacheslav Shabranskyy?TKO3 Oscar Riojas Light heavyweights Records: Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs); Riojas (10-6-1, 3 KOs) Rafaels remarks:?Shabranskyy, 29, a Ukraine native fighting out of Los Angeles, is a rising light heavyweight contender who made his name three fights ago with a decision win against Yunieski Gonzalez. Shabranskyy, who had been in the running to get a fight with Andre Ward on Aug. 6, did not get it and was staying busy in scheduled eight-round the main event of Golden Boy Promotions Boxeo Estelar series on Estrella TV. He had little issue with Riojas, 32, a Mexico native living in Laredo, Texas. Shabranskyy cut Riojas over the left eye in the second round and knocked him down hard with a right hand to the chin in the third round. When the fight resumed, Shabranskyy immediately landed three more punches that staggered Riojas, and referee Raul Caiz Jr. stepped in at 1 minute, 43 seconds. ' ' '