to a pair of Stanley Cups, three combined MVP awards, four scoring titles and a seemingly endless wave of GIF-worthy goals.It hasnt always bee

Nine-hundred-and-fifty people walked through the Gabba gates before the first over was bowled.There wasnt the swimming pool, bikini, Hawaiian-shirted, beery-party atmosphere that had set the scene for the first three days of the Test. The eye-watering confetti pattern of the seats, meant to give the illusion of greater numbers but hidden by actual people from day one to three, was now revealed.The fans hadnt paid to enter: why would anyone pay to see a few overs, a couple of Pakistan wickets and a quick victory for the home side?A hundred and eight runs to win. Surely it may as well have been 1008. 100,008. A million and eight.****Asad Shafiq and Yasir Shah start quietly and solidly, Shafiq trying to keep the strike when Mitchell Starc, in particular, is bowling. The countdown is on.A hundred runs to win.A trickle of Pakistan fans, clad in green and bearing flags, have started to arrive. Some are families, cousins passing children around and chattering in Urdu. Others are on their own, or with a mate or two. But they all come to the same place.There is Rohan, from Lahore. He only arrived in Australia a few weeks earlier, here to study in Brisbane. The last time he saw Pakistan play was nine years ago in Karachi, when he was 14 years old.The chanting starts in earnest: Pakistan zindabad! For the players, this must be like playing in the UAE, their home that isnt a home: a huge stadium, virtually empty, echoing with the cries from a small pocket of noisy green loyalty.Yasir, with a top Test score of 30 to his name, crouches and waits as Starc steams in and spears a yorker at his toes. Yasir jams his bat down just in time. Another yorker, another jam.The fans know this is about survival; Bear Grylls should probably be out in the middle. They know Yasir needs all the help he can get. They scream at Starc as he runs in, No ball! No ball! As if they can, by shouting, force his foot to overstep.Josh Hazlewood is next. He bowls wide to Shafiq, who slashes through the covers for four.They jump to their feet. Maybe they dont all really believe yet, truly believe that their team can pull off the most preposterous chase in all of Test history. But they are starting to.Drinks are called. Eight-four runs to win.A family sits in the middle of the small crowd, all in green shirts with their names printed across the back. The father, Faisal. Next to him a young girl picks up a flag. Shes wearing green sunglasses with the Pakistan moon. As she stands on the chair her name becomes visible. Hidayah. Her tiny Mini-Me sister, Mahdiyya, smiles and claps as Hidayah starts the chanting, her young, clear voice ringing around the stands and out to the players in the middle. Pakistan zindabad!Nathan Lyon comes on to bowl. Come on Garry, they cry. Then laugh.Across the ground, a single Australian attempts the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie call. It sounds lonely and a little pathetic, so the Pakistan fans take it up. Theyll cheer for both sets of fans.Yasir almost edges Lyon to Peter Handscomb at short leg. Theres a collective intake of breath so sharp it seems all the air has been sucked out of the Gabba. Yasir safely sweeps the next ball for a single and the air is released. The countdown now comes after every run. Only 73! Only 73!Smith sends Hansdcomb to field at third man, directly in front of Little Pakistan. It almost seems like a punishment for not taking the catch. Handscomb is greeted with a rousing rendition of Dil Dil Pakistan. Its a song thats ubiquitous at any cricket match involving Pakistan. Now, just weeks after the death of the iconic pop singer Junaid Jamshed, who made it famous, it evokes an added poignancy.Mani is singing along. Hes originally from Multan but has lived in the Australian capital, Canberra, where he umpires in a local competition, for five years. Hes never seen Pakistan play and he is beyond nervous.The fans have now become celebrities. The television crews arrive. Ian Healy, zindabad! The radio crews and photographers follow. There are jeers for Starc when he shapes to throw the ball back at Yasir. There are cheers when Yasir responds by nudging another single. Jeers and cheers all round. Mani and Rohan shake hands. Theyve never met but they share a bond and could be about to share in history.Fifty-three runs to win.Omair has been standing on his seat, leading the singing. He was born in Australia and lives in Sydney but his parents hail from Karachi. Lyon leaps full stretch in an attempt to take a ball that flies past him, and lands face-down. He stays there. Omair also goes down. He drums the seat with jittery hands. Every exhale is a gust of pure tension. I cant do this. I cant do this.Yasir is rapped on the pads and Hazlewood appeals. The the umpires finger rises and so do the hands of the fans as they clutch their heads. Mani turns away and mutters, He didnt offer a shot. He didnt offer a shot. He cant look at the big screen as Yasir calls for the DRS, but his neighbours do, all on their feet, all on edge. When the cheers go up for the not-out call, Mani shakes his head. Hes too anxious to celebrate.But the calls for a no-ball have disappeared. Theres no need for them. Shafiq and Shah have got this. Now they all believe.Forty-one runs to win.Starc. A bouncer. Shafiq. Warner.It happens so quickly and this time there is no review, no chance, no reprieve. There isnt even time to inhale. A few seconds of disbelief and then they are on their feet again. Shafiq removes his helmet and looks to the sky in despair and then raises his bat to Little Pakistan. Youre a hero. Youre a hero, they reply.They rouse once more for Rahat Ali. He squirts out a single. Rahat for president!Forty runs to win.And then its over. Quickly and inexplicably. As the bails flash in the sunlight and Yasir is caught flailing out of his crease, no one seems to believe it could end this way. Even though they started the day barely believing it could be this close.Two thousand five hundred and ninety-three people are now in the Gabba. They havent paid of course. Why would anyone pay to see a few overs, a couple of Pakistan wickets and a quick victory for the home side?The fans in Little Pakistan combine their chants. Aussie Aussie Aussie! Pakistan zindabad!So close, says Mani, as he leaves his new friends. Maybe… in Melbourne. Custom Hornets Jersey China . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Authentic Custom Hornets Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. http://www.customhornetsjersey.com/ . 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PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are a decade into partnership that has helped guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cups, three combined MVP awards, four scoring titles and a seemingly endless wave of GIF-worthy goals.It hasnt always been easy. There was the language barrier when Malkin first arrived from Russia in 2006 to join Crosby as the linchpins of a franchise trying to restore itself to its former glory. The natural growing pains that come when two supremely talented players try to figure things out. The giddy celebration in Detroit in 2009 that ended with Crosby raising the Cup, a triumph that seemed destined to be the launching point of a dynasty.When it didnt happen thanks to six years of good but never consistently great hockey, the two remained committed to each other. The payoff came during Pittsburghs renaissance under coach Mike Sullivan last spring, when the Penguins sprinted to a championship with their two cornerstone players leading the way.At the end of the day we both chose to be here and want to play together and thats not always the case on every team, Crosby said Tuesday. I think theres a lot of respect there.A sentiment that will be put to the test -- at least briefly -- when Crosby and Team Canada face Malkin and Team Russia in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition on Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center, the final tuneup before both squads before the tournament opens later this week in Toronto.Its not the first time the Crosby and Malkin have been on opposite sides during international play. Six years ago, Crosby and Canada torched Malkin and the Russians 7-3 in the Olympic quarterfinals on the way to gold. Yet Wednesday will mark the first time when both stars will be at home, even if Malkin will end up getting dressed in the visiting locker room.Yes, Malkin knows the way.Its weird, Malkin said. But I dont know how the fans feel, but I hope they support us.That wont be in question. The curious sight of Crosbys No. 87 and Malkins No. 71 in different hued sweaters on Pittsburghs home ice will be jarring. Not nearly as jarring, though, as the prospect of both of them chasing after a loose puck in the corner with different agendas.Seeing two of the best players in the game getting aftter it would make for great theater, which is exactly what the NHL had in mind when it brought the World Cup back.dddddddddddd Yet it may also produce a dash of anxiety for the front office that pays Crosby and Malkin millions to line the rafters at Consol with banners.Its a danger both are well aware of, and theyre hardly the only pair of teammates who will find themselves putting country before NHL team chemistry during the tournament. While Crosby allows theres always the risk of running into each other, at some point youve got to just let that part go and focus on playing the game.Youre not necessarily thinking `Thats my teammate, in a split second, Crosby said. Sometimes you might not even know who has the puck.Even if Crosby and Malkin are unmistakable with a stick in their hands. Crosby anticipates the smack talk to be kept at a minimum, but didnt rule out making a run at Malkin if the moment requires it.If we do, itll be in good fun, Crosby said with a laugh. Were both pretty intense so it could happen. You never know.Malkin expects there to be a little chirping, too, but for an entirely different reason. Turns out Crosby is such a motormouth on the ice Malkin doesnt even bother trying to keep up.Sid talks too much every game, Malkin said. He talks too quick for me. Actually, when hes mad, I dont understand. But hes funny.All kidding aside, the two find themselves with vastly different missions heading to Toronto. The two-time defending Olympic champions are heavy favorites to stand atop the podium on the same soil where the sport was invented.The Russians, meanwhile, will try to erase the memory of a forgettable 2014 Olympics in Sochi when they were knocked out in the quarterfinals at home. The pressure will be firmly on Canada, giving Russia a chance to play the role of underdog, if a team that includes Malkin and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin can be considered one.We lost the last two Olympics before, Malkin said. Its a new challenge for the national team and we have a great team right now ... its an amazing time to be here in my second `home town playing for the national team. ' ' '