After initial hesitation about playing in a day-night Test, South Africa are now anxious to begin preparations for their first fixture with the pink ball that will take place in Adelaide at the end of November. Although the match is the last in the three-Test tour, it is foremost on South Africas mind because their first practice match in Australia which starts on Saturday, will be played under lights and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis is excited about taking on the unknown.I havent faced or thrown the pink ball around so its all pretty new to me. It will be nice to see how it plays, du Plessis said. I know some of the guys have pink balls in their kit, especially the bowlers. Weve asked around a little bit and read the stuff other teams have been saying about the pink ball. Ive got no expectations of it. Im going in without any experience of it at all.With a ball that is expected to swing and conditions that should favour seamers, South Africa will likely go into the match without their most experienced batsman and will also need to prepare for that. AB de Villiers was ruled out of the tour after undergoing elbow surgery and even though he is holding out slim hope of being able to recover in time to play that game, du Plessis played down suggestions that de Villiers will rejoin them for the match.I dont think so. Hes just had an operation. Were not expecting it, du Plessis said. If it happens, great. If it doesnt, weve got some guys who are capable of putting in good performances.He wants to play. Its pink-ball Test cricket, and most of us in the team are not young pups anymore. ABs a very competitive guy and he wants to put himself out there against the best in the world. So Im assuming hell be in South Africa trying to get ready. But after a big operation like that and from the doctors reports that Ive read it doesnt seem likely that he will be fit.Instead, du Plessis will lead South Africa in the two matches before the day-night Test and probably also in Adelaide, where he can call on some happy memories as inspiration. On South Africas 2012 tour to Australia, du Plessis debuted at the Adelaide Oval and scored a stubborn century to save the game and keep the door open for an eventual 1-0 series win after a victory in the final Test at Perth where du Plessis top-scored in South Africas first innings with an unbeaten 78. He has since played 29 more Tests after that debut series and scored four more hundreds but still the first hundred remains the most special to him.I walked into the hotel and I had a massive smile on my face because I had such great memories, remembering that night after we saved the Test match, fantastic memories. That was the highlight of my career to date, he said. There was obviously the emotion of what went through that match but not just that. I remember drawing this match and moving on to the last one, where things completely changed for us as a team. Australia were dominant for the first two Tests and then moving into that last we finally had an opportunity to be on top.South Africa consider themselves in a confident position again because they have just come off a 5-0 victory over Australia in ODIs at home. Even though its a different format in a different place, their self-belief is soaring.We had an exceptional series. A lots been said about the Australian team but I felt we played consistently good cricket, and we take a lot of confidence from that, du Plessis said. We by no means think well rock up here in Australia and itll be easy. It never is. Australia in Australia is as hard as the Indian team in India. Theyre an extremely competitive team and well have to play good cricket to compete with them but the performances we had in South Africa does bring us here a little bit more confident.South Africa will play two two-day warm-up matches ahead of the first Test in Perth with the first of those beginning on October 22 in Adelaide. They will have another practice game between the second and third Tests, under lights, in Melbourne.Cheap Air Max 90 Essential . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Air Max 90 China Wholesale . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-white-cheap-411.html . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Air Max 90 White Outlet . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Air Max 90 Black Royal Blue . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson.NEW YORK -- Nikita Kucherov had two goals and two assists, Ben Bishop made 26 saves, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 6-1 Tuesday night.Steven Stamkos, Brian Boyle, J.T. Brown, and Valtteri Filppula also scored, and Victor Hedman and Slater Koekkoek each had two assists to help the Lightning snap a three-game skid and finish a 3-3-0 road trip.Dennis Seidenberg scored for the Islanders, giving them goals by defensemen in six straight games. Thomas Greiss started in goal and gave up three goals on 11 shots in the first 13:34. He was replaced by Jaroslav Halak, who allowed three goals in the second period and finished with 22 saves.It was the teams first meeting since the Lightning beat the Islanders in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.Tampa Bay, coming off a 6-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Sunday, got off to a strong start.Kucherov took a beautiful cross-ice pass from Stamkos on the power play and beat Greiss on the short side to at 3:21.Kucherov doubled the lead with 7:42 left in the first on a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot for another power-play score and his third of the season. Stamkos tip-in 1:16 later made it 3-0 and chased Greiss.Stamkos appeared to have tallied another power-play goal in the first but Islanders coach Jack Capuano challenged and the goal was disallowed for offside after a review.The Lightning outshot the Islanders 14-4 in the first.Boyle lifted a backhand past Halak at 6:17 of the second, Brown converted a short-handed breeakaway for his first of the season at 9:30, and Filppula picked up his 149th career goal -- and 49th with Tampa Bay -- with 8:41 remaining in the period to make it 6-0.dddddddddddd.Seidenberg got the Islanders on the board with a hard slap shot from inside the blue line beyond the right faceoff circle with 30 seconds left in the second.Less than two minutes into the game, Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan laid a big hit on the Lightnings Jonathan Drouin. Ryan Callahan -- playing his second game since offseason surgery -- felt the need to protect his teammate and dropped the gloves with de Haan. Drouin left the game and did not return.Boyle and Travis Hamonic also fought later in the contest.Islanders rookie Anthony Beauvillier played in his ninth career NHL game. Once the 19-year-old plays his 10th NHL game, it will accelerate his entry-level contract by one season. New Yorks other 19-year-old rookie, Mathew Barzal, has only played two games.Game notesThe Islanders scratched C Barzal (illness), G Jean-Francois Berube and RW Alan Quine. ... Casey Cizikas skated in his 300th career NHL game. ... Tampa Bay scratched C Cedric Paquette and D Nikita Nesterov. . Lightning F Slater Koekkoek made his season debut after being recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Monday.UP NEXTLightning: Host Boston on Thursday night.Islanders: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night. ' ' '