On Saturday, a mate took his girlfriend out for birthday brunch at the same time David Warner and Joe Burns walked to the middle in Hobart. By the time they returned home, Australia had been bowled out for 85.On Tuesday, two former Australian Test players checked the scores to see the team were still two wickets down on the fourth morning before heading into work meetings. By the time the pair broke for lunch, the Test match was over.These are but two examples of how far the batting cancer in Australias Test team has spread. A collapse of 10 for 83 in the third Test of the series in Sri Lanka was noticed by some, being the third defeat in a row. But those of 10 for 86, 10 for 85 and 8 for 32 so far against South Africa are disturbing the rhythm of Australian life at a time when vast swathes of the community expect to be sitting down to watch the cricket. It is, quite literally, beyond a joke.A problem of this magnitude stretches beyond the players immediately concerned to affect the rest of the team, the support staff, coaches, selectors, management, the Cricket Australia board and the sporting public at large. Right now, Australias batting is driving down the value of the game in this country - a rude shock to those administrators who have at times made the teams performance subservient to the bigger picture of growing the game.There was nothing particularly unusual about the way Australias batsmen folded at Bellerive Oval. A poor choice of shot by Usman Khawaja ended a partnership with Steven Smith, the new man Adam Voges was placed under immediate pressure, and once he was out the rest fell apart like a slow-cooked lamb leg off the bone.The only salient differences from other days were the fact that the short ball did as much damage as deliveries probing a length around off stump, as South Africas pacemen recognised the best way to utilise the indentations left in the Hobart pitch by their spells on day one when the surface was still fresh. Voges and Callum Ferguson both fell when trying to leave shortish deliveries, while Peter Nevill was out fending at a Kagiso Rabada throat ball, in a dismissal that could have been from any number of West Indian victories in the 1980s.It is beyond doubt that the South Africa seam and swing attack has been of the highest quality, as demonstrated by the present career averages of Vernon Philander (21.67), Kyle Abbott (21.83) and Rabada (22.75). But it is equally true that when other highly skilled pace ensembles have charged in at Australian batsmen in the past, whether it be the West Indians, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, or Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock, they have found the baggy greens harder to shift.Thats what Smith referred to in an impassioned address after the match. I need players who are willing to get into the contest and get into the battle and pride in playing for Australia and pride in the baggy green - thats what I need, he said. At the moment its not good enough. Im quite tired of saying it, to be honest with you. Its happened five Tests in a row now, for an Australian cricket team thats humiliating.Something that has clouded Australias batsmen over the past five matches is a state of conflict between the philosophy that informs their approach and the match scenario in which they find themselves. Notions of driving the game forward, being proactive and entertaining are second nature to the team and the coach Darren Lehmann, but as one former player has put it, you have to earn the right to play that way.Intriguingly, there was little identification among some members of the team for the way JP Duminy and Dean Elgar dug in on day three of the Perth Test. They did not score at a rate deemed attractive to the public, but did as much as anyone, in their understated way, to decide the outcome of the series.Yet the overwhelming body of evidence now before everyone connected to Australian cricket is that this team is not good enough to attack at all costs, as much as they would like to do so. Basics, and stubborn application, must be rediscovered. Were only driving a game if were in a position, to be perfectly honest and we havent been for a while now, Lehmann said. Weve got to stay in long enough to create those chances and put pressure on the opposition and we havent been able to do that.South Africa have been driving the game barring day one of the Perth game and we had an opportunity there and we didnt take it. Thats probably happened in the past few Test matches - even in Sri Lanka we had a couple of opportunities to grab the game and didnt. Its about these young guys getting better about grabbing the game and taking it from there.Unquestionably, Australian cricket must refocus on the defensive basics of batting, and also on ensuring players are as focused, prepared and energised as possible when the time comes to pull on the national team kit. South Africas cricketers did something similar earlier this year, following an 18-month lull that followed the 2015 World Cup won by Australia at home. What they have now achieved is a strength in depth that Smith, Lehmann and the selectors can only dream about, without anything like the same budgets.After play, the Australians met with the chief executive James Sutherland, the team performance chief Pat Howard, and a quintet of former playing luminaries in Mark Taylor, Shane Warne, Ian Healy, Michael Slater and Tom Moody. That too, provided a reminder of how far this batting cancer has spread, for continued problems will affect the jobs of the administrators and also the salaries of the commentators - a new round of broadcast deals is to be decided over the next year. Chronic batting troubles could reduce the money available to the game.A third example of how Hobarts events are spiralling ever outwards could be found on the boundarys edge at Bellerive an hour or so after the final wicket fell. A man had picked up his primary school-aged grandson from school to take him to see the cricket, but there was none to see. Instead they were left to wander around an empty stadium, as South Africas winning players caroused in the middle of the ground. Discount Air Jordan . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Wholesale Air Jordan . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. https://www.wholesalejordanshoeschina.com/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Air Jordan Outlet . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Cheap Retro Jordan . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. MONZA, Italy -- Locked in another tight duel with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the Formula One title, Lewis Hamilton is as loose as can be.After all, Hamilton is racing at a track this weekend where hes dominated in the past.Im chill, Hamilton said after reversing positions with Rosberg and leading Fridays second practice session for the Italian GP.Hamilton can become the first driver since racing great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 to win at Monza three consecutive years. Hes aiming for his fourth win overall at the track, with his three victories to date all coming from pole position.Overtaking up front is very difficult so pole position is definitely a good place to start, Hamilton said.Second to Rosberg in the morning session, Hamilton surged ahead in the afternoon amid hot and sticky conditions with a track temperature of 42 degrees Celsius (108 F).Hamilton edged Rosberg by 0.193 seconds.Ferraris Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen placed third and fourth, respectively, and also flip-flopped spots from the morning.With Max Verstappen placing fifth in the more important afternoon session, the Red Bull driver was shaping up another clash with the two Ferrari cars after their tangle in Belgium last weekend.Daniel Ricciardo was next in the other Red Bull, and Fernando Alonso overcame technical problems in his McLaren Honda to place seventh.Featuring long straights and sweeping curves, Monza features the fastest speeds in Formula One. On the main straight, speeds toppped out at 355 kph (220 mph) Friday.ddddddddddddLast year, Hamilton led each practice in Monza, took pole position, and led the race from start to finish.Rosberg won the Belgian GP last weekend to cut Hamiltons championship lead to nine points. But hes still seeking his first victory at the track outside Milan, which has hosted more F1 racing than any other circuit.Hamilton is aiming for his 50th career win on Sunday.In the morning, Verstappen, Jenson Button, and Sergio Perez tested out a protective halo device designed to reduce the risk of head injuries, following the deaths of F1 driver Jules Bianchi and British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson last year. The halos could be introduced for races in 2018.Meanwhile, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and the Italian Automobile Club announced that they have reached an agreement to keep the Italian GP in Monza for the next three years.While the deal hasnt been officially signed yet, Ecclestone said its just a matter of small details at this point.The contract is only for three years but I hope we will be here for another 100, Ecclestone said.The deal is reportedly worth 68 million euros ($76 million), slightly less than the 25 million euros ($28 million) per year Ecclestone requested.Based on his previous record, Hamilton should be enthused by the extension.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf ' ' '